109 Prayer for Vindication and Vengeance

1 [To the chiefe Musician, A Psalme of Dauid.] Hold not thy peace, O God of my praise.

2 For the mouth of the wicked, and the mouth of the deceitfull are opened against mee: they haue spoken against me with a lying tongue.

3 They compassed mee about also with wordes of hatred: and fought against me without a cause.

4 For my loue, they are my aduersaries: but I giue my selfe vnto prayer.

5 And they haue rewarded me euill for good: and hatred for my loue.

6 Set thou a wicked man ouer him: and let Satan stand at his right hand.

7 When he shall be iudged, let him be condemned: and let his prayer become sinne.

8 Let his dayes be few: and let another take his office.

9 Let his children bee fatherlesse: and his wife a widow.

10 Let his children bee continually vagabonds, & begge: let them seeke their bread also out of their desolate places.

11 Let the extortioner catch all that he hath: and let the strangers spoile his labour.

12 Let there be none to extend mercy vnto him: neither let there be any to fauour his fatherlesse children.

13 Let his posteritie be cut off: and in the generation folowing let their name be blotted out.

14 Let the iniquitie of his fathers be remembred with the Lord: and let not the sinne of his mother be blotted out.

15 Let them be before the Lord continually: that he may cut off the memory of them from the earth.

16 Because that he remembred not to shew mercy, but persecuted the poore and needy man: that he might euen slay the broken in heart.

17 As he loued cursing, so let it come vnto him: as hee delighted not in blessing, so let it be farre from him.

18 As he clothed himselfe with cursing like as with his garment: so let it come into his bowels like water, and like oyle into his bones.

19 Let it be vnto him as the garment which couereth him: and for a girdle wherewith he is girded continually.

20 Let this be the reward of mine aduersaries from the Lord: and of them that speake euill against my soule.

21 But do thou for me, O God the Lord, for thy Names sake: because thy mercie is good: deliuer thou me.

22 For I am poore and needie: and my heart is wounded within me.

23 I am gone like the shadow, when it declineth: I am tossed vp and downe as the locust.

24 My knees are weake through fasting: and my flesh faileth of fatnesse.

25 I became also a reproch vnto them: when they looked vpon me, they shaked their heads.

26 Helpe me, O Lord my God: O saue me according to thy mercie.

27 That they may know, that this is thy hand: that thou, Lord, hast done it.

28 Let them curse, but blesse thou: when they arise, let them be ashamed, but let thy seruant reioyce.

29 Let mine aduersaries be clothed with shame: and let them couer them selues with their owne confusion, as with a mantle.

30 I will greatly praise the Lord with my mouth: yea I will praise him among the multitude.

31 For he shal stand at the right hand of the poore: to saue him from those that condemne his soule.

All scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16).

Agere Sequitur Esse