For the music director, a psalm of David.
1O God whom I praise, do not ignore me!
2For they say cruel and deceptive things to me;they lie to me.
3They surround me and say hateful things;they attack me for no reason.
4They repay my love with accusations,but I continue to pray.
5They repay me evil for good,and hate for love.
6Appoint an evil man to testify against him!May an accuser stand at his right side!
7When he is judged, he will be found guilty!Then his prayer will be regarded as sinful.
8May his days be few!May another take his job!
9May his children be fatherless,and his wife a widow!
10May his children roam around begging,asking for handouts as they leave their ruined home!
11May the creditor seize all he owns!May strangers loot his property!
12May no one show him kindness!May no one have compassion on his fatherless children!
13May his descendants be cut off!May the memory of them be wiped out by the time the next generation arrives!
14May his ancestors’ sins be remembered by the Lord!May his mother’s sin not be forgotten!
15May the Lord be constantly aware of them,and cut off the memory of his children from the earth!
16For he never bothered to show kindness;he harassed the oppressed and needy,and killed the disheartened.
17He loved to curse others, so those curses have come upon him.He had no desire to bless anyone, so he has experienced no blessings.
18He made cursing a way of life,so curses poured into his stomach like waterand seeped into his bones like oil.
19May a curse attach itself to him, like a garment one puts on,or a belt one wears continually!
20May the Lord repay my accusers in this way,those who say evil things about me!
21O sovereign Lord,intervene on my behalf for the sake of your reputation!Because your loyal love is good, deliver me!
22For I am oppressed and needy,and my heart beats violently within me.
23I am fading away like a shadow at the end of the day;I am shaken off like a locust.
24I am so starved my knees shake;I have turned into skin and bones.
25I am disdained by them.When they see me, they shake their heads.
26Help me, O Lord my God!Because you are faithful to me, deliver me!
27Then they will realize this is your work,and that you, Lord, have accomplished it.
28They curse, but you will bless.When they attack, they will be humiliated,but your servant will rejoice.
29My accusers will be covered with shame,and draped in humiliation as if it were a robe.
30I will thank the Lord profusely,in the middle of a crowd I will praise him,
31because he stands at the right hand of the needy,to deliver him from those who threaten his life.