Psalms 109
1 “For the leader of the music. A psalm of David.” O God of my praise! be not silent!
For the leader. Of David, a psalm. O God whom I praise, keep not silence;
2 For the mouths of the wicked and the deceitful are opened against me; They speak against me with a lying tongue.
for their wicked mouths they have opened against me, they speak to me with tongues that are false,
3 They assault me on every side with words of hatred; They fight against me without a cause.
they beset me with words of hatred, and fight without cause against me.
4 For my love they are my adversaries: But I give myself unto prayer.
My love they requite with hostility, while for them I lift up my prayer.
5 They repay me evil for good, And hatred for love.
Evil for good they reward me, and hatred for my love.
6 Set thou a wicked man over him, And let an adversary stand at his right hand!
‘Set over him one who is godless,’ they say, ‘an opponent at his right hand.
7 When he is judged, may he be condemned, And may his prayer be a crime!
From his trial let him come forth guilty, may his prayer be counted as sin.
8 May his days be few, And another take his office!
Grant that his days may be few, that his office be seized by another.
9 May his children be fatherless, And his wife a widow!
Grant that his children be fatherless, and that his wife be a widow.
10 May his children be vagabonds and beggars, And from their ruined dwellings seek their bread!
Up and down may his children go begging, expelled from their desolate home.
11 May a creditor seize on all that he hath, And a stranger plunder his substance!
May all that he owns be seized by the creditor may strangers plunder the fruits of his toil.
12 May there be none to show him compassion, And none to pity his fatherless children!
‘May none extend to him kindness, or pity his fatherless children.
13 May his posterity be cut off; In the next generation may his name be blotted out!
His descendants be doomed to destruction! Blotted out be his name in one generation!
14 May the iniquity of his fathers be remembered by the LORD, And may the sin of his mother never be blotted out!
May his father’s guilt be remembered, and his mother’s sin not blotted out:
15 May they be before the LORD continually; And may he cut off their memory from the earth!
on record always before the Lord, and his memory root from the earth;
16 Because he remembered not to show pity, But persecuted the afflicted and the poor man, And sought the death of the broken-hearted.
for he gave no thought to show kindness, but pursued the poor and the needy, drove the downhearted to death.
17 As he loved cursing, let it come upon him; As he delighted not in blessing, let it be far from him!
‘May the curses he loved light upon him, may the blessings he loathed be afar.
18 May he be clothed with cursing as with a garment; May it enter like water into his bowels, And like oil into his bones!
Like a garment he clothed him with curses; may they pierce to his inwards like water, and cling to his bones like oil.
19 May it be to him like the robe that covereth him, Like the girdle with which he is constantly girded!
Let them be like the robe he wraps round him, like the belt he wears every day.’
20 May this be the wages of mine adversaries from the LORD, And of them that speak evil against me!
Be this the reward of my adversaries, of those who speak evil against me.
21 But do thou, O LORD, my God! take part with me, For thine own name's sake! Because great is thy mercy, O deliver me!
But you, Lord my God, be true to your name, deal kindly with me; in your gracious kindness save me.
22 For I am afflicted and needy, And my heart is wounded within me.
For I am poor and needy, and my heart is wounded within me.
23 I am going like a shadow; I am driven away as the locust.
I am gone like a lengthening shadow, I am shaken off like a locust.
24 My knees totter from fasting, And my flesh faileth of fatness.
My knees totter from fasting, my flesh is shrivelled and spare.
25 I am a reproach to my enemies; They gaze at me; they shake their heads.
They heap insults upon me: when they see me, they shake their head.
26 Help me, O LORD, my God! O save me, according to thy mercy!
Help me, O Lord my God, and save me in your kindness.
27 That they may know that this is thy hand; That thou, O Lord! hast done it!
Teach them that this is your hand, and your own doing, O Lord.
28 Let them curse, but do thou bless! When they arise, let them be put to shame; But let thy servant rejoice!
Let them curse, if only you bless. Put my assailants to shame, and make your servant glad.
29 May my enemies be clothed with ignominy; May they be covered with their shame, as with a mantle!
My opponents be clothed with dishonour, and wrapped in a robe of shame.
30 I will earnestly praise the LORD with my lips; In the midst of the multitude I will praise him.
I give thanks to you, Lord, with loud voice, I give praise in the midst of the throng;
31 For he standeth at the right hand of the poor, To save him from those who would condemn him.
for he stands by the poor, at his right hand, to save them from those who condemn them.
