Psalm 109 N.
Words: Sternhold and Hopkins, The Whole Book of Psalms Collected into English Metre
1 In speechless silence do not hold,
O God. thy tongue always,
E'en thou, O Lord, because thou art
the God of all my praise,
2 The wicked and the guileful mouths
on me disclosèd be,
And they with false and lying tongue
have spoken unto me,
3 They did beset me round about
with words of hateful spite;
Without all cause of my desert
against me they did fight.
4 For my good will they were my foes,
then I began to pray;
My good with ill, my friendliness
with hate they did repay.
5 Set thou the wicked over him,
to have the upper hand;
At his right hand; Lord, suffer thou
his, hateful foe-to stand,
6 When he is judgèd, let him then
condemn-ed be therein.
And let the pray'r that he doth make
be turn-ed into sin.
7 Few be his days, his charge also
let thou another take;
His children let be fatherless,
his wife a widow make:
8 His offspring let be vagabonds,
and ever beg their bread,
In places desolate and waste
let them seek to be fed.
9 Let covetous extortioners
get all his goods in store,
And let the stranger spoil the fruit
of all his toil before.
10 Let there be none to pity him,
let there be none at all
That on his children fatherless
will let their mercy fall.
The Second Part.
11 Let his posterity be quite
destroyed and never breed,
Their name out-blotted in the age
that after shall succeed.
12 Let not his father's wickedness
from God's remembrance fall;
And never let his mother's sin
be done away at all.
13 But in the presence of the Lord,
let them for ever stay,
That from the earth their memory
he may cut clean away:
14 Since mercy he forgot to show,
but did pursue with spite
The troubled man, and sought to slay
the woeful-hearted wight.
15 As he did cursing love, it shall
happen unto him so;
And as he did not blessing love,
far from him it shall go,
16 As he with cursing clad himself,
so it like water shall
Enter his bowels, and like oil
into his bones shall fall.
17 E'en as the garment let it be
to cover him withal,
And as a girdle wherewith he
always be girded shall.
18 Let this be the reward from God
of him that is my foe,
Yea, and of those that evil speak
against my soul also.
19 But thou, O Lord, that art my God,
deal graciously with me;
Deliver me for thy Name's sake,
for great thy mercies be;
20 Because in depth of great distress
I needy am and poor,
Also within my pained breast
my heart is wounded sore,
The Third Part.
21 E'en so do l depart away,
as doth declining shade;
And as the grasshopper, so I
am shaken off and fade.
22 With fasting long from needful food
my knees enfeebled are,
And all the fatness of my flesh
is gone with grief and care.
23 And I also a vile reproach
to them am made to be,
And they that did upon me look,
did shake their heads at me.
24 Help me therefore, O God, I pray,
my aid and succor be;
According to thy mercies great
save and deliver me.
25 And they shall know thereby, that this
is thy most mighty hand,
And that 'tis thou that hast it done
they welt shall understand,
26 Although they curse with spite, yet thou
shalt bless with loving voice
When they rose up, and come to shame,
thy servant shall rejoice.
27 Let them with shame be cloth-ed all
that are mine enemies,
And with confusion as a cloak
be coverèd likewise.
28 But greatly I will with my mouth
give thanks unto the Lord,
And I among the multitude
his praises will record,
29 For he with help at his right hand
will stand the poor man by,
To save him from the man that would
condemn his soul to die.
