Psalms 109
109
God, It’s Time for Vengeance
To the Pure and Shining One
A poetic song by King David
1God of all my praise, don’t stand silently by, aloof to my pain,
2while the wicked slander me with their lies.
Even right in front of my face they lie through their teeth.
3I’ve done nothing to them, but they still surround me
with their venomous words of hatred and vitriol.
4Though I love them, they stand accusing me like Satan
for what I’ve never done.
I will pray until I become prayer itself. # 109:4 In the face of accusation and slander, David wrote in Hebrew literally “I am prayer!”
5They continually repay me with evil when I show them good.
They give me hatred when I show them love.
6-7Show him how it feels! Let accusing liars be raised up against him,
like Satan himself standing right next to him.
And let him be declared guilty by a wicked judge.
May even his prayers be seen as sinful!
8Shorten his life and let another replace him!
9Make his wife a widow and his children orphans!
10Let them wander as beggars in the street,
like homeless vagabonds, evicted from their ruins!
11Let the creditors seize his entire estate,
and strangers, like vultures, take all that’s left!
12Let no one be kind to him by showing pity to his fatherless children!
13May all his posterity die with him! Cut down his family tree!
14-15And may all the sins of his ancestors be recorded,
remembered before you, forever!
Cut off even the memory of his family from the face of the earth,
16because he never once showed love or kindness to others,
but persecuted the poor, the brokenhearted, and afflicted ones,
even putting them to death!
17Since he enjoyed cursing them,
may all his curses now come raining back on him
until it all overwhelms him with misfortune!
Since he refused to bless others,
God, withhold every single blessing from him!
18Bitterness, such vile vindictiveness, was upon everything he did.
Cursing was his lifestyle.
19-20So smother him now with his own curses as his just reward.
This will be the Lord’s punishment upon him and
all my lying accusers who speak evil against me.
21But now, O Yahweh-God, make yourself real to me
like you promised me you would. # 109:21 The Hebrew text reads “for your name’s sake.”
Because of your constant love and your heart-melting kindness, come be my hero and deliver me!
22I’m so broken, needy and hurting.
My heart is pierced through and I’m so wounded.
23I’m slipping down a dark slope, shaken to the core, and helpless.
24All my fasting has left me so weak I can hardly stand.
Now I’m shriveled up, nothing but skin and bones.
25I’m the example of failure and shame to all who see me.
They just walk by me, shaking their heads.
26You have to help me, O Lord God!
My true hero, come to my rescue and save me,
for you are loving and kind.
27Then everyone will know that you have won my victory,
and they will all say to the Lord, “You have finished it!”
28So let them curse me if they want,
but I know you will bless me!
All their efforts to destroy me will fail,
but I will succeed and be glad.
29So let my Satan-like accusers fail!
Make them look ridiculous if they try to come against me.
Clothe them with a robe of guilty shame from this day on!
30But I will give my thanks to you over and over,
and everyone will hear my lavish praises.
31For you stand right next to the broken ones
as their saving hero to rescue them from all their accusers!
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Psalms 109: TPT
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Learn More About The Passion TranslationPsalms 109
109
For the music director. A psalm of David.
1God, the one I praise, please don't remain silent,
2because wicked and deceitful people are attacking me, telling lies about me.
3They surround me with words of hate, fighting against me for no reason.
4I love them, but they respond with hostility towards me, even while I'm praying for them!
5They pay me back with evil instead of good, with hatred instead of love.#109:5. There is a change between verse 5 and 6. The psalmist has been referring to his enemies as “they,” but from verses 6 to 19, the person being addressed is “he.” While there is no indication in the text that a different person is speaking, it seems very likely that the psalmist is quoting the words of his enemies against him. (Quotation marks were not a part of ancient punctuation.) This is the more compelling when the content of what is being said is examined. While writers of the psalms certainly do condemn their enemies and call on God to act against them, in no other psalm is there a request for inappropriate action such as the perversion of justice in rendering a guilty verdict, or counting prayers as sins. In addition the context provided by verses 1 to 5 reveals that the whole theme is one of lies and deceit practiced by the psalmist's enemies. For these reasons verses 6 to 19 are placed in quotation marks here, believing that these words originate with those who are accusing the psalmist.
6“Appoint someone wicked over him.#109:6. This may refer to the appointment of an unjust judge to hear the case. Have someone stand as an accuser against him.
7When he is judged and sentenced, may he be found guilty. Let his prayers be counted as sins.
8May his life be short; let someone else take over his position.
9May his children be left fatherless, and his wife become a widow.
10May his children be homeless, wandering beggars, driven from their ruined houses.
11May creditors seize all that he owns; may strangers take all that he worked for.
12May no one be kind to him; may no one take pity on his fatherless children.
13May his descendants die; may his family name be wiped out in the next generation.
14May the Lord be reminded of the sins of his fathers; may his mother's sins not be blotted out.
15May their sins be constantly before the Lord; may his name be totally forgotten by people.
16For he didn't think to be kind to others, instead he harassed and killed the poor, the needy, the brokenhearted.
17He loved to put a curse on others—let it come back on him. He had no time for blessings—so may he never receive any.
18He cursed as often as he got dressed. May his curses go into him like the water he drinks, like the olive oil he rubs on his skin that enters his bones.
19May his curses stick to him like clothing, may they be pulled tight around him like a belt.”
20May all this be the punishment of the Lord on my enemies, on those who speak evil of me.#109:20. In this verse the psalmist returns to speaking of his enemies, and wishes all that has been said rebounds upon them.
21But treat me well, Lord God, because of your own reputation. Save me because you are faithful and good.
22For I am poor and needy, and my heart is breaking.
23I am fading away like an evening shadow; I am like a locust that is shaken off.
24I am so weak from lack of food that my legs give way; my body is just skin and bones.
25People ridicule me—they look at me and shake their heads!
26Help me, Lord my God; save me because of your trustworthy love.
27May they recognize that this is what you are doing—that you are the one who saves me.
28When they curse me, you will bless me. When they attack me, you will defeat them. And I, your servant, will be happy.
29May those who accuse me be clothed with disgrace; may they cover themselves with a cloak of shame.
30But I will keep on thanking the Lord, praising him to everyone around me.
31For he takes a stand to defend the needy, to save them from those who condemn them.
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Dr. Jonathan Gallagher. Released under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 Unported License. Version 4.3. For corrections send email to jonathangallagherfbv@gmail.com