1 I give praise to You, O God. Do not be quiet.

Hold not thy peace, O God of my praise;

2 F or sinners and liars have opened their mouths against me. They have spoken against me with lying tongues.

for the mouth of the wicked and the mouth of the deceitful are opened against me: they have spoken against me with a lying tongue.

3 T hey have gathered around me with words of hate. They fought against me for no reason.

They compassed me about also with words of hatred; and fought against me without a cause.

4 I give them my love but they speak against me in return. But I am in prayer.

For my love they are my adversaries: but I give myself unto prayer.

5 T hey pay me what is bad for what is good. They give me hate for my love.

And they have rewarded me evil for good, and hatred for my love.

6 L et a sinful man have power over him. Let one who speaks against him stand at his right hand.

Set thou a wicked man over him: and let Satan stand at his right hand.

7 W hen he is tried, let him be found guilty. And may his prayer become sin.

When he shall be judged, let him be condemned: and let his prayer become sin.

8 L et his days be few. Let another person take over his work.

Let his days be few; and let another take his office.

9 L et his children be without a father. And let his wife be without a husband.

Let his children be fatherless, and his wife a widow.

10 M ay his children go around begging. And may they look for food far from their destroyed homes.

Let his children be continually vagabonds, and beg: let them seek their bread also out of their desolate places.

11 L et the one to whom he owes money take all that he has. May strangers take away all he has worked for.

Let the extortioner catch all that he hath; and let the strangers spoil his labour.

12 M ay no one show him kindness. Let no one pity his children who have no father.

Let there be none to extend mercy unto him: neither let there be any to favour his fatherless children.

13 L et his children be cut off. Do not let their family name be remembered by the people-to-come.

Let his posterity be cut off; and in the generation following let their name be blotted out.

14 L et the sins of his fathers be remembered by the Lord, and do not let the sins of his mother be forgotten.

Let the iniquity of his fathers be remembered with the Lord; and let not the sin of his mother be blotted out.

15 M ay these sins always be before the Lord. So He may not let them be remembered on the earth.

Let them be before the Lord continually, that he may cut off the memory of them from the earth.

16 B ecause he did not remember to show loving-kindness. Instead he made it hard for the poor and those in need and those with a broken heart. He even put them to death.

Because that he remembered not to shew mercy, but persecuted the poor and needy man, that he might even slay the broken in heart.

17 H e loved to curse others, so may it come to him. He did not like to have good come to others, so good was far from him.

As he loved cursing, so let it come unto him: as he delighted not in blessing, so let it be far from him.

18 H e dressed himself with cursing as with a coat. They came into his body like water and into his bones like oil.

As he clothed himself with cursing like as with his garment, so let it come into his bowels like water, and like oil into his bones.

19 M ay they be like clothing that covers him and like a belt that he always wears.

Let it be unto him as the garment which covereth him, and for a girdle wherewith he is girded continually.

20 L et this be what the Lord pays to those who speak against me and wish bad things would happen to me.

Let this be the reward of mine adversaries from the Lord, and of them that speak evil against my soul.

21 B ut You, O God, the Lord, be kind to me because of Your name. Take me out of trouble because Your loving-kindness is good.

But do thou for me, O God the Lord, for thy name’s sake: because thy mercy is good, deliver thou me.

22 F or I am in trouble and in need. And my heart is hurt within me.

For I am poor and needy, and my heart is wounded within me.

23 I am passing like an evening shadow. I am shaken off like a locust.

I am gone like the shadow when it declineth: I am tossed up and down as the locust.

24 M y knees are weak from going without food. And my body has lost all its fat.

My knees are weak through fasting; and my flesh faileth of fatness.

25 O thers laugh at me. They look at me and shake their heads.

I became also a reproach unto them: when they looked upon me they shaked their heads.

26 H elp me, O Lord my God! Save me by Your loving-kindness.

Help me, O Lord my God: O save me according to thy mercy:

27 L et them know that this is Your hand and that You, O Lord, have done it.

that they may know that this is thy hand; that thou, Lord, hast done it.

28 L et them hope that bad things will happen. But You make good things happen. Let them be ashamed when they rise up against me. But let Your servant be full of joy.

Let them curse, but bless thou: when they arise, let them be ashamed; but let thy servant rejoice.

29 L et those who speak against me be dressed with shame. Let them cover themselves with shame as with a coat.

Let mine adversaries be clothed with shame, and let them cover themselves with their own confusion, as with a mantle.

30 I will give thanks to the Lord in a loud voice. I will praise Him among many people.

I will greatly praise the Lord with my mouth; yea, I will praise him among the multitude.

31 F or He stands at the right hand of the one in need to save him from those who judge his soul.

For he shall stand at the right hand of the poor, to save him from those that condemn his soul.