Psalm 109

Vengeance Invoked upon Adversaries.

For the choir director. A Psalm of David.

1 O God of my praise,
Do not be silent!

2 For they have opened the wicked and deceitful mouth against me;
They have spoken against me with a lying tongue.

3 They have also surrounded me with words of hatred,
And fought against me without cause.

4 In return for my love they act as my accusers;
But I am in prayer.

5 Thus they have repaid me evil for good
And hatred for my love.

6 Appoint a wicked man over him,
And let an accuser stand at his right hand.

7 When he is judged, let him come forth guilty,
And let his prayer become sin.

8 Let his days be few;
Let another take his office.

9 Let his children be fatherless
And his wife a widow.

10 Let his children wander about and beg;
And let them seek sustenance far from their ruined homes.

11 Let the creditor seize all that he has,
And let strangers plunder the product of his labor.

12 Let there be none to extend lovingkindness to him,
Nor any to be gracious to his fatherless children.

13 Let his posterity be cut off;
In a following generation let their name be blotted out.

14 Let the iniquity of his fathers be remembered before the LORD,
And do not let the sin of his mother be blotted out.

15 Let them be before the LORD continually,
That He may cut off their memory from the earth;

16 Because he did not remember to show lovingkindness,
But persecuted the afflicted and needy man,
And the despondent in heart, to put them to death.

17 He also loved cursing, so it came to him;
And he did not delight in blessing, so it was far from him.

18 But he clothed himself with cursing as with his garment,
And it entered into his body like water
And like oil into his bones.

19 Let it be to him as a garment with which he covers himself,
And for a belt with which he constantly girds himself.

20 Let this be the reward of my accusers from the LORD,
And of those who speak evil against my soul.

21 But You, O GOD, the Lord, deal kindly with me for Your name's sake;
Because Your lovingkindness is good, deliver me;

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

23 I am passing like a shadow when it lengthens;
I am shaken off like the locust.

24 My knees are weak from fasting,
And my flesh has grown lean, without fatness.

25 I also have become a reproach to them;
When they see me, they wag their head.

26 Help me, O LORD my God;
Save me according to Your lovingkindness.

27 And let them know that this is Your hand;
You, LORD, have done it.

28 Let them curse, but You bless;
When they arise, they shall be ashamed,
But Your servant shall be glad.

29 Let my accusers be clothed with dishonor,
And let them cover themselves with their own shame as with a robe.

30 With my mouth I will give thanks abundantly to the LORD;
And in the midst of many I will praise Him.

31 For He stands at the right hand of the needy,
To save him from those who judge his soul.

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.