New English [1970], THE NEW ENGLISH BIBLE (OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS; CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS, CAMBRIDGE) [word count] [B16000].
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109
1 O God of my praise, be silent no longer,
2 for wicked men heap calumnies upon me.
They have lied to my face
3 and ringed me round with words of hate.
They have attacked me without a cause note
4 and accused me though I have done nothing unseemly. note
5 They have repaid me evil for good
and hatred in return for my love.
6 They say, ‘Put up some rascal to denounce him,
an accuser to stand at his right side.’
7 But when judgement is given, that rascal will be exposed
and his follies accounted a sin.
8 May his days be few;
may his hoarded wealth note fall to another!
9 May his children be fatherless,
his wife a widow!
10 May his children be vagabonds and beggars,
driven from their homes!
11 May the money-lender distrain on all his goods
and strangers seize his earnings!
12 May none remain loyal to him,
and none have mercy on his fatherless children!
13 May his line be doomed to extinction,
may their name be wiped out within a generation!
14 May the sins of his forefathers be remembered note
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Book 5
and his mother's wickedness never be wiped out!
15 May they remain on record before the Lord,
but may he extinguish their name from the earth!
16 For that man never set himself
to be loyal to his friend
but persecuted the downtrodden and the poor
and hounded the broken-hearted to their death.
17 Curses he loved: may the curse fall on him!
He took no pleasure in blessing: may no blessing be his!
18 He clothed himself in cursing like a garment:
may it seep into his body like water
and into his bones like oil!
19 May it wrap him round like the clothes he puts on,
like the belt which he wears every day!
20 May the Lord so requite my accusers
and those who speak evil against me!
21 But thou, O Lord God,
deal with me as befits thy honour;
in note the goodness of thy unfailing love deliver me,
22 for I am downtrodden and poor,
and my heart within me is distracted.
23 I fade like a passing shadow,
I am shaken off like a locust.
24 My knees are weak with fasting
and my flesh wastes away, so meagre is my fare.
25 I have become the victim of their taunts;
when they see me they toss their heads.
26 Help me, O Lord my God;
save me, by thy unfailing love,
27 that men may know this is thy doing
and thou alone, O Lord, hast done it.
28 They may curse, but thou dost bless;
may my opponents be put to shame, note
but may thy servant rejoice!
29 May my accusers be clothed with dishonour,
wrapped in their shame as in a cloak!
30 I will lift up my voice to extol the Lord,
and before a great company I will praise him.
31 For he stands at the poor man's right side
to save him from his adversaries. note
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Book 5
New English [1970], THE NEW ENGLISH BIBLE (OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS; CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS, CAMBRIDGE) [word count] [B16000].
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