The Message Bible MSG
New Living Translation NLT
1 My God, don't turn a deaf ear to my hallelujah prayer.
1
O God, whom I praise, don’t stand silent and aloof
2 Liars are pouring out invective on me; Their lying tongues are like a pack of dogs out to get me,
2
while the wicked slander me and tell lies about me.
3 barking their hate, nipping my heels - and for no reason!
3
They surround me with hateful words and fight against me for no reason.
4 I loved them and now they slander me - yes, me! - and treat my prayer like a crime;
4
I love them, but they try to destroy me with accusations even as I am praying for them!
5 They return my good with evil, they return my love with hate.
5
They repay evil for good, and hatred for my love.
6 Send the Evil One to accuse my accusing judge; dispatch Satan to prosecute him.
6
They say, “Get an evil person to turn against him. Send an accuser to bring him to trial.
7 When he's judged, let the verdict be, "Guilty," and when he prays, let his prayer turn to sin.
7
When his case comes up for judgment, let him be pronounced guilty. Count his prayers as sins.
8 Give him a short life, and give his job to somebody else.
8
Let his years be few; let someone else take his position.
9 Make orphans of his children, dress his wife in widow's weeds;
9
May his children become fatherless, and his wife a widow.
10 Turn his children into begging street urchins, evicted from their homes - homeless.
10
May his children wander as beggars and be driven from their ruined homes.
11 May the bank foreclose and wipe him out, and strangers, like vultures, pick him clean.
11
May creditors seize his entire estate, and strangers take all he has earned.
12 May there be no one around to help him out, no one willing to give his orphans a break.
12
Let no one be kind to him; let no one pity his fatherless children.
13 Chop down his family tree so that nobody even remembers his name.
13
May all his offspring die. May his family name be blotted out in the next generation.
14 But erect a memorial to the sin of his father, and make sure his mother's name is there, too -
14
May the LORD never forget the sins of his fathers; may his mother’s sins never be erased from the record.
15 Their sins recorded forever before God, but they themselves sunk in oblivion.
15
May the LORD always remember these sins, and may his name disappear from human memory.
16 That's all he deserves since he was never once kind, hounded the afflicted and heartbroken to their graves.
16
For he refused all kindness to others; he persecuted the poor and needy, and he hounded the brokenhearted to death.
17 Since he loved cursing so much, let curses rain down; Since he had no taste for blessing, let blessings flee far from him.
17
He loved to curse others; now you curse him. He never blessed others; now don’t you bless him.
18 He dressed up in curses like a fine suit of clothes; he drank curses, took his baths in curses.
18
Cursing is as natural to him as his clothing, or the water he drinks, or the rich food he eats.
19 So give him a gift - a costume of curses; he can wear curses every day of the week!
19
Now may his curses return and cling to him like clothing; may they be tied around him like a belt.”
20 That's what they'll get, those out to get me - an avalanche of just deserts from God.
20
May those curses become the LORD ’s punishment for my accusers who speak evil of me.
21 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! -
21
But deal well with me, O Sovereign LORD, for the sake of your own reputation! Rescue me because you are so faithful and good.
22 I'm at the end of my rope, my life in ruins.
22
For I am poor and needy, and my heart is full of pain.
23 I'm fading away to nothing, passing away, my youth gone, old before my time.
23
I am fading like a shadow at dusk; I am brushed off like a locust.
24 I'm weak from hunger and can hardly stand up, my body a rack of skin and bones.
24
My knees are weak from fasting, and I am skin and bones.
25 I'm a joke in poor taste to those who see me; they take one look and shake their heads.
25
I am a joke to people everywhere; when they see me, they shake their heads in scorn.
26 Help me, oh help me, God, my God, save me through your wonderful love;
26
Help me, O LORD my God! Save me because of your unfailing love.
27 Then they'll know that your hand is in this, that you, God, have been at work.
27
Let them see that this is your doing, that you yourself have done it, LORD .
28 Let them curse all they want; you do the blessing.
28
Then let them curse me if they like, but you will bless me! When they attack me, they will be disgraced! But I, your servant, will go right on rejoicing!
29 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.
29
May my accusers be clothed with disgrace; may their humiliation cover them like a cloak.
30 My mouth's full of great praise for God, I'm singing his hallelujahs surrounded by crowds,
30
But I will give repeated thanks to the LORD, praising him to everyone.
31 For he's always at hand to take the side of the needy, to rescue a life from the unjust judge.
31
For he stands beside the needy, ready to save them from those who condemn them.
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.
Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright© 1996, 2004, 2007, 2013 by
Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.