Psalms 109:1-31

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Psalms 109:1-31 The Message (MSG)

My God, don’t turn a deaf ear to my hallelujah prayer. Liars are pouring out invective on me; Their lying tongues are like a pack of dogs out to get me, barking their hate, nipping my heels—and for no reason! I loved them and now they slander me—yes, me!— and treat my prayer like a crime; They return my good with evil, they return my love with hate. Send the Evil One to accuse my accusing judge; dispatch Satan to prosecute him. When he’s judged, let the verdict be “Guilty,” and when he prays, let his prayer turn to sin. Give him a short life, and give his job to somebody else. Make orphans of his children, dress his wife in widow’s black; Turn his children into begging street urchins, evicted from their homes—homeless. May the bank foreclose and wipe him out, and strangers, like vultures, pick him clean. May there be no one around to help him out, no one willing to give his orphans a break. Chop down his family tree so that nobody even remembers his name. But erect a memorial to the sin of his father, and make sure his mother’s name is there, too— Their sins recorded forever before GOD, but they themselves sunk in oblivion. That’s all he deserves since he was never once kind, hounded the afflicted and heartbroken to their graves. Since he loved cursing so much, let curses rain down; Since he had no taste for blessing, let blessings flee far from him. He dressed up in curses like a fine suit of clothes; he drank curses, took his baths in curses. So give him a gift—a costume of curses; he can wear curses every day of the week! That’s what they’ll get, those out to get me— an avalanche of just deserts from GOD. Oh, GOD, my Lord, step in; work a miracle for me—you can do it! Get me out of here—your love is so great!— I’m at the end of my rope, my life in ruins. I’m fading away to nothing, passing away, my youth gone, old before my time. I’m weak from hunger and can hardly stand up, my body a rack of skin and bones. I’m a joke in poor taste to those who see me; they take one look and shake their heads. Help me, oh help me, GOD, my God, save me through your wonderful love; Then they’ll know that your hand is in this, that you, GOD, have been at work. Let them curse all they want; you do the blessing. Let them be jeered by the crowd when they stand up, followed by cheers for me, your servant. Dress my accusers in clothes dirty with shame, discarded and humiliating old ragbag clothes. My mouth’s full of great praise for GOD, I’m singing his hallelujahs surrounded by crowds, For he’s always at hand to take the side of the needy, to rescue a life from the unjust judge.

Psalms 109:1-31 King James Version (KJV)

Hold not thy peace, O God of my praise; 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. They compassed me about also with words of hatred; And fought against me without a cause. For my love they are my adversaries: But I give myself unto prayer. And they have rewarded me evil for good, And hatred for my love. Set thou a wicked man over him: And let Satan stand at his right hand. When he shall be judged, let him be condemned: And let his prayer become sin. Let his days be few; And let another take his office. Let his children be fatherless, And his wife a widow. Let his children be continually vagabonds, and beg: Let them seek their bread also out of their desolate places. Let the extortioner catch all that he hath; And let the strangers spoil his labour. Let there be none to extend mercy unto him: Neither let there be any to favour his fatherless children. Let his posterity be cut off; And in the generation following let their name be blotted out. Let the iniquity of his fathers be remembered with the LORD; And let not the sin of his mother be blotted out. Let them be before the LORD continually, That he may cut off the memory of them from the earth. Because that he remembered not to shew mercy, But persecuted the poor and needy man, That he might even slay the broken in heart. As he loved cursing, so let it come unto him: As he delighted not in blessing, so let it be far from him. 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. Let it be unto him as the garment which covereth him, And for a girdle wherewith he is girded continually. Let this be the reward of mine adversaries from the LORD, And of them that speak evil against my soul. But do thou for me, O GOD the Lord, for thy name's sake: Because thy mercy is good, deliver thou me. For I am poor and needy, And my heart is wounded within me. I am gone like the shadow when it declineth: I am tossed up and down as the locust. My knees are weak through fasting; And my flesh faileth of fatness. I became also a reproach unto them: When they looked upon me they shaked their heads. Help me, O LORD my God: O save me according to thy mercy: That they may know that this is thy hand; That thou, LORD, hast done it. Let them curse, but bless thou: When they arise, let them be ashamed; but let thy servant rejoice. Let mine adversaries be clothed with shame, And let them cover themselves with their own confusion, as with a mantle. I will greatly praise the LORD with my mouth; Yea, I will praise him among the multitude. For he shall stand at the right hand of the poor, To save him from those that condemn his soul.

