Psalms 109
1 For the chief musician. A psalm of David. God whom I praise, do not be silent,
For the end, a Psalm of David. For the end, a Psalm of David. O God, pass not over my praise in silence;
2 For the wicked and deceitful attack me; they speak lies against me.
for the mouth of the sinner and the mouth of the crafty [man] have been opened against me: they have spoken against me with a crafty tongue.
3 They surround me and say hateful things, and they attack me without cause.
And they have compassed me with words of hatred; and fought against me without a cause.
4 In return for my love they accuse me, but I pray for them.
Instead of loving me, they falsely accused me: but I continued to pray.
5 They repay me evil for good, and they hate my love.
And they rewarded me evil for good, and hatred for my love.
6 Appoint a wicked man over such an enemy as these people; appoint an accuser to stand at his right hand.
Set you a sinner against him; and let the devil stand at his right hand.
7 When he is judged, may he be found guilty; may his prayer be considered sinful.
When he is judged, let him go forth condemned: and let his prayer become sin.
8 May his days be few; may another take his office.
Let his days be few: and let another take his office of overseer.
9 May his children be fatherless, and may his wife be a widow.
Let his children be orphans, and his wife a widow.
10 May his children wander about and beg, asking for handouts as they leave their ruined home.
Let his children wander without a dwelling-place, and beg: let them be cast out of their habitations.
11 May the creditor take all he owns; may strangers plunder what he earns.
Let [his] creditor exact all that belongs to him: and let strangers spoil his labours.
12 May no one extend any kindness to him; may no one have pity on his fatherless children.
Let him have no helper; neither let there be any one to have compassion on his fatherless children.
13 May his children be cut off; may their name be blotted out in the next generation.
Let his children be [given up] to utter destruction: in one generation let his name be blotted out.
14 May his ancestors' sins be mentioned to Yahweh; and may the sin of his mother not be forgotten.
Let the iniquity of his fathers be remembered before the Lord; and let not the sin of his mother be blotted out.
15 May their guilt always be before Yahweh; may Yahweh cut off their memory from the earth.
Let them be before the Lord continually; and let their memorial be blotted out from the earth.
16 May Yahweh do this because this man never bothered to show any covenant faithfulness, but instead harassed the oppressed, the needy, and the disheartened to death.
Because he remembered not to show mercy, but persecuted the needy and poor man, and [that] to kill him that was pricked in the heart.
17 He loved cursing; may it come back upon him. He hated blessing; may no blessing come to him.
He loved cursing also, and it shall come upon him; and he took not pleasure in blessing, so it shall be removed far from him.
18 He clothed himself with cursing as his garment, and his curse came into his inner being like water, like oil into his bones.
Yes, he put on cursing as a garment, and it is come as water into his bowels, and as oil into his bones.
19 May his curses be to him like the clothes he wears to cover himself, like the belt he always wears.
Let it be to him as a garment which he puts on, and as a girdle with which he girds himself continually.
20 May this be the reward of my accusers from Yahweh, of those who say evil things about me.
This is the dealing of the Lord with those who falsely accuse me, and of them that speak evil against my soul.
21 Yahweh my Lord, deal kindly with me for your name's sake. Because your covenant faithfulness is good, save me.
But you, O Lord, Lord, deal [mercifully] with me, for your name's sake: for your mercy is good.
22 For I am oppressed and needy, and my heart is wounded within me.
Deliver me, for I am poor and needy; and my heart is troubled within me.
23 I am fading away like the shadow of the evening; I am shaken off like a locust.
I am removed as a shadow in its going down: I am tossed up and down like locusts.
24 My knees are weak from fasting; I am turning to skin and bones.
My knees are weakened through fasting, and my flesh is changed by reason of [the lack of] oil.
25 I am disdained by my accusers; when they see me, they shake their heads.
I became also a reproach to them: [when] they saw me they shook their heads.
26 Help me, Yahweh my God; save me by your covenant faithfulness.
Help me, O Lord my God; and save me according to your mercy.
27 May they know that this is your doing, that you, Yahweh, have done this.
And let them know that this is your hand; and [that] you, Lord, have wrought it.
28 Though they curse me, please bless me; when they attack, may they be put to shame, but may your servant rejoice.
Let them curse, but you shall bless: let them that rise up against me be ashamed, but let your servant rejoice.
29 May my adversaries be clothed with shame; may they wear their shame like a robe.
Let those that falsely accuse me be clothed with shame, and let them cover themselves with their shame as with a mantle.
30 With my mouth I give great thanks to Yahweh; I will praise him in the midst of a crowd.
I will give thanks to the Lord abundantly with my mouth; and in the midst of many I will praise him.
31 For he will stand at the right hand of the one who is needy, to save him from those who judge him.
For he stood on the right hand of the poor, to save [me] from them that persecute my soul.
