¹O God of my praise, Do not be silent! ²For they have opened the wicked and deceitful mouth against me; They have spoken against 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 act as my accusers; But I am in prayer. ⁵Thus they have repaid 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 guilty, And let his prayer become sin. ⁸Let his days be few; Let another take his office. ⁹Let his children be fatherless And his wife a widow. ¹⁰Let his children wander about and beg; And let them seek sustenance far from their ruined homes. ¹¹Let the creditor seize all that he has, And let strangers plunder the product of his labor. ¹²Let there be none to extend lovingkindness to him, Nor any to be gracious to his fatherless children. ¹³Let his posterity be cut off; In a following generation let their name be blotted out. ¹⁴Let the iniquity of his fathers be remembered before the LORD, And do not let the sin of his mother be blotted out. ¹⁵Let them be before the LORD continually, That He may cut off their memory from the earth; ¹⁶Because he did not remember to show lovingkindness, But persecuted the afflicted and needy man, And the despondent in heart, 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 with his garment, And it entered into his body like water And like oil into his bones. ¹⁹Let it be to him as a garment with which he covers himself, And for a belt with which he constantly girds himself. ²⁰Let this be the reward of my accusers from the LORD, And of those who speak evil against my soul. ²¹But You, O GOD, the Lord, deal kindly with me for Your name's sake; Because Your lovingkindness is good, deliver me; ²²For I am afflicted and needy, And my heart is wounded within me. ²³I am passing like a shadow when it lengthens; I am shaken off like the locust. ²⁴My knees are weak from fasting, And my flesh has grown lean, without fatness. ²⁵I also have become a reproach to them; When they see me, they wag their head. ²⁶Help me, O LORD my God; Save me according to Your lovingkindness. ²⁷And let them know that this is Your hand; You, LORD, have done it. ²⁸Let them curse, but You bless; When they arise, they shall be ashamed, But Your servant shall be glad. ²⁹Let my accusers be clothed with dishonor, And let them cover themselves with their own shame as with a robe. ³⁰With my mouth I will give thanks abundantly to the LORD; 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.

Let this be the reward of my accusers from the LORD, And of those who speak evil against my soul. But You, O GOD, the Lord, deal kindly with me for Your name's sake; Because Your lovingkindness is good, deliver me; For I am afflicted and needy, And my heart is wounded within me.