Psalms 109:1-31 New American Standard Bible - NASB 1995 (NASB1995)

O God of my praise, Do not be silent! For they have opened the wicked and deceitful mouth against me; They have spoken against me with a lying tongue. They have also surrounded me with words of hatred, And fought against me without cause. In return for my love they act as my accusers; But I am in prayer. Thus they have repaid me evil for good And hatred for my love. Appoint a wicked man over him, And let an accuser stand at his right hand. When he is judged, let him come forth guilty, And let his prayer become sin. Let his days be few; Let another take his office. Let his children be fatherless And his wife a widow. Let his children wander about and beg; And let them seek sustenance far from their ruined homes. Let the creditor seize all that he has, And let strangers plunder the product of his labor. Let there be none to extend lovingkindness to him, Nor any to be gracious to his fatherless children. Let his posterity be cut off; In a following generation let their name be blotted out. Let the iniquity of his fathers be remembered before the LORD, And do not let the sin of his mother be blotted out. Let them be before the LORD continually, That He may cut off their memory from the earth; Because he did not remember to show lovingkindness, But persecuted the afflicted and needy man, And the despondent in heart, to put them to death. He also loved cursing, so it came to him; And he did not delight in blessing, so it was far from him. But he clothed himself with cursing as with his garment, And it entered into his body like water And like oil into his bones. Let it be to him as a garment with which he covers himself, And for a belt with which he constantly girds himself. Let this be the reward of my accusers from the LORD, And of those who speak evil against my soul. But You, O GOD, the Lord, deal kindly with me for Your name’s sake; Because Your lovingkindness is good, deliver me; For I am afflicted and needy, And my heart is wounded within me. I am passing like a shadow when it lengthens; I am shaken off like the locust. My knees are weak from fasting, And my flesh has grown lean, without fatness. I also have become a reproach to them; When they see me, they wag their head. Help me, O LORD my God; Save me according to Your lovingkindness. And let them know that this is Your hand; You, LORD, have done it. Let them curse, but You bless; When they arise, they shall be ashamed, But Your servant shall be glad. Let my accusers be clothed with dishonor, And let them cover themselves with their own shame as with a robe. With my mouth I will give thanks abundantly to the LORD; And in the midst of many I will praise Him. For He stands at the right hand of the needy, To save him from those who judge his soul.

Psalms 109:1-31 New Century Version (NCV)

God, I praise you. Do not be silent. Wicked people and liars have spoken against me; they have told lies about me. They have said hateful things about me and attack me for no reason. They attacked me, even though I loved them and prayed for them. I was good to them, but they repay me with evil. I loved them, but they hate me in return. They say about me, “Have an evil person work against him, and let an accuser stand against him. When he is judged, let him be found guilty, and let even his prayers show his guilt. Let his life be cut short, and let another man replace him as leader. Let his children become orphans and his wife a widow. Make his children wander around, begging for food. Let them be forced out of the ruins in which they live. Let the people to whom he owes money take everything he owns, and let strangers steal everything he has worked for. Let no one show him love or have mercy on his orphaned children. Let all his descendants die and be forgotten by those who live after him. LORD, remember how wicked his ancestors were, and don’t let the sins of his mother be wiped out. LORD, always remember their sins. Then make people forget about them completely. “He did not remember to be loving. He hurt the poor, the needy, and those who were sad until they were nearly dead. He loved to put curses on others, so let those same curses fall on him. He did not like to bless others, so do not let good things happen to him. He cursed others as often as he wore clothes. Cursing others filled his body and his life, like drinking water and using olive oil. So let curses cover him like clothes and wrap around him like a belt.” May the LORD do these things to those who accuse me, to those who speak evil against me. But you, Lord GOD, be kind to me so others will know you are good. Because your love is good, save me. I am poor and helpless and very sad. I am dying like an evening shadow; I am shaken off like a locust. My knees are weak from fasting, and I have grown thin. My enemies insult me; they look at me and shake their heads. LORD my God, help me; because you are loving, save me. Then they will know that your power has done this; they will know that you have done it, LORD. They may curse me, but you bless me. They may attack me, but they will be disgraced. Then I, your servant, will be glad. Let those who accuse me be disgraced and covered with shame like a coat. I will thank the LORD very much; I will praise him in front of many people. He defends the helpless and saves them from those who accuse them.

