Psalms 109

1 To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. Hold not thy peace, O God of my praise;

“To the chief musician, by David, a psalm.” O God of my praise, do not keep silence.

2 For the mouth of the wicked and the mouth of the deceitful are opened against me: they have spoken against me with a lying tongue.

For the mouth of the wicked and the mouth of deceit are opened against me: they have spoken with me with the tongue of falsehood.

3 They surrounded me also with words of hatred; and fought against me without a cause.

Also with words of hatred have they encompassed me, and they fight against me without a cause.

4 For my love they are my adversaries: but I give myself to prayer.

In recompense for my love are they my accusers, while I have nothing but prayer.

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

And they impose evil on me in recompense for good, and hatred in lieu of my love.

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

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

7 When he shall be judged, let him be condemned: and let his prayer become sin.

When he is to be judged, let him go forth guilty, and let his prayer become sin.

8 Let his days be few; and let another take his office.

Let his days be few, and let another take his office.

9 Let his children be fatherless, and his wife a widow.

Let his children be fatherless, and his wife a widow.

10 Let his children be continually vagabonds, and beg: let them seek their bread also out of their desolate places.

Let his children be continually moving about, and beg, and let them seek [their bread] out of their ruined places.

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

Let the creditor lay snares after all that he hath, and let strangers plunder his labor.

12 Let there be none to extend mercy to him: neither let there be any to favour his fatherless children.

Let him have none that extendeth kindness, and let there be none that is gracious to his fatherless children.

13 Let his posterity be cut off; and in the generation following let their name be blotted out.

Let his posterity be cut off: in another generation let their name be blotted out.

14 Let the iniquity of his fathers be remembered with the LORD; and let not the sin of his mother be blotted out.

Let the iniquity of his fathers be remembered by the Lord, and let the sin of his mother not be blotted out.

15 Let them be before the LORD continually, that he may cut off the memory of them from the earth.

Let them be before the Lord continually, that he may cut off from the earth their memory.

16 Because that he remembered not to show mercy, but persecuted the poor and needy man, that he might even slay the broken in heart.

For the reason that he remembered not to show kindness; but persecuted the poor and needy man, and the grieved in heart to put him to death.

17 As he loved cursing, so let it come to him: as he delighted not in blessing, so let it be far from him.

As he loved cursing, so let it come over him: and as he delighted not in blessing, so let it be far from him.

18 As he clothed himself with cursing like as with his garment, so let it come into his bowels like water, and like oil into his bones.

And he clothed himself with cursing as with his garment, and it cometh like water within him, and like oil into his bones.

19 Let it be to him as the garment which covereth him, and for a belt with which he is girded continually.

Let it be unto him as a garment in which he wrappeth himself, and for a girdle let him be continually girded with it.

20 Let this be the reward of my adversaries from the LORD, and of them that speak evil against my soul.

Let this be the reward of my accusers from the Lord, and of those that speak evil against my soul.

21 But do thou for me, O GOD the Lord, for thy name’s sake: because thy mercy is good, deliver thou me.

But thou, O Eternal Lord, deal with me for the sake of thy name: because thy kindness is good, deliver thou me.

22 For I am poor and needy, and my heart is wounded within me.

For poor and needy am I, and my heart is deeply wounded within me.

23 I am gone like the shadow when it declineth: I am tossed up and down as the locust.

Like the shadow when it declineth do I hasten away: I am driven suddenly off like the locusts.

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

My knees stumble through fasting, and my flesh faileth of fatness.

25 I became also a reproach to them: when they looked upon me they shook their heads.

And I am become a reproach unto them: 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: O save me according to thy kindness:

27 That they may know that this is thy hand; that thou, LORD, hast done it.

That they may know that this is thy hand: that thou, Lord, hast truly done it.

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

Let them then curse, but do thou bless: when they arise, let them be made ashamed; but let thy servant rejoice.

29 Let my adversaries be clothed with shame, and let them cover themselves with their own confusion, as with a mantle.

Let my accusers be clothed with confusion, and let them wrap themselves, as with a mantle, in their own shame.

30 I will greatly praise the LORD with my mouth; yea, I will praise him among the multitude.

I will thank the Lord greatly with my mouth, and in the midst of many will I praise him.

31 For he shall stand at the right hand of the poor, to save him from those that condemn his soul.

For he ever standeth at the right hand of the needy, to save him from those that judge his soul.