Psalms 109

1 TO THE OVERSEER. A PSALM OF DAVID. O God of my praise, do not be silent,

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

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 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 surrounded me about, And they fight me without cause.

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

4 For my love they oppose me, and I—prayer!

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

5 And they set against 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 Appoint the wicked over him, And an adversary stands at his right hand.

Appoint thou a wicked man over him: and 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 to be judged, let him go forth guilty, and let his prayer become sin.

8 His days are few, another takes his oversight,

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

9 His sons are fatherless, and his wife a widow.

Let 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.

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

11 An exactor lays a snare for all that he has, And strangers spoil his labor.

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

12 He has none to extend kindness, Nor is there one showing favor to his orphans.

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

13 His posterity is for cutting off, Their name is blotted out in another generation.

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

14 The iniquity of his fathers Is remembered to YHWH, And the sin of his mother is not 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 They are continually before YHWH, And He cuts off their memorial from earth.

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

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 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 And he loves reviling, and it meets him, And he has not delighted in blessing, And it is far from him.

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 puts on reviling as his robe, And it comes in as water into his midst, And as oil into 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 It is to him as apparel—he covers himself, And he girds it on for a continual girdle.

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 wage of my accusers from YHWH, And of those speaking evil against my soul.

Let this be the reward of my accusers from the Lord, and of those that speak evil 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 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 has been pierced in my midst.

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

23 I have gone as a shadow when it is stretched out, I have been driven away as a locust.

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

24 My knees have been feeble from fasting, And my flesh has failed of fatness.

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

25 And I have been a reproach to them, They see me, they shake their head.

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

26 Help me, O YHWH my God, Save me, according to Your kindness.

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

27 And they know that this [is] Your hand, You, O YHWH, You have done it.

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

28 They revile, and You bless, They have risen, and are ashamed, And Your servant rejoices.

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

29 My accusers put on blushing, and are covered, Their shame [is] as an upper robe.

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

30 I thank YHWH greatly with my mouth, And I praise Him in the midst of many,

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

31 For He stands at the right hand of the needy, To save from those judging his soul.

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