Psalms 109

1 Unto the end, a psalm for David.

“To the chief musician, by David, a psalm.” O God of my praise, do not keep silence.

2 O God, be not thou silent in thy praise: for the mouth of the wicked and the mouth of the deceitful man is opened against me.

For the mouth of the wicked and the mouth of deceit are opened against me: they have spoken with me with the tongue of falsehood.

3 They have spoken against with deceitful tongues; and they have compassed me about with words of hatred; and have fought against me without cause.

Also with words of hatred have they encompassed me, and they fight against me without a cause.

4 Instead of making me a return of love, they detracted me: but I gave myself to prayer.

In recompense for my love are they my accusers, while I have nothing but prayer.

5 And they repaid me evil for good: and hatred for my love.

And they impose evil on me in recompense for good, and hatred in lieu of my love.

6 Set thou the sinner over him: and may the devil stand at his right hand.

Appoint thou a wicked man over him: and let an accuser stand at his right hand.

7 When he is judged, may he go out condemned; and may his prayer be turned to sin.

When he is to be judged, let him go forth guilty, and let his prayer become sin.

8 May his days be few: and his bishopric let another take.

Let his days be few, and let another take his office.

9 May his children be fatherless, and his wife a widow.

Let his children be fatherless, and his wife a widow.

10 Let his children be carried about vagabonds, and beg; and let them be cast out of their dwellings.

Let his children be continually moving about, and beg, and let them seek [their bread] out of their ruined places.

11 May the userer search all his substance: and let strangers plunder his labours.

Let the creditor lay snares after all that he hath, and let strangers plunder his labor.

12 May there be none to help him: nor none to pity his fatherless offspring.

Let him have none that extendeth kindness, and let there be none that is gracious to his fatherless children.

13 May his posterity be cut off; in one generation may his name be blotted out.

Let his posterity be cut off: in another generation let their name be blotted out.

14 May the iniquity of his fathers be remembered in the sight of the Lord: and let not the sin of his mother be blotted out.

Let the iniquity of his fathers be remembered by the Lord, and let the sin of his mother not be blotted out.

15 May they be before the lord continually, and let the memory of them perish from the earth:

Let them be before the Lord continually, that he may cut off from the earth their memory.

16 Because he remembered not to show mercy,

For the reason that he remembered not to show kindness; but persecuted the poor and needy man, and the grieved in heart to put him to death.

17 But persecuted the poor man and the beggar; and the broken in heart, to put him to death.

As he loved cursing, so let it come over him: and as he delighted not in blessing, so let it be far from him.

18 And he loved cursing, and it shall come unto him: and he would not have blessing, and it shall be far from him. And he put on cursing, like a garment: and it went in like water into his entrails, and like oil in his bones.

And he clothed himself with cursing as with his garment, and it cometh like water within him, and like oil into his bones.

19 May it be unto him like a garment which covereth him; and like a girdle with which he is girded continually.

Let it be unto him as a garment in which he wrappeth himself, and for a girdle let him be continually girded with it.

20 This is the work of them who detract me before the Lord; and who speak evils against my soul.

Let this be the reward of my accusers from the Lord, and of those that speak evil against my soul.

21 But thou, O Lord, do with for thy names sake: because thy mercy is sweet. Do thou deliver me.

But thou, O Eternal Lord, deal with me for the sake of thy name: because thy kindness is good, deliver thou me.

22 For I am poor and needy, and my heart is troubled within me.

For poor and needy am I, and my heart is deeply wounded within me.

23 I am taken away like the shadow when it declineth: and I am shaken off as locusts.

Like the shadow when it declineth do I hasten away: I am driven suddenly off like the locusts.

24 My knees are weakened through fasting: and my flesh is changed for oil.

My knees stumble through fasting, and my flesh faileth of fatness.

25 And I am become a reproach to them: they saw me and they shaked their heads,

And I am become a reproach unto them: when they see me, they shake their head.

26 Help me, O Lord my God; save me according to thy mercy.

Help me, O Lord my God: O save me according to thy kindness:

27 And let them know that this is thy hand: and that thou, O Lord, hast done it.

That they may know that this is thy hand: that thou, Lord, hast truly done it.

28 They will curse and thou will bless: let them that rise up against me be confounded: but thy servant shall rejoice.

Let them then curse, but do thou bless: when they arise, let them be made ashamed; but let thy servant rejoice.

29 Let them that detract me be clothed with shame: and let them be covered with the their confusion as with a double cloak.

Let my accusers be clothed with confusion, and let them wrap themselves, as with a mantle, in their own shame.

30 I will give great thanks to the Lord with my mouth: and in the midst of many I will praise him.

I will thank the Lord greatly with my mouth, and in the midst of many will I praise him.

31 Because he hath stood at the right hand of the poor, to save my soul from persecutors.

For he ever standeth at the right hand of the needy, to save him from those that judge his soul.