The Book of Psalms

⭑ Berean Study Bible :: World English Bible Catholic ⭑

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- Chapter 109 -

The song of the slandered

O God of my praise, be not silent.

For wicked and deceitful mouths open against me; they speak against me with lying tongues.

They surround me with hateful words and attack me without cause.

In return for my love they accuse me, but I am a man of prayer.

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

Set over him a wicked man; let an accuser stand at his right hand.

When he is tried, let him be found guilty, and may his prayer be regarded as sin.

May his days be few; may another take his position.(a)

May his children be fatherless and his wife a widow.

May his children wander as beggars, seeking sustenance (b) far from their ruined homes.

May the creditor seize all he owns, and strangers plunder the fruits of his labor.

May there be no one to extend kindness to him, and no one to favor his fatherless children.

May his descendants be cut off; may their name be blotted out from the next generation.

May the iniquity of his fathers be remembered before the LORD, and the sin of his mother never be blotted out.

May their sins always remain before the LORD, that He may cut off their memory from the earth.

For he never thought to show kindness, but pursued the poor and needy and brokenhearted, even to their death.

The cursing that he loved, may it fall on him; the blessing in which he refused to delight, may it be far from him.

The cursing that he wore like a coat, may it soak into his body like water, and into his bones like oil.

May it be like a robe wrapped about him, like a belt tied forever around him.

May this be the LORD’s reward to my accusers, to those who speak evil against me.

But You, O GOD, the Lord, deal kindly with me for the sake of Your name; deliver me by the goodness of Your loving devotion.

For I am poor and needy; my heart is wounded within me.

I am fading away like a lengthening shadow; I am shaken off like a locust.

My knees are weak from fasting, and my body grows lean and gaunt.

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

Help me, O LORD my God; save me according to Your loving devotion.

Let them know that this is Your hand, that You, O LORD, have done it.

Though they curse, You will bless. When they rise up, they will be put to shame, but Your servant will rejoice.

May my accusers be clothed with disgrace; may they wear their shame like a robe.

With my mouth I will thank the LORD profusely; I will praise Him in the presence of many.

For He stands at the right hand of the needy one, to save him from the condemners of his soul.

Footnotes

(a)109:8 Cited in Acts 1:20

(b)109:10 Hebrew; LXX may they be driven

The song of the slandered

God of my praise, don’t remain silent,

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Let there be no one to extend kindness to him, neither let there be anyone to have pity on his fatherless children.

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

Let the iniquity of his fathers be remembered by the LORD. Don’t let the sin of his mother be blotted out.

Let them be before the LORD continually, that he may cut off their memory from the earth;

because he didn’t remember to show kindness, but persecuted the poor and needy man, the broken in heart, to kill them.

Yes, he loved cursing, and it came to him. He didn’t delight in blessing, and it was far from him.

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

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

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

But deal with me, GOD the Lord,(a) for your name’s sake, because your loving kindness is good, deliver me;

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Footnotes

(a)109:21 The word translated “Lord” is “Adonai.”