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For the director of music. A psalm of David.

109 God, I praise you.
    Don’t remain silent.
Sinful people who lie and cheat have spoken against me.
    They have used their tongues to tell lies about me.
They gather all around me with their words of hatred.
    They attack me without any reason.
They bring charges against me,
    even though I love them
    and pray for them.
They pay me back with evil for the good things I do.
    They pay back my love with hatred.

Appoint an evil person to take my enemies to court.
    Let him stand at their right hand and bring charges against them.
When they are tried, let them be found guilty.
    May even their prayers judge them.
May their days be few.
    Let others take their places as leaders.
May their children’s fathers die.
    May their wives become widows.
10 May their children be driven from their destroyed homes.
    May they wander around like beggars.
11 May everything those people own be taken away to pay for what they owe.
    May strangers rob them of everything they’ve worked for.
12 May no one be kind to them
    or take pity on the children they leave behind.
13 May their family line come to an end.
    May their names be forgotten by those who live after them.
14 May the Lord remember the evil things their fathers have done.
    May he never erase the sins of their mothers.
15 May the Lord never forget their sins.
    Then he won’t let people remember the names of my enemies anymore.

16 They never thought about doing anything kind.
    Instead, they drove those who were poor and needy to their deaths.
    They did the same thing to those whose hearts were broken.
17 They loved to curse others.
    May their curses come back on them.
They didn’t find any pleasure in giving anyone their blessing.
    May no blessing ever come to them.
18 They cursed others as easily as they put on clothes.
    Cursing was as natural to them as getting a drink of water
    or putting olive oil on their bodies.
19 May their curses cover them like coats.
    May their curses be wrapped around them like a belt forever.
20 May that be the Lord’s way of paying back
    those who bring charges against me.
May it happen to those who say
    evil things about me.

21 But Lord and King,
    help me so that you bring honor to yourself.
    Because your love is so good, save me.
22 I am poor and needy.
    My heart is wounded deep down inside me.
23 I fade away like an evening shadow.
    I’m like a locust that someone brushes off.
24 My knees are weak because I’ve gone without food.
    My body is very thin.
25 Those who bring charges against me laugh at me.
    When they see me, they shake their heads at me.

26 Lord my God, help me.
    Save me because of your faithful love.
27 Lord, let my enemies know that you yourself have saved me.
    You have done it with your own hand.
28 They may curse me.
    But may you bless me.
May those who attack me be put to shame.
    But may I be filled with joy.
29 May those who bring charges against me be clothed with dishonor.
    May they be wrapped in shame as if it were a coat.

30 With my mouth I will continually praise the Lord.
    I will praise him when all his people gather for worship.
31 He stands ready to help those who need it.
    He saves them from those who are ready to sentence them to death.

A psalm of David.

110 The Lord says to my lord,
    “Sit at my right hand
until I put your enemies
    under your control.”

The Lord will make your royal authority spread out from Zion to other lands.
    He says, “Rule over your enemies who are all around you.”
Your troops will be willing to fight for you
    on the day of battle.
Your young men will be wrapped in holy majesty.
    They will come to you like the fresh dew that falls early in the morning.

The Lord has made a promise.
    He will not change his mind.
He has said, “You are a priest forever,
    just like Melchizedek.”

The Lord is at your right hand.
    He will crush kings on the day when he is angry.
He will judge the nations. He will pile up dead bodies on the field of battle.
    He will crush the rulers of the whole earth.
He will drink from a brook along the way and receive new strength.
    And so he will win the battle.

111 Praise the Lord.

I will praise the Lord with all my heart.
    I will praise him where honest people gather for worship.

The Lord has done great things.
    All who take delight in those things think deeply about them.
What he does shows his glory and majesty.
    He will always do what is right.
The Lord causes his wonders to be remembered.
    He is kind and tender.
He provides food for those who have respect for him.
    He remembers his covenant forever.
He has shown his people what his power can do.
    He has given them the lands of other nations.
He is faithful and right in everything he does.
    All his rules can be trusted.
They will stand firm for ever and ever.
    They were given by the Lord.
    He is faithful and honest.
He set his people free.
    He made a covenant with them that will last forever.
    His name is holy and wonderful.

10 If you really want to become wise,
    you must begin by having respect for the Lord.
All those who follow his rules have good understanding.
    People should praise him forever.

Psalm 109

For the director of music. Of David. A psalm.

My God, whom I praise,(A)
    do not remain silent,(B)
for people who are wicked and deceitful(C)
    have opened their mouths against me;
    they have spoken against me with lying tongues.(D)
With words of hatred(E) they surround me;
    they attack me without cause.(F)
In return for my friendship they accuse me,
    but I am a man of prayer.(G)
They repay me evil for good,(H)
    and hatred for my friendship.

