Psalm 109

¹ HOLD not thy tongue, O God of my praise * for the mouth of the ungodly, yea, the mouth of the deceitful is opened upon me.

² And they have spoken against me with false tongues * they compassed me about also with words of hatred, and fought against me without a cause.

³ For the love that I had unto them, lo, they take now my contrary part * but I give myself unto prayer.

⁴ Thus have they rewarded me evil for good * and hatred for my good will.

⁵ Set thou an ungodly man to be ruler over him * and let Satan stand at his right hand.

⁶ When sentence is given upon him, let him be condemned * and let his prayer be turned into sin.

⁷ Let his days be few * and let another take his office.

⁸ Let his children be fatherless * and his wife a widow.

⁹ Let his children be vagabonds, and beg their bread * let them seek it also out of desolate places.

¹⁰ Let the extortioner consume all that he hath * and let the stranger spoil his labour.

¹¹ Let there be no man to pity him * nor to have compassion upon his fatherless children.

¹² Let his posterity be destroyed * and in the next generation let his name be clean put out.

¹³ Let the wickedness of his fathers be had in remembrance in the sight of the Lord * and let not the sin of his mother be done away.

¹⁴ Let them alway be before the Lord * that he may root out the memorial of them from off the earth.

¹⁵ And that, because his mind was not to do good * but persecuted the poor helpless man, that he might slay him that was vexed at the heart.

¹⁶ His delight was in cursing, and it shall happen unto him * he loved not blessing, therefore shall it be far from him.

¹⁷ He clothed himself with cursing, like as with a raiment * and it shall come into his bowels like water, and like oil into his bones.

¹⁸ Let it be unto him as the cloke that he hath upon him * and as the girdle that he is alway girded withal.

¹⁹ Let it thus happen from the Lord unto mine enemies * and to those that speak evil against my soul.

²⁰ But deal thou with me, O Lord God, according unto thy Name * for sweet is thy mercy.

²¹ O deliver me, for I am helpless and poor * and my heart is wounded within me.

²² I go hence like the shadow that departeth * and am driven away as the grasshopper.

²³ My knees are weak through fasting * my flesh is dried up for want of fatness.

²⁴ I became also a reproach unto them * they that looked upon me shaked their heads.

²⁵ Help me, O Lord my God * O save me according to thy mercy.

²⁶ And they shall know, how that this is thy hand * and that thou, Lord, hast done it.

²⁷ Though they curse, yet bless thou * and let them be confounded that rise up against me; but let thy servant rejoice.

²⁸ Let mine adversaries be clothed with shame * and let them cover themselves with their own confusion, as with a cloke.

²⁹ As for me, I will give great thanks unto the Lord with my mouth * and praise him among the multitude.

³⁰ For he shall stand at the right hand of the poor * to save his soul from the unrighteous judges.