1 To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David. O God of my praise, do not be silent;

2 for the mouth of the wicked and the mouth of the deceitful are opened against me; they spoke against me [with] a lying tongue.

3 And they surrounded me [with] words of hatred; and fought against me without a cause.

4 For my love they are my foes; but I [am in] prayer.

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

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

7 when he is judged, let him be condemned; and let his prayer become sin.

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

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

10 Let his sons always beg and be vagabonds, and seek [food] out of their ruins.

11 Let the money-lender lay a snare for all that [is] his; and let strangers take the fruit of his labor.

12 Let there be none to give mercy to him; nor [any] to favor his fatherless children.

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

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

15 Let them be always before the LORD, that He may cut off their memory from the earth,

16 because he did not remember to do mercy, but persecuted the poor and needy man, and sought to kill the broken-hearted.

17 Yea, he loved cursing, so let it come to him; he delighted not in blessing, and it was far from him.

18 As he clothed himself with cursing, as with his robe, so let it come into his bowels like water, and like oil into his bones.

19 Let it be to him as the robe [which] covers him, and for a girdle with which he is always clothed.

20 This [is] the reward of my foes from the LORD, and [of] them who speak evil against my soul.

21 But You, Lord Jehovah, deal kindly with me for Your name's sake; because Your mercy [is] good, deliver me.

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

23 As a shadow when it is stretched out, I am gone; I am shaken off like the locust.

24 My knees stumble from fasting; and my flesh is losing its fatness.

25 And I became a shame to them; they looked on me; they shook their heads.

26 Help me, O LORD my God; save me according to Your mercy;

27 and they will know that this [is] Your hand; that You, LORD, have done it.

28 They will curse, but You will bless; they arise, and are ashamed; but let Your servant rejoice.

29 Let my foes be clothed with shame, and let them cover themselves with their own shame, as with a cloak.

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

31 For He shall stand at the right hand of the poor, to save [him] from those who condemn his soul.