Psalm 109:6-20
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
II
6 Appoint an evil one over him,
an accuser[a] to stand at his right hand,
7 That he may be judged and found guilty,
that his plea may be in vain.
8 May his days be few;
may another take his office.(A)
9 May his children be fatherless,
his wife, a widow.(B)
10 May his children wander and beg,
driven from their hovels.
11 May the usurer snare all he owns,
strangers plunder all he earns.
12 May no one treat him with mercy
or pity his fatherless children.
13 May his posterity be destroyed,(C)
their name rooted out in the next generation.
14 May his fathers’ guilt be mentioned to the Lord;
his mother’s sin not rooted out.(D)
15 May their guilt be always before the Lord,(E)
till their memory is banished from the earth,(F)
16 For he did not remember to show mercy,
but hounded the wretched poor
and brought death to the brokenhearted.
17 He loved cursing; may it come upon him;
he hated blessing; may none come to him.
18 May cursing clothe him like a robe;
may it enter his belly like water,
his bones like oil.
19 May it be near as the clothes he wears,
as the belt always around him.
20 [b]May this be the reward for my accusers from the Lord,
for those speaking evil against me.
Footnotes
- 109:6 An accuser: Hebrew satan, a word occurring in Job 1–2 and Zec 3:1–2. In the latter passage Satan stands at the right hand of the high priest to bring false accusations against him before God. Here the accuser is human.
- 109:20 May this be the reward…from the Lord: the psalmist prays that God ratify the curses of Ps 109:6–19 and bring them upon the wicked.
Scripture texts, prefaces, introductions, footnotes and cross references used in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.