Psalms, 109

0.

0. To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

1. [For the choirmaster Of David Psalm] God whom I praise, do not be silent!

1. Be not silent, O God of my praise!

2. Wicked and deceiving words are being said about me, false accusations are cast in my teeth.

2. For wicked and deceitful mouths are opened against me, speaking against me with lying tongues.

3. Words of hate fly all around me, though I give no cause for hostility.

3. They beset me with words of hate, and attack me without cause.

4. In return for my friendship they denounce me, and all I can do is pray!

4. In return for my love they accuse me, even as I make prayer for them.

5. They repay my kindness with evil, and friendship with hatred.

5. So they reward me evil for good, and hatred for my love.

6. 'Set up a wicked man against him as accuser to stand on his right.

6. Appoint a wicked man against him; let an accuser bring him to trial.

7. At his trial may he emerge as guilty, even his prayer construed as a crime!

7. When he is tried, let him come forth guilty; let his prayer be counted as sin!

8. 'May his life be cut short, someone else take over his office,

8. May his days be few; may another seize his goods!

9. his children be orphaned, his wife be widowed.

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

10. 'May his children wander perpetually, beggars, driven from the ruins of their house,

10. May his children wander about and beg; may they be driven out of the ruins they inhabit!

11. a creditor seize all his goods, and strangers make off with his earnings.

11. May the creditor seize all that he has; may strangers plunder the fruits of his toil!

12. 'May there be none left faithful enough to show him love, no one take pity on his orphans,

12. Let there be none to extend kindness to him, nor any to pity his fatherless children!

13. the line of his descendants cut off, his name wiped out in one generation.

13. May his posterity be cut off; may his name be blotted out in the second generation!

14. 'May Yahweh never forget the crimes of his ancestors, and his mother's sins not be wiped out;

14. May the iniquity of his fathers be remembered before the LORD, and let not the sin of his mother be blotted out!

15. may Yahweh keep these constantly in mind, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.'

15. Let them be before the LORD continually; and may his memory be cut off from the earth!

16. He had no thought of being loyal, but hounded the poor and the needy and the broken-hearted to their death.

16. For he did not remember to show kindness, but pursued the poor and needy and the brokenhearted to their death.

17. He had a taste for cursing; let it recoil on him! No taste for blessing; let it never come his way!

17. He loved to curse; let curses come on him! He did not like blessing; may it be far from him!

18. Cursing has been the uniform he wore; let it soak into him like water, like oil right into his bones.

18. He clothed himself with cursing as his coat, may it soak into his body like water, like oil into his bones!

19. Let it be as a robe which envelops him completely, a sash which he always wears.

19. May it be like a garment which he wraps round him, like a belt with which he daily girds himself!

20. Let this be the salary Yahweh pays the accusers who blacken my name.

20. May this be the reward of my accusers from the LORD, of those who speak evil against my life!

21. Yahweh, treat them as your name demands; as your faithful love is generous, deliver me.

21. But thou, O GOD my Lord, deal on my behalf for thy name's sake; because thy steadfast love is good, deliver me!

22. Poor and needy as I am, my wounds go right to the heart;

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

23. I am passing away like a fading shadow, they have shaken me off like a locust.

23. I am gone, like a shadow at evening; I am shaken off like a locust.

24. My knees are weak from lack of food, my body lean for lack of fat.

24. My knees are weak through fasting; my body has become gaunt.

25. I have become the butt of their taunts, they shake their heads at the sight of me.

25. I am an object of scorn to my accusers; when they see me, they wag their heads.

26. Help me, Yahweh my God, save me as your faithful love demands.

26. Help me, O LORD my God! Save me according to thy steadfast love!

27. Let them know that yours is the saving hand, that this, Yahweh, is your work.

27. Let them know that this is thy hand; thou, O LORD, hast done it!

28. Let them curse, provided that you bless; let their attacks bring shame to them and joy to your servant!

28. Let them curse, but do thou bless! Let my assailants be put to shame; may thy servant be glad!

29. Let my accusers be clothed in disgrace, enveloped in a cloak of shame.

29. May my accusers be clothed with dishonor; may they be wrapped in their own shame as in a mantle!

30. With generous thanks to Yahweh on my lips, I shall praise him before all the people,

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 side of the poor, to save their lives from those who sit in judgement on them.

31. For he stands at the right hand of the needy, to save him from those who condemn him to death.