| New Living Translation | Berean Study Bible |
| 1O God, whom I praise, don’t stand silent and aloof | 1For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. O God of my praise, be not silent. |
| 2while the wicked slander me and tell lies about me. | 2For wicked and deceitful mouths open against me; they speak against me with lying tongues. |
| 3They surround me with hateful words and fight against me for no reason. | 3They surround me with hateful words and attack me without cause. |
| 4I love them, but they try to destroy me with accusations even as I am praying for them! | 4In return for my love they accuse me, but I am a man of prayer. |
| 5They repay evil for good, and hatred for my love. | 5They repay me evil for good, and hatred for my love. |
| 6They say, “Get an evil person to turn against him. Send an accuser to bring him to trial. | 6Set over him a wicked man; let an accuser stand at his right hand. |
| 7When his case comes up for judgment, let him be pronounced guilty. Count his prayers as sins. | 7When he is tried, let him be found guilty, and may his prayer be regarded as sin. |
| 8Let his years be few; let someone else take his position. | 8May his days be few; may another take his position. |
| 9May his children become fatherless, and his wife a widow. | 9May his children be fatherless and his wife a widow. |
| 10May his children wander as beggars and be driven from their ruined homes. | 10May his children wander as beggars, seeking sustenance far from their ruined homes. |
| 11May creditors seize his entire estate, and strangers take all he has earned. | 11May the creditor seize all he owns, and strangers plunder the fruits of his labor. |
| 12Let no one be kind to him; let no one pity his fatherless children. | 12May there be no one to extend kindness to him, and no one to favor his fatherless children. |
| 13May all his offspring die. May his family name be blotted out in the next generation. | 13May his descendants be cut off; may their name be blotted out from the next generation. |
| 14May the LORD never forget the sins of his fathers; may his mother’s sins never be erased from the record. | 14May the iniquity of his fathers be remembered before the LORD, and the sin of his mother never be blotted out. |
| 15May the LORD always remember these sins, and may his name disappear from human memory. | 15May their sins always remain before the LORD, that He may cut off their memory from the earth. |
| 16For he refused all kindness to others; he persecuted the poor and needy, and he hounded the brokenhearted to death. | 16For he never thought to show kindness, but pursued the poor and needy and brokenhearted, even to their death. |
| 17He loved to curse others; now you curse him. He never blessed others; now don’t you bless him. | 17The cursing that he loved, may it fall on him; the blessing in which he refused to delight, may it be far from him. |
| 18Cursing is as natural to him as his clothing, or the water he drinks, or the rich food he eats. | 18The cursing that he wore like a coat, may it soak into his body like water, and into his bones like oil. |
| 19Now may his curses return and cling to him like clothing; may they be tied around him like a belt.” | 19May it be like a robe wrapped about him, like a belt tied forever around him. |
| 20May those curses become the LORD’s punishment for my accusers who speak evil of me. | 20May this be the LORD’s reward to my accusers, to those who speak evil against 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. | 21But You, O GOD, the Lord, deal kindly with me for the sake of Your name; deliver me by the goodness of Your loving devotion. |
| 22For I am poor and needy, and my heart is full of pain. | 22For I am poor and needy; my heart is wounded within me. |
| 23I am fading like a shadow at dusk; I am brushed off like a locust. | 23I am fading away like a lengthening shadow; I am shaken off like a locust. |
| 24My knees are weak from fasting, and I am skin and bones. | 24My knees are weak from fasting, and my body grows lean and gaunt. |
| 25I am a joke to people everywhere; when they see me, they shake their heads in scorn. | 25I am an object of scorn to my accusers; when they see me, they shake their heads. |
| 26Help me, O LORD my God! Save me because of your unfailing love. | 26Help me, O LORD my God; save me according to Your loving devotion. |
| 27Let them see that this is your doing, that you yourself have done it, LORD. | 27Let them know that this is Your hand, that You, O LORD, have done it. |
| 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! | 28Though they curse, You will bless. When they rise up, they will be put to shame, but Your servant will rejoice. |
| 29May my accusers be clothed with disgrace; may their humiliation cover them like a cloak. | 29May my accusers be clothed with disgrace; may they wear their shame like a robe. |
| 30But I will give repeated thanks to the LORD, praising him to everyone. | 30With my mouth I will thank the LORD profusely; I will praise Him in the presence of many. |
| 31For he stands beside the needy, ready to save them from those who condemn them. | 31For He stands at the right hand of the needy one, to save him from the condemners of his soul. |
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