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Psalm 109
Good News Translation
Psalm 109
Good News Translation
The Complaint of Someone in Trouble[a]
109 I praise you, God; don't remain silent!
2 Wicked people and liars have attacked me.
They tell lies about me,
3 and they say evil things about me,
attacking me for no reason.
4 They oppose me, even though I love them
and have prayed for them.[b]
5 They pay me back evil for good
and hatred for love.
6 Choose some corrupt judge to try my enemy,
and let one of his own enemies accuse him.
7 May he be tried and found guilty;
may even his prayer be considered a crime!
8 (A)May his life soon be ended;
may someone else take his job!
9 May his children become orphans,
and his wife a widow!
10 May his children be homeless beggars;
may they be driven from[c] the ruins they live in!
11 May his creditors take away all his property,
and may strangers get everything he worked for.
12 May no one ever be kind to him
or care for the orphans he leaves behind.
13 May all his descendants die,
and may his name be forgotten in the next generation.
14 May the Lord remember the evil of his ancestors
and never forgive his mother's sins.
15 May the Lord always remember their sins,
but may they themselves be completely forgotten!
16 That man never thought of being kind;
he persecuted and killed
the poor, the needy, and the helpless.
17 He loved to curse—may he be cursed!
He hated to give blessings—may no one bless him!
18 He cursed as naturally as he dressed himself;
may his own curses soak into his body like water
and into his bones like oil!
19 May they cover him like clothes
and always be around him like a belt!
20 Lord, punish my enemies in that way—
those who say such evil things against me!
21 But my Sovereign Lord, help me as you have promised,
and rescue me because of the goodness of your love.
22 I am poor and needy;
I am hurt to the depths of my heart.
23 Like an evening shadow I am about to vanish;
I am blown away like an insect.
24 My knees are weak from lack of food;
I am nothing but skin and bones.
25 (B)When people see me, they laugh at me;
they shake their heads in scorn.
26 Help me, O Lord my God;
because of your constant love, save me!
27 Make my enemies know
that you are the one who saves me.
28 They may curse me, but you will bless me.
May my persecutors be defeated,[d]
and may I, your servant, be glad.
29 May my enemies be covered with disgrace;
may they wear their shame like a robe.
30 I will give loud thanks to the Lord;
I will praise him in the assembly of the people,
31 because he defends the poor
and saves them from those who condemn them to death.
Footnotes
- Psalm 109:1 HEBREW TITLE: A psalm by David.
- Psalm 109:4 Probable text have prayed for them; Hebrew unclear.
- Psalm 109:10 One ancient translation be driven from; Hebrew seek.
- Psalm 109:28 One ancient translation May my persecutors be defeated; Hebrew They persecuted me and were defeated.
Psalm 109
New International Version
Psalm 109
New International Version
Psalm 109
For the director of music. Of David. A psalm.
1 My God, whom I praise,(A)
do not remain silent,(B)
2 for people who are wicked and deceitful(C)
have opened their mouths against me;
they have spoken against me with lying tongues.(D)
3 With words of hatred(E) they surround me;
they attack me without cause.(F)
4 In return for my friendship they accuse me,
but I am a man of prayer.(G)
5 They repay me evil for good,(H)
and hatred for my friendship.
6 Appoint someone evil to oppose my enemy;
let an accuser(I) stand at his right hand.
7 When he is tried, let him be found guilty,(J)
and may his prayers condemn(K) him.
8 May his days be few;(L)
may another take his place(M) of leadership.
9 May his children be fatherless
and his wife a widow.(N)
10 May his children be wandering beggars;(O)
may they be driven[a] from their ruined homes.
11 May a creditor(P) seize all he has;
may strangers plunder(Q) the fruits of his labor.(R)
12 May no one extend kindness to him
or take pity(S) on his fatherless children.
13 May his descendants be cut off,(T)
their names blotted out(U) from the next generation.
14 May the iniquity of his fathers(V) be remembered before the Lord;
may the sin of his mother never be blotted out.
15 May their sins always remain before(W) the Lord,
that he may blot out their name(X) from the earth.
