Psalms

A collection of songs and prayers expressing a wide range of emotions and thoughts on faith.

Chapter 109

1 Hold not thy peace, O God of my praise;

2 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.

*The wicked and dishonest people are speaking false things about me.

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

*They surrounded me with hateful words and fought me for no reason.

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

*For those I love oppose me, but I spend time praying.

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

*They paid me back bad for good, and hate for my love.

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

*Put a bad person in charge: and let Satan stand next to him on his right side.

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

*When he is judged, let him be found guilty, and let his prayer turn into something wrong.

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

*Make his life short; and let someone else have his job.

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

*Make him have no children, and his spouse a widow.

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

*Let his kids always wander and ask for food: they should search for their meals in empty, barren spots too.

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

*Let the person demanding money get everything they have; then, let unfamiliar people ruin their hard work.

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

*No one should show kindness to him, nor anyone help his childless kids.

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

*Let his family end; and in the next generation, erase their name.

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

*Remember the wrongdoing of his parents with God, and don't erase the sin of his mom.

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

*Let them always be in God's presence so that He can erase their existence from the Earth.

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

*Because he forgot to be kind, instead he harassed the poor and vulnerable person, trying to hurt those who were already sad.

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

*If he enjoyed cursing, let it happen to him; if he didn't enjoy blessings, let them be distant from him.

18 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.

*Just like he puts on cursing like a piece of clothing, let it be absorbed by his body like water, and let it sink into his bones like oil.

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

*Let it be like a covering that always wraps around him and a belt that constantly holds him together.

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

*Let this be what my enemies get from the Lord, and for those who say bad things about me.

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

*But please, God the Lord, do it for your name's sake, since your mercy is kind, save me.

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

*Because I have little money and am in need, my heart is hurting deeply inside.

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

*I disappear like a shadow that fades away: I move around unpredictably like a jumping grasshopper.

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

*I'm very weak from not eating, and my body doesn't have enough fat.

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

*I was also a disgrace to them. When they looked at me, they shook their heads in disappointment.

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

*Please help me, God: Save me based on your kindness.

27 That they may know that this is thy hand; that thou, LORD, hast done it.

*So they will understand that this is your work; that you, Lord, have made it happen.

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

*Let them say bad things, but you say good things: when they try to be important, let them feel embarrassed; but let your loyal person be happy.

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

*Let those against me feel embarrassed, and let them hide their mistake like a cloak.

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

*I will highly praise God with my voice; yes, I will praise him in front of many people.

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

*He will stand by the side of the poor person to save them from those who judge them wrongly.

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