Psalms 109:1-31 American Standard Version (ASV)

Hold not thy peace, O God of my praise; For the mouth of the wicked and the mouth of deceit have they opened against me: They have spoken unto me with a lying tongue. They have compassed me about also with words of hatred, And fought against me without a cause. For my love they are my adversaries: But I give myself unto prayer. And they have rewarded me evil for good, And hatred for my love. Set thou a wicked man over him; And let an adversary stand at his right hand. When he is judged, let him come forth guilty; And let his prayer be turned into sin. Let his days be few; And let another take his office. Let his children be fatherless, And his wife a widow. Let his children be vagabonds, and beg; And let them seek their bread out of their desolate places. Let the extortioner catch all that he hath; And let strangers make spoil of his labor. Let there be none to extend kindness unto him; Neither let there be any to have pity on his fatherless children. Let his posterity be cut off; In the generation following let their name be blotted out. Let the iniquity of his fathers be remembered with Jehovah; And let not the sin of his mother be blotted out. Let them be before Jehovah continually, That he may cut off the memory of them from the earth; Because he remembered not to show kindness, But persecuted the poor and needy man, And the broken in heart, to slay them. Yea, he loved cursing, and it came unto him; And he delighted not in blessing, and it was far from him. He clothed himself also with cursing as with his garment, And it came into his inward parts like water, And like oil into his bones. Let it be unto him as the raiment wherewith he covereth himself, And for the girdle wherewith he is girded continually. This is the reward of mine adversaries from Jehovah, And of them that speak evil against my soul. But deal thou with me, O Jehovah the Lord, for thy name’s sake: Because thy lovingkindness is good, deliver thou me; For I am poor and needy, And my heart is wounded within me. I am gone like the shadow when it declineth: I am tossed up and down as the locust. My knees are weak through fasting; And my flesh faileth of fatness. I am become also a reproach unto them: When they see me, they shake their head. Help me, O Jehovah my God; Oh save me according to thy lovingkindness: That they may know that this is thy hand; That thou, Jehovah, hast done it. Let them curse, but bless thou: When they arise, they shall be put to shame, But thy servant shall rejoice. Let mine adversaries be clothed with dishonor, And let them cover themselves with their own shame as with a robe. I will give great thanks unto Jehovah with my mouth; Yea, I will praise him among the multitude. For he will stand at the right hand of the needy, To save him from them that judge his soul.

Psalms 109:1-31 New International Version (NIV)

