19 Pay attention to me, Lord.
Hear what my opponents are saying!(A)
20 Should good be repaid with evil?
Yet they have dug a pit for me.(B)
Remember how I stood before you
to speak good on their behalf,
to turn your anger from them.
21 Therefore, hand their children over to famine,(C)
and give them over to the power of the sword.
Let their wives become childless and widowed,
their husbands slain by deadly disease,[a]
their young men struck down by the sword in battle.
22 Let a cry be heard from their houses
when you suddenly bring raiders against them,
for they have dug a pit to capture me
and have hidden snares for my feet.(D)
23 But you, Lord, know
all their deadly plots against me.
Do not wipe out their iniquity;(E)
do not blot out their sin before you.
Let them be forced to stumble before you;
deal with them in the time of your anger.

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Footnotes

  1. 18:21 Lit by death

19 Pay attention to me, Lord;
    listen to what my enemies are saying.
20 Should evil be returned for good?
    Yet they have set traps for me.
Remember that I stood before you,
    begging you to be merciful
        and not to punish them.
21 Enough! Let their children starve;
    let them die by the sword.
    Let their wives be barren widows;
    let their men be slaughtered
    and their youth struck down in battle.
22     Let screams be heard from their homes
    when you suddenly bring armies against them.
They have dug a pit to capture me,
    set traps for my feet.
23 But you, Lord, you know
    all their sinister plots to kill me.
Don’t overlook their wrongdoing;
    don’t cleanse their sin from before you.
May they stumble before you;
    when you become angry, do something about them.

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