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¹ O God of my praise, do not keep silent,
² for wicked and deceitful mouths^[b]
have opened against me.
They speak to me with a lying tongue.
³ They also surround me with words of hate,
and fight me without cause.
⁴ In return for my love they accuse me,
though I am in prayer.^[c]
5 So they inflicted evil against me in return for good
and hatred in return for my love.
⁶ Appoint over him a wicked man,
and let an accuser stand at his right hand.
⁷ When he is judged, let him come out guilty,
and let his prayer^[d] become as sin.
⁸ Let his days be few;
let another take his office.
⁹ Let his children be orphans,
and his wife a widow,
¹⁰ and let his children wander aimlessly and beg,
and let them plead from their ruins.
¹¹ Let the creditor seize all that is his,
and let strangers plunder his property.
¹² Let there be none who extend to him loyal love,
nor any who pities his orphans.
¹³ Let his descendants^[e] be cut off.
Let their name be blotted out in the next generation.
¹⁴ Let the iniquity of his ancestors^[f] be remembered before Yahweh,
and let the sin of his mother not be blotted out.
¹⁵ Let them be before Yahweh continually,
that he may cut off their^[g] memory from the earth,
¹⁶ because he did not remember to show loyal love,
but he pursued anyone,^[h] poor or needy
or brokenhearted, to slay them.
¹⁷ Because he loved cursing, let it come upon him.
Because he did not delight in blessing,
let it be far from him.
¹⁸ Because he wore a curse as his robe,
let it enter his body^[i] like water,
and into his bones like oil.
¹⁹ May it be for him like a garment in which he wraps,
and a belt he continually wears.^[j]
20 Let this be the punishment for my accusers from Yahweh,
even those who speak evil against my life.
²¹ But you, O Yahweh my Lord,
deal with me for your name's sake.
Because your loyal love is good, deliver me,
²² for I am poor and needy,
and my heart is wounded within me.
²³ Like a lengthening shadow I am passing away;
I am shaken off like a locust.
²⁴ My knees buckle^[k] from fasting,
and my body grows lean without fat.
²⁵ And so I am a disgrace to them;
when they see me, they shake their heads.^[l]
26 Help me, O Yahweh my God;
save me according to your loyal love,
²⁷ that they may know that this is your hand,
that you, O Yahweh, you have done it.
²⁸ Let them curse, but you bless.
When they arise, let them be put to shame,
that your servant may be glad.
²⁹ Let my accusers put on disgrace,
and let them cover themselves with their shame as with a robe.
³⁰ I will give thanks to Yahweh exceedingly with my mouth,
and in the midst of many I will praise him,
³¹ for he stands at the right hand of the needy,
to save him from those judging his life.^[m]