English Standard Version ESV
New Revised Standard NRS
1 Be not silent, O God of my praise!
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Do not be silent, O God of my praise.
2 For wicked and deceitful mouths are opened against me, speaking against me with lying tongues.
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For wicked and deceitful mouths are opened against me, speaking against me with lying tongues.
3 They encircle me with words of hate, and attack me without cause.
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They beset me with words of hate, and attack me without cause.
4 In return for my love they accuse me, but I give myself to prayer.
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In return for my love they accuse me, even while I make prayer for them.
5 So they reward me evil for good, and hatred for my love.
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So they reward me evil for good, and hatred for my love.
6 Appoint a wicked man against him; let an accuser stand at his right hand.
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They say, "Appoint a wicked man against him; let an accuser stand on his right.
7 When he is tried, let him come forth guilty; let his prayer be counted as sin!
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When he is tried, let him be found guilty; let his prayer be counted as sin.
8 May his days be few; may another take his office!
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May his days be few; may another seize his position.
9 May his children be fatherless and his wife a widow!
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May his children be orphans, and his wife a widow.
10 May his children wander about and beg, seeking food far from the ruins they inhabit!
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May his children wander about and beg; may they be driven out of the ruins they inhabit.
11 May the creditor seize all that he has; may strangers plunder the fruits of his toil!
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May the creditor seize all that he has; may strangers plunder the fruits of his toil.
12 Let there be none to extend kindness to him, nor any to pity his fatherless children!
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May there be no one to do him a kindness, nor anyone to pity his orphaned children.
13 May his posterity be cut off; may his name be blotted out in the second generation!
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May his posterity be cut off; may his name be blotted out in the second generation.
14 May the iniquity of his fathers be remembered before the Lord, and let not the sin of his mother be blotted out!
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May the iniquity of his father be remembered before the Lord, and do not let the sin of his mother be blotted out.
15 Let them be before the Lord continually, that he may cut off the memory of them from the earth!
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Let them be before the Lord continually, and may his memory be cut off from the earth.
16 For he did not remember to show kindness, but pursued the poor and needy and the brokenhearted, to put them to death.
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For he did not remember to show kindness, but pursued the poor and needy and the brokenhearted to their death.
17 He loved to curse; let curses come upon him! He did not delight in blessing; may it be far from him!
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He loved to curse; let curses come on him. He did not like blessing; may it be far from him.
18 He clothed himself with cursing as his coat; may it soak into his body like water, like oil into his bones!
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He clothed himself with cursing as his coat, may it soak into his body like water, like oil into his bones.
19 May it be like a garment that he wraps around him, like a belt that he puts on every day!
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May it be like a garment that he wraps around himself, like a belt that he wears every day."
20 May this be the reward of my accusers from the Lord, of those who speak evil against my life!
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May that be the reward of my accusers from the Lord, of those who speak evil against my life.
21 But you, O God my Lord, deal on my behalf for your name’s sake; because your steadfast love is good, deliver me!
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But you, O Lord my Lord, act on my behalf for your name's sake; because your steadfast love is good, deliver me.
22 For I am poor and needy, and my heart is stricken within me.
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For I am poor and needy, and my heart is pierced within me.
23 I am gone like a shadow at evening; I am shaken off like a locust.
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I am gone like a shadow at evening; I am shaken off like a locust.
24 My knees are weak through fasting; my body has become gaunt, with no fat.
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My knees are weak through fasting; my body has become gaunt.
25 I am an object of scorn to my accusers; when they see me, they wag 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, O Lord my God! Save me according to your steadfast love!
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Help me, O Lord my God! Save me according to your steadfast love.
27 Let them know that this is your hand; you, O Lord, have done it!
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Let them know that this is your hand; you, O Lord, have done it.
28 Let them curse, but you will bless! They arise and are put to shame, but your servant will be glad!
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Let them curse, but you will bless. Let my assailants be put to shame; may your servant be glad.
29 May my accusers be clothed with dishonor; may they be wrapped in their own shame as in a cloak!
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May my accusers be clothed with dishonor; may they be wrapped in their own shame as in a mantle.
30 With my mouth I will give great thanks to the Lord; I will praise him in the midst of the throng.
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With my mouth I will give great thanks to the Lord; I will praise him in the midst of the throng.
31 For he stands at the right hand of the needy one, to save him from those who condemn his soul to death.
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For he stands at the right hand of the needy, to save them from those who would condemn them to death.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®) © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. All rights reserved. ESV Text Edition: 2025
New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.