Psalms 109

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

For the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David. Hold not thy peace, O God of my praise;

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 have they opened against me: they have spoken unto me with a lying tongue.

3 They have surrounded me about, And they fight me without cause.

They compassed me about also with words of hatred, and fought against me without a cause.

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

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

5 And they set against me evil for good, And hatred for my love.

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

6 Appoint the wicked over him, And an adversary stands at his right hand.

Set thou a wicked man over him: and let an adversary stand at his right hand.

7 In his being judged, he goes forth wicked, And his prayer is for sin.

When he is judged, let him come forth guilty; and let his prayer be turned into 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 vagabonds, and beg; and let them seek [their bread] out of their desolate places.

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

Let the extortioner catch all that he hath; and let strangers make spoil of his labour.

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

Let there be none to extend mercy unto him; neither let there be any to have pity on 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 the generation following 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 with the LORD; and let not the sin of his mother 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 the memory of them 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,

Because that he remembered not to shew mercy, but persecuted the poor and needy man, and the broken in heart, to slay [them].

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

Yea, he loved cursing, and it came unto him; and he delighted not in blessing, and it was 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.

He clothed himself also with cursing as with his garment, and it came into his inward parts like water, and like oil into his bones. Let it be unto him as the raiment

19 It is to him as apparel—he covers himself, And he girds it on for a continual girdle.

wherewith he covereth himself, and for the girdle wherewith he is girded continually.

20 This [is] the wage of my accusers from YHWH, And of those speaking evil against my soul.

This is the reward of mine adversaries from the LORD, and of them 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 deal thou with me, O GOD the Lord, for thy name’s sake: because thy mercy is good, deliver thou me,

22 For I [am] poor and needy, And my heart has been pierced in my midst.

For I am poor and needy, and 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 gone like the shadow when it declineth: I am tossed up and down as the locust.

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

My knees are weak through fasting; and my flesh faileth of fatness.

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

I am become also 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 mercy:

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 done it.

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

Let them curse, but bless thou: when they arise, they shall be ashamed, but thy servant shall rejoice.

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

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

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

I will give great thanks unto the LORD with my mouth; yea, I will praise him among the multitude.

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

For he shall stand at the right hand of the needy, to save him from them that judge his soul.