109 ⁽⁰⁾ For the leader. A psalm of David:

⁽¹⁾ God, whom I praise, don’t remain silent!
² For wicked and deceitful men
have opened their mouths against me,
spoken against me with lying tongues,
³ surrounded me with hateful words,
and attacked me without cause.

⁴ In return for my love they became my accusers,
even though I prayed for them.
⁵ They repay me evil for good
and hatred for my love.

⁶ [They say,] “Appoint a wicked man over him,
may an accuser stand at his right.
⁷ When he is tried, let him be found guilty,
may even his plea be counted a sin.
⁸ May his days be few,
may someone else take his position.
⁹ May his children be fatherless
and his wife a widow.
¹⁰ May his children be wandering beggars,
foraging for food from their ruined homes.
¹¹ May creditors seize all he owns
and strangers make off with his earnings.
¹² May no one treat him kindly,
and may no one take pity on his orphaned children.
¹³ May his posterity be cut off;
may his name be erased within a generation.
¹⁴ May the wrongs of his ancestors be remembered by Adonai,
and may the sin of his mother not be erased;
¹⁵ may they always be before Adonai,
so he can cut off all memory of them from the earth.
¹⁶ For he did not remember to show kindness
but hounded the downtrodden, the poor
and the brokenhearted to death.
¹⁷ He loved cursing; may it recoil on him!
He didn’t like blessing; may it stay far from him!
¹⁸ He clothed himself with cursing
as routinely as with his coat;
May it enter inside him as easily as water,
as easily as oil into his bones.
¹⁹ May it cling to him like the coat he wears,
like the belt he wraps around himself.”

²⁰ This is what my adversaries want Adonai to do,
those who speak evil against me.
²¹ But you, God, Adonai,
treat me as your name demands;
rescue me, because your grace is good.
²² For I am poor and needy,
and my heart within me is wounded.
²³ Like a lengthening evening shadow, I am gone;
I am shaken off like a locust.
²⁴ My knees are weak from lack of food,
my flesh wastes away for lack of nourishment.
²⁵ I have become the object of their taunts;
when they see me, they shake their heads.

²⁶ Help me, Adonai, my God!
Save me, in keeping with your grace;
²⁷ so that they will know that this comes from your hand,
that you, Adonai, have done it.
²⁸ Let them go on cursing;
but you, bless!
When they attack, let them be put to shame;
but let your servant rejoice.
²⁹ Let my adversaries be clothed with confusion,
let them wear their own shame like a robe.

³⁰ I will eagerly thank Adonai with my mouth,
I will praise him right there in the crowd,
³¹ because he stands alongside a needy person
to defend him from unjust accusers.