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Psalm 109

To the leader. Of David. A psalm.

109 God of my praise, don’t keep quiet,
    because the mouths of wicked liars
    have opened up against me,
    talking about me with lying tongues.
Hateful words surround me;
    they attack me for no reason.
Instead of returning my love, they accuse me—
    but I am at prayer.
They repay me evil for good,
    hatred in return for my love.

“Appoint a wicked person to be against this person,” they say,
    “an accuser to stand right next to him.
When the sentence is passed, let him be found guilty—
    let his prayer be found sinful!
Let his days be few;
    let someone else assume his position.
Let his children become orphans;
    let his wife turn into a widow.
10 Let his children wander aimlessly, begging,
    driven out of their ruined homes.
11 Let a creditor seize everything he owns;
    let strangers plunder his wealth.
12 Let no one extend faithful love to him;
    let no one have mercy on his orphans.
13 Let his descendants be eliminated;
    let their names be wiped out in just one generation!
14 Let his father’s wrongdoing be remembered before the Lord;
    let his mother’s sin never be wiped out.
15 Let them be before the Lord always,
    and let God eliminate the very memory of them from the land.
16 All because this person didn’t remember to demonstrate faithful love,
    but chased after the poor and needy—
    even the brokenhearted—with deadly intent!
17 Since he loved to curse,
    let it come back on him!
Since he didn’t care much for blessing,
    let it be far away from him!
18 Since he wore curses like a coat,
    let them seep inside him like water,
    seep into his bones like oil!
19 Let them be like the clothes he wears,
    like a belt that is always around him.”

20 But let all that be the reward my accusers get from the Lord,
    the reward for those who speak evil against me!
21 But you, Lord, my Lord!—
    act on my behalf for the sake of your name;
    deliver me because your faithful love is so good;
22     because I am poor and needy,
    and my heart is broken.
23 Like a lengthening shadow, I’m passing away;
    I’m shaken off, like some locust.
24 My legs are weak from fasting;
    my body is skin and bones.
25 I’ve become a joke to my accusers;
    when they see me, they just shake their heads.

26 Help me, Lord my God!
    Save me according to your faithful love!
27 And let them know that this is by your hand—
    that you have done it, Lord!
28 Let them curse—but you, bless me!
    If they rise up, let them be disgraced,
        but let your servant celebrate!
29 Let my accusers be dressed in shame;
    let them wear their disgrace like a coat.
30 But I will give great thanks to the Lord with my mouth;
    among a great crowd I will praise God!
31 Because God stands right next to the needy,
    to save them from any who would condemn them.

Psalm 110

Of David. A psalm.

110 What the Lord says to my master:
“Sit right beside me
    until I make your enemies
    a footstool for your feet!”

May the Lord make your mighty scepter
    reach far from Zion!
    Rule over your enemies!
Your people stand ready
    on your day of battle.
    “In holy grandeur, from the dawn’s womb, fight![a]
        Your youthful strength is like the dew itself.”
The Lord has sworn a solemn pledge and won’t change his mind:
    “You are a priest forever in line with Melchizedek.”[b]
My master, by your strong hand,
    God has crushed kings on his day of wrath.[c]

God brings the nations to justice,
    piling the dead bodies, crushing heads throughout the earth.
God drinks from a stream along the way,
    then holds his head up high.[d]

Psalm 111[e]

111 Praise the Lord!
    I thank the Lord with all my heart
    in the company of those who do right, in the congregation.
The works of the Lord are magnificent;
    they are treasured by all who desire them.
God’s deeds are majestic and glorious.
    God’s righteousness stands forever.
God is famous for his wondrous works.
    The Lord is full of mercy and compassion.
God gives food to those who honor him.
    God remembers his covenant forever.
God proclaimed his powerful deeds to his people
    and gave them what had belonged to other nations.
God’s handiwork is honesty and justice;
    all God’s rules are trustworthy—
        they are established always and forever:
        they are fulfilled with truth and right doing.
God sent redemption for his people;
    God commanded that his covenant last forever.
        Holy and awesome is God’s name!
10 Fear of the Lord is where wisdom begins;
    sure knowledge is for all who keep God’s laws.
        God’s praise lasts forever!

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 110:3 Correction; or Go!; MT to you
  2. Psalm 110:4 Or a rightful king by my decree
  3. Psalm 110:5 Or My Lord (God), because of your (the king’s) strong hand, has crushed or The Lord is above your strong hand, crushing kings
  4. Psalm 110:7 Heb uncertain
  5. Psalm 111:1 Ps 111 is an alphabetic acrostic poem; see the note at Pss 9–10.

Psalm 109

For the director of music. Of David. A psalm.

My God, whom I praise,(A)
    do not remain silent,(B)
for people who are wicked and deceitful(C)
    have opened their mouths against me;
    they have spoken against me with lying tongues.(D)
With words of hatred(E) they surround me;
    they attack me without cause.(F)
In return for my friendship they accuse me,
    but I am a man of prayer.(G)
They repay me evil for good,(H)
    and hatred for my friendship.

