King James Version KJV
Good News Translation GNT
1 Hold not thy peace, O God of my praise;
1
I praise you, God; don't remain silent!
2 For the mouth of the wicked and the mouth of the deceitful are opened against me: they have spoken against me with a lying tongue.
2
Wicked people and liars have attacked me. They tell lies about me,
3 They compassed me about also with words of hatred; and fought against me without a cause.
3
and they say evil things about me, attacking me for no reason.
4 For my love they are my adversaries: but I give myself unto prayer.
4
They oppose me, even though I love them and have prayed for them.
5 And they have rewarded me evil for good, and hatred for my love.
5
They pay me back evil for good and hatred for love.
6 Set thou a wicked man over him: and let Satan stand at his right hand.
6
Choose some corrupt judge to try my enemy, and let one of his own enemies accuse him.
7 When he shall be judged, let him be condemned: and let his prayer become sin.
7
May he be tried and found guilty; may even his prayer be considered a crime!
8 Let his days be few; and let another take his office.
8
May his life soon be ended; may someone else take his job!
9 Let his children be fatherless, and his wife a widow.
9
May his children become orphans, and his wife a widow!
10 Let his children be continually vagabonds, and beg: let them seek their bread also out of their desolate places.
10
May his children be homeless beggars; may they be driven from the ruins they live in!
11 Let the extortioner catch all that he hath; and let the strangers spoil his labour.
11
May his creditors take away all his property, and may strangers get everything he worked for.
12 Let there be none to extend mercy unto him: neither let there be any to favour his fatherless children.
12
May no one ever be kind to him or care for the orphans he leaves behind.
13 Let his posterity be cut off; and in the generation following let their name be blotted out.
13
May all his descendants die, and may his name be forgotten in the next generation.
14 Let the iniquity of his fathers be remembered with the LORD; and let not the sin of his mother be blotted out.
14
May the Lord remember the evil of his ancestors and never forgive his mother's sins.
15 Let them be before the LORD continually, that he may cut off the memory of them from the earth.
15
May the Lord always remember their sins, but may they themselves be completely forgotten!
16 Because that he remembered not to shew mercy, but persecuted the poor and needy man, that he might even slay the broken in heart.
16
That man never thought of being kind; he persecuted and killed the poor, the needy, and the helpless.
17 As he loved cursing, so let it come unto him: as he delighted not in blessing, so let it be far from him.
17
He loved to curse - may he be cursed! He hated to give blessings - may no one bless him!
18 As he clothed himself with cursing like as with his garment, so let it come into his bowels like water, and like oil into his bones.
18
He cursed as naturally as he dressed himself; may his own curses soak into his body like water and into his bones like oil!
19 Let it be unto him as the garment which covereth him, and for a girdle wherewith he is girded continually.
19
May they cover him like clothes and always be around him like a belt!
20 Let this be the reward of mine adversaries from the LORD, and of them that speak evil against my soul.
20
Lord, punish my enemies in that way - those who say such evil things against me!
21 But do thou for me, O GOD the Lord, for thy name's sake: because thy mercy is good, deliver thou me.
21
But my Sovereign Lord, help me as you have promised, and rescue me because of the goodness of your love.
22 For I am poor and needy, and my heart is wounded within me.
22
I am poor and needy; I am hurt to the depths of my heart.
23 I am gone like the shadow when it declineth: I am tossed up and down as the locust.
23
Like an evening shadow I am about to vanish; I am blown away like an insect.
24 My knees are weak through fasting; and my flesh faileth of fatness.
24
My knees are weak from lack of food; I am nothing but skin and bones.
25 I became also a reproach unto them: when they looked upon me they shaked their heads.
25
When people see me, they laugh at me; they shake their heads in scorn.
26 Help me, O LORD my God: O save me according to thy mercy:
26
Help me, O Lord my God; because of your constant love, save me!
27 That they may know that this is thy hand; that thou, LORD, hast done it.
27
Make my enemies know that you are the one who saves me.
28 Let them curse, but bless thou: when they arise, let them be ashamed; but let thy servant rejoice.
28
They may curse me, but you will bless me. May my persecutors be defeated, and may I, your servant, be glad.
29 Let mine adversaries be clothed with shame, and let them cover themselves with their own confusion, as with a mantle.
29
May my enemies be covered with disgrace; may they wear their shame like a robe.
30 I will greatly praise the LORD with my mouth; yea, I will praise him among the multitude.
30
I will give loud thanks to the Lord; I will praise him in the assembly of the people,
31 For he shall stand at the right hand of the poor, to save him from those that condemn his soul.
31
because he defends the poor and saves them from those who condemn them to death.
The King James Version is in the public domain.
Scripture taken from the Good News Translation - Second Edition, Copyright 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.