Psalms 109
1 God, you are the one whom I praise, [So please] answer [my prayer],
For the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David. Hold not thy peace, O God of my praise;
2 because wicked people slander me and tell [MTY] lies about me.
For the mouth of the wicked and the mouth of deceit have they opened against me: They have spoken unto me with a lying tongue.
3 They are constantly saying that they hate me, and they say evil things about me for no reason.
They have compassed me about also with words of hatred, And fought against me without a cause.
4 I show them that I want to be their friends and I pray for them, but [instead of being kind to me], they say that I have done evil things.
For my love they are my adversaries: But I [give myself unto] prayer.
5 In return for my doing good things for them and loving them, they do evil things to me and hate me.
And they have rewarded me evil for good, And hatred for my love.
6 They said, “Appoint a wicked [judge] who will judge him, and bring in one of his enemies who will stand up and accuse him.
Set thou a wicked man over him; And let an adversary stand at his right hand.
7 And cause that when the trial [ends], [the judge will] declare that he is guilty, and that [even] his prayer will be considered to be a sin.
When he is judged, let him come forth guilty; And let his prayer be turned into sin.
8 [Then], cause that he will soon die and that someone else will have his job/work (OR, possessions).
Let his days be few; [And] let another take his office.
9 Cause that his children will not have a father any more and that his wife will become a widow.
Let his children be fatherless, And his wife a widow.
10 Cause that his children will be forced to leave the ruined homes that they have been living in and wander around begging for food.
Let his children be vagabonds, and beg; And let them seek [their bread] out of their desolate places.
11 Cause that all the people to whom he owed money will seize all his property; Cause that strangers will take away everything that he worked to acquire.
Let the extortioner catch all that he hath; And let strangers make spoil of his labor.
12 Cause that [while he is still living] no one will be kind to him, and [after he dies], cause that no one will pity his children.
Let there be none to extend kindness unto him; Neither let there be any to have pity on his fatherless children.
13 Cause that all his descendants will die and that his grandchildren will not remember who he [MTY] was.
Let his posterity be cut off; In the generation following let their name be blotted out.
14 Yahweh, remember [and do not forgive] his ancestors for the evil things that they did, and do not [even] forgive the sins that his mother committed;
Let the iniquity of his fathers be remembered with Jehovah; And let not the sin of his mother be blotted out.
15 think about his sins continually, and cause that his name will be completely forgotten.
Let them be before Jehovah continually, That he may cut off the memory of them from the earth;
16 He never was kind to anyone; he (persecuted/cause problems for) poor and needy [people] and even killed helpless [people].
Because he remembered not to show kindness, But persecuted the poor and needy man, And the broken in heart, to slay [them].
17 He liked to curse [people]. [So] cause those terrible things that he requested to happen to others to happen to him! He did not want to bless [others], [so] cause that no one will bless him!
Yea, he loved cursing, and it came unto him; And he delighted not in blessing, and it was far from him.
18 He cursed other people [as often/easily] as he put on his clothes [SIM]; cause that the terrible things that he wanted to happen to others will [happen to him and] enter his body like water [that he drinks] [SIM], like [olive] oil soaks into a person’s bones [when it is rubbed on his skin] [SIM].
He clothed himself also with cursing as with his garment, And it came into his inward parts like water, And like oil into his bones.
19 Cause that those terrible things will cling to him like his clothes and be around him like the belt that he wears every day.”
Let it be unto him as the raiment wherewith he covereth himself, And for the girdle wherewith he is girded continually.
20 Yahweh, I want you to punish all my enemies that way, those who say evil things about me.
This is the reward of mine adversaries from Jehovah, And of them that speak evil against my soul.
21 But Yahweh, my God, do good things for me in order that I may honor you; rescue me [from my enemies] because your faithfully loving me is good.
But deal thou with me, O Jehovah the Lord, for thy name’s sake: Because thy lovingkindness is good, deliver thou me;
22 [I ask you to do this] because I am poor and needy and my inner being is (full of pain/very troubled/discouraged).
For I am poor and needy, And my heart is wounded within me.
23 [I think that] my time [to remain alive] is short, like an evening shadow [that will soon disappear] [SIM]. I will be blown away like a locust/grasshopper is blown [by the wind].
I am gone like the shadow when it declineth: I am tossed up and down as the locust.
24 My knees are weak because I have (fasted/abstained from eating food) very often, and my body has become very thin.
My knees are weak through fasting; And my flesh faileth of fatness.
25 The people who accuse me make fun of me; when they see me, they [insult me by] shaking their heads [at me as though I were an evil man].
I am become also a reproach unto them: When they see me, they shake their head.
26 Yahweh, my God, help me! Because you faithfully love [me], rescue me!
Help me, O Jehovah my God; Oh save me according to thy lovingkindness:
27 [When you save me], cause my enemies to know that you are the one who has done it!
That they may know that this is thy hand; [That] thou, Jehovah, hast done it.
28 They may curse me, but I ask that you bless me. Cause those who (persecute/cause problems for) me [to be defeated and as a result] to be disgraced/ashamed, and cause me to be glad/happy!
Let them curse, but bless thou: When they arise, they shall be put to shame, But thy servant shall rejoice.
29 Cause those who accuse me to be completely disgraced; cause [other people to see] that they are disgraced, as [easily as they see] the clothes that they wear [SIM]!
Let mine adversaries be clothed with dishonor, And let them cover themselves with their own shame as with a robe.
30 But I will thank Yahweh very greatly; I will praise him [when I am] among the crowd [of people who are worshiping him].
I will give great thanks unto Jehovah with my mouth; Yea, I will praise him among the multitude.
31 [I will do that] because he defends [MTY] needy [people like me], and saves us from those who have decided/declared that we must be executed.
For he will stand at the right hand of the needy, To save him from them that judge his soul.
