Psalm 109 (New American Standard)

Vengeance Invoked upon Adversaries.

1 O ¹God of my praise, ²Do not be silent ! 2 For they have opened the ^awicked and ³deceitful mouth against me; They have spoken ^bagainst me with a ⁴lying tongue. 3 They have also surrounded me with words of hatred, And fought against me ⁵without cause. 4 In return ⁶for my love they act as my accusers ; But ⁷I am in prayer. 5 Thus they have ^c8repaid me evil for good And ⁹hatred for my love. 6 Appoint a wicked man over him, And let an ^d10accuser stand at his right hand. 7 When he is judged, let him ¹¹come forth guilty, And let his ¹²prayer become sin. 8 Let ¹³his days be few ; Let ¹⁴another take his office. 9 Let his ¹⁵children be fatherless And his ¹⁶wife a widow. 10 Let his ¹⁷children wander about and beg ; And let them ¹⁸seek sustenance ^efar from their ruined homes. 11 Let ¹⁹the creditor ^fseize all that he has, And let ²⁰strangers plunder the product of his labor. 12 Let there be none to ^g21extend lovingkindness to him, Nor ²²any to be gracious to his fatherless children. 13 Let his ²³posterity be ^hcut off ; In a following generation let their ²⁴name be blotted out. 14 Let ²⁵the iniquity of his fathers be remembered ⁱbefore the LORD, And do not let the sin of his mother be ²⁶blotted out. 15 Let ²⁷them be before the LORD continually, That He may ²⁸cut off their memory from the earth ; 16 Because he did not remember to show lovingkindness, But persecuted the ²⁹afflicted and needy man, And the ³⁰despondent in heart, to ³¹put them to death. 17 He also loved cursing, so ³²it came to him; And he did not delight in blessing, so it was far from him. 18 But he ³³clothed himself with cursing as with his garment, And it ³⁴entered into ^jhis body like water And like oil into his bones. 19 Let it be to him as ³⁵a garment with which he covers himself, And for a belt with which he constantly ³⁶girds himself. 20 ^kLet this be the ³⁷reward of my accusers from the LORD, And of those who ³⁸speak evil against my soul. 21 But You, O ^lGOD, the Lord, deal kindly with me ³⁹for Your name's sake ; Because ⁴⁰Your lovingkindness is good, deliver me; 22 For ⁴¹I am afflicted and needy, And ^mmy heart is ⁴²wounded within me. 23 I am passing ⁴³like a shadow when it lengthens ; I am shaken off ⁴⁴like the locust. 24 My ⁴⁵knees ⁿare weak from ⁴⁶fasting, And my flesh has grown lean, without fatness. 25 I also have become a ⁴⁷reproach to them; When they see me, they ⁴⁸wag their head. 26 ⁴⁹Help me, O LORD my God ; Save me according to Your lovingkindness. 27 ^oAnd let them ⁵⁰know that this is Your hand ; You, LORD, have done it. 28 ⁵¹Let them curse, but You bless ; When they arise, they shall be ashamed, But Your ⁵²servant shall be glad. 29 ^pLet ⁵³my accusers be clothed with dishonor, And ^qlet them ⁵⁴cover themselves with their own shame as with a robe. 30 With my mouth I will give thanks abundantly to the LORD ; And in the midst of many ⁵⁵I will praise Him. 31 For He stands ⁵⁶at the right hand of the needy, To save him from those who ⁵⁷judge his soul.