Psalms 109

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 people and liars are speaking against me. The things they say about me are not true.

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

3They surround 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, but they accuse me. Even so, I keep on praying.

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

5They pay me back with evil when I did good. They give me hate when I gave love.

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

6Put a wicked man over him. Let someone stand at his right side to accuse him.

NoteThe KJV says "Satan" here. The Hebrew word means an accuser, the person who stands up in court to say you are guilty.

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

7When he goes to court, 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 his job.

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

9Let his children lose their father. Let 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 for food. Their home is broken down, so they must look far away.

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

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

NoteThe KJV word "extortioner" means someone he owes money to, who can come and take his things.

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 care for his children who lost their father.

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

13Let his family line come to an end. Let their name be wiped out in the years after him.

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 things 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 always stay in front of the LORD. Let him wipe them out of people's memory.

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 chased the poor, the needy, and the sad, even to 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 to curse others, so let cursing come to him. He would not bless others, 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 every day. 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 a robe. Let it stay on him like a belt tied tight.

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

20LORD, let this be what my accusers get. Let it come to all who 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, be good to me. You keep your promises, so save me because your love is kind.

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

22I am poor, and I need help. My heart is hurt inside me.

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

23I am fading away like a shadow in the evening. I am brushed off like a locust, a big grasshopper.

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

24My knees are weak because I have not eaten. My body has grown thin.

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

25People make fun of me now. 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 your love never gives up.

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

27Let them know that you are the one who did this. Let them see it was your hand, LORD.

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

28They may curse me, but you will bless me. When they attack, they will be ashamed. I serve you, and I will be glad.

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

29Let the ones who accuse me be covered with shame. 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. I will praise him in front of many people.

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

31He stands beside the person who is poor. He saves him from those who say he is guilty.

NoteStanding at someone's right side was the place of a helper in court. It is the same spot the accuser stood in verse 6.