Plea for Judgment of False Accusers
To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.
1 Donot keep silent,
O God of my praise!
2 For the mouth of the wicked and the mouth of the deceitful
Have opened against me;
# They have spoken against me with alying tongue.
3 They have also surrounded me with words of hatred,
# And fought against mewithout a cause.
4 In return for my love they are my accusers,
But Igivemyselftoprayer.
5 Thusthey have rewarded me evil for good,
And hatred for my love.
6 Set a wicked man over him,
# And letan accuser stand at his right hand.
7 When he is judged, let him be found guilty,
# Andlet his prayer become sin.
8 Let his days befew,
# Andlet another take his office.
9 Let his children be fatherless,
And his wife a widow.
10 Let his children continually be vagabonds, and beg;
Let them seektheirbreadalso from their desolate places.
11 Let the creditor seize all that he has,
And let strangers plunder his labor.
12 Let there be none to extend mercy to him,
Nor let there be any to favor his fatherless children.
13 Let his posterity be cut off,
# Andin the generation following let theirname be blotted out.
14 Let the iniquity of his fathers be remembered before theLord,
# And let not the sin of his motherbe blotted out.
15 Let them be continually before theLord,
# That He maycut off the memory of them from the earth;
16 Because he did not remember to show mercy,
But persecuted the poor and needy man,
# That he might even slay thebroken in heart.
17 As he loved cursing, so let it come to him;
As he did not delight in blessing, so let it be far from him.
18 As he clothed himself with cursing as with his garment,
# So let itenter his body like water,
And like oil into his bones.
19 Let it be to him like the garment which covers him,
And for a belt with which he girds himself continually.
20 LetthisbetheLord’s reward to my accusers,
And to those who speak evil against my person.
21 But You, O Godthe Lord,
Deal with me for Your name’s sake;
Because Your mercyisgood, deliver me.
22 For Iampoor and needy,
And my heart is wounded within me.
23 I am gonelike a shadow when it lengthens;
I am shaken off like a locust.
24 Myknees are weak through fasting,
And my flesh is feeble from lack of fatness.
25 I also have becomea reproach to them;
# Whenthey look at me,they shake their heads.
26 Help me, OLordmy God!
Oh, save me according to Your mercy,
27 That they may know that thisisYour hand—
ThatYou,Lord, have done it!
28 Let them curse, but You bless;
When they arise, let them be ashamed,
# But letYour servant rejoice.
29 Let my accusers be clothed with shame,
And let them cover themselves with their own disgrace as with a mantle.
30 I will greatly praise theLordwith my mouth;
# Yes,I will praise Him among the multitude.
31 ForHe shall stand at the right hand of the poor,
To savehimfrom those who condemn him.