O God, Do Not Be Silent

For the choir director. Of David. A Psalm.

1O God of my praise,

Do not be silent!

2For they have opened a wicked mouth and a deceitful mouth against me;

They have spoken to me with a lying tongue.

3They have also surrounded me with words of hatred,

And fought against me without cause.

4In return for my love they accuse me;

But I am in prayer.

5Thus they have set upon me evil for good

And hatred for my love.

6Appoint a wicked man over him,

And let an [†]accuser stand at his right hand.

7When he is judged, let him come forth a wicked man,

And let his prayer become sin.

8Let his days be few;

Let another take his office.

9Let his sons be orphans

And his wife a widow.

10Let his sons wander aimlessly and beg;

And let them search for food [†]from their ruined homes.

11Let the creditor [†]seize all that he has,

And let strangers plunder the fruit of his labor.

12Let there be none to [†]extend lovingkindness to him,

And let there be none to be gracious to his orphans.

13Let those who follow him be [†]cut off;

In a following generation let their name be blotted out.

14Let the iniquity of his fathers be remembered [†]before Yahweh,

And let not the sin of his mother be blotted out.

15Let them be before Yahweh continually,

That He may cut off their memory from the earth;

16Because he did not remember to show lovingkindness,

But persecuted the afflicted, the needy man,

And the disheartened to put them to death.

17He also loved cursing, so it came to him;

And he did not delight in blessing, so it was far from him.

18But he clothed himself with cursing as his garment,

And it came into his inward parts like water

And like oil into his bones.

19Let it be to him as a garment with which he wraps himself,

And for a belt with which he constantly girds himself.

20This is the reward of my accusers from Yahweh,

And of those who speak evil against my soul.

21But as for You, O Yahweh, O Lord, deal with me for Your name’s sake;

Because Your lovingkindness is good, deliver me;

22For I am afflicted and needy,

And [†]my heart is pierced within me.

23I am passing like a shadow when it is stretched out;

I am shaken off like the locust.

24My knees are feeble from fasting,

And my flesh has grown lean, without fatness.

25As for me, I have become a reproach to them;

They see me, they wag their head.

26Help me, O Yahweh my God;

Save me according to Your lovingkindness.

27[†]And let them know that this is Your hand;

You, O Yahweh, have done it.

28Let them curse, but You bless;

They arise and will be put to shame,

But Your slave shall be glad.

29[†]Let my accusers be clothed with dishonor,

And [†]let them wrap themselves with their own shame as with a robe.

30With my mouth I will give thanks abundantly to Yahweh;

And in the midst of many I will praise Him.

31For He stands at the right hand of the needy,

To save him from those who judge his soul.