Thursday, October 10, 2024

May it be so.

 Psalm 109 -- To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

Be not silent, O God of my praise!
For wicked and deceitful mouths are opened against me,
speaking against me with lying tongues.
They encircle me with words of hate,
and attack me without cause.
In return for my love they accuse me,
but I give myself to prayer.
So they reward me evil for good,
and hatred for my love.
Appoint a wicked man against them;
let an accuser stand at their right hand.
When they are tried, let them come forth guilty;
let their prayer be counted as sin!
May their days be few;
may another take their office!
May their children be fatherless and motherless
and their spouse a widow or widower!
May their children wander about and beg,
seeking food far from the ruins they inhabit!
May the creditor seize all that they have;
may strangers plunder the fruits of their toil!
Let there be none to extend kindness to them,
nor any to pity their orphaned children!
May their posterity be cut off;
may their name be blotted out in the second generation!
May the iniquity of their fathers be remembered before the LORD,
and let not the sin of their mother be blotted out!
Let them be before the LORD continually,
that he may cut off the memory of them from the earth!
For they did not remember to show kindness,
but pursued the poor and needy
and the brokenhearted, to put them to death.
They loved to curse; let curses come upon them!
They did not delight in blessing; may it be far from them!
They clothed themselves with cursing as their coat;
may it soak into their body like water,
like oil into their bones!
May it be like a garment that they wrap around themselves,
like a belt that they put on every day!
May this be the reward of my accusers from the LORD,
of those who speak evil against my life!
But you, O GOD my Lord,
deal on my behalf for your name’s sake;
because your steadfast love is good, deliver me!
For I am poor and needy,
and my heart is stricken within me.
I am gone like a shadow at evening;
I am shaken off like a locust.
My knees are weak through fasting;
my body has become gaunt, with no fat.
I am an object of scorn to my accusers;
when they see me, they wag their heads.
Help me, O LORD my God!
Save me according to your steadfast love!
Let them know that this is your hand;
you, O LORD, have done it!
Let them curse, but you will bless!
They arise and are put to shame, but your servant will be glad!
May my accusers be clothed with dishonor;
may they be wrapped in their own shame as in a cloak!
With my mouth I will give great thanks to the LORD;
I will praise him in the midst of the throng.
For he stands at the right hand of the needy one,
to save him from those who condemn his soul to death. 

(ESV - with a few slight adjustments by me.)

No comments:

Post a Comment

Leave a thought of your own.