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O God, Do Not Be Silent

For the choir director. Of David. A Psalm.

109 O (A)God of my praise,
(B)Do not be silent!
For they have opened a wicked mouth and a (C)deceitful mouth against me;
They have spoken to me with a (D)lying tongue.
They have also surrounded me with words of hatred,
And fought against me (E)without cause.
In return (F)for my love they accuse me;
But (G)I am in prayer.
Thus they have (H)set upon me evil for good
And (I)hatred for my love.

Appoint a wicked man over him,
And let an [a](J)accuser stand at his right hand.
When he is judged, let him (K)come forth a wicked man,
And let his (L)prayer become sin.
Let (M)his days be few;
Let (N)another take his office.
Let his (O)sons be orphans
And his (P)wife a widow.
10 Let his (Q)sons wander aimlessly and beg;
And let them (R)search for food [b]from their ruined homes.
11 Let (S)the creditor [c]seize all that he has,
And let (T)strangers plunder the fruit of his labor.
12 Let there be none to [d](U)extend lovingkindness to him,
And (V)let there be none to be gracious to his orphans.
13 Let those who (W)follow him be [e]cut off;
In a following generation let their (X)name be blotted out.

14 Let (Y)the iniquity of his fathers be remembered [f]before Yahweh,
And let not the sin of his mother be (Z)blotted out.
15 Let (AA)them be before Yahweh continually,
That He may (AB)cut off their memory from the earth;
16 Because he did not remember to show lovingkindness,
But persecuted the (AC)afflicted, the needy man,
And the (AD)disheartened to (AE)put them to death.
17 He also loved cursing, so (AF)it came to him;
And he did not delight in blessing, so it was far from him.
18 But he (AG)clothed himself with cursing as his garment,
And it (AH)came into his inward parts like water
And like oil into his bones.
19 Let it be to him as (AI)a garment with which he wraps himself,
And for a belt with which he constantly (AJ)girds himself.
20 This is the (AK)reward of my accusers from Yahweh,
And of those who (AL)speak evil against my soul.

21 But as for You, O Yahweh, O Lord, deal with me (AM)for Your name’s sake;
Because (AN)Your lovingkindness is good, deliver me;
22 For (AO)I am afflicted and needy,
And [g]my heart is (AP)pierced within me.
23 I am passing (AQ)like a shadow when it is stretched out;
I am shaken off (AR)like the locust.
24 My (AS)knees are feeble from (AT)fasting,
And my flesh has grown lean, without fatness.
25 As for me, I have become a (AU)reproach to them;
They see me, they (AV)wag their head.

26 (AW)Help me, O Yahweh my God;
Save me according to Your lovingkindness.
27 [h]And let them (AX)know that this is Your hand;
You, O Yahweh, have done it.
28 (AY)Let them curse, but You bless;
They arise and will be put to shame,
But Your (AZ)slave shall be glad.
29 [i]Let (BA)my accusers be clothed with dishonor,
And [j]let them (BB)wrap themselves with their own shame as with a robe.

30 With my mouth I will give thanks abundantly to Yahweh;
And in the midst of many (BC)I will praise Him.
31 For He stands (BD)at the right hand of the needy,
To save him from those who (BE)judge his soul.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 109:6 Or adversary, Satan
  2. Psalm 109:10 Or out of their waste places
  3. Psalm 109:11 Lit ensnare, strike at
  4. Psalm 109:12 Lit continue
  5. Psalm 109:13 Lit for cutting off
  6. Psalm 109:14 Lit to
  7. Psalm 109:22 Lit one has pierced my heart within me
  8. Psalm 109:27 Or That they may know
  9. Psalm 109:29 Or My accusers will be
  10. Psalm 109:29 Or they will cover

Psalm 109

For the choir director: A psalm of David.

O God, whom I praise,
    don’t stand silent and aloof
while the wicked slander me
    and tell lies about me.
They surround me with hateful words
    and fight against me for no reason.
I love them, but they try to destroy me with accusations
    even as I am praying for them!
They repay evil for good,
    and hatred for my love.

They say,[a] “Get an evil person to turn against him.
    Send an accuser to bring him to trial.
When his case comes up for judgment,
    let him be pronounced guilty.
    Count his prayers as sins.
Let his years be few;
    let someone else take his position.
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.

Footnotes

  1. 109:6 Hebrew lacks They say.
  2. 109:10 As in Greek version; Hebrew reads and seek.