Psalms 109

The God of my praise

O God, whom I praise, don’t stand silent and aloof ²while the wicked slander me and tell lies about me.a ³They surround me with hateful words and fight against me for no reason.

⁴I love them, but they try to destroy me with accusations even as I am praying for them!b ⁵They repay evil for good, and hatred for my love. ⁶They say, “Get an evil person to turn against him. Send an accuser to bring him to trial.

⁷When his case comes up for judgment, let him be pronounced guilty. Count his prayers as sins.c ⁸Let his years be few; let someone else take his position.d ⁹May his children become fatherless, and his wife a widow.

¹⁰May his children wander as beggars and be driven from their ruined homes. ¹¹May creditors seize his entire estate, and strangers take all he has earned. ¹²Let no one be kind to him; let no one pity his fatherless children.

¹³May all his offspring die. May his family name be blotted out in the next generation. ¹⁴May the Lord never forget the sins of his fathers; may his mother’s sins never be erased from the record. ¹⁵May the Lord always remember these sins, and may his name disappear from human memory.

¹⁶For he refused all kindness to others; he persecuted the poor and needy, and he hounded the brokenhearted to death. ¹⁷He loved to curse others; now you curse him. He never blessed others; now don’t you bless him. ¹⁸Cursing is as natural to him as his clothing, or the water he drinks, or the rich food he eats.

¹⁹Now may his curses return and cling to him like clothing; may they be tied around him like a belt.” ²⁰May those curses become the Lord’s punishment for my accusers who speak evil of me. ²¹But deal well with me, O Sovereign Lord, for the sake of your own reputation! Rescue me because you are so faithful and good.

²²For I am poor and needy, and my heart is full of pain. ²³I am fading like a shadow at dusk; I am brushed off like a locust. ²⁴My knees are weak from fasting, and I am skin and bones.

²⁵I am a joke to people everywhere; when they see me, they shake their heads in scorn.e ²⁶Help me, O Lord my God! Save me because of your unfailing love. ²⁷Let them see that this is your doing, that you yourself have done it, Lord.f

²⁸Then let them curse me if they like, but you will bless me! When they attack me, they will be disgraced! But I, your servant, will go right on rejoicing! ²⁹May my accusers be clothed with disgrace; may their humiliation cover them like a cloak. ³⁰But I will give repeated thanks to the Lord, praising him to everyone.

³¹For he stands beside the needy, ready to save them from those who condemn them.g