For the Chief Musician. A Psalm by David.

• ¹God of my praise, don’t remain silent,
• ²for they have opened the mouth of the wicked and the mouth of deceit against me.
• They have spoken to me with a lying tongue.

• ³They have also surrounded me with words of hatred,
• and fought against me without a cause.

• ⁴In return for my love, they are my adversaries;
• but I am in prayer.

• ⁵They have rewarded me evil for good,
• and hatred for my love.

• ⁶Set a wicked man over him.
• Let an adversary stand at his right hand.

• ⁷When he is judged, let him come forth guilty.
• Let his prayer be turned into sin.

• ⁸Let his days be few.
• Let another take his office.

• ⁹Let his children be fatherless,
• and his wife a widow.

• ¹⁰Let his children be wandering beggars.
• Let them be sought from their ruins.

• ¹¹Let the creditor seize all that he has.
• Let strangers plunder the fruit of his labor.

• ¹²Let there be none to extend kindness to him,
• neither let there be any to have pity on his fatherless children.

• ¹³Let his posterity be cut off.
• In the generation following let their name be blotted out.

• ¹⁴Let the iniquity of his fathers be remembered by Yahweh.
• Don’t let the sin of his mother be blotted out.

• ¹⁵Let them be before Yahweh continually,
• that he may cut off their memory from the earth;

• ¹⁶because he didn’t remember to show kindness,
• but persecuted the poor and needy man,
• the broken in heart, to kill them.

• ¹⁷Yes, he loved cursing, and it came to him.
• He didn’t delight in blessing, and it was far from him.

• ¹⁸He clothed himself also with cursing as with his garment.
• It came into his inward parts like water,
• like oil into his bones.

• ¹⁹Let it be to him as the clothing with which he covers himself,
• for the belt that is always around him.

• ²⁰This is the reward of my adversaries from Yahweh,
• of those who speak evil against my soul.

• ²¹But deal with me, Yahweh the Lord, *The word translated “Lord” is “Adonai.” for your name’s sake,
• because your loving kindness is good, deliver me;
• ²²for I am poor and needy.
• My heart is wounded within me.

• ²³I fade away like an evening shadow.
• I am shaken off like a locust.

• ²⁴My knees are weak through fasting.
• My body is thin and lacks fat.

• ²⁵I have also become a reproach to them.
• When they see me, they shake their head.

• ²⁶Help me, Yahweh, my God.
• Save me according to your loving kindness;

• ²⁷that they may know that this is your hand;
• that you, Yahweh, have done it.

• ²⁸They may curse, but you bless.
• When they arise, they will be shamed,
• but your servant shall rejoice.

• ²⁹Let my adversaries be clothed with dishonor.
• Let them cover themselves with their own shame as with a robe.

• ³⁰I will give great thanks to Yahweh with my mouth.
• Yes, I will praise him among the multitude.

• ³¹For he will stand at the right hand of the needy,
• to save him from those who judge his soul.