A Prayer for Help against Enemies

¹ For the music director. A psalm of David.¹ O God of my praise, do not keep silent,

1. The Hebrew Bible counts the superscription as the first verse of the psalm

² for ⌞wicked and deceitful mouths⌟¹ have opened against me. They speak to me with a lying tongue.

1. Literally “a wicked mouth and a deceitful mouth”

³ They also surround me with words of hate, and fight me without cause.

⁴ In return for my love they accuse me, though I am in prayer.¹

1. Or perhaps “I have a plea of innocence”

⁵ So they inflicted evil against me in return for good and hatred in return for my love.

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

⁷ When he is judged, let him come out guilty, and let his prayer¹ become as sin.

1. Or perhaps “plea of innocence”

⁸ Let his days be few; let another take his office.

⁹ Let his children be orphans, and his wife a widow,

¹⁰ and let his children wander aimlessly and beg, and let them plead from their ruins.

¹¹ Let the creditor seize all that is his, and let strangers plunder his property.

¹² Let there be none who extend to him loyal love, nor any who pities his orphans.

¹³ Let his descendants¹ be cut off. Let their name be blotted out in the next generation.

1. Or “posterity”; Hebrew is singular

¹⁴ Let the iniquity of his ancestors¹ be remembered before Yahweh, and let the sin of his mother not be blotted out.

1. Or “fathers”

¹⁵ Let them be before Yahweh continually, that he may cut off their¹ memory from the earth,

1. That is, the family

¹⁶ because he did not remember to show loyal love, but he pursued anyone,¹ poor or needy or brokenhearted, to slay them.

1. Hebrew “a man”

¹⁷ Because he loved cursing, let it come upon him. Because he did not delight in blessing, let it be far from him.

¹⁸ Because he wore a curse as his robe, let it enter ⌞his body⌟¹ like water, and into his bones like oil.

1. Literally “his inward part”

¹⁹ May it be for him like a garment in which he wraps, and a belt ⌞he continually wears⌟.¹

1. Literally “continually he girds it”

²⁰ Let this be the punishment for my accusers from Yahweh, even those who speak evil against my life.

²¹ But you, O Yahweh my Lord, deal with me for your name’s sake. Because your loyal love is good, deliver me,

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

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

²⁴ My knees ⌞buckle⌟¹ from fasting, and my body grows lean without fat.

1. Literally “stumble”

²⁵ And so I am a disgrace to them; when they see me, they shake their heads.¹

1. Hebrew “head”

²⁶ Help me, O Yahweh my God; save me according to your loyal love,

²⁷ that they may know that this is your hand, that you, O Yahweh, you have done it.

²⁸ Let them curse, but you bless. When they arise, let them be put to shame, that your servant may be glad.

²⁹ Let my accusers put on disgrace, and let them cover themselves with their shame as with a robe.

³⁰ I will give thanks to Yahweh exceedingly with my mouth, and in the midst of many I will praise him,

³¹ for he stands at the right hand of the needy, to save him from those judging his life.¹

1. Or “soul”