Psalm 109

Help Me, O Lord My God

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

1  Be not silent, O God of my praise!
2  For wicked and deceitful mouths are opened against me,
speaking against me with lying tongues.
3  They encircle me with words of hate,
and attack me without cause.
4  In return for my love they accuse me,
but I give myself to prayer.t
5  So they reward me evil for good,
and hatred for my love.

6  Appoint a wicked man against him;
let an accuser stand at his right hand.
7  When he is tried, let him come forth guilty;
let his prayer be counted as sin!
8  May his days be few;
may another take his office!
9  May his children be fatherless
and his wife a widow!
10  May his children wander about and beg,
seeking food far from the ruins they inhabit!
11  May the creditor seize all that he has;
may strangers plunder the fruits of his toil!
12  Let there be none to extend kindness to him,
nor any to pity his fatherless children!
13  May his posterity be cut off;
may his name be blotted out in the second generation!
14  May 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!

16  For he did not remember to show kindness,
but pursued the poor and needy
and the brokenhearted, to put them to death.
17  He loved to curse; let curses comet upon him!
He did not delight in blessing; may it be fart from him!
18  He clothed himself with cursing as his coat;
may it soakt into his body like water,
like oil into his bones!
19  May it be like a garment that he wraps around him,
like a belt that he puts on every day!
20  May this be the reward of my accusers from the Lord,
of those who speak evil against my life!

21  But you, O God my Lord,
deal on my behalf for your name's sake;
because your steadfast love is good, deliver me!
22  For I am poor and needy,
and my heart is stricken within me.
23  I am gone like a shadow at evening;
I am shaken off like a locust.
24  My knees are weak through fasting;
my body has become gaunt, with no fat.
25  I am an object of scorn to my accusers;
when they see me, they wag their heads.

26  Help me, O Lord my God!
Save me according to your steadfast love!
27  Let them know that this is your hand;
you, O Lord, have done it!
28  Let them curse, but you will bless!
They arise and are put to shame, but your servant will be glad!
29  May my accusers be clothed with dishonor;
may they be wrapped in their own shame as in a cloak!

30  With my mouth I will give great thanks to the Lord;
I will praise him in the midst of the throng.
31  For he stands at the right hand of the needy one,
to save him from those who condemn his soul to death.

Psalm 109

For the music director, a psalm of David.

1 O God whom I praise, do not ignore me!

2 For they say cruel and deceptive things to me;
they lie to me.

3 They surround me and say hateful things;
they attack me for no reason.

4 They repay my love with accusations,
but I continue to pray.

5 They repay me evil for good,
and hate for love.

6 Appoint an evil man to testify against him!
May an accuser stand at his right side!

7 When he is judged, he will be found guilty!
Then his prayer will be regarded as sinful.

8 May his days be few!
May another take his job!

9 May his children be fatherless,
and his wife a widow!

10 May his children roam around begging,
asking for handouts as they leave their ruined home!

11 May the creditor seize all he owns!
May strangers loot his property!

12 May no one show him kindness!
May no one have compassion on his fatherless children!

13 May his descendants be cut off!
May the memory of them be wiped out by the time the next generation arrives!

14 May his ancestors’ sins be remembered by the Lord!
May his mother’s sin not be forgotten!

15 May the Lord be constantly aware of them,
and cut off the memory of his children from the earth!

16 For he never bothered to show kindness;
he harassed the oppressed and needy,
and killed the disheartened.

17 He loved to curse others, so those curses have come upon him.
He had no desire to bless anyone, so he has experienced no blessings.

18 He made cursing a way of life,
so curses poured into his stomach like water
and seeped into his bones like oil.

19 May a curse attach itself to him, like a garment one puts on,
or a belt one wears continually!

20 May the Lord repay my accusers in this way,
those who say evil things about me!

21 O sovereign Lord,
intervene on my behalf for the sake of your reputation!
Because your loyal love is good, deliver me!

22 For I am oppressed and needy,
and my heart beats violently within me.

23 I am fading away like a shadow at the end of the day;
I am shaken off like a locust.

24 I am so starved my knees shake;
I have turned into skin and bones.

25 I am disdained by them.
When they see me, they shake their heads.

26 Help me, O Lord my God!
Because you are faithful to me, deliver me!

27 Then they will realize this is your work,
and that you, Lord, have accomplished it.

28 They curse, but you will bless.
When they attack, they will be humiliated,
but your servant will rejoice.

29 My accusers will be covered with shame,
and draped in humiliation as if it were a robe.

30 I will thank the Lord profusely,
in the middle of a crowd I will praise him,

31 because he stands at the right hand of the needy,
to deliver him from those who threaten his life.