The Complete Jewish Bible CJB
New International Version NIV
1 For the leader. A psalm of David: God, whom I praise, don't remain silent!
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My God, whom I praise, do not remain silent,
2 For wicked and deceitful men have opened their mouths against me, spoken against me with lying tongues,
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for people who are wicked and deceitful have opened their mouths against me; they have spoken against me with lying tongues.
3 surrounded me with hateful words, and attacked me without cause.
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With words of hatred they surround me; they attack me without cause.
4 In return for my love they became my accusers, even though I prayed for them.
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In return for my friendship they accuse me, but I am a man of prayer.
5 They repay me evil for good and hatred for my love.
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They repay me evil for good, and hatred for my friendship.
6 [They say,] "Appoint a wicked man over him, may an accuser stand at his right.
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Appoint someone evil to oppose my enemy; let an accuser stand at his right hand.
7 When he is tried, let him be found guilty, may even his plea be counted a sin.
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When he is tried, let him be found guilty, and may his prayers condemn him.
8 May his days be few, may someone else take his position.
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May his days be few; may another take his place of leadership.
9 May his children be fatherless and his wife a widow.
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May his children be fatherless and his wife a widow.
10 May his children be wandering beggars, foraging for food from their ruined homes.
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May his children be wandering beggars; may they be driven from their ruined homes.
11 May creditors seize all he owns and strangers make off with his earnings.
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May a creditor seize all he has; may strangers plunder the fruits of his labor.
12 May no one treat him kindly, and may no one take pity on his orphaned children.
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May no one extend kindness to him or take pity on his fatherless children.
13 May his posterity be cut off; may his name be erased within a generation.
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May his descendants be cut off, their names blotted out from the next generation.
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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May the iniquity of his fathers be remembered before the LORD; may the sin of his mother never be blotted out.
15 may they always be before ADONAI, so he can cut off all memory of them from the earth.
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May their sins always remain before the LORD, that he may blot out their name from the earth.
16 For he did not remember to show kindness but hounded the downtrodden, the poor and the brokenhearted to death.
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For he never thought of doing a kindness, but hounded to death the poor and the needy and the brokenhearted.
17 He loved cursing; may it recoil on him! He didn't like blessing; may it stay far from him!
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He loved to pronounce a curse— may it come back on him. He found no pleasure in blessing— may it be 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 wore cursing as his garment; it entered into his body like water, into his bones like oil.
19 May it cling to him like the coat he wears, like the belt he wraps around himself."
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May it be like a cloak wrapped about him, like a belt tied forever around him.
20 This is what my adversaries want ADONAI to do, those who speak evil against me.
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May this be the LORD’s payment to my accusers, to those who speak evil of me.
21 But you, God, ADONAI, treat me as your name demands; rescue me, because your grace is good.
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But you, Sovereign LORD, help me for your name’s sake; out of the goodness of your love, deliver me.
22 For I am poor and needy, and my heart within me is wounded.
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For I am poor and needy, and my heart is wounded within me.
23 Like a lengthening evening shadow, I am gone; I am shaken off like a locust.
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I fade away like an evening shadow; I am shaken off like a locust.
24 My knees are weak from lack of food, my flesh wastes away for lack of nourishment.
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My knees give way from fasting; my body is thin and gaunt.
25 I have become the object of their taunts; when they see me, they shake their heads.
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I am an object of scorn to my accusers; when they see me, they shake their heads.
26 Help me, ADONAI, my God! Save me, in keeping with your grace;
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Help me, LORD my God; save me according to your unfailing love.
27 so that they will know that this comes from your hand, that you, ADONAI, have done it.
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Let them know that it is your hand, that you, LORD, have done it.
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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While they curse, may you bless; may those who attack me be put to shame, but may your servant rejoice.
29 Let my adversaries be clothed with confusion, let them wear their own shame like a robe.
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May my accusers be clothed with disgrace and wrapped in shame as in a cloak.
30 I will eagerly thank ADONAI with my mouth, I will praise him right there in the crowd,
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With my mouth I will greatly extol the LORD; in the great throng of worshipers I will praise him.
31 because he stands alongside a needy person to defend him from unjust accusers.
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For he stands at the right hand of the needy, to save their lives from those who would condemn them.
Complete Jewish Bible Copyright 1998 by David H. Stern. Published by Jewish New Testament Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NIV) are from THE HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica. All rights reserved worldwide.