Psalm 109
1 Hold not thy peace, O God of my praise;
1 Hold not thy tongue, O | 3 God of my | praise; ||
for the mouth of the ungodly, yea, the mouth of the de- | 3 ceitful is | 3 opened up- | on me. ||
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.
2 And they have spoken against me with | false | tongues; ||
they compassed me about also with words of hatred, * and fought a- | 3 gainst me with- | out a | cause. ||
3 They compassed me about also with words of hatred; and fought against me without a cause.
3 For the love that I had unto them, lo, they take now my | contra•ry | part; ||
but I | 3 give myself | unto | prayer. ||
4 For my love they are my adversaries: but I give myself unto prayer.
4 Thus have they rewarded me | 3 evil for | good, ||
and | 3 hatred for | my good | will. ||
5 And they have rewarded me evil for good, and hatred for my love.
5 Set thou an ungodly man to be | ruler | over • him, ||
and let an adversary | stand at | his right | hand. ||
6 Set thou a wicked man over him: and let Satan stand at his right hand.
6 When sentence is given upon him, | let him • be con- | demned; ||
and let his | prayer be | turned • into | sin. ||
7 When he shall be judged, let him be condemned: and let his prayer become sin.
7 Let his days be few; and let an- | other • take his | office. ||
8 Let his children be | fatherless, • and his | wife a | widow. ||
8 Let his days be few; and let another take his office.
9 Let his children be fatherless, and his wife a widow.
9 Let his children be vagabonds, and | beg their | bread; ||
let them seek it | also • out of | deso•late | places. ||
10 Let his children be continually vagabonds, and beg: let them seek their bread also out of their desolate places.
10 Let the extortioner consume | 3 all that he | hath; ||
and let the | stranger | spoil his | labour. ||
11 Let the extortioner catch all that he hath; and let the strangers spoil his labour.
11 Let there be | no • man to | pity • him, ||
nor to have com- | passion up•on his | 3 fatherless | children. ||
12 Let there be none to extend mercy unto him: neither let there be any to favour his fatherless children.
12 Let his pos- | terity • be de- | stroyed; ||
and in the next generation let his | name be | clean put | out. ||
13 Let his posterity be cut off; and in the generation following let their name be blotted out.
13 Let the wickedness of his fathers be had in remembrance in the | sight • of the | Lord; ||
and let not the sin of his | 3 mother be | done a- | way. ||
14 Let the iniquity of his fathers be remembered with the Lord; and let not the sin of his mother be blotted out.
14 Let them alway be be- | fore the | Lord, ||
that he may root out the memorial of | them from | off the | earth; ||
15 Let them be before the Lord continually, that he may cut off the memory of them from the earth.
15 And that, because his mind was | not to • do | good; ||
but persecuted the poor helpless man, * that he might slay | 3 him that was | vexed • at the | heart. ||
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.
16 His delight was in cursing, 3 and | it shall | happen • unto him; ||
he loved not blessing, | therefore | 3 shall it be | far • from him. ||
17 As he loved cursing, so let it come unto him: as he delighted not in blessing, so let it be far from him.
17 He clothed himself with cursing | like as • with a | raiment, ||
and it shall come into his bowels like | water, and • like | oil in•to his | bones. ||
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.
18 Let it be unto him as the cloak that he | hath up- | on him, ||
and as the | girdle that • he is | alway | girded with•al. ||
19 Let it be unto him as the garment which covereth him, and for a girdle wherewith he is girded continually.
19 Let it thus happen from the Lord | 3 unto mine | ene•mies, ||
and to those that speak | 3 evil a- | gainst my | soul. ||
20 Let this be the reward of mine adversaries from the Lord, and of them that speak evil against my soul.
20 But deal thou with me, O Lord God, according unto thy Name; * for | 3 sweet is thy | mercy. ||
21 O deliver me, for I am helpless and poor, * and my | heart is | 3 wounded with- | in me. ||
21 But do thou for me, O God the Lord, for thy name's sake: because thy mercy is good, deliver thou me.
22 For I am poor and needy, and my heart is wounded within me.
22 I go hence like the | shadow • that de- | parteth, ||
and am | 3 driven a- | way • as the | grass•hopper. ||
23 I am gone like the shadow when it declineth: I am tossed up and down as the locust.
23 My knees are | weak through | fasting; ||
my flesh is dried | up for | want of | fatness. ||
24 My knees are weak through fasting; and my flesh faileth of fatness.
24 I am become | also • a re- | proach unto • them: ||
they that look up- | on me | shake their | heads. ||
25 I became also a reproach unto them: when they looked upon me they shaked their heads.
25 Help me, O | Lord my | God; ||
O | save • me ac- | cording • to thy | mercy; ||
26 Help me, O Lord my God: O save me according to thy mercy:
† 26 And | they shall | know ||
how that this is thy | hand, • and that | 3 thou, Lord, hast | done it. ||
27 That they may know that this is thy hand; that thou, Lord, hast done it.
27 Though they curse, | yet bless | thou; ||
and let them be confounded that rise up against me; * but | let thy | 3 servant re- | joice. ||
28 Let them curse, but bless thou: when they arise, let them be ashamed; but let thy servant rejoice.
28 Let mine adversaries be | clothed with | shame; ||
and let them cover themselves with their own con- | fusion, | as • with a | cloak. ||
29 Let mine adversaries be clothed with shame, and let them cover themselves with their own confusion, as with a mantle.
29 As for me, I will give great thanks unto the | Lord • with my | mouth, ||
and | praise • him a- | mong the | multi•tude; ||
30 I will greatly praise the Lord with my mouth; yea, I will praise him among the multitude.
30 For he shall stand at the right | hand • of the | poor, ||
to save his | soul • from un- | righteous | judges. ||
31 For he shall stand at the right hand of the poor, to save him from those that condemn his soul.
About the Pointing
The text of the Coverdale Psalter follows the 1928 American Book of Common Prayer. The pointing, suitably adapted, is taken from Charles Macpherson, Edward C. Bairstow, and Percy C. Buck, The English Psalter (Novello & Co., 1925).