Psalms 109 — NETB

For the music director, a psalm of David.

109Verse 1O God whom I praise, do not ignore me!
^{Verse 2}For they say cruel and deceptive things to me;
they lie to me.
^{Verse 3}They surround me and say hateful things;
they attack me for no reason.
^{Verse 4}They repay my love with accusations,
but I continue to pray.
^{Verse 5}They repay me evil for good,
and hate for love.^{Verse 6}
Appoint an evil man to testify against him!
May an accuser stand at his right side!
^{Verse 7}When he is judged, he will be found guilty!
Then his prayer will be regarded as sinful.
^{Verse 8}May his days be few!
May another take his job!
^{Verse 9}May his children be fatherless,
and his wife a widow!
^{Verse 10}May his children roam around begging,
asking for handouts as they leave their ruined home!
^{Verse 11}May the creditor seize all he owns!
May strangers loot his property!
^{Verse 12}May no one show him kindness!
May no one have compassion on his fatherless children!
^{Verse 13}May his descendants be cut off!
May the memory of them be wiped out by the time the next generation arrives!
^{Verse 14}May his ancestors’ sins be remembered by the Lord!
May his mother’s sin not be forgotten!
^{Verse 15}May the Lord be constantly aware of them,
and cut off the memory of his children from the earth!
^{Verse 16}For he never bothered to show kindness;
he harassed the oppressed and needy,
and killed the disheartened.
^{Verse 17}He loved to curse others, so those curses have come upon him.
He had no desire to bless anyone, so he has experienced no blessings.
^{Verse 18}He made cursing a way of life,
so curses poured into his stomach like water
and seeped into his bones like oil.
^{Verse 19}May a curse attach itself to him, like a garment one puts on,
or a belt one wears continually!
^{Verse 20}May the Lord repay my accusers in this way,
those who say evil things about me!
^{Verse 21}O sovereign Lord,
intervene on my behalf for the sake of your reputation!
Because your loyal love is good, deliver me!
^{Verse 22}For I am oppressed and needy,
and my heart beats violently within me.
^{Verse 23}I am fading away like a shadow at the end of the day;
I am shaken off like a locust.
^{Verse 24}I am so starved my knees shake;
I have turned into skin and bones.
^{Verse 25}I am disdained by them.
When they see me, they shake their heads.
^{Verse 26}Help me, O Lord my God!
Because you are faithful to me, deliver me!
^{Verse 27}Then they will realize this is your work,
and that you, Lord, have accomplished it.
^{Verse 28}They curse, but you will bless.
When they attack, they will be humiliated,
but your servant will rejoice.
^{Verse 29}My accusers will be covered with shame,
and draped in humiliation as if it were a robe.
^{Verse 30}I will thank the Lord profusely,
in the middle of a crowd I will praise him,
^{Verse 31}because he stands at the right hand of the needy,
to deliver him from those who threaten his life.