Chapter 109

To the chief Musician,¹⁸ A Psalm of David.
Hold not thy peace,⁴ O God of my praise;

For the mouth of the wicked and the mouth of the deceitful are opened¹ against me: they have spoken¹⁴ against me with a lying tongue.

They compassed me about¹ also with words of hatred; and fought¹¹ against me without a cause.

For my love they are my adversaries:⁴ but I [give myself unto] prayer.

And they have rewarded⁴ me evil for good, and hatred for my love.

Set⁵⁴ thou a wicked man over him: and let Satan stand⁴ at his right hand.

When he shall be judged,⁹ let him be⁴ condemned: and let his prayer become sin.

Let his days be few; [and] let another take⁴ his office.

Let his children be fatherless, and his wife a widow.

Let his children be continually² vagabonds,⁴ and beg:¹⁴ let them seek¹ [their bread] also out of their desolate places.

Let the extortioner⁶ catch¹⁷ all that he hath; and let the strangers⁵ spoil⁴ his labour.

Let there be none to extend⁶ mercy unto him: neither let there be any to favour⁶ his fatherless children.

Let his posterity be cut off;⁵³ [and] in the generation following let their name be blotted out.¹¹

Let the iniquity of his fathers be remembered¹¹ with the LORD; and let not the sin of his mother be blotted out.¹¹

Let them be before the LORD continually, that he may cut off⁵⁵ the memory of them from the earth.

Because that he remembered¹ not to shew² mercy, but persecuted⁴ the poor and needy man, that he might even slay³² the broken¹² in heart.

As he loved⁴ cursing, so let it come⁴ unto him: as he delighted¹ not in blessing, so let it be far⁴ from him.

As he clothed⁴ himself with cursing like as with his garment, so let it come⁴ into his bowels like water, and like oil into his bones.

Let it be unto him as the garment [which] covereth⁴ him, and for a girdle wherewith he is girded⁴ continually.

[Let] this [be] the reward of mine adversaries⁶ from the LORD, and of them that speak⁶ evil against my soul.

But do³ thou for me, O GOD the Lord, for thy name's sake: because thy mercy [is] good, deliver⁵⁴ thou me.

For I [am] poor and needy, and my heart is wounded¹ within me.

I am gone⁸ like the shadow when it declineth:² I am tossed up and down⁸ as the locust.

My knees are weak¹ through fasting; and my flesh faileth¹ of fatness.

I became also a reproach unto them: [when] they looked⁴ upon me they shaked⁵⁵ their heads.

Help³ me, O LORD my God: O save⁵⁴ me according to thy mercy:

That they may know⁴ that this [is] thy hand; [that] thou, LORD, hast done¹ it.

Let them curse,¹⁷ but bless¹⁷ thou: when they arise,¹ let them be ashamed;⁴ but let thy servant rejoice.⁴

Let mine adversaries⁶ be clothed⁴ with shame, and let them cover⁴ themselves with their own confusion, as with a mantle.

I will greatly praise⁵⁵ the LORD with my mouth; yea, I will praise¹⁷ him among the multitude.

For he shall stand⁴ at the right hand of the poor, to save⁵³ [him] from those that condemn⁶ his soul.