Christian Standard Bible

New Living Translation

1God of my praise, do not be silent.

1O God, whom I praise, don’t stand silent and aloof

2For wicked and deceitful mouths open against me; they speak against me with lying tongues.

2while the wicked slander me and tell lies about me.

3They surround me with hateful words and attack me without cause.

3They surround me with hateful words and fight against me for no reason.

4In return for my love they accuse me, but I continue to pray.

4I love them, but they try to destroy me with accusations even as I am praying for them!

5They repay me evil for good, and hatred for my love.

5They repay evil for good, and hatred for my love.

6Set a wicked person over him; let an accuser stand at his right hand.

6They say, “Get an evil person to turn against him. Send an accuser to bring him to trial.

7When he is judged, let him be found guilty, and let his prayer be counted as sin.

7When his case comes up for judgment, let him be pronounced guilty. Count his prayers as sins.

8Let his days be few; let another take over his position.

8Let his years be few; let someone else take his position.

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

9May his children become fatherless, and his wife a widow.

10Let his children wander as beggars, searching for food far from their demolished homes.

10May his children wander as beggars and be driven from their ruined homes.

11Let a creditor seize all he has; let strangers plunder what he has worked for.

11May creditors seize his entire estate, and strangers take all he has earned.

12Let no one show him kindness, and let no one be gracious to his fatherless children.

12Let no one be kind to him; let no one pity his fatherless children.

13Let the line of his descendants be cut off; let their name be blotted out in the next generation.

13May all his offspring die. May his family name be blotted out in the next generation.

14Let the iniquity of his fathers be remembered before the LORD, and do not let his mother's sin be blotted out.

14May the LORD never forget the sins of his fathers; may his mother’s sins never be erased from the record.

15Let their sins always remain before the LORD, and let him remove all memory of them from the earth.

15May the LORD always remember these sins, and may his name disappear from human memory.

16For he did not think to show kindness, but pursued the suffering, needy, and brokenhearted in order to put them to death.

16For he refused all kindness to others; he persecuted the poor and needy, and he hounded the brokenhearted to death.

17He loved cursing--let it fall on him; he took no delight in blessing--let it be far from him.

17He loved to curse others; now you curse him. He never blessed others; now don’t you bless him.

18He wore cursing like his coat--let it enter his body like water and go into his bones like oil.

18Cursing is as natural to him as his clothing, or the water he drinks, or the rich food he eats.

19Let it be like a robe he wraps around himself, like a belt he always wears.

19Now may his curses return and cling to him like clothing; may they be tied around him like a belt.”

20Let this be the LORD's payment to my accusers, to those who speak evil against me.

20May those curses become the LORD’s punishment for my accusers who speak evil of me.

21But you, LORD, my Lord, deal kindly with me for your name's sake; because your faithful love is good, rescue me.

21But deal well with me, O Sovereign LORD, for the sake of your own reputation! Rescue me because you are so faithful and good.

22For I am suffering and needy; my heart is wounded within me.

22For I am poor and needy, and my heart is full of pain.

23I fade away like a lengthening shadow; I am shaken off like a locust.

23I am fading like a shadow at dusk; I am brushed off like a locust.

24My knees are weak from fasting, and my body is emaciated.

24My knees are weak from fasting, and I am skin and bones.

25I have become an object of ridicule to my accusers; when they see me, they shake their heads in scorn.

25I am a joke to people everywhere; when they see me, they shake their heads in scorn.

26Help me, LORD my God; save me according to your faithful love

26Help me, O LORD my God! Save me because of your unfailing love.

27so they may know that this is your hand and that you, LORD, have done it.

27Let them see that this is your doing, that you yourself have done it, LORD.

28Though they curse, you will bless. When they rise up, they will be put to shame, but your servant will rejoice.

28Then let them curse me if they like, but you will bless me! When they attack me, they will be disgraced! But I, your servant, will go right on rejoicing!

29My accusers will be clothed with disgrace; they will wear their shame like a cloak.

29May my accusers be clothed with disgrace; may their humiliation cover them like a cloak.

30I will fervently thank the LORD with my mouth; I will praise him in the presence of many.

30But I will give repeated thanks to the LORD, praising him to everyone.

31For he stands at the right hand of the needy to save him from those who would condemn him.

31For he stands beside the needy, ready to save them from those who condemn them.

The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission.

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.