< Psalms 109 >
1 For the music director. A psalm of David. God, the one I praise, please don't remain silent,
To victorye, the salm of Dauid.
2 because wicked and deceitful people are attacking me, telling lies about me.
God, holde thou not stille my preisyng; for the mouth of the synner, and the mouth of the gileful man is openyd on me.
3 They surround me with words of hate, fighting against me for no reason.
Thei spaken ayens me with a gileful tunge, and thei cumpassiden me with wordis of hatrede; and fouyten ayens me with out cause.
4 I love them, but they respond with hostility towards me, even while I'm praying for them!
For that thing that thei schulden loue me, thei bacbitiden me; but Y preiede.
5 They pay me back with evil instead of good, with hatred instead of love.
And thei settiden ayens me yuelis for goodis; and hatrede for my loue.
6 “Appoint someone wicked over him. Have someone stand as an accuser against him.
Ordeyne thou a synner on him; and the deuel stonde on his riyt half.
7 When he is judged and sentenced, may he be found guilty. Let his prayers be counted as sins.
Whanne he is demed, go he out condempned; and his preier `be maad in to synne.
8 May his life be short; let someone else take over his position.
Hise daies be maad fewe; and another take his bischopriche.
9 May his children be left fatherless, and his wife become a widow.
Hise sones be maad faderles; and his wijf a widewe.
10 May his children be homeless, wandering beggars, driven from their ruined houses.
Hise sones tremblinge be born ouer, and begge; and be cast out of her habitaciouns.
11 May creditors seize all that he owns; may strangers take all that he worked for.
An vsurere seke al his catel; and aliens rauysche hise trauelis.
12 May no one be kind to him; may no one take pity on his fatherless children.
Noon helpere be to him; nether ony be that haue mercy on hise modirles children.
13 May his descendants die; may his family name be wiped out in the next generation.
Hise sones be maad in to perisching; the name of him be don awei in oon generacioun.
14 May the Lord be reminded of the sins of his fathers; may his mother's sins not be blotted out.
The wickidnesse of hise fadris come ayen in to mynde in the siyt of the Lord; and the synne of his modir be not don awei.
15 May their sins be constantly before the Lord; may his name be totally forgotten by people.
Be thei maad euere ayens the Lord; and the mynde of hem perische fro erthe.
16 For he didn't think to be kind to others, instead he harassed and killed the poor, the needy, the brokenhearted.
For that thing that he thouyte not to do merci,
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 pursuede a pore man and beggere; and to slee a man compunct in herte.
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 louede cursing, and it schal come to hym; and he nolde blessing, and it schal be maad fer fro him. And he clothide cursing as a cloth, and it entride as water in to hise ynnere thingis; and as oile in hise boonus.
19 May his curses stick to him like clothing, may they be pulled tight around him like a belt.”
Be it maad to him as a cloth, with which he is hilyd; and as a girdil, with which he is euere gird.
20 May all this be the punishment of the Lord on my enemies, on those who speak evil of me.
This is the werk of hem that bacbiten me anentis the Lord; and that speke yuels ayens my lijf.
21 But treat me well, Lord God, because of your own reputation. Save me because you are faithful and good.
And thou, Lord, Lord, do with me for thi name; for thi merci is swete.
22 For I am poor and needy, and my heart is breaking.
Delyuere thou me, for Y am nedi and pore; and myn herte is disturblid with ynne me.
23 I am fading away like an evening shadow; I am like a locust that is shaken off.
I am takun awei as a schadowe, whanne it bowith awei; and Y am schakun awei as locustis.
24 I am so weak from lack of food that my legs give way; my body is just skin and bones.
Mi knees ben maad feble of fasting; and my fleische was chaungid for oile.
25 People ridicule me—they look at me and shake their heads!
And Y am maad schenschipe to hem; thei sien me, and moueden her heedis.
26 Help me, Lord my God; save me because of your trustworthy love.
Mi Lord God, helpe thou me; make thou me saaf bi thi merci.
27 May they recognize that this is what you are doing—that you are the one who saves me.
And thei schulen wite, that this is thin hond; and thou, Lord, hast do 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.
Thei schulen curse, and thou schalt blesse, thei that risen ayens me, be schent; but thi seruaunt schal be glad.
29 May those who accuse me be clothed with disgrace; may they cover themselves with a cloak of shame.
Thei that bacbiten me, be clothid with schame; and be thei hilid with her schenschipe as with a double cloth.
30 But I will keep on thanking the Lord, praising him to everyone around me.
I schal knouleche to the Lord greetli with my mouth; and Y schal herie hym in the myddil of many men.
31 For he takes a stand to defend the needy, to save them from those who condemn them.
Which stood nyy on the riyt half of a pore man; to make saaf my soule fro pursueris.