Psalms 109
1 TO THE OVERSEER. A PSALM OF DAVID. O God of my praise, do not be silent,
For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. O God of my praise, be not silent.
2 For the mouth of wickedness, and the mouth of deceit, They have opened against me, They have spoken with me—A tongue of falsehood, and words of hatred!
For wicked and deceitful mouths open against me; they speak against me with lying tongues.
3 They have surrounded me about, And they fight me without cause.
They surround me with hateful words and attack me without cause.
4 For my love they oppose me, and I—prayer!
In return for my love they accuse me, but I am a man of prayer.
5 And they set against me evil for good, And hatred for my love.
They repay me evil for good, and hatred for my love.
6 Appoint the wicked over him, And an adversary stands at his right hand.
Set over him a wicked man; let an accuser stand at his right hand.
7 In his being judged, he goes forth wicked, And his prayer is for sin.
When he is tried, let him be found guilty, and may his prayer be regarded as sin.
8 His days are few, another takes his oversight,
May his days be few; may another take his position.
9 His sons are fatherless, and his wife a widow.
May his children be fatherless and his wife a widow.
10 And his sons wander continually, Indeed, they have begged, And have sought out of their dry places.
May his children wander as beggars, seeking sustenance far from their ruined homes.
11 An exactor lays a snare for all that he has, And strangers spoil his labor.
May the creditor seize all he owns, and strangers plunder the fruits of his labor.
12 He has none to extend kindness, Nor is there one showing favor to his orphans.
May there be no one to extend kindness to him, and no one to favor his fatherless children.
13 His posterity is for cutting off, Their name is blotted out in another generation.
May his descendants be cut off; may their name be blotted out from the next generation.
14 The iniquity of his fathers Is remembered to YHWH, And the sin of his mother is not blotted out.
May the iniquity of his fathers be remembered before the LORD, and the sin of his mother never be blotted out.
15 They are continually before YHWH, And He cuts off their memorial from earth.
May their sins always remain before the LORD, that He may cut off their memory from the earth.
16 Because that he has not remembered to do kindness, And pursues the poor man and needy, And the struck of heart—to slay,
For he never thought to show kindness, but pursued the poor and needy and brokenhearted, even to their death.
17 And he loves reviling, and it meets him, And he has not delighted in blessing, And it is far from him.
The cursing that he loved, may it fall on him; the blessing in which he refused to delight, may it be far from him.
18 And he puts on reviling as his robe, And it comes in as water into his midst, And as oil into his bones.
The cursing that he wore like a coat, may it soak into his body like water, and into his bones like oil.
19 It is to him as apparel—he covers himself, And he girds it on for a continual girdle.
May it be like a robe wrapped about him, like a belt tied forever around him.
20 This [is] the wage of my accusers from YHWH, And of those speaking evil against my soul.
May this be the LORD’s reward to my accusers, to those who speak evil against me.
21 And You, O Lord YHWH, Deal with me for Your Name’s sake, Because Your kindness [is] good, deliver me.
But You, O GOD, the Lord, deal kindly with me for the sake of Your name; deliver me by the goodness of Your loving devotion.
22 For I [am] poor and needy, And my heart has been pierced in my midst.
For I am poor and needy; my heart is wounded within me.
23 I have gone as a shadow when it is stretched out, I have been driven away as a locust.
I am fading away like a lengthening shadow; I am shaken off like a locust.
24 My knees have been feeble from fasting, And my flesh has failed of fatness.
My knees are weak from fasting, and my body grows lean and gaunt.
25 And I have been a reproach to them, They see me, they shake their head.
I am an object of scorn to my accusers; when they see me, they shake their heads.
26 Help me, O YHWH my God, Save me, according to Your kindness.
Help me, O LORD my God; save me according to Your loving devotion.
27 And they know that this [is] Your hand, You, O YHWH, You have done it.
Let them know that this is Your hand, that You, O LORD, have done it.
28 They revile, and You bless, They have risen, and are ashamed, And Your servant rejoices.
Though they curse, You will bless. When they rise up, they will be put to shame, but Your servant will rejoice.
29 My accusers put on blushing, and are covered, Their shame [is] as an upper robe.
May my accusers be clothed with disgrace; may they wear their shame like a robe.
30 I thank YHWH greatly with my mouth, And I praise Him in the midst of many,
With my mouth I will thank the LORD profusely; I will praise Him in the presence of many.
31 For He stands at the right hand of the needy, To save from those judging his soul.
For He stands at the right hand of the needy one, to save him from the condemners of his soul.