16 For he never thought of doing a kindness,
but hounded to death the poor
and the needy(Y) and the brokenhearted.(Z)
17 He loved to pronounce a curse—
may it come back on him.(AA)
He found no pleasure in blessing—
may it be far from him.
18 He wore cursing(AB) as his garment;
it entered into his body like water,(AC)
into his bones like oil.
19 May it be like a cloak wrapped(AD) about him,
like a belt tied forever around him.
20 May this be the Lord’s payment(AE) to my accusers,
to those who speak evil(AF) of me.
21 But you, Sovereign Lord,
help me for your name’s sake;(AG)
out of the goodness of your love,(AH) deliver me.(AI)
22 For I am poor and needy,
and my heart is wounded within me.
23 I fade away like an evening shadow;(AJ)
I am shaken off like a locust.
24 My knees give(AK) way from fasting;(AL)
my body is thin and gaunt.(AM)
25 I am an object of scorn(AN) to my accusers;
when they see me, they shake their heads.(AO)
26 Help me,(AP) Lord my God;
save me according to your unfailing love.
27 Let them know(AQ) that it is your hand,
that you, Lord, have done it.
28 While they curse,(AR) may you bless;
may those who attack me be put to shame,
but may your servant rejoice.(AS)
29 May my accusers be clothed with disgrace
and wrapped in shame(AT) as in a cloak.
Footnotes
- Psalm 109:10 Septuagint; Hebrew sought
Psalm 109
King James Version
Psalm 109
King James Version
109 Hold not thy peace, O God of my praise;
2 For the mouth of the wicked and the mouth of the deceitful are opened against me: they have spoken against me with a lying tongue.
3 They compassed me about also with words of hatred; and fought against me without a cause.
4 For my love they are my adversaries: but I give myself unto prayer.
5 And they have rewarded me evil for good, and hatred for my love.
6 Set thou a wicked man over him: and let Satan stand at his right hand.
7 When he shall be judged, let him be condemned: and let his prayer become sin.
8 Let his days be few; and let another take his office.
9 Let his children be fatherless, and his wife a widow.
10 Let his children be continually vagabonds, and beg: let them seek their bread also out of their desolate places.
11 Let the extortioner catch all that he hath; and let the strangers spoil his labour.
12 Let there be none to extend mercy unto him: neither let there be any to favour his fatherless children.
13 Let his posterity be cut off; and in the generation following let their name be blotted out.
14 Let the iniquity of his fathers be remembered with the Lord; and let not the sin of his mother be blotted out.
15 Let them be before the Lord continually, that he may cut off the memory of them from the earth.
16 Because that he remembered not to shew mercy, but persecuted the poor and needy man, that he might even slay the broken in heart.
17 As he loved cursing, so let it come unto him: as he delighted not in blessing, so let it be far from him.
18 As he clothed himself with cursing like as with his garment, so let it come into his bowels like water, and like oil into his bones.
19 Let it be unto him as the garment which covereth him, and for a girdle wherewith he is girded continually.
20 Let this be the reward of mine adversaries from the Lord, and of them that speak evil against my soul.
21 But do thou for me, O God the Lord, for thy name's sake: because thy mercy is good, deliver thou me.
22 For I am poor and needy, and my heart is wounded within me.
23 I am gone like the shadow when it declineth: I am tossed up and down as the locust.
24 My knees are weak through fasting; and my flesh faileth of fatness.
25 I became also a reproach unto them: when they looked upon me they shaked their heads.
26 Help me, O Lord my God: O save me according to thy mercy:
27 That they may know that this is thy hand; that thou, Lord, hast done it.
28 Let them curse, but bless thou: when they arise, let them be ashamed; but let thy servant rejoice.
29 Let mine adversaries be clothed with shame, and let them cover themselves with their own confusion, as with a mantle.
30 I will greatly praise the Lord with my mouth; yea, I will praise him among the multitude.
31 For he shall stand at the right hand of the poor, to save him from those that condemn his soul.
Good News Translation (GNT) 
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New International Version (NIV) 
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