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¹ O God, pass not over my praise in silence; ² for the mouth of the sinner and the mouth of the crafty man have been opened against me: they have spoken against me with a crafty tongue. ³ And they have compassed me with words of hatred; and fought against me without a cause. ⁴ Instead of loving me, they falsely accused me: but I continued to pray. ⁵ And they rewarded me evil for good, and hatred for my love.

⁶ Set thou a sinner against him; and let the devil stand at his right hand. ⁷ When he is judged, let him go forth condemned: and let his prayer become sin. ⁸ Let his days be few: and let another take his office of overseer. ⁹ Let his children be orphans, and his wife a widow. ¹⁰ Let his children wander without a dwelling-place, and beg: let them be cast out of their habitations. ¹¹ Let his creditor exact all that belongs to him: and let strangers spoil his labours. ¹² Let him have no helper; neither let there be any one to have compassion on his fatherless children. ¹³ Let his children be given up to utter destruction: in one generation let his name be blotted out. ¹⁴ Let the iniquity of his fathers be remembered before the Lord; and let not the sin of his mother be blotted out. ¹⁵ Let them be before the Lord continually; and let their memorial be blotted out from the earth. ¹⁶ Because he remembered not to shew mercy, but persecuted the needy and poor man, and that to slay him that was pricked in the heart. ¹⁷ He loved cursing also, and it shall come upon him; and he took not pleasure in blessing, so it shall be removed far from him. ¹⁸ Yea, he put on cursing as a garment, and it is come as water into his bowels, and as oil into his bones. ¹⁹ Let it be to him as a garment which he puts on, and as a girdle with which he girds himself continually. ²⁰ This is the dealing of the Lord with those who falsely accuse me, and of them that speak evil against my soul.

²¹ But thou, O Lord, Lord, deal mercifully with me, for thy name’s sake: for thy mercy is good. ²² Deliver me, for I am poor and needy; and my heart is troubled within me. ²³ I am removed as a shadow in its going down: I am tossed up and down like locusts. ²⁴ My knees are weakened through fasting, and my flesh is changed by reason of the want of oil. ²⁵ I became also a reproach to them: when they saw me they shook their heads. ²⁶ Help me, O Lord my God; and save me according to thy mercy. ²⁷ And let them know that this is thy hand; and that thou, Lord, hast wrought it. ²⁸ Let them curse, but thou shalt bless: let them that rise up against me be ashamed, but let thy servant rejoice. ²⁹ Let those that falsely accuse me be clothed with shame, and let them cover themselves with their shame as with a mantle. ³⁰ I will give thanks to the Lord abundantly with my mouth; and in the midst of many I will praise him. ³¹ For he stood on the right hand of the poor, to save me from them that persecute my soul.