Appoint someone evil to oppose my enemy;
    let an accuser(I) stand at his right hand.
When he is tried, let him be found guilty,(J)
    and may his prayers condemn(K) him.
May his days be few;(L)
    may another take his place(M) of leadership.
May his children be fatherless
    and his wife a widow.(N)
10 May his children be wandering beggars;(O)
    may they be driven[a] from their ruined homes.
11 May a creditor(P) seize all he has;
    may strangers plunder(Q) the fruits of his labor.(R)
12 May no one extend kindness to him
    or take pity(S) on his fatherless children.
13 May his descendants be cut off,(T)
    their names blotted out(U) from the next generation.
14 May the iniquity of his fathers(V) be remembered before the Lord;
    may the sin of his mother never be blotted out.
15 May their sins always remain before(W) the Lord,
    that he may blot out their name(X) from the earth.

16 For he never thought of doing a kindness,
    but hounded to death the poor
    and the needy(Y) and the brokenhearted.(Z)
17 He loved to pronounce a curse—
    may it come back on him.(AA)
He found no pleasure in blessing—
    may it be far from him.
18 He wore cursing(AB) as his garment;
    it entered into his body like water,(AC)
    into his bones like oil.
19 May it be like a cloak wrapped(AD) about him,
    like a belt tied forever around him.
20 May this be the Lord’s payment(AE) to my accusers,
    to those who speak evil(AF) of me.

21 But you, Sovereign Lord,
    help me for your name’s sake;(AG)
    out of the goodness of your love,(AH) deliver me.(AI)
22 For I am poor and needy,
    and my heart is wounded within me.
23 I fade away like an evening shadow;(AJ)
    I am shaken off like a locust.
24 My knees give(AK) way from fasting;(AL)
    my body is thin and gaunt.(AM)
25 I am an object of scorn(AN) to my accusers;
    when they see me, they shake their heads.(AO)

26 Help me,(AP) Lord my God;
    save me according to your unfailing love.
27 Let them know(AQ) that it is your hand,
    that you, Lord, have done it.
28 While they curse,(AR) may you bless;
    may those who attack me be put to shame,
    but may your servant rejoice.(AS)
29 May my accusers be clothed with disgrace
    and wrapped in shame(AT) as in a cloak.

30 With my mouth I will greatly extol the Lord;
    in the great throng(AU) of worshipers I will praise him.
31 For he stands at the right hand(AV) of the needy,
    to save their lives from those who would condemn them.

Psalm 110

Of David. A psalm.

The Lord says(AW) to my lord:[b]

“Sit at my right hand(AX)
    until I make your enemies
    a footstool for your feet.”(AY)

The Lord will extend your mighty scepter(AZ) from Zion,(BA) saying,
    “Rule(BB) in the midst of your enemies!”
Your troops will be willing
    on your day of battle.
Arrayed in holy splendor,(BC)
    your young men will come to you
    like dew from the morning’s womb.[c](BD)

The Lord has sworn
    and will not change his mind:(BE)
“You are a priest forever,(BF)
    in the order of Melchizedek.(BG)

The Lord is at your right hand[d];(BH)
    he will crush kings(BI) on the day of his wrath.(BJ)
He will judge the nations,(BK) heaping up the dead(BL)
    and crushing the rulers(BM) of the whole earth.
He will drink from a brook along the way,[e]
    and so he will lift his head high.(BN)

Psalm 111[f]

Praise the Lord.[g]

I will extol the Lord(BO) with all my heart(BP)
    in the council(BQ) of the upright and in the assembly.(BR)

Great are the works(BS) of the Lord;
    they are pondered by all(BT) who delight in them.
Glorious and majestic are his deeds,
    and his righteousness endures(BU) forever.
He has caused his wonders to be remembered;
    the Lord is gracious and compassionate.(BV)
He provides food(BW) for those who fear him;(BX)
    he remembers his covenant(BY) forever.

He has shown his people the power of his works,(BZ)
    giving them the lands of other nations.(CA)
The works of his hands(CB) are faithful and just;
    all his precepts are trustworthy.(CC)
They are established for ever(CD) and ever,
    enacted in faithfulness and uprightness.
He provided redemption(CE) for his people;
    he ordained his covenant forever—
    holy and awesome(CF) is his name.

10 The fear of the Lord(CG) is the beginning of wisdom;(CH)
    all who follow his precepts have good understanding.(CI)
    To him belongs eternal praise.(CJ)

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 109:10 Septuagint; Hebrew sought
  2. Psalm 110:1 Or Lord
  3. Psalm 110:3 The meaning of the Hebrew for this sentence is uncertain.
  4. Psalm 110:5 Or My lord is at your right hand, Lord
  5. Psalm 110:7 The meaning of the Hebrew for this clause is uncertain.
  6. Psalm 111:1 This psalm is an acrostic poem, the lines of which begin with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet.
  7. Psalm 111:1 Hebrew Hallelu Yah