Psalms 109
1 TO THE OVERSEER. A PSALM OF DAVID. O God of my praise, do not be silent,
God, you are the one whom I praise, [So please] answer [my prayer],
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!
because wicked people slander me and tell [MTY] lies about me.
3 They have surrounded me about, And they fight me without cause.
They are constantly saying that they hate me, and they say evil things about me for no reason.
4 For my love they oppose me, and I—prayer!
I show them that I want to be their friends and I pray for them, but [instead of being kind to me], they say that I have done evil things.
5 And they set against me evil for good, And hatred for my love.
In return for my doing good things for them and loving them, they do evil things to me and hate me.
6 Appoint the wicked over him, And an adversary stands at his right hand.
They said, “Appoint a wicked [judge] who will judge him, and bring in one of his enemies who will stand up and accuse him.
7 In his being judged, he goes forth wicked, And his prayer is for sin.
And cause that when the trial [ends], [the judge will] declare that he is guilty, and that [even] his prayer will be considered to be a sin.
8 His days are few, another takes his oversight,
[Then], cause that he will soon die and that someone else will have his job/work (OR, possessions).
9 His sons are fatherless, and his wife a widow.
Cause that his children will not have a father any more and that his wife will become a widow.
10 And his sons wander continually, Indeed, they have begged, And have sought out of their dry places.
Cause that his children will be forced to leave the ruined homes that they have been living in and wander around begging for food.
11 An exactor lays a snare for all that he has, And strangers spoil his labor.
Cause that all the people to whom he owed money will seize all his property; Cause that strangers will take away everything that he worked to acquire.
12 He has none to extend kindness, Nor is there one showing favor to his orphans.
Cause that [while he is still living] no one will be kind to him, and [after he dies], cause that no one will pity his children.
13 His posterity is for cutting off, Their name is blotted out in another generation.
Cause that all his descendants will die and that his grandchildren will not remember who he [MTY] was.
14 The iniquity of his fathers Is remembered to YHWH, And the sin of his mother is not blotted out.
Yahweh, remember [and do not forgive] his ancestors for the evil things that they did, and do not [even] forgive the sins that his mother committed;
15 They are continually before YHWH, And He cuts off their memorial from earth.
think about his sins continually, and cause that his name will be completely forgotten.
16 Because that he has not remembered to do kindness, And pursues the poor man and needy, And the struck of heart—to slay,
He never was kind to anyone; he (persecuted/cause problems for) poor and needy [people] and even killed helpless [people].
17 And he loves reviling, and it meets him, And he has not delighted in blessing, And it is far from him.
He liked to curse [people]. [So] cause those terrible things that he requested to happen to others to happen to him! He did not want to bless [others], [so] cause that no one will bless 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 cursed other people [as often/easily] as he put on his clothes [SIM]; cause that the terrible things that he wanted to happen to others will [happen to him and] enter his body like water [that he drinks] [SIM], like [olive] oil soaks into a person’s bones [when it is rubbed on his skin] [SIM].
19 It is to him as apparel—he covers himself, And he girds it on for a continual girdle.
Cause that those terrible things will cling to him like his clothes and be around him like the belt that he wears every day.”
20 This [is] the wage of my accusers from YHWH, And of those speaking evil against my soul.
Yahweh, I want you to punish all my enemies that way, those who say evil things about me.
21 And You, O Lord YHWH, Deal with me for Your Name’s sake, Because Your kindness [is] good, deliver me.
But Yahweh, my God, do good things for me in order that I may honor you; rescue me [from my enemies] because your faithfully loving me is good.
22 For I [am] poor and needy, And my heart has been pierced in my midst.
[I ask you to do this] because I am poor and needy and my inner being is (full of pain/very troubled/discouraged).
23 I have gone as a shadow when it is stretched out, I have been driven away as a locust.
[I think that] my time [to remain alive] is short, like an evening shadow [that will soon disappear] [SIM]. I will be blown away like a locust/grasshopper is blown [by the wind].
24 My knees have been feeble from fasting, And my flesh has failed of fatness.
My knees are weak because I have (fasted/abstained from eating food) very often, and my body has become very thin.
25 And I have been a reproach to them, They see me, they shake their head.
The people who accuse me make fun of me; when they see me, they [insult me by] shaking their heads [at me as though I were an evil man].
26 Help me, O YHWH my God, Save me, according to Your kindness.
Yahweh, my God, help me! Because you faithfully love [me], rescue me!
27 And they know that this [is] Your hand, You, O YHWH, You have done it.
[When you save me], cause my enemies to know that you are the one who has done it!
28 They revile, and You bless, They have risen, and are ashamed, And Your servant rejoices.
They may curse me, but I ask that you bless me. Cause those who (persecute/cause problems for) me [to be defeated and as a result] to be disgraced/ashamed, and cause me to be glad/happy!
29 My accusers put on blushing, and are covered, Their shame [is] as an upper robe.
Cause those who accuse me to be completely disgraced; cause [other people to see] that they are disgraced, as [easily as they see] the clothes that they wear [SIM]!
30 I thank YHWH greatly with my mouth, And I praise Him in the midst of many,
But I will thank Yahweh very greatly; I will praise him [when I am] among the crowd [of people who are worshiping him].
31 For He stands at the right hand of the needy, To save from those judging his soul.
[I will do that] because he defends [MTY] needy [people like me], and saves us from those who have decided/declared that we must be executed.
