The Book of Psalms

⭑ Catholic Public Domain :: World English Bible Catholic ⭑

- Chapter 109 -

The song of the slandered

Unto the end. A Psalm of David.

O God, do not be silent toward my praise, for the mouth of the sinner and the mouth of the deceitful one have been opened against me.

They have spoken against me with deceitful tongues, and they have surrounded me with hateful words, and they fought against me over nothing.

Instead of choosing to act on my behalf, they detracted me. But I gave myself to prayer.(a)

And they set evil against me, instead of good, and hatred, in return for my love.

Establish the sinner over him, and let the devil stand at his right hand.(b)

When he is judged, may he go forth in condemnation, and may his prayer be counted as sin.

May his days be few, and let another take his episcopate.(c)

May his sons be orphans, and his wife a widow.

May his sons be carried by those who walk unsteadily, and may they go begging. And may they be cast out of their dwelling places.(d)

May the money lenders scrutinize all his belongings, and let foreigners plunder his labors.

May there be no one to assist him, nor anyone to be compassionate to his orphaned children.

May his posterity be in utter ruin. In one generation, may his name be wiped away.

May the iniquity of his fathers return in memory before the sight of the Lord, and do not let the sin of his mother be wiped away.

May these be opposite the Lord always, but let their memory perish from the earth.

For certain things are not remembered about them, in order to be merciful.(e)

And so the destitute man was pursued, with the beggar and the remorseful in heart, so as to be put to death.

And he loved a curse, and it came to him. And he was unwilling to have a blessing, and it went far from him. And he clothed himself with curses like a garment, and it entered his inner self like water, and it entered his bones like oil.

May it be to him like a garment that covers him, and like a belt that always cinches him.

This is the work of those who detract me with the Lord and who speak evils against my soul.

But as for you, Lord, O Lord: act on my behalf for your name’s sake. For your mercy is sweet.

Free me, for I am destitute and poor, and my heart has been disquieted within me.

I have been taken away like a shadow when it declines, and I have been shaken off like locusts.

My knees have been weakened by fasting, and my flesh has been replaced by oil.(f)

And I have become a disgrace to them. They saw me, and they shook their heads.

Help me, O Lord, my God. Save me according to your mercy.

And let them know that this is your hand, and that you, O Lord, have done this.

They will curse, and you will bless. May those who rise up against me be confounded. But your servant will rejoice.

May those who detract me be clothed with shame, and may they be covered with their confusion, as if with a double cloak.

I will confess exceedingly to the Lord with my mouth. And I will praise him in the midst of the multitude.

For he stands at the right hand of the poor, in order to save my soul from persecutors.

Footnotes

(a)108:4 The verb ‘diligerent’ can mean ‘to love,’ but it can also mean ‘to choose.’ In this case, his complaint is not that they don’t love him, but that they do not choose (to act) on his behalf or in his favor.(Conte)

(b)108:6 Set you the sinner over him, etc:Give to the devil, that arch-sinner, power over him: let him enter into him, and possess him. The imprecations, contained in the thirty verses of this psalm, are opposed to the thirty pieces of silver for which Judas betrayed our Lord; and are to be taken as prophetic denunciations of the evils that should befall the traitor and his accomplices the Jews; and not properly as curses.(Challoner)

(c)108:8 This verse is applied by the Acts of the Apostles to the replacement of Judas Iscariot with Matthias as the twelfth Apostle.(Conte)

(d)108:10 The word ‘Nutantes’ refers to wavering. In other words: may his sons be carried around by those who waver (walk unsteadily).(Conte)

(e)108:16 This verse is more accurately translated loosely. It explains the previous verses, which say that these evil doers will be forgotten through all the earth, but not by God. Their evil deeds will not be remembered for the sake of mercy. The subsequent verses detail some of those evil deeds.(Conte)

(f)108:24 For oil:Propter oleum. The meaning is, my flesh is changed, being perfectly emaciated and dried up, as having lost all its oil or fatness.(Challoner)

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.”