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

2 for they have opened against me the mouth of the wicked and the mouth of deceit. They have spoken to me with a lying tongue.

3 They have also encompassed me about with words of hatred, and fought against me without a cause.

4 For my love they are my adversaries, but I [make] prayer.

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

6 Set thou a wicked man over him, and let an adversary stand at his right hand.

7 When he is judged, let him come forth guilty, and let his prayer be turned into sin.

8 Let his days be few, [and] let another take his office.

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

10 Let his sons be vagabonds, and beg, and let them seek out of their desolate places.

11 Let a creditor exact all that he has, and let strangers make spoil of his labor.

12 Let there be none to extend kindness to him, nor let there be any to have pity on his fatherless sons.

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

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

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

16 because he did not remember to show kindness, but persecuted the poor and needy man, and the broken in heart, to kill.

17 Yea, he loved cursing, and it came to him. And he did not delight in blessing, and it was far from him.

18 He also clothed himself with cursing as with his garment, and it came into his inward parts like water, and like oil into his bones.

19 Let it be to him as the raiment with which he covers himself, and for the belt with which he is girded continually.

20 This is the reward of my adversaries from LORD, and of those who speak evil against my soul.

21 But deal thou with me, O lord LORD, for thy name's sake. Because thy loving kindness is good, deliver thou me,

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

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

24 My knees are weak through fasting, and my flesh fails of fatness.

25 I also have become a reproach to them. When they see me, they shake their head.

26 Help me, O LORD my God. O save me according to thy loving kindness,

27 that they may know that this is thy hand, [that] thou, LORD, have done it.

28 Let them curse, but bless thou. When they arise, they shall be put to shame, but thy servant shall rejoice.

29 Let my adversaries be clothed with dishonor, and let them cover themselves with their own shame as with a robe.

30 I will give great thanks to LORD with my mouth. Yea, I will praise him among the multitude.

31 For he will stand at the right hand of the needy, to save him from those who judge his soul.