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
New Living Translation
Psalm 109
For the choir director: A psalm of David.
1 O God, whom I praise,
don’t stand silent and aloof
2 while the wicked slander me
and tell lies about me.
3 They surround me with hateful words
and fight against me for no reason.
4 I love them, but they try to destroy me with accusations
even as I am praying for them!
5 They repay evil for good,
and hatred for my love.
6 They say,[a] “Get an evil person to turn against him.
Send an accuser to bring him to trial.
7 When his case comes up for judgment,
let him be pronounced guilty.
Count his prayers as sins.
8 Let his years be few;
let someone else take his position.
9 May his children become fatherless,
and his wife a widow.
10 May his children wander as beggars
and be driven from[b] their ruined homes.
11 May creditors seize his entire estate,
and strangers take all he has earned.
12 Let no one be kind to him;
let no one pity his fatherless children.
13 May all his offspring die.
May his family name be blotted out in the next generation.
14 May the Lord never forget the sins of his fathers;
may his mother’s sins never be erased from the record.
15 May the Lord always remember these sins,
and may his name disappear from human memory.
16 For he refused all kindness to others;
he persecuted the poor and needy,
and he hounded the brokenhearted to death.
17 He loved to curse others;
now you curse him.
He never blessed others;
now don’t you bless him.
18 Cursing is as natural to him as his clothing,
or the water he drinks,
or the rich food he eats.
19 Now may his curses return and cling to him like clothing;
may they be tied around him like a belt.”
20 May those curses become the Lord’s punishment
for my accusers who speak evil of me.
21 But deal well with me, O Sovereign Lord,
for the sake of your own reputation!
Rescue me
because you are so faithful and good.
22 For I am poor and needy,
and my heart is full of pain.
23 I am fading like a shadow at dusk;
I am brushed off like a locust.
24 My knees are weak from fasting,
and I am skin and bones.
25 I am a joke to people everywhere;
when they see me, they shake their heads in scorn.
26 Help me, O Lord my God!
Save me because of your unfailing love.
27 Let them see that this is your doing,
that you yourself have done it, Lord.
28 Then let them curse me if they like,
but you will bless me!
When they attack me, they will be disgraced!
But I, your servant, will go right on rejoicing!
29 May my accusers be clothed with disgrace;
may their humiliation cover them like a cloak.
30 But I will give repeated thanks to the Lord,
praising him to everyone.
31 For he stands beside the needy,
ready to save them from those who condemn them.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
