Psalm 109–111

The Complaint of a Man in Trouble^q

109 I praise you, God; don’t remain silent!

²Wicked people and liars have attacked me.

They tell lies about me

³and they say evil things about me,

attacking me for no reason.

⁴They oppose me, even though I love them

and have prayed for them.^r

⁵They pay me back evil for good

and hatred for love.

⁶Choose some corrupt judge to try my enemy,

and let one of his own enemies accuse him.

⁷May he be tried and found guilty;

may even his prayer be considered a crime!

^8*May his life soon be ended;

may someone else take his job!

⁹May his children become orphans,

and his wife a widow!

¹⁰May his children be homeless beggars;

may they be driven from^s the ruins they live in!

¹¹May his creditors take away all his property,

and may strangers get everything he worked for.

¹²May no one ever be kind to him

or care for the orphans he leaves behind.

¹³May all his descendants die,

and may his name be forgotten in the next generation.

¹⁴May the Lord remember the evil of his ancestors

and never forgive his mother’s sins.

¹⁵May the Lord always remember their sins,

but may they themselves be completely forgotten!

¹⁶That man never thought of being kind;

he persecuted and killed

the poor, the needy, and the helpless.

¹⁷He loved to curse—may he be cursed!

He hated to give blessings—may no one bless him!

¹⁸He cursed as naturally as he dressed himself;

may his own curses soak into his body like water

and into his bones like oil!

¹⁹May they cover him like clothes

and always be round him like a belt!

²⁰Lord, punish my enemies in that way—

those who say such evil things against me!

²¹But my Sovereign Lord, help me as you have promised,

and rescue me because of the goodness of your love.

²²I am poor and needy;

I am hurt to the depths of my heart.

²³Like an evening shadow I am about to vanish;

I am blown away like an insect.

²⁴My knees are weak from lack of food;

I am nothing but skin and bones.

^25*When people see me, they laugh at me;

they shake their heads in scorn.

²⁶Help me, O Lord my God;

because of your constant love, save me!

²⁷Make my enemies know

that you are the one who saves me.

²⁸They may curse me, but you will bless me.

May my persecutors be defeated,^t

and may I, your servant, be glad.

²⁹May my enemies be covered with disgrace;

may they wear their shame like a robe.

³⁰I will give loud thanks to the Lord;

I will praise him in the assembly of the people,

³¹because he defends the poor

and saves them from those who condemn them to death.

The and His chosen King^u

110^* The Lord said to my lord,

“Sit here at my right

until I put your enemies under your feet.”

²From Zion the Lord will extend your royal power.

“Rule over your enemies,” he says.

³On the day you fight your enemies,

your people will volunteer.

Like the dew of early morning

your young men will come to you on the sacred hills.^v

^4*The Lord made a solemn promise and will not take it back:

“You will be a priest for ever

in the priestly order of Melchizedek.”^w

⁵The Lord is at your right side;

when he becomes angry, he will defeat kings.

⁶He will pass judgement on the nations

and fill the battlefield with corpses;

he will defeat kings all over the earth.

⁷The king will drink from the stream by the road,

and strengthened, he will stand victorious.

In Praise of the

111Praise the Lord!

With all my heart I will thank the Lord

in the assembly of his people.

²How wonderful are the things the Lord does!

All who are delighted with them want to understand them.

³All he does is full of honour and majesty;

his righteousness is eternal.

⁴The Lord does not let us forget his wonderful actions;

he is kind and merciful.

⁵He provides food for those who honour him;

he never forgets his covenant.

⁶He has shown his power to his people

by giving them the lands of foreigners.

⁷In all he does he is faithful and just;

all his commands are dependable.

⁸They last for all time;

they were given in truth and righteousness.

⁹He set his people free

and made an eternal covenant with them.

Holy and mighty is he!

^10*The way to become wise is to honour the Lord;^x

he gives sound judgement to all who obey his commands.

He is to be praised for ever.