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O God, Do Not Be Silent

¹ O ^(C1)God of my praise,
^(C2)Do not be silent!

² For they have opened a wicked mouth and a ^(C1)deceitful mouth against me;
They have spoken to me with a ^(C2)lying tongue.

³ They have also surrounded me with words of hatred,
And fought against me ^(C1)without cause.

⁴ In return ^(C1)for my love they accuse me;
But ^(C2)I am in prayer.

⁵ Thus they have ^(C1)set upon me evil for good
And ^(C2)hatred for my love.

⁶ Appoint a wicked man over him,
And let an ^(F1)(C1)accuser stand at his right hand.

⁷ When he is judged, let him ^(C1)come forth a wicked man,
And let his ^(C2)prayer become sin.

⁸ Let ^(C1)his days be few;
Let ^(C2)another take his office.

⁹ Let his ^(C1)sons be orphans
And his ^(C2)wife a widow.

¹⁰ Let his ^(C1)sons wander aimlessly and beg;
And let them ^(C2)search for food ^(F1)from their ruined homes.

¹¹ Let ^(C1)the creditor ^(F1)seize all that he has,
And let ^(C2)strangers plunder the fruit of his labor.

¹² Let there be none to ^(F1)(C1)extend lovingkindness to him,
And ^(C2)let there be none to be gracious to his orphans.

¹³ Let those who ^(C1)follow him be ^(F1)cut off;
In a following generation let their ^(C2)name be blotted out.

¹⁴ Let ^(C1)the iniquity of his fathers be remembered ^(F1)before Yahweh,
And let not the sin of his mother be ^(C2)blotted out.

¹⁵ Let ^(C1)them be before Yahweh continually,
That He may ^(C2)cut off their memory from the earth;

¹⁶ Because he did not remember to show lovingkindness,
But persecuted the ^(C1)afflicted, the needy man,
And the ^(C2)disheartened to ^(C3)put them to death.

¹⁷ He also loved cursing, so ^(C1)it came to him;
And he did not delight in blessing, so it was far from him.

¹⁸ But he ^(C1)clothed himself with cursing as his garment,
And it ^(C2)came into his inward parts like water
And like oil into his bones.

¹⁹ Let it be to him as ^(C1)a garment with which he wraps himself,
And for a belt with which he constantly ^(C2)girds himself.

²⁰ This is the ^(C1)reward of my accusers from Yahweh,
And of those who ^(C2)speak evil against my soul.

²¹ But as for You, O Yahweh, O Lord, deal with me ^(C1)for Your name's sake;
Because ^(C2)Your lovingkindness is good, deliver me;

²² For ^(C1)I am afflicted and needy,
And ^(F1)my heart is ^(C2)pierced within me.

²³ I am passing ^(C1)like a shadow when it is stretched out;
I am shaken off ^(C2)like the locust.

²⁴ My ^(C1)knees are feeble from ^(C2)fasting,
And my flesh has grown lean, without fatness.

²⁵ As for me, I have become a ^(C1)reproach to them;
They see me, they ^(C2)wag their head.

^26 (C1)Help me, O Yahweh my God;
Save me according to Your lovingkindness.

^27 (F1)And let them ^(C1)know that this is Your hand;
You, O Yahweh, have done it.

^28 (C1)Let them curse, but You bless;
They arise and will be put to shame,
But Your ^(C2)slave shall be glad.

^29 (F1)Let ^(C1)my accusers be clothed with dishonor,
And ^(F2)let them ^(C2)wrap themselves with their own shame as with a robe.

³⁰ With my mouth I will give thanks abundantly to Yahweh;
And in the midst of many ^(C1)I will praise Him.

³¹ For He stands ^(C1)at the right hand of the needy,
To save him from those who ^(C2)judge his soul.