Psalms 109

1 For the music director. A psalm of David. God, the one I praise, please don't remain silent,

To the chief Musician. Of David. A Psalm. O God of my praise, be not silent:

2 because wicked and deceitful people are attacking me, telling lies about me.

For the mouth of the wicked [man] and the mouth of deceit are opened against me: they have spoken against me with a lying tongue,

3 They surround me with words of hate, fighting against me for no reason.

And with words of hatred have they encompassed me; and they fight against me without a cause.

4 I love them, but they respond with hostility towards me, even while I'm praying for them!

For my love they are mine adversaries; but I [give myself unto] prayer.

5 They pay me back with evil instead of good, with hatred instead of love.

And they have rewarded me evil for good, and hatred for my love.

6 “Appoint someone wicked over him. Have someone stand as an accuser against him.

Set a wicked [man] over him, and let [the] adversary stand at his right hand;

7 When he is judged and sentenced, may he be found guilty. Let his prayers be counted as sins.

When he shall be judged, let him go out guilty, and let his prayer become sin;

8 May his life be short; let someone else take over his position.

Let his days be few, let another take his office;

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

Let his sons be fatherless, and his wife a widow;

10 May his children be homeless, wandering beggars, driven from their ruined houses.

Let his sons be vagabonds and beg, and let them seek [their bread] far from their desolate places;

11 May creditors seize all that he owns; may strangers take all that he worked for.

Let the usurer cast the net over all that he hath, and let strangers despoil his labour;

12 May no one be kind to him; may no one take pity on his fatherless children.

Let there be none to extend kindness unto him, neither let there be any to favour his fatherless children;

13 May his descendants die; may his family name be wiped out in the next generation.

Let his posterity be cut off; in the generation following let their name be blotted out:

14 May the Lord be reminded of the sins of his fathers; may his mother's sins not be blotted out.

Let the iniquity of his fathers be remembered with Jehovah, and let not the sin of his mother be blotted out;

15 May their sins be constantly before the Lord; may his name be totally forgotten by people.

Let them be before Jehovah continually, that he may cut off the memory of them from the earth:

16 For he didn't think to be kind to others, instead he harassed and killed the poor, the needy, the brokenhearted.

Because he remembered not to shew kindness, but persecuted the afflicted and needy man, and the broken in heart, to slay him.

17 He loved to put a curse on others—let it come back on him. He had no time for blessings—so may he never receive any.

And he loved cursing; so let it come unto him. And he delighted not in blessing; and let it be far from him.

18 He cursed as often as he got dressed. May his curses go into him like the water he drinks, like the olive oil he rubs on his skin that enters his bones.

And he clothed himself with cursing like his vestment; so let it come into his bowels like water, and like oil into his bones;

19 May his curses stick to him like clothing, may they be pulled tight around him like a belt.”

Let it be unto him as a garment with which he covereth himself, and for a girdle wherewith he is constantly girded.

20 May all this be the punishment of the Lord on my enemies, on those who speak evil of me.

Let this be the reward of mine adversaries from Jehovah, and of them that speak evil against my soul.

21 But treat me well, Lord God, because of your own reputation. Save me because you are faithful and good.

But do thou for me, Jehovah, Lord, for thy name's sake; because thy loving-kindness is good, deliver me:

22 For I am poor and needy, and my heart is breaking.

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

23 I am fading away like an evening shadow; I am like a locust that is shaken off.

I am gone like a shadow when it lengtheneth; I am tossed about like the locust;

24 I am so weak from lack of food that my legs give way; my body is just skin and bones.

My knees are failing through fasting, and my flesh hath lost its fatness;

25 People ridicule me—they look at me and shake their heads!

And I am become a reproach unto them; [when] they look upon me they shake their heads.

26 Help me, Lord my God; save me because of your trustworthy love.

Help me, Jehovah my God; save me according to thy loving-kindness:

27 May they recognize that this is what you are doing—that you are the one who saves me.

That they may know that this is thy hand; that thou, Jehovah, hast done it.

28 When they curse me, you will bless me. When they attack me, you will defeat them. And I, your servant, will be happy.

Let them curse, but bless thou; when they rise up, let them be ashamed, and let thy servant rejoice.

29 May those who accuse me be clothed with disgrace; may they cover themselves with a cloak of shame.

Let mine adversaries be clothed with confusion, and let them cover themselves with their shame as with a mantle.

30 But I will keep on thanking the Lord, praising him to everyone around me.

I will greatly celebrate Jehovah with my mouth; yea, I will praise him among the multitude.

31 For he takes a stand to defend the needy, to save them from those who condemn them.

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