Psalm 109

New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition

⁶ They say,^[b] “Appoint a wicked man against him;
    let an accuser stand on his right.^(E)
7 When he is tried, let him be found guilty;
    let his prayer be counted as sin.^(F)
8 May his days be few;
    may another seize his position.^(G)
9 May his children be orphans
    and his wife a widow.^(H)
10 May his children wander about and beg;
    may they be driven out of^[c] the ruins they inhabit.
¹¹ May the creditor seize all that he has;
    may strangers plunder the fruits of his toil.^(I)
12 May there be no one to do him a kindness
    nor anyone to pity his orphaned children.^(J)
13 May his posterity be cut off;
    may his name be blotted out in the second generation.^(K)
14 May the iniquity of his father^[d] be remembered before the Lord,
    and do not let the sin of his mother be blotted out.^(L)
15 Let them be before the Lord continually,
    and may his^[e] memory be cut off from the earth.^(M)
16 For he did not remember to show kindness
    but pursued the poor and needy
    and the brokenhearted to their death.^(N)
17 He loved to curse; let curses come on him.
    He did not like blessing; may it be far from him.^(O)
18 He clothed himself with cursing as his coat;
    may it soak into his body like water,
    like oil into his bones.^(P)
19 May it be like a garment that he wraps around himself,
    like a belt that he wears every day.”

²⁰ May that be the reward of my accusers from the Lord,
    of those who speak evil against my life.^(Q)
21 But you, O Lord my Lord,
    act on my behalf for your name’s sake;
    because your steadfast love is good, deliver me.^(R)
22 For I am poor and needy,
    and my heart is pierced within me.^(S)
23 I am gone like a shadow at evening;
    I am shaken off like a locust.^(T)
24 My knees are weak through fasting;
    my body has become gaunt.^(U)
25 I am an object of scorn to my accusers;
    when they see me, they shake their heads.^(V)

²⁶ Help me, O Lord my God!
    Save me according to your steadfast love.
²⁷ Let them know that this is your hand;
    you, O Lord, have done it.^(W)
28 Let them curse, but you will bless.
    Let my assailants be put to shame;^[f] may your servant be glad.^(X)
29 May my accusers be clothed with dishonor;
    may they be wrapped in their own shame as in a mantle.^(Y)
30 With my mouth I will give great thanks to the Lord;
    I will praise him in the midst of the throng.^(Z)
31 For he stands at the right hand of the needy,
    to save them from those who would condemn them to death.^(AA)