Psalms 109

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¹God of my praise, let my prayer be answered;

²For the mouth of the sinner is open against me in deceit: his tongue has said false things against me.

³Words of hate are round about me; they have made war against me without cause.

⁴For my love they give me back hate; but I have given myself to prayer.

⁵They have put on me evil for good; hate in exchange for my love.

⁶Put an evil man over him; and let one be placed at his right hand to say evil of him.

⁷When he is judged, let the decision go against him; and may his prayer become sin.

⁸Let his life be short; let another take his position of authority.

⁹Let his children have no father, and his wife be made a widow.

¹⁰Let his children be wanderers, looking to others for their food; let them be sent away from the company of their friends.

¹¹Let his creditor take all his goods; and let others have the profit of his work.

¹²Let no man have pity on him, or give help to his children when he is dead.

¹³Let his seed be cut off; in the coming generation let their name go out of memory.

¹⁴Let the Lord keep in mind the wrongdoing of his fathers; and may the sin of his mother have no forgiveness.

¹⁵Let them be ever before the eyes of the Lord, so that the memory of them may be cut off from the earth.

¹⁶Because he had no mercy, but was cruel to the low and the poor, designing the death of the broken-hearted.

¹⁷As he took pleasure in cursing, so let it come on him; and as he had no delight in blessing, let it be far from him.

¹⁸He put on cursing like a robe, and it has come into his body like water, and into his bones like oil.

¹⁹Let it be to him as a robe which he puts on, let it be like a band which is round him at all times.

²⁰Let this be the reward given to my haters from the Lord, and to those who say evil of my soul.

²¹But, O Lord God, give me your help, because of your name; take me out of danger, because your mercy is good.

²²For I am poor and in need, and my heart is wounded in me.

²³I am gone like the shade when it is stretched out: I am forced out of my place like a locust.

²⁴My knees are feeble for need of food; there is no fat on my bones.

²⁵As for me, they make sport of me; shaking their heads when they see me.

²⁶Give me help, O Lord my God; in your mercy be my saviour;

²⁷So that they may see that it is the work of your hand; that you, Lord, have done it.

²⁸They may give curses but you give blessing; when they come up against me, put them to shame; but let your servant be glad.

²⁹Let my haters be clothed with shame, covering themselves with shame as with a robe.

³⁰I will give the Lord great praise with my mouth; yes, I will give praise to him among all the people.

³¹For he is ever at the right hand of the poor, to take him out of the hands of those who go after his soul.

Psalms 109

¹God of my praise, do not remain silent,

²for they have opened the mouth of the wicked and the mouth of deceit against me. They have spoken to me with a lying tongue.

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

⁴In return for my love, they are my adversaries; but I am in prayer.

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

⁶Set a wicked man over him. Let an adversary stand at his right hand.

⁷When he is judged, let him come forth guilty. Let his prayer be turned into sin.

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

⁹Let his children be fatherless, and his wife a widow.

¹⁰Let his children be wandering beggars. Let them be sought from their ruins.

¹¹Let the creditor seize all that he has. Let strangers plunder the fruit of his labor.

¹²Let there be none to extend kindness to him, neither let there be any to have pity on his fatherless children.

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

¹⁴Let the iniquity of his fathers be remembered by the Lord. Do not let the sin of his mother be blotted out.

¹⁵Let them be before the Lord continually, that he may cut off the memory of them from the earth;

¹⁶because he did not remember to show kindness, but persecuted the poor and needy man, the broken in heart, to kill them.

¹⁷Yes, he loved cursing, and it came to him. He did not delight in blessing, and it was far from him.

¹⁸He clothed himself also with cursing as with his garment. It came into his inward parts like water, like oil into his bones.

¹⁹Let it be to him as the clothing with which he covers himself, for the belt that is always around him.

²⁰This is the reward of my adversaries from the Lord, of those who speak evil against my soul.

²¹But deal with me, the Lord the Lord, for your name's sake, because your loving kindness is good, deliver me;

²²for I am poor and needy. My heart is wounded within me.

²³I fade away like an evening shadow. I am shaken off like a locust.

²⁴My knees are weak through fasting. My body is thin and lacks fat.

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

²⁶Help me, Lord, my God. Save me according to your loving kindness;

²⁷that they may know that this is your hand; that you, Lord, have done it.

²⁸They may curse, but you bless. When they arise, they will be shamed, but your servant shall rejoice.

²⁹Let my adversaries be clothed with dishonor. Let them cover themselves with their own shame as with a robe.

³⁰I will give great thanks to the Lord with my mouth. Yes, I will praise him among the multitude.

³¹For he will stand at the right hand of the needy, to save him from those who judge his soul.