Psalms 109

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

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 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 sinner and the mouth of the crafty [man] have been opened against me: they have spoken against me with a crafty tongue.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

When he is judged, let him go forth condemned: 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 of overseer.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Let his children be [given up] to utter destruction: in one generation let his 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 before the Lord; and let not the sin of his mother 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; and let their memorial be blotted out from the earth.

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.

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

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

Yes, 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 the garment which covereth him, and for a belt with which he is girded continually.

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 of my adversaries from the LORD, and of them that speak evil against 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 do thou for me, O GOD the Lord, for thy name’s sake: because thy mercy is good, deliver thou me.

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

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

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

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

I am removed as a shadow in its going down: I am tossed up and down like locusts.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

And let them know that this is your hand; and [that] you, Lord, have wrought it.

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

Let them curse, but you shall bless: let them that rise up against me be ashamed, but let your servant rejoice.

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

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

I will give thanks to the Lord abundantly with my mouth; and in the midst of many I will 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 stood on the right hand of the poor, to save [me] from them that persecute my soul.