Psalms

Hold not thy peace, O God of my praise;

1God, you are the one I praise. Please do not stay silent.

2For the mouth of the wicked and the mouth of the deceitful are opened against me: they have spoken against me with a lying tongue.

2Wicked and lying people have opened their mouths against me. They tell lies about me.

3They compassed me about also with words of hatred; and fought against me without a cause.

3They circle around me with hateful words. They attack me for no reason at all.

4For my love they are my adversaries: but I give myself unto prayer.

4I loved them, and they accuse me in return. But I keep on praying.

5And they have rewarded me evil for good, and hatred for my love.

5They pay me back with evil for the good I did, and with hate for my love.

6Set thou a wicked man over him: and let Satan stand at his right hand.

6Put a wicked man in charge of my enemy. Let an accuser stand at his side in court.

Note"Satan" here translates a Hebrew word that means an accuser, the person who brings the charge against someone in court.

7When he shall be judged, let him be condemned: and let his prayer become sin.

7When he is put on trial, let him be found guilty. Let even his prayer count against him.

8Let his days be few; and let another take his office.

8Let his life be short. Let someone else take over his job.

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

9Let his children lose their father, and his wife lose her husband.

10Let his children be continually vagabonds, and beg: let them seek their bread also out of their desolate places.

10Let his children wander and beg. Let them look for food far from their ruined home.

11Let the extortioner catch all that he hath; and let the strangers spoil his labour.

11Let the man he owes money to take everything he has. Let strangers carry off all he worked for.

12Let there be none to extend mercy unto him: neither let there be any to favour his fatherless children.

12Let no one be kind to him. Let no one be kind to his fatherless children.

13Let his posterity be cut off; and in the generation following let their name be blotted out.

13Let his family line end. Let their name be wiped out in the very next generation.

14Let the iniquity of his fathers be remembered with the LORD; and let not the sin of his mother be blotted out.

14Let the LORD remember the wrong his fathers did. Let his mother's sin never be wiped away.

15Let them be before the LORD continually, that he may cut off the memory of them from the earth.

15Let their sins stay in front of the LORD always, so he wipes their memory off the earth.

16Because that he remembered not to shew mercy, but persecuted the poor and needy man, that he might even slay the broken in heart.

16He never thought about being kind. He hunted down the poor, the needy, and the brokenhearted, even to their death.

17As he loved cursing, so let it come unto him: as he delighted not in blessing, so let it be far from him.

17He loved cursing others, so let cursing come to him. He would not bless, so let blessing stay far away.

18As 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.

18He wore cursing like a coat. So let it soak into his body like water and into his bones like oil.

19Let it be unto him as the garment which covereth him, and for a girdle wherewith he is girded continually.

19Let it wrap around him like the robe he wears, like a belt he always keeps tied on.

20Let this be the reward of mine adversaries from the LORD, and of them that speak evil against my soul.

20Let this be what the LORD gives back to the men who accuse me and say evil things about me.

21But do thou for me, O GOD the Lord, for thy name’s sake: because thy mercy is good, deliver thou me.

21But you, LORD God, take care of me, because of who you are. Save me, because your faithful love is good.

22For I am poor and needy, and my heart is wounded within me.

22I am poor and needy. My heart is wounded inside me.

23I am gone like the shadow when it declineth: I am tossed up and down as the locust.

23I am fading like a shadow at the end of the day. I am shaken off like a bug.

Note"Tossed up and down as the locust" pictures a locust being flicked or shaken off a person's clothing, easily brushed away.

24My knees are weak through fasting; and my flesh faileth of fatness.

24My knees are weak because I have gone without food. My body has grown thin.

25I became also a reproach unto them: when they looked upon me they shaked their heads.

25My accusers make fun of me. When they see me, they shake their heads.

26Help me, O LORD my God: O save me according to thy mercy:

26Help me, LORD my God. Save me because of your faithful love.

27That they may know that this is thy hand; that thou, LORD, hast done it.

27Then they will know that this was your hand. They will know that you, LORD, did it.

28Let them curse, but bless thou: when they arise, let them be ashamed; but let thy servant rejoice.

28Let them curse me, but you bless me. When they attack, put them to shame, and let me be glad.

29Let mine adversaries be clothed with shame, and let them cover themselves with their own confusion, as with a mantle.

29Let the men who accuse me be covered with disgrace. Let them wear their shame like a coat.

30I will greatly praise the LORD with my mouth; yea, I will praise him among the multitude.

30I will thank the LORD out loud, again and again. I will praise him where a crowd can hear.

31For he shall stand at the right hand of the poor, to save him from those that condemn his soul.

31He stands beside the needy person to save him from those who want him condemned.

NoteStanding at someone's "right hand" meant standing where a helper or a legal defender would stand. In verse 6 the accuser stands there instead.