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For the director of music. A psalm of David.

109 God, I praise you.
    Don’t remain silent.
Sinful people who lie and cheat have spoken against me.
    They have used their tongues to tell lies about me.
They gather all around me with their words of hatred.
    They attack me without any reason.
They bring charges against me,
    even though I love them
    and pray for them.
They pay me back with evil for the good things I do.
    They pay back my love with hatred.

Appoint an evil person to take my enemies to court.
    Let him stand at their right hand and bring charges against them.
When they are tried, let them be found guilty.
    May even their prayers judge them.
May their days be few.
    Let others take their places as leaders.
May their children’s fathers die.
    May their wives become widows.
10 May their children be driven from their destroyed homes.
    May they wander around like beggars.
11 May everything those people own be taken away to pay for what they owe.
    May strangers rob them of everything they’ve worked for.
12 May no one be kind to them
    or take pity on the children they leave behind.
13 May their family line come to an end.
    May their names be forgotten by those who live after them.
14 May the Lord remember the evil things their fathers have done.
    May he never erase the sins of their mothers.
15 May the Lord never forget their sins.
    Then he won’t let people remember the names of my enemies anymore.

16 They never thought about doing anything kind.
    Instead, they drove those who were poor and needy to their deaths.
    They did the same thing to those whose hearts were broken.
17 They loved to curse others.
    May their curses come back on them.
They didn’t find any pleasure in giving anyone their blessing.
    May no blessing ever come to them.
18 They cursed others as easily as they put on clothes.
    Cursing was as natural to them as getting a drink of water
    or putting olive oil on their bodies.
19 May their curses cover them like coats.
    May their curses be wrapped around them like a belt forever.
20 May that be the Lord’s way of paying back
    those who bring charges against me.
May it happen to those who say
    evil things about me.

21 But Lord and King,
    help me so that you bring honor to yourself.
    Because your love is so good, save me.
22 I am poor and needy.
    My heart is wounded deep down inside me.
23 I fade away like an evening shadow.
    I’m like a locust that someone brushes off.
24 My knees are weak because I’ve gone without food.
    My body is very thin.
25 Those who bring charges against me laugh at me.
    When they see me, they shake their heads at me.

26 Lord my God, help me.
    Save me because of your faithful love.
27 Lord, let my enemies know that you yourself have saved me.
    You have done it with your own hand.
28 They may curse me.
    But may you bless me.
May those who attack me be put to shame.
    But may I be filled with joy.
29 May those who bring charges against me be clothed with dishonor.
    May they be wrapped in shame as if it were a coat.

30 With my mouth I will continually praise the Lord.
    I will praise him when all his people gather for worship.
31 He stands ready to help those who need it.
    He saves them from those who are ready to sentence them to death.

Psalm 109

For the director of music. Of David. A psalm.

My God, whom I praise,(A)
    do not remain silent,(B)
for people who are wicked and deceitful(C)
    have opened their mouths against me;
    they have spoken against me with lying tongues.(D)
With words of hatred(E) they surround me;
    they attack me without cause.(F)
In return for my friendship they accuse me,
    but I am a man of prayer.(G)
They repay me evil for good,(H)
    and hatred for my friendship.

Appoint someone evil to oppose my enemy;
    let an accuser(I) stand at his right hand.
When he is tried, let him be found guilty,(J)
    and may his prayers condemn(K) him.
May his days be few;(L)
    may another take his place(M) of leadership.
May his children be fatherless
    and his wife a widow.(N)
10 May his children be wandering beggars;(O)
    may they be driven[a] from their ruined homes.
11 May a creditor(P) seize all he has;
    may strangers plunder(Q) the fruits of his labor.(R)
12 May no one extend kindness to him
    or take pity(S) on his fatherless children.
13 May his descendants be cut off,(T)
    their names blotted out(U) from the next generation.
14 May the iniquity of his fathers(V) be remembered before the Lord;
    may the sin of his mother never be blotted out.
15 May their sins always remain before(W) the Lord,
    that he may blot out their name(X) from the earth.

16 For he never thought of doing a kindness,
    but hounded to death the poor
    and the needy(Y) and the brokenhearted.(Z)
17 He loved to pronounce a curse—
    may it come back on him.(AA)
He found no pleasure in blessing—
    may it be far from him.
18 He wore cursing(AB) as his garment;
    it entered into his body like water,(AC)
    into his bones like oil.
19 May it be like a cloak wrapped(AD) about him,
    like a belt tied forever around him.
20 May this be the Lord’s payment(AE) to my accusers,
    to those who speak evil(AF) of me.

21 But you, Sovereign Lord,
    help me for your name’s sake;(AG)
    out of the goodness of your love,(AH) deliver me.(AI)
22 For I am poor and needy,
    and my heart is wounded within me.
23 I fade away like an evening shadow;(AJ)
    I am shaken off like a locust.
24 My knees give(AK) way from fasting;(AL)
    my body is thin and gaunt.(AM)
25 I am an object of scorn(AN) to my accusers;
    when they see me, they shake their heads.(AO)

26 Help me,(AP) Lord my God;
    save me according to your unfailing love.
27 Let them know(AQ) that it is your hand,
    that you, Lord, have done it.
28 While they curse,(AR) may you bless;
    may those who attack me be put to shame,
    but may your servant rejoice.(AS)
29 May my accusers be clothed with disgrace
    and wrapped in shame(AT) as in a cloak.

30 With my mouth I will greatly extol the Lord;
    in the great throng(AU) of worshipers I will praise him.
31 For he stands at the right hand(AV) of the needy,
    to save their lives from those who would condemn them.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 109:10 Septuagint; Hebrew sought

109 Hold not thy peace, O God of my praise;

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.

They compassed me about also with words of hatred; and fought against me without a cause.

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

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

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

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

Let his days be few; and let another take his office.

Let his children be fatherless, 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.

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

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

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

15 Let them be before the Lord continually, that he may cut off the memory of them from the earth.

16 Because that he remembered not to shew mercy, but persecuted the poor and needy man, that he might even slay the broken in heart.

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

19 Let it be unto him as the garment which covereth him, and for a girdle wherewith he is girded continually.

20 Let this be the reward of mine adversaries from the Lord, 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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

31 For he shall stand at the right hand of the poor, to save him from those that condemn his soul.