My God, whom I praise, do not remain silent, for people who are wicked and deceitful have opened their mouths against me; they have spoken against me with lying tongues. With words of hatred they surround me; they attack me without cause. In return for my friendship they accuse me, but I am a man of prayer. They repay me evil for good, and hatred for my friendship. Appoint someone evil to oppose my enemy; let an accuser stand at his right hand. When he is tried, let him be found guilty, and may his prayers condemn him. May his days be few; may another take his place of leadership. May his children be fatherless and his wife a widow. May his children be wandering beggars; may they be driven from their ruined homes. May a creditor seize all he has; may strangers plunder the fruits of his labor. May no one extend kindness to him or take pity on his fatherless children. May his descendants be cut off, their names blotted out from the next generation. May the iniquity of his fathers be remembered before the LORD; may the sin of his mother never be blotted out. May their sins always remain before the LORD, that he may blot out their name from the earth. For he never thought of doing a kindness, but hounded to death the poor and the needy and the brokenhearted. He loved to pronounce a curse— may it come back on him. He found no pleasure in blessing— may it be far from him. He wore cursing as his garment; it entered into his body like water, into his bones like oil. May it be like a cloak wrapped about him, like a belt tied forever around him. May this be the LORD’s payment to my accusers, to those who speak evil of me. But you, Sovereign LORD, help me for your name’s sake; out of the goodness of your love, deliver me. For I am poor and needy, and my heart is wounded within me. I fade away like an evening shadow; I am shaken off like a locust. My knees give way from fasting; my body is thin and gaunt. I am an object of scorn to my accusers; when they see me, they shake their heads. Help me, LORD my God; save me according to your unfailing love. Let them know that it is your hand, that you, LORD, have done it. While they curse, may you bless; may those who attack me be put to shame, but may your servant rejoice. May my accusers be clothed with disgrace and wrapped in shame as in a cloak. With my mouth I will greatly extol the LORD; in the great throng of worshipers I will praise him. For he stands at the right hand of the needy, to save their lives from those who would condemn them.

Psalms 109:1-31 New King James Version (NKJV)

Do not keep silent, O God of my praise! For the mouth of the wicked and the mouth of the deceitful Have opened against me; They have spoken against me with a lying tongue. They have also surrounded me with words of hatred, And fought against me without a cause. In return for my love they are my accusers, But I give myself to prayer. Thus they have rewarded me evil for good, And hatred for my love. Set a wicked man over him, And let an accuser stand at his right hand. When he is judged, let him be found guilty, And let his prayer become sin. Let his days be few, And let another take his office. Let his children be fatherless, And his wife a widow. Let his children continually be vagabonds, and beg; Let them seek their bread also from their desolate places. Let the creditor seize all that he has, And let strangers plunder his labor. Let there be none to extend mercy to him, Nor let there be any to favor his fatherless children. Let his posterity be cut off, And in the generation following let their name be blotted out. Let the iniquity of his fathers be remembered before the LORD, And let not the sin of his mother be blotted out. Let them be continually before the LORD, That He may cut off the memory of them from the earth; Because he did not remember to show mercy, But persecuted the poor and needy man, That he might even slay the broken in heart. As he loved cursing, so let it come to him; As he did not delight in blessing, so let it be far from him. As he clothed himself with cursing as with his garment, So let it enter his body like water, And like oil into his bones. Let it be to him like the garment which covers him, And for a belt with which he girds himself continually. Let this be the LORD’s reward to my accusers, And to those who speak evil against my person. But You, O GOD the Lord, Deal with me for Your name’s sake; Because Your mercy is good, deliver me. For I am poor and needy, And my heart is wounded within me. I am gone like a shadow when it lengthens; I am shaken off like a locust. My knees are weak through fasting, And my flesh is feeble from lack of fatness. I also have become a reproach to them; When they look at me, they shake their heads. Help me, O LORD my God! Oh, save me according to Your mercy, That they may know that this is Your hand— That You, LORD, have done it! Let them curse, but You bless; When they arise, let them be ashamed, But let Your servant rejoice. Let my accusers be clothed with shame, And let them cover themselves with their own disgrace as with a mantle. I will greatly praise the LORD with my mouth; Yes, I will praise Him among the multitude. For He shall stand at the right hand of the poor, To save him from those who condemn him.

