The Complete Jewish Bible CJB
The Message Bible MSG
1 For the leader. A psalm of David: God, whom I praise, don't remain silent!
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My God, don't turn a deaf ear to my hallelujah prayer.
2 For wicked and deceitful men have opened their mouths against me, spoken against me with lying tongues,
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Liars are pouring out invective on me; Their lying tongues are like a pack of dogs out to get me,
3 surrounded me with hateful words, and attacked me without cause.
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barking their hate, nipping my heels - and for no reason!
4 In return for my love they became my accusers, even though I prayed for them.
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I loved them and now they slander me - yes, me! - and treat my prayer like a crime;
5 They repay me evil for good and hatred for my love.
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They return my good with evil, they return my love with hate.
6 [They say,] "Appoint a wicked man over him, may an accuser stand at his right.
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Send the Evil One to accuse my accusing judge; dispatch Satan to prosecute him.
7 When he is tried, let him be found guilty, may even his plea be counted a sin.
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When he's judged, let the verdict be, "Guilty," and when he prays, let his prayer turn to sin.
8 May his days be few, may someone else take his position.
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Give him a short life, and give his job to somebody else.
9 May his children be fatherless and his wife a widow.
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Make orphans of his children, dress his wife in widow's weeds;
10 May his children be wandering beggars, foraging for food from their ruined homes.
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Turn his children into begging street urchins, evicted from their homes - homeless.
11 May creditors seize all he owns and strangers make off with his earnings.
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May the bank foreclose and wipe him out, and strangers, like vultures, pick him clean.
12 May no one treat him kindly, and may no one take pity on his orphaned children.
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May there be no one around to help him out, no one willing to give his orphans a break.
13 May his posterity be cut off; may his name be erased within a generation.
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Chop down his family tree so that nobody even remembers his name.
14 May the wrongs of his ancestors be remembered by ADONAI, and may the sin of his mother not be erased;
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But erect a memorial to the sin of his father, and make sure his mother's name is there, too -
15 may they always be before ADONAI, so he can cut off all memory of them from the earth.
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Their sins recorded forever before God, but they themselves sunk in oblivion.
16 For he did not remember to show kindness but hounded the downtrodden, the poor and the brokenhearted to death.
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That's all he deserves since he was never once kind, hounded the afflicted and heartbroken to their graves.
17 He loved cursing; may it recoil on him! He didn't like blessing; may it stay far from him!
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Since he loved cursing so much, let curses rain down; Since he had no taste for blessing, let blessings flee far from him.
18 He clothed himself with cursing as routinely as with his coat; May it enter inside him as easily as water, as easily as oil into his bones.
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He dressed up in curses like a fine suit of clothes; he drank curses, took his baths in curses.
19 May it cling to him like the coat he wears, like the belt he wraps around himself."
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So give him a gift - a costume of curses; he can wear curses every day of the week!
20 This is what my adversaries want ADONAI to do, those who speak evil against me.
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That's what they'll get, those out to get me - an avalanche of just deserts from God.
21 But you, God, ADONAI, treat me as your name demands; rescue me, because your grace is good.
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Oh, God, my Lord, step in; work a miracle for me - you can do it! Get me out of here - your love is so great! -
22 For I am poor and needy, and my heart within me is wounded.
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I'm at the end of my rope, my life in ruins.
23 Like a lengthening evening shadow, I am gone; I am shaken off like a locust.
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I'm fading away to nothing, passing away, my youth gone, old before my time.
24 My knees are weak from lack of food, my flesh wastes away for lack of nourishment.
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I'm weak from hunger and can hardly stand up, my body a rack of skin and bones.
25 I have become the object of their taunts; when they see me, they shake their heads.
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I'm a joke in poor taste to those who see me; they take one look and shake their heads.
26 Help me, ADONAI, my God! Save me, in keeping with your grace;
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Help me, oh help me, God, my God, save me through your wonderful love;
27 so that they will know that this comes from your hand, that you, ADONAI, have done it.
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Then they'll know that your hand is in this, that you, God, have been at work.
28 Let them go on cursing; but you, bless! When they attack, let them be put to shame; but let your servant rejoice.
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Let them curse all they want; you do the blessing.
29 Let my adversaries be clothed with confusion, let them wear their own shame like a robe.
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Let them be jeered by the crowd when they stand up, followed by cheers for me, your servant. Dress my accusers in clothes dirty with shame, discarded and humiliating old ragbag clothes.
30 I will eagerly thank ADONAI with my mouth, I will praise him right there in the crowd,
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My mouth's full of great praise for God, I'm singing his hallelujahs surrounded by crowds,
31 because he stands alongside a needy person to defend him from unjust accusers.
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For he's always at hand to take the side of the needy, to rescue a life from the unjust judge.
Complete Jewish Bible Copyright 1998 by David H. Stern. Published by Jewish New Testament Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.