Psalm 109

1 Do not keep silent,

Plea for Judgment of False AccusersTo the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David. O God of my praise!

2 For the mouth of the wicked and the mouth of the deceitful Have opened 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 a cause.4 In return for my love they are my accusers, But I give myself to prayer.5 Thus they have rewarded me evil for good, And hatred for my love.6 Set a wicked man over him, And let an accuser stand at his right hand.7 When he is judged, let him be found guilty, And let his prayer become sin.8 Let his days be few, And let another take his office.9 Let his children be fatherless, And his wife a widow.10 Let his children continually be vagabonds, and beg; Let them seek their bread also from their desolate places.11 Let the creditor seize all that he has, And let strangers plunder his labor.12 Let there be none to extend mercy to him, Nor let there be any to favor 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 before the Lord, And let not the sin of his mother be blotted out.15 Let them be continually before the Lord, That He may cut off the memory of them from the earth;16 Because he did not remember to show 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 to him; As he did not delight in blessing, so let it be far from him.18 As he clothed himself with cursing as with his garment, So let it enter his body like water, And like oil into his bones.19 Let it be to him like the garment which covers him, And for a belt with which he girds himself continually.20  Let this be the Lords reward to my accusers, And to those who speak evil against my person.21 But You, O God the Lord, Deal with me for Your names sake; Because Your mercy is good, deliver me.22 For I am poor and needy, And my heart is wounded within me.23 I am gone like a shadow when it lengthens; I am shaken off like a locust.24 My knees are weak through fasting, And my flesh is feeble from lack of fatness.25 I also have become a reproach to them; When they look at me, they shake their heads.26 Help me, O Lord my God! Oh, save me according to Your mercy,27 That they may know that this is Your hand That You, Lord, have done it!28 Let them curse, but You bless; When they arise, let them be ashamed, But let Your servant rejoice.29 Let my accusers be clothed with shame, And let them cover themselves with their own disgrace as with a mantle.30 I will greatly praise the Lord with my mouth; Yes, I will praise Him among the multitude.31 For He shall stand at the right hand of the poor, To save him from those who 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.