Psalms 109:1-31 Amplified Bible (AMP)

O God of my praise! Do not keep silent, 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. They have also surrounded me with words of hatred, And have fought against me without a cause. In return for my love, they attack me, But I am in prayer. They have repaid me evil for good, And hatred for my love. ¶Appoint a wicked man against him, And let an attacker stand at his right hand [to kill him]. When he enters into dispute, let wickedness come about. Let his prayer [for help] result [only] in sin. Let his days be few; And let another take his office. [Acts 1:20] Let his children be fatherless And his wife a widow. Let his children wander and beg; Let them seek their food and be driven far from their ruined homes. [Gen 4:12] Let the creditor seize all that he has, And let strangers plunder the product of his labor. Let there be no one to extend kindness to him, Nor let anyone be gracious to his fatherless children. Let his descendants be cut off, And in the following generation let their name be blotted out. ¶Let the wickedness of his fathers be remembered by the LORD; And do not let the sin of his mother be blotted out. Let them be before the LORD continually, That He may cut off their memory from the earth; Because the man did not remember to show kindness, But persecuted the suffering and needy man, And the brokenhearted, to put them to death. He also loved cursing, and it came [back] to him; He did not delight in blessing, so it was far from him. He clothed himself with cursing as with his garment, And it seeped into his inner self like water And like [anointing] oil into his bones. Let it be to him as a robe with which he covers himself, And as a sash with which he is constantly bound. Let this be the reward of my attackers from the LORD, And of those who speak evil against my life. ¶But You, O GOD, the Lord, show kindness to me, for Your name’s sake; Because Your lovingkindness (faithfulness, compassion) is good, O rescue me; For I am suffering and needy, And my heart is wounded within me. I am vanishing like a shadow when it lengthens and fades; I am shaken off like the locust. My knees are unsteady from fasting; And my flesh is gaunt and without fatness. I also have become a reproach and an object of taunting to others; When they see me, they shake their heads [in derision]. [Matt 26:39] ¶Help me, O LORD my God; Save me according to Your lovingkindness— And let them know that this is Your hand; You, LORD, have done it. Let them curse, but You bless. When adversaries arise, let them be ashamed, But let Your servant rejoice. Let my attackers be clothed with dishonor, And let them cover themselves with their own shame as with a robe. ¶I will give great praise and thanks to the LORD with my mouth; And in the midst of many I will praise Him. For He will stand at the right hand of the needy, To save him from those who judge his soul.

Psalms 109:1-31 New Living Translation (NLT)

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, “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. May his children wander as beggars and be driven from their ruined homes. May creditors seize his entire estate, and strangers take all he has earned. Let no one be kind to him; let no one pity his fatherless children. May all his offspring die. May his family name be blotted out in the next generation. May the LORD never forget the sins of his fathers; may his mother’s sins never be erased from the record. May the LORD always remember these sins, and may his name disappear from human memory. For he refused all kindness to others; he persecuted the poor and needy, and he hounded the brokenhearted to death. He loved to curse others; now you curse him. He never blessed others; now don’t you bless him. Cursing is as natural to him as his clothing, or the water he drinks, or the rich food he eats. Now may his curses return and cling to him like clothing; may they be tied around him like a belt.” May those curses become the LORD’s punishment for my accusers who speak evil of me. But deal well with me, O Sovereign LORD, for the sake of your own reputation! Rescue me because you are so faithful and good. For I am poor and needy, and my heart is full of pain. I am fading like a shadow at dusk; I am brushed off like a locust. My knees are weak from fasting, and I am skin and bones. I am a joke to people everywhere; when they see me, they shake their heads in scorn. Help me, O LORD my God! Save me because of your unfailing love. Let them see that this is your doing, that you yourself have done it, LORD. 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! May my accusers be clothed with disgrace; may their humiliation cover them like a cloak. But I will give repeated thanks to the LORD, praising him to everyone. For he stands beside the needy, ready to save them from those who condemn them.

Psalms 109:1-31 The Passion Translation (TPT)

