1 Keep silent no longer, O God of my praise, ♦
for the mouth of wickedness and treachery
is opened against me.
2 They have spoken against me with a lying tongue; ♦
they encompassed me with words of hatred
and fought against me without a cause.
3 In return for my love, they set themselves against me, ♦
even though I had prayed for them.
4 Thus have they repaid me with evil for good, ♦
and hatred for my good will.
5 They say, ‘Appoint a wicked man over him, ♦
and let an accuser stand at his right hand.
6 ‘When he is judged, let him be found guilty, ♦
and let his prayer be counted as sin.
and let another take his office.
8 ‘Let his children be fatherless ♦
and his wife become a widow.
9 ‘Let his children wander to beg their bread; ♦
let them seek it in desolate places.
10 ‘Let the creditor seize all that he has; ♦
let strangers plunder the fruit of his toil.
11 ‘Let there be no one to keep faith with him, ♦
or have compassion on his fatherless children.
12 ‘Let his line soon come to an end ♦
and his name be blotted out in the next generation.
13 ‘Let the wickedness of his fathers
be remembered before the Lord, ♦
and no sin of his mother be blotted out;
14 ‘Let their sin be always before the Lord, ♦
that he may root out their name from the earth;
15 ‘Because he was not minded to keep faith, ♦
but persecuted the poor and needy
and sought to kill the brokenhearted.
16 ‘He loved cursing and it came to him; ♦
he took no delight in blessing and it was far from him.
17 ‘He clothed himself with cursing as with a garment: ♦
it seeped into his body like water
and into his bones like oil;
18 ‘Let it be to him like the cloak
which he wraps around him ♦
and like the belt that he wears continually.’
19 Thus may the Lord repay my accusers ♦
and those who speak evil against me.
20 But deal with me, O Lord my God, according to your name; ♦
O deliver me, for sweet is your faithfulness.
21 For I am helpless and poor ♦
and my heart is disquieted within me.
22 I fade like a shadow that lengthens; ♦
I am shaken off like a locust.
23 My knees are weak through fasting ♦
and my flesh is dried up and wasted.
24 I have become a reproach to them; ♦
those who see me shake their heads in scorn.
25 Help me, O Lord my God; ♦
save me for your loving mercy’s sake,
26 And they shall know that this is your hand, ♦
that you, O Lord, have done it.
27 Though they curse, may you bless; ♦
let those who rise up against me be confounded,
but let your servant rejoice.
28 Let my accusers be clothed with disgrace ♦
and wrap themselves in their shame as in a cloak.
29 I will give great thanks to the Lord with my mouth; ♦
in the midst of the multitude will I praise him;
30 Because he has stood at the right hand of the needy, ♦
to save them from those who would condemn them.
Common Worship: Services and Prayers for the Church of England, material from which is included here,
is copyright © The Archbishops' Council 2000 and published by Church House Publishing.
Download the Reflections on the Psalms app
