O God, Do Not Be Silent
For the choir director. Of David. A Psalm.
O aGod of my praise,
bDo not be silent!
2 For they have opened a wicked mouth and a adeceitful mouth against me;
They have spoken to me with a blying tongue.
3 They have also surrounded me with words of hatred,
And fought against me awithout cause.
4 In return afor my love they accuse me;
But bI am in prayer.
5 Thus they have aset upon me evil for good
And bhatred for my love.
6 Appoint a wicked man over him,
And let an aaccuser stand at his right hand.
7 When he is judged, let him acome forth a wicked man,
And let his bprayer become sin.
8 Let ahis days be few;
Let banother take his office.
9 Let his asons be orphans
And his bwife a widow.
10 Let his asons wander aimlessly and beg;
And let them bsearch for food from their ruined homes.
11 Let athe creditor seize all that he has,
And let bstrangers plunder the fruit of his labor.
12 Let there be none to aextend lovingkindness to him,
And blet there be none to be gracious to his orphans.
13 Let those who afollow him be cut off;
In a following generation let their bname be blotted out.
14 Let athe iniquity of his fathers be remembered before Yahweh,
And let not the sin of his mother be bblotted out.
15 Let athem be before Yahweh continually,
That He may bcut off their memory from the earth;
16 Because he did not remember to show lovingkindness,
But persecuted the aafflicted, the needy man,
And the bdisheartened to cput them to death.
17 He also loved cursing, so ait came to him;
And he did not delight in blessing, so it was far from him.
18 But he aclothed himself with cursing as his garment,
And it bcame into his inward parts like water
And like oil into his bones.
19 Let it be to him as aa garment with which he wraps himself,
And for a belt with which he constantly bgirds himself.
20 This is the areward of my accusers from Yahweh,
And of those who bspeak evil against my soul.
21 But as for You, O Yahweh, O Lord, deal with me afor Your name’s sake;
Because bYour lovingkindness is good, deliver me;
22 For aI am afflicted and needy,
And my heart is bpierced within me.
23 I am passing alike a shadow when it is stretched out;
I am shaken off blike the locust.
24 My aknees are feeble from bfasting,
And my flesh has grown lean, without fatness.
25 As for me, I have become a areproach to them;
They see me, they bwag their head.
26 aHelp me, O Yahweh my God;
Save me according to Your lovingkindness.
27 And let them aknow that this is Your hand;
You, O Yahweh, have done it.
28 aLet them curse, but You bless;
They arise and will be put to shame,
But Your bslave shall be glad.
29 Let amy accusers be clothed with dishonor,
And let them bwrap themselves with their own shame as with a robe.
30 With my mouth I will give thanks abundantly to Yahweh;
And in the midst of many aI will praise Him.
31 For He stands aat the right hand of the needy,
To save him from those who bjudge his soul.