Psalms 109

1 To victorye, the salm of Dauid.

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

2 God, holde thou not stille my preisyng; for the mouth of the synner, and the mouth of the gileful man is openyd on me.

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.

3 Thei spaken ayens me with a gileful tunge, and thei cumpassiden me with wordis of hatrede; and fouyten ayens me with out cause.

They compassed me about also with words of hatred; and fought against me without a cause.

4 For that thing that thei schulden loue me, thei bacbitiden me; but Y preiede.

For my love they are my adversaries: but I [give myself unto] prayer.

5 And thei settiden ayens me yuelis for goodis; and hatrede for my loue.

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

6 Ordeyne thou a synner on him; and the deuel stonde on his riyt half.

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

7 Whanne he is demed, go he out condempned; and his preier `be maad in to synne.

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

8 Hise daies be maad fewe; and another take his bischopriche.

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

9 Hise sones be maad faderles; and his wijf a widewe.

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

10 Hise sones tremblinge be born ouer, and begge; and be cast out of her habitaciouns.

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

11 An vsurere seke al his catel; and aliens rauysche hise trauelis.

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

12 Noon helpere be to him; nether ony be that haue mercy on hise modirles children.

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

13 Hise sones be maad in to perisching; the name of him be don awei in oon generacioun.

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

14 The wickidnesse of hise fadris come ayen in to mynde in the siyt of the Lord; and the synne of his modir be not don awei.

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

15 Be thei maad euere ayens the Lord; and the mynde of hem perische fro erthe.

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

16 For that thing that he thouyte not to do merci,

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

17 and he pursuede a pore man and beggere; and to slee a man compunct in herte.

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

18 And he louede cursing, and it schal come to hym; and he nolde blessing, and it schal be maad fer fro him. And he clothide cursing as a cloth, and it entride as water in to hise ynnere thingis; and as oile in hise boonus.

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.

19 Be it maad to him as a cloth, with which he is hilyd; and as a girdil, with which he is euere gird.

Let it be unto him as the garment [which] covereth him, and for a girdle wherewith he is girded continually.

20 This is the werk of hem that bacbiten me anentis the Lord; and that speke yuels ayens my lijf.

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

21 And thou, Lord, Lord, do with me for thi name; for thi merci is swete.

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

22 Delyuere thou me, for Y am nedi and pore; and myn herte is disturblid with ynne me.

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

23 I am takun awei as a schadowe, whanne it bowith awei; and Y am schakun awei as locustis.

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

24 Mi knees ben maad feble of fasting; and my fleische was chaungid for oile.

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

25 And Y am maad schenschipe to hem; thei sien me, and moueden her heedis.

I became also a reproach unto them: [when] they looked upon me they shaked their heads.

26 Mi Lord God, helpe thou me; make thou me saaf bi thi merci.

Help me, O LORD my God: O save me according to thy mercy:

27 And thei schulen wite, that this is thin hond; and thou, Lord, hast do it.

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

28 Thei schulen curse, and thou schalt blesse, thei that risen ayens me, be schent; but thi seruaunt schal be glad.

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

29 Thei that bacbiten me, be clothid with schame; and be thei hilid with her schenschipe as with a double cloth.

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

30 I schal knouleche to the Lord greetli with my mouth; and Y schal herie hym in the myddil of many men.

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

31 Which stood nyy on the riyt half of a pore man; to make saaf my soule fro pursueris.

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