Psalms 109

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

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 mouth of the sinner is open against me in deceit: his tongue has said false things 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 Words of hate are round about me; they have made war against me without cause.

And they have compassed me with words of hatred; and fought against me without a cause.

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

Instead of loving me, they falsely accused me: but I continued to pray.

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

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

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

Set thou a sinner against him; and let the devil stand at his right hand.

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

When he is judged, let him go forth condemned: and let his prayer become sin.

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

Let his days be few: and let another take his office of overseer.

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

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

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

Let his children wander without a dwelling-place, and beg: let them be cast out of their habitations.

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

Let [his] creditor exact all that belongs to him: and let strangers spoil his labours.

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

Let him have no helper; neither let there be any one to have compassion on his fatherless children.

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

Let his children be [given up] to utter destruction: in one generation let his name be blotted out.

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

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

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

Let them be before the Lord continually; and let their memorial be blotted out from the earth.

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

Because he remembered not to shew mercy, but persecuted the needy and poor man, and [that] to slay him that was pricked in the heart.

17 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.

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

Yea, he put on cursing as a garment, and it is come as water into his bowels, and as oil into his bones.

19 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.

Let it be to him as a garment which he puts on, and as a girdle with which he girds himself continually.

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

This is the dealing of the Lord with those who falsely accuse me, and of them that speak evil against my soul.

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

But thou, O Lord, Lord, deal [mercifully] with me, for thy name's sake: for thy mercy is good.

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

Deliver me, for I am poor and needy; and my heart is troubled within me.

23 I am gone like the shade when it is stretched out: I am forced out of my place 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 feeble for need of food; there is no fat on my bones.

My knees are weakened through fasting, and my flesh is changed by reason of [the want of] oil.

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

I became also a reproach to them: [when] they saw me they shook their heads.

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

Help me, O Lord my God; and save me according to thy mercy.

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

And let them know that this is thy hand; and [that] thou, Lord, hast wrought it.

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

Let them curse, but thou shalt bless: let them that rise up against me be ashamed, but let thy servant rejoice.

29 Let my haters be clothed with shame, covering themselves with shame as with 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 I will give the Lord great praise with my mouth; yes, I will give praise to him among all the people.

I will give thanks to the Lord abundantly with my mouth; and in the midst of many I will praise him.

31 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.

For he stood on the right hand of the poor, to save [me] from them that persecute my soul.