Psalms 109
1 To the Chief Musician. David’s. A Melody. O God of my praise, do not be silent;
For the music director. A psalm of David. God, the one I praise, please don't remain silent,
2 For, the mouth of the lawless one and the mouth of the deceiver, against me, are open, They have spoken to me with false tongue;
because wicked and deceitful people are attacking me, telling lies about me.
3 And, with words of hatred, have they surrounded me, and have made war upon me without cause:
They surround me with words of hate, fighting against me for no reason.
4 For my love, they have been accusing me, while, I, was at prayer:
I love them, but they respond with hostility towards me, even while I'm praying for them!
5 Yea they have returned unto me—Evil for good; and, Hatred for my love.
They pay me back with evil instead of good, with hatred instead of love.
6 Set in charge over him, one who is lawless, and let, an accuser, stand at his right hand;
“Appoint someone wicked over him. Have someone stand as an accuser against him.
7 When he is judged, let him go out condemned, and let, his own petition, become a sin;
When he is judged and sentenced, may he be found guilty. Let his prayers be counted as sins.
8 Let his days become few, his overseership, let another take;
May his life be short; let someone else take over his position.
9 Let his children become fatherless, and his wife a widow;
May his children be left fatherless, and his wife become a widow.
10 Let his children, wander about, and beg, Let them be driven out of their ruins;
May his children be homeless, wandering beggars, driven from their ruined houses.
11 Let the creditor take aim at all that he hath, and let strangers prey on the fruit of his toil;
May creditors seize all that he owns; may strangers take all that he worked for.
12 Let him have no one to continue lovingkindness, and there be none to favour his fatherless children;
May no one be kind to him; may no one take pity on his fatherless children.
13 Let his posterity be for cutting off, In another generation, let their name be wiped out;
May his descendants die; may his family name be wiped out in the next generation.
14 Remembered be the iniquity of his fathers against Yahweh, and, the sin of his mother, let it not be wiped out;
May the Lord be reminded of the sins of his fathers; may his mother's sins not be blotted out.
15 Let them be before Yahweh continually, and let the memory of them, be cut off out of the earth.
May their sins be constantly before the Lord; may his name be totally forgotten by people.
16 Because that he remembered not to show lovingkindness, but pursued the man that was oppressed and needy, that, the downhearted, he might slay.
For he didn't think to be kind to others, instead he harassed and killed the poor, the needy, the brokenhearted.
17 Because he loved cursing, May it have come upon him, Because he delighted not in blessing, May it have kept far from him;
He loved to put a curse on others—let it come back on him. He had no time for blessings—so may he never receive any.
18 Because he clothed himself in cursing as his outer garment, therefore may it have entered like water into his inward part, and like oil into his bones;
He cursed as often as he got dressed. May his curses go into him like the water he drinks, like the olive oil he rubs on his skin that enters his bones.
19 Be it his, as a garment he shall wrap round him, and for a girdle he shall, at all times, gird on:
May his curses stick to him like clothing, may they be pulled tight around him like a belt.”
20 This, be the reward of mine accusers, from Yahweh, even of them who are speaking wrongfully against my life.
May all this be the punishment of the Lord on my enemies, on those who speak evil of me.
21 But, thou, Yahweh, Adonay, deal effectually with me, for the sake of thy Name, Since good is thy lovingkindness, O rescue me;
But treat me well, Lord God, because of your own reputation. Save me because you are faithful and good.
22 For, oppressed and needy, I am, and, my heart, is wounded within me.
For I am poor and needy, and my heart is breaking.
23 As a shadow when it stretcheth out, I am gone, I am shaken off like the locust;
I am fading away like an evening shadow; I am like a locust that is shaken off.
24 My knees, tremble from fasting, and, my flesh, faileth of fatness:
I am so weak from lack of food that my legs give way; my body is just skin and bones.
25 So, I, am become a reproach for them, They see me, they shake their head.
People ridicule me—they look at me and shake their heads!
26 Help me! O Yahweh my God, Save me, according to thy lovingkindness:
Help me, Lord my God; save me because of your trustworthy love.
27 That they may know that, Thine own hand, this is, Thou, Yahweh, hast done it.
May they recognize that this is what you are doing—that you are the one who saves me.
28 They, may curse if, thou, wilt bless, —Mine assailants, shall be ashamed, but, thy servant, shall rejoice;
When they curse me, you will bless me. When they attack me, you will defeat them. And I, your servant, will be happy.
29 Mine accusers shall be clothed with confusion, and shall wrap about them, like a cloak, their own shame.
May those who accuse me be clothed with disgrace; may they cover themselves with a cloak of shame.
30 I will thank Yahweh loudly with my mouth, Yea, in the midst of multitudes, will I praise him;
But I will keep on thanking the Lord, praising him to everyone around me.
31 Because he standeth at the right hand of the needy, To save, from them who would pass sentence on his life.
For he takes a stand to defend the needy, to save them from those who condemn them.
