Psalm 109
English Standard Version
Help Me, O Lord My God
To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.
109 (A)Be not silent, O (B)God of my praise!
2 For wicked and (C)deceitful mouths are opened against me,
speaking against me with lying tongues.
3 They encircle me with words of hate,
and attack me (D)without cause.
4 In return for my love they (E)accuse me,
but I (F)give myself to prayer.[a]
5 So they (G)reward me evil for good,
and hatred for my love.
6 (H)Appoint a wicked man (I)against him;
let an accuser stand (J)at his right hand.
7 When he is tried, let him come forth guilty;
let his (K)prayer be counted as sin!
8 May his (L)days be few;
may (M)another take his (N)office!
9 May his (O)children be fatherless
and his wife a widow!
10 May his children (P)wander about and beg,
(Q)seeking food far from the ruins they inhabit!
11 May (R)the creditor seize all that he has;
may (S)strangers plunder the fruits of his toil!
12 Let there be none to (T)extend kindness to him,
nor any to (U)pity his fatherless children!
13 May his (V)posterity be cut off;
may his (W)name be blotted out in the second generation!
14 May (X)the iniquity of his fathers be remembered before the Lord,
and let not the sin of his mother be (Y)blotted out!
15 (Z)Let them be before the Lord continually,
that he may (AA)cut off the memory of them from the earth!
16 For he did not remember to show kindness,
but pursued (AB)the poor and needy
and (AC)the brokenhearted, to put them to death.
17 (AD)He loved to curse; let curses come[b] upon him!
He did not delight in blessing; may it be far[c] from him!
18 He (AE)clothed himself with cursing as his coat;
may it (AF)soak[d] into his body like water,
like oil into his bones!
19 May it be like a garment that he wraps around him,
like a belt that he puts on every day!
20 May this be the reward of my (AG)accusers from the Lord,
of those who speak evil against my life!
21 But you, O God my Lord,
deal on my behalf (AH)for your name's sake;
because your (AI)steadfast love is good, deliver me!
22 For I am (AJ)poor and needy,
and my heart is stricken within me.
23 I am gone like (AK)a shadow at evening;
I am (AL)shaken off like a locust.
24 My knees are weak (AM)through fasting;
my (AN)body has become gaunt, with no fat.
25 I am (AO)an object of scorn to my accusers;
when they see me, they (AP)wag their heads.
26 (AQ)Help me, O Lord my God!
Save me according to your steadfast love!
27 Let them (AR)know that this is your hand;
you, O Lord, have done it!
28 (AS)Let them curse, but you will bless!
They arise and are put to shame, but (AT)your servant will be glad!
29 May my accusers be (AU)clothed with dishonor;
may they (AV)be wrapped in their own shame as in a cloak!
30 With my mouth I will give great thanks to the Lord;
I will (AW)praise him in the midst of the throng.
31 For he stands (AX)at the right hand of the needy one,
to save him from those who condemn his soul to death.
Footnotes
- Psalm 109:4 Hebrew but I am prayer
- Psalm 109:17 Revocalization; Masoretic Text curses have come
- Psalm 109:17 Revocalization; Masoretic Text it is far
- Psalm 109:18 Revocalization; Masoretic Text it has soaked
Psalm 109
Young's Literal Translation
109 To the Overseer. -- A Psalm of David. O God of my praise, be not silent,
2 For the mouth of wickedness, and the mouth of deceit, Against me they have opened, They have spoken with me -- A tongue of falsehood, and words of hatred!
3 They have compassed me about, And they fight me without cause.
4 For my love they oppose me, and I -- prayer!
5 And they set against me evil for good, And hatred for my love.
6 Appoint Thou over him the wicked, And an adversary standeth at his right hand.
7 In his being judged, he goeth forth wicked, And his prayer is for sin.
8 His days are few, his oversight another taketh,
9 His sons are fatherless, and his wife a widow.
10 And wander continually do his sons, Yea, they have begged, And have sought out of their dry places.
11 An exactor layeth a snare for all that he hath, And strangers spoil his labour.
12 He hath none to extend kindness, Nor is there one showing favour to his orphans.
13 His posterity is for cutting off, In another generation is their name blotted out.
14 The iniquity of his fathers Is remembered unto Jehovah, And the sin of his mother is not blotted out.
15 They are before Jehovah continually, And He cutteth off from earth their memorial.
16 Because that he hath not remembered to do kindness, And pursueth the poor man and needy, And the smitten of heart -- to slay,
17 And he loveth reviling, and it meeteth him, And he hath not delighted in blessing, And it is far from him.
18 And he putteth on reviling as his robe, And it cometh in as water into his midst, And as oil into his bones.
19 It is to him as apparel -- he covereth himself, And for a continual girdle he girdeth it on.
20 This [is] the wage of mine accusers from Jehovah, And of those speaking evil against my soul.
21 And Thou, O Jehovah Lord, Deal with me for Thy name's sake, Because Thy kindness [is] good, deliver me.
22 For I [am] poor and needy, And my heart hath been pierced in my midst.
23 As a shadow when it is stretched out I have gone, I have been driven away as a locust.
24 My knees have been feeble from fasting, And my flesh hath failed of fatness.
25 And I -- I have been a reproach to them, They see me, they shake their head.
26 Help me, O Jehovah my God, Save me, according to Thy kindness.
27 And they know that this [is] Thy hand, Thou, O Jehovah, Thou hast done it.
28 They revile, and Thou dost bless, They have risen, and are ashamed, And Thy servant doth rejoice.
29 Mine accusers put on blushing, and are covered, As an upper robe [is] their shame.
30 I thank Jehovah greatly with my mouth, And in the midst of many I praise Him,
31 For He standeth at the right hand of the needy, To save from those judging his soul.
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
