Psalms 109

1 TO THE OVERSEER. A PSALM OF DAVID. O God of my praise, do not be silent,

To the chief music-maker. Of David. A Psalm. God of my praise, let my prayer be answered;

2 For the mouth of wickedness, and the mouth of deceit, They have opened against me, They have spoken with me—A tongue of falsehood, and words of hatred!

For the mouth of the sinner is open against me in deceit: his tongue has said false things against me.

3 They have surrounded me about, And they fight me without cause.

Words of hate are round about me; they have made war against me without cause.

4 For my love they oppose me, and I—prayer!

For my love they give me back hate; but I have given myself to prayer.

5 And they set against me evil for good, And hatred for my love.

They have put on me evil for good; hate in exchange for my love.

6 Appoint the wicked over him, And an adversary stands at his right hand.

Put an evil man over him; and let one be placed at his right hand to say evil of him.

7 In his being judged, he goes forth wicked, And his prayer is for sin.

When he is judged, let the decision go against him; and may his prayer become sin.

8 His days are few, another takes his oversight,

Let his life be short; let another take his position of authority.

9 His sons are fatherless, and his wife a widow.

Let his children have no father, and his wife be made a widow.

10 And his sons wander continually, Indeed, they have begged, And have sought out of their dry places.

Let his children be wanderers, looking to others for their food; let them be sent away from the company of their friends.

11 An exactor lays a snare for all that he has, And strangers spoil his labor.

Let his creditor take all his goods; and let others have the profit of his work.

12 He has none to extend kindness, Nor is there one showing favor to his orphans.

Let no man have pity on him, or give help to his children when he is dead.

13 His posterity is for cutting off, Their name is blotted out in another generation.

Let his seed be cut off; in the coming generation let their name go out of memory.

14 The iniquity of his fathers Is remembered to YHWH, And the sin of his mother is not blotted out.

Let the Lord keep in mind the wrongdoing of his fathers; and may the sin of his mother have no forgiveness.

15 They are continually before YHWH, And He cuts off their memorial from earth.

Let them be ever before the eyes of the Lord, so that the memory of them may be cut off from the earth.

16 Because that he has not remembered to do kindness, And pursues the poor man and needy, And the struck of heart—to slay,

Because he had no mercy, but was cruel to the low and the poor, designing the death of the broken-hearted.

17 And he loves reviling, and it meets him, And he has not delighted in blessing, And it is far from him.

As he took pleasure in cursing, so let it come on him; and as he had no delight in blessing, let it be far from him.

18 And he puts on reviling as his robe, And it comes in as water into his midst, And as oil into his bones.

He put on cursing like a robe, and it has come into his body like water, and into his bones like oil.

19 It is to him as apparel—he covers himself, And he girds it on for a continual girdle.

Let it be to him as a robe which he puts on, let it be like a band which is round him at all times.

20 This [is] the wage of my accusers from YHWH, And of those speaking evil against my soul.

Let this be the reward given to my haters from the Lord, and to those who say evil of my soul.

21 And You, O Lord YHWH, Deal with me for Your Name’s sake, Because Your kindness [is] good, deliver me.

But, O Lord God, give me your help, because of your name; take me out of danger, because your mercy is good.

22 For I [am] poor and needy, And my heart has been pierced in my midst.

For I am poor and in need, and my heart is wounded in me.

23 I have gone as a shadow when it is stretched out, I have been driven away as a locust.

I am gone like the shade when it is stretched out: I am forced out of my place like a locust.

24 My knees have been feeble from fasting, And my flesh has failed of fatness.

My knees are feeble for need of food; there is no fat on my bones.

25 And I have been a reproach to them, They see me, they shake their head.

As for me, they make sport of me; shaking their heads when they see me.

26 Help me, O YHWH my God, Save me, according to Your kindness.

Give me help, O Lord my God; in your mercy be my saviour;

27 And they know that this [is] Your hand, You, O YHWH, You have done it.

So that they may see that it is the work of your hand; that you, Lord, have done it.

28 They revile, and You bless, They have risen, and are ashamed, And Your servant rejoices.

They may give curses but you give blessing; when they come up against me, put them to shame; but let your servant be glad.

29 My accusers put on blushing, and are covered, Their shame [is] as an upper robe.

Let my haters be clothed with shame, covering themselves with shame as with a robe.

30 I thank YHWH greatly with my mouth, And I praise Him in the midst of many,

I will give the Lord great praise with my mouth; yes, I will give praise to him among all the people.

31 For He stands at the right hand of the needy, To save from those judging his soul.

For he is ever at the right hand of the poor, to take him out of the hands of those who go after his soul.