Psalm 109

Prayer against an Enemy

For the choir director. A Davidic psalm.

1 God of my praise, do not be silent.

2 For wicked and deceitful mouths open against me;
they speak against me with lying tongues.
3 They surround me with hateful words
and attack me without cause.
4 In return for my love they accuse me,
but I continue to pray.

5 They repay me evil for good,
and hatred for my love.

6 Set a wicked person over him;
let an accuser stand at his right hand.
7 When he is judged, let him be found guilty,
and let his prayer be counted as sin.
8 Let his days be few;
let another take over his position.
9 Let his children be fatherless
and his wife a widow.
10 Let his children wander as beggars,
searching [for food] far from their demolished homes.
11 Let a creditor seize all he has;
let strangers plunder what he has worked for.
12 Let no one show him kindness,
and let no one be gracious to his fatherless children.
13 Let the line of his descendants be cut off;
let their name be blotted out in the next generation.
14 Let his ancestors' guilt
be remembered before the Lord,
and do not let his mother's sin be blotted out.

15 Let their sins always remain before the Lord,
and let Him erase [all] memory of them from the earth.

16 For he did not think to show kindness,
but pursued the afflicted, poor, and brokenhearted
in order to put them to death.
17 He loved cursing-let it fall on him;
he took no delight in blessing-let it be far from him.
18 He wore cursing like his coat-
let it enter his body like water
and go into his bones like oil.
19 Let it be like a robe he wraps around himself,
like a belt he always wears.

20 Let this be the Lord's payment to my accusers,
to those who speak evil against me.

21 But You, Yahweh my Lord,
deal [kindly] with me because of Your name;
deliver me because of the goodness of Your faithful love.
22 For I am afflicted and needy;
my heart is wounded within me.
23 I fade away like a lengthening shadow;
I am shaken off like a locust.
24 My knees are weak from fasting,
and my body is emaciated.

25 I have become an object of ridicule to my accusers;
when they see me, they shake their heads [in scorn].

26 Help me, Lord my God;
save me according to Your faithful love
27 so they may know that this is Your hand
and that You, Lord, have done it.
28 Though they curse, You will bless.
When they rise up, they will be put to shame,
but Your servant will rejoice.
29 My accusers will be clothed with disgrace;
they will wear their shame like a cloak.
30 I will fervently thank the Lord with my mouth;
I will praise Him in the presence of many.

31 For He stands at the right hand of the needy
to save him from those who would condemn him.

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.