New King James Version

English Standard Version

1To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David. Do not keep silent, O God of my praise!

1Be not silent, O God of my praise!

2For the mouth of the wicked and the mouth of the deceitful Have opened against me; They have spoken against me with a lying tongue.

2For wicked and deceitful mouths are opened against me, speaking against me with lying tongues.

3They have also surrounded me with words of hatred, And fought against me without a cause.

3They encircle me with words of hate, and attack me without cause.

4In return for my love they are my accusers, But I give myself to prayer.

4In return for my love they accuse me, but I give myself to prayer.

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

5So they reward me evil for good, and hatred for my love.

6Set a wicked man over him, And let an accuser stand at his right hand.

6Appoint a wicked man against him; let an accuser stand at his right hand.

7When he is judged, let him be found guilty, And let his prayer become sin.

7When he is tried, let him come forth guilty; let his prayer be counted as sin!

8Let his days be few, And let another take his office.

8May his days be few; may another take his office!

9Let his children be fatherless, And his wife a widow.

9May his children be fatherless and his wife a widow!

10Let his children continually be vagabonds, and beg; Let them seek their bread also from their desolate places.

10May his children wander about and beg, seeking food far from the ruins they inhabit!

11Let the creditor seize all that he has, And let strangers plunder his labor.

11May the creditor seize all that he has; may strangers plunder the fruits of his toil!

12Let there be none to extend mercy to him, Nor let there be any to favor his fatherless children.

12Let there be none to extend kindness to him, nor any to pity his fatherless children!

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

13May his posterity be cut off; may his name be blotted out in the second generation!

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

14May the iniquity of his fathers be remembered before the LORD, and let not the sin of his mother be blotted out!

15Let them be continually before the LORD, That He may cut off the memory of them from the earth;

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

16Because he did not remember to show mercy, But persecuted the poor and needy man, That he might even slay the broken in heart.

16For he did not remember to show kindness, but pursued the poor and needy and the brokenhearted, to put them to death.

17As he loved cursing, so let it come to him; As he did not delight in blessing, so let it be far from him.

17He loved to curse; let curses come upon him! He did not delight in blessing; may it be far from him!

18As he clothed himself with cursing as with his garment, So let it enter his body like water, And like oil into his bones.

18He clothed himself with cursing as his coat; may it soak into his body like water, like oil into his bones!

19Let it be to him like the garment which covers him, And for a belt with which he girds himself continually.

19May it be like a garment that he wraps around him, like a belt that he puts on every day!

20Let this be the LORD’s reward to my accusers, And to those who speak evil against my person.

20May this be the reward of my accusers from the LORD, of those who speak evil against my life!

21But You, O GOD the Lord, Deal with me for Your name’s sake; Because Your mercy is good, deliver me.

21But you, O GOD my Lord, deal on my behalf for your name’s sake; because your steadfast love is good, deliver me!

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

22For I am poor and needy, and my heart is stricken within me.

23I am gone like a shadow when it lengthens; I am shaken off like a locust.

23I am gone like a shadow at evening; I am shaken off like a locust.

24My knees are weak through fasting, And my flesh is feeble from lack of fatness.

24My knees are weak through fasting; my body has become gaunt, with no fat.

25I also have become a reproach to them; When they look at me, they shake their heads.

25I am an object of scorn to my accusers; when they see me, they wag their heads.

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

26Help me, O LORD my God! Save me according to your steadfast love!

27That they may know that this is Your hand— That You, LORD, have done it!

27Let them know that this is your hand; you, O LORD, have done it!

28Let them curse, but You bless; When they arise, let them be ashamed, But let Your servant rejoice.

28Let them curse, but you will bless! They arise and are put to shame, but your servant will be glad!

29Let my accusers be clothed with shame, And let them cover themselves with their own disgrace as with a mantle.

29May my accusers be clothed with dishonor; may they be wrapped in their own shame as in a cloak!

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

30With my mouth I will give great thanks to the LORD; I will praise him in the midst of the throng.

31For He shall stand at the right hand of the poor, To save him from those who condemn him.

31For he stands at the right hand of the needy one, to save him from those who condemn his soul to death.

The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.

ESV Text Edition: 2016. The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. The ESV® text has been reproduced in cooperation with and by permission of Good News Publishers. Unauthorized reproduction of this publication is prohibited. All rights reserved.