1 To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. Hold not thy peace, O God of my praise;

2 For the mouth of the wicked and the mouth of the deceitful are opened against me: they have spoken against me with a lying tongue.

<>vv. 2,6-7, <>a lying tongue

3 They compassed me about also with words of hatred; and fought against me without a cause.

<>without a cause

4 For my love they are my adversaries: but I give myself unto prayer.

<>vv. 4-5, <>they are my adversaries: but I give myself unto prayer

5 And they have rewarded me evil for good, and hatred for my love.

<>vv. 4-5

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

<>vv. 2,6-7, <>let Satan stand at his right hand

7 When he shall be judged, let him be condemned: and let his prayer become sin.

<>vv. 2,6-7, <>let his prayer become sin

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

<>Let his days be few, <>let another take his office

9 Let his children be fatherless, and his wife a widow.

<>v. 9, <>children, <>wife, <>widow

10 Let his children be continually vagabonds, and beg: let them seek their bread also out of their desolate places.

<>Let his children … beg

11 Let the extortioner catch all that he hath; and let the strangers spoil his labour.

<>extortioner, <>strangers

12 Let there be none to extend mercy unto him: neither let there be any to favour his fatherless children.

<>Let there be none to extend mercy unto him, <>neither let there be any to favour his fatherless children

13 Let his posterity be cut off; and in the generation following let their name be blotted out.

<>let their name be blotted out

14 Let the iniquity of his fathers be remembered with the LORD; and let not the sin of his mother be blotted out.

<>Let the iniquity of his fathers be remembered with the LORD

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

16 Because that he remembered not to shew mercy, but persecuted the poor and needy man, that he might even slay the broken in heart.

<>he remembered not to shew mercy, <>persecuted, <>the poor, <>needy, <>the broken in heart

17 As he loved cursing, so let it come unto him: as he delighted not in blessing, so let it be far from him.

<>As he loved cursing, so let it come unto him

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

<>cursing … let it come into his bowels like water

19 Let it be unto him as the garment which covereth him, and for a girdle wherewith he is girded continually.

<>girdle … girded

20 Let this be the reward of mine adversaries from the LORD, and of them that speak evil against my soul.

<>the reward … of them that speak evil against my soul, <>that speak evil

21 But do thou for me, O GOD the Lord, for thy name's sake: because thy mercy is good, deliver thou me.

<>thy mercy, <>deliver thou me

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

<>I am poor

23 I am gone like the shadow when it declineth: I am tossed up and down as the locust.

<>I am gone like the shadow when it declineth

24 My knees are weak through fasting; and my flesh faileth of fatness.

<>My knees are weak through fasting, <>My knees are weak

25 I became also a reproach unto them: when they looked upon me they shaked their heads.

26 Help me, O LORD my God: O save me according to thy mercy:

<>save me

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

28 Let them curse, but bless thou: when they arise, let them be ashamed; but let thy servant rejoice.

<>let them be ashamed, <>thy servant

29 Let mine adversaries be clothed with shame, and let them cover themselves with their own confusion, as with a mantle.

30 I will greatly praise the LORD with my mouth; yea, I will praise him among the multitude.

<>among the multitude

31 For he shall stand at the right hand of the poor, to save him from those that condemn his soul.