Psalms 109
1 TO THE OVERSEER. A PSALM OF DAVID. O God of my praise, do not be silent,
Unto the end. A Psalm of David.
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!
O God, do not be silent toward my praise, for the mouth of the sinner and the mouth of the deceitful one have been opened against me.
3 They have surrounded me about, And they fight me without cause.
They have spoken against me with deceitful tongues, and they have surrounded me with hateful words, and they fought against me over nothing.
4 For my love they oppose me, and I—prayer!
Instead of choosing to act on my behalf, they detracted me. But I gave myself to prayer.
5 And they set against me evil for good, And hatred for my love.
And they set evil against me, instead of good, and hatred, in return for my love.
6 Appoint the wicked over him, And an adversary stands at his right hand.
Establish the sinner over him, and let the devil stand at his right hand.
7 In his being judged, he goes forth wicked, And his prayer is for sin.
When he is judged, may he go forth in condemnation, and may his prayer be counted as sin.
8 His days are few, another takes his oversight,
May his days be few, and let another take his episcopate.
9 His sons are fatherless, and his wife a widow.
May his sons be orphans, 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 sons be carried by those who walk unsteadily, and may they go begging. And may they be cast out of their dwelling places.
11 An exactor lays a snare for all that he has, And strangers spoil his labor.
May the money lenders scrutinize all his belongings, and let foreigners plunder his labors.
12 He has none to extend kindness, Nor is there one showing favor to his orphans.
May there be no one to assist him, nor anyone to be compassionate to his orphaned children.
13 His posterity is for cutting off, Their name is blotted out in another generation.
May his posterity be in utter ruin. In one generation, may his name be wiped away.
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 return in memory before the sight of the Lord, and do not let the sin of his mother be wiped away.
15 They are continually before YHWH, And He cuts off their memorial from earth.
May these be opposite the Lord always, but let their memory perish 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 certain things are not remembered about them, in order to be merciful.
17 And he loves reviling, and it meets him, And he has not delighted in blessing, And it is far from him.
And so the destitute man was pursued, with the beggar and the remorseful in heart, so as to be put to death.
18 And he puts on reviling as his robe, And it comes in as water into his midst, And as oil into his bones.
And he loved a curse, and it came to him. And he was unwilling to have a blessing, and it went far from him. And he clothed himself with curses like a garment, and it entered his inner self like water, and it entered 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 to him like a garment that covers him, and like a belt that always cinches him.
20 This [is] the wage of my accusers from YHWH, And of those speaking evil against my soul.
This is the work of those who detract me with the Lord and who speak evils against my soul.
21 And You, O Lord YHWH, Deal with me for Your Name’s sake, Because Your kindness [is] good, deliver me.
But as for you, Lord, O Lord: act on my behalf for your name’s sake. For your mercy is sweet.
22 For I [am] poor and needy, And my heart has been pierced in my midst.
Free me, for I am destitute and poor, and my heart has been disquieted within me.
23 I have gone as a shadow when it is stretched out, I have been driven away as a locust.
I have been taken away like a shadow when it declines, and I have been shaken off like locusts.
24 My knees have been feeble from fasting, And my flesh has failed of fatness.
My knees have been weakened by fasting, and my flesh has been replaced by oil.
25 And I have been a reproach to them, They see me, they shake their head.
And I have become a disgrace to them. They saw me, and they shook 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 mercy.
27 And they know that this [is] Your hand, You, O YHWH, You have done it.
And let them know that this is your hand, and that you, O Lord, have done this.
28 They revile, and You bless, They have risen, and are ashamed, And Your servant rejoices.
They will curse, and you will bless. May those who rise up against me be confounded. But your servant will rejoice.
29 My accusers put on blushing, and are covered, Their shame [is] as an upper robe.
May those who detract me be clothed with shame, and may they be covered with their confusion, as if with a double cloak.
30 I thank YHWH greatly with my mouth, And I praise Him in the midst of many,
I will confess exceedingly to the Lord with my mouth. And I will praise him in the midst of the multitude.
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 poor, in order to save my soul from persecutors.