God of all my praise, don’t stand silently by, aloof to my pain, while the wicked slander me with their lies. Even right in front of my face they lie through their teeth. I’ve done nothing to them, but they still surround me with their venomous words of hatred and vitriol. Though I love them, they stand accusing me like Satan for what I’ve never done. I will pray until I become prayer itself. They continually repay me with evil when I show them good. They give me hatred when I show them love. Show him how it feels! Let accusing liars be raised up against him, like Satan himself standing right next to him. And let him be declared guilty by a wicked judge. May even his prayers be seen as sinful! Shorten his life and let another replace him! Make his wife a widow and his children orphans! Let them wander as beggars in the street, like homeless vagabonds, evicted from their ruins! Let the creditors seize his entire estate, and strangers, like vultures, take all that’s left! Let no one be kind to him by showing pity to his fatherless children! May all his posterity die with him! Cut down his family tree! And may all the sins of his ancestors be recorded, remembered before you, forever! Cut off even the memory of his family from the face of the earth, because he never once showed love or kindness to others, but persecuted the poor, the brokenhearted, and afflicted ones, even putting them to death! Since he enjoyed cursing them, may all his curses now come raining back on him until it all overwhelms him with misfortune! Since he refused to bless others, God, withhold every single blessing from him! Bitterness, such vile vindictiveness, was upon everything he did. Cursing was his lifestyle. So smother him now with his own curses as his just reward. This will be the Lord’s punishment upon him and all my lying accusers who speak evil against me. But now, O  YAHWEH-God, make yourself real to me like you promised me you would. Because of your constant love and your heart-melting kindness, come be my hero and deliver me! I’m so broken, needy and hurting. My heart is pierced through and I’m so wounded. I’m slipping down a dark slope, shaken to the core, and helpless. All my fasting has left me so weak I can hardly stand. Now I’m shriveled up, nothing but skin and bones. I’m the example of failure and shame to all who see me. They just walk by me, shaking their heads. You have to help me, O Lord God! My true hero, come to my rescue and save me, for you are loving and kind. Then everyone will know that you have won my victory, and they will all say to the Lord, “You have finished it!” So let them curse me if they want, but I know you will bless me! All their efforts to destroy me will fail, but I will succeed and be glad. So let my Satan-like accusers fail! Make them look ridiculous if they try to come against me. Clothe them with a robe of guilty shame from this day on! But I will give my thanks to you over and over, and everyone will hear my lavish praises. For you stand right next to the broken ones as their saving hero to rescue them from all their accusers!

Psalms 109:1-31 English Standard Version 2016 (ESV)

Be not silent, O God of my praise! For wicked and deceitful mouths are opened against me, speaking against me with lying tongues. They encircle me with words of hate, and attack me without cause. In return for my love they accuse me, but I give myself to prayer. So they reward me evil for good, and hatred for my love. Appoint a wicked man against him; let an accuser stand at his right hand. When he is tried, let him come forth guilty; let his prayer be counted as sin! May his days be few; may another take his office! May his children be fatherless and his wife a widow! May his children wander about and beg, seeking food far from the ruins they inhabit! May the creditor seize all that he has; may strangers plunder the fruits of his toil! Let there be none to extend kindness to him, nor any to pity his fatherless children! May his posterity be cut off; may his name be blotted out in the second generation! May the iniquity of his fathers be remembered before the LORD, and let not the sin of his mother be blotted out! Let them be before the LORD continually, that he may cut off the memory of them from the earth! For he did not remember to show kindness, but pursued the poor and needy and the brokenhearted, to put them to death. He loved to curse; let curses come upon him! He did not delight in blessing; may it be far from him! He clothed himself with cursing as his coat; may it soak into his body like water, like oil into his bones! May it be like a garment that he wraps around him, like a belt that he puts on every day! May this be the reward of my accusers from the LORD, of those who speak evil against my life! But you, O GOD my Lord, deal on my behalf for your name’s sake; because your steadfast love is good, deliver me! For I am poor and needy, and my heart is stricken within me. I am gone like a shadow at evening; I am shaken off like a locust. My knees are weak through fasting; my body has become gaunt, with no fat. I am an object of scorn to my accusers; when they see me, they wag their heads. Help me, O LORD my God! Save me according to your steadfast love! Let them know that this is your hand; you, O LORD, have done it! Let them curse, but you will bless! They arise and are put to shame, but your servant will be glad! May my accusers be clothed with dishonor; may they be wrapped in their own shame as in a cloak! With my mouth I will give great thanks to the LORD; I will praise him in the midst of the throng. For he stands at the right hand of the needy one, to save him from those who condemn his soul to death.