Appoint someone evil to oppose my enemy;
    let an accuser(I) stand at his right hand.
When he is tried, let him be found guilty,(J)
    and may his prayers condemn(K) him.
May his days be few;(L)
    may another take his place(M) of leadership.
May his children be fatherless
    and his wife a widow.(N)
10 May his children be wandering beggars;(O)
    may they be driven[a] from their ruined homes.
11 May a creditor(P) seize all he has;
    may strangers plunder(Q) the fruits of his labor.(R)
12 May no one extend kindness to him
    or take pity(S) on his fatherless children.
13 May his descendants be cut off,(T)
    their names blotted out(U) from the next generation.
14 May the iniquity of his fathers(V) be remembered before the Lord;
    may the sin of his mother never be blotted out.
15 May their sins always remain before(W) the Lord,
    that he may blot out their name(X) from the earth.

16 For he never thought of doing a kindness,
    but hounded to death the poor
    and the needy(Y) and the brokenhearted.(Z)
17 He loved to pronounce a curse—
    may it come back on him.(AA)
He found no pleasure in blessing—
    may it be far from him.
18 He wore cursing(AB) as his garment;
    it entered into his body like water,(AC)
    into his bones like oil.
19 May it be like a cloak wrapped(AD) about him,
    like a belt tied forever around him.
20 May this be the Lord’s payment(AE) to my accusers,
    to those who speak evil(AF) of me.

21 But you, Sovereign Lord,
    help me for your name’s sake;(AG)
    out of the goodness of your love,(AH) deliver me.(AI)
22 For I am poor and needy,
    and my heart is wounded within me.
23 I fade away like an evening shadow;(AJ)
    I am shaken off like a locust.
24 My knees give(AK) way from fasting;(AL)
    my body is thin and gaunt.(AM)
25 I am an object of scorn(AN) to my accusers;
    when they see me, they shake their heads.(AO)

26 Help me,(AP) Lord my God;
    save me according to your unfailing love.
27 Let them know(AQ) that it is your hand,
    that you, Lord, have done it.
28 While they curse,(AR) may you bless;
    may those who attack me be put to shame,
    but may your servant rejoice.(AS)
29 May my accusers be clothed with disgrace
    and wrapped in shame(AT) as in a cloak.

30 With my mouth I will greatly extol the Lord;
    in the great throng(AU) of worshipers I will praise him.
31 For he stands at the right hand(AV) of the needy,
    to save their lives from those who would condemn them.

Psalm 110

Of David. A psalm.

The Lord says(AW) to my lord:[b]

“Sit at my right hand(AX)
    until I make your enemies
    a footstool for your feet.”(AY)

The Lord will extend your mighty scepter(AZ) from Zion,(BA) saying,
    “Rule(BB) in the midst of your enemies!”
Your troops will be willing
    on your day of battle.
Arrayed in holy splendor,(BC)
    your young men will come to you
    like dew from the morning’s womb.[c](BD)

The Lord has sworn
    and will not change his mind:(BE)
“You are a priest forever,(BF)
    in the order of Melchizedek.(BG)

The Lord is at your right hand[d];(BH)
    he will crush kings(BI) on the day of his wrath.(BJ)
He will judge the nations,(BK) heaping up the dead(BL)
    and crushing the rulers(BM) of the whole earth.
He will drink from a brook along the way,[e]
    and so he will lift his head high.(BN)

Psalm 111[f]

Praise the Lord.[g]

I will extol the Lord(BO) with all my heart(BP)
    in the council(BQ) of the upright and in the assembly.(BR)

Great are the works(BS) of the Lord;
    they are pondered by all(BT) who delight in them.
Glorious and majestic are his deeds,
    and his righteousness endures(BU) forever.
He has caused his wonders to be remembered;
    the Lord is gracious and compassionate.(BV)
He provides food(BW) for those who fear him;(BX)
    he remembers his covenant(BY) forever.

He has shown his people the power of his works,(BZ)
    giving them the lands of other nations.(CA)
The works of his hands(CB) are faithful and just;
    all his precepts are trustworthy.(CC)
They are established for ever(CD) and ever,
    enacted in faithfulness and uprightness.
He provided redemption(CE) for his people;
    he ordained his covenant forever—
    holy and awesome(CF) is his name.

10 The fear of the Lord(CG) is the beginning of wisdom;(CH)
    all who follow his precepts have good understanding.(CI)
    To him belongs eternal praise.(CJ)

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 109:10 Septuagint; Hebrew sought
  2. Psalm 110:1 Or Lord
  3. Psalm 110:3 The meaning of the Hebrew for this sentence is uncertain.
  4. Psalm 110:5 Or My lord is at your right hand, Lord
  5. Psalm 110:7 The meaning of the Hebrew for this clause is uncertain.
  6. Psalm 111:1 This psalm is an acrostic poem, the lines of which begin with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet.
  7. Psalm 111:1 Hebrew Hallelu Yah