Psalm 109

O Thou the God whom still I praise,
to help me do not cease,
When wicked men against me speak,
do not thou hold thy peace.
The wicked and deceitful mouths
against me opened be,
And with a false and lying tongue
they have accused me.

They did beset me round about
with words of hateful spight,
And though to them I gave no cause,
against me they do fight.
They for my love became my foes,
But I did only pray;
Evil for good, and hate for love
they to me did repay.

Set thou the wicked over him,
and ev'n at his right hand
Set thou his greatest enemy
Satan himself to stand.
And when by thee he shall be judg'd,
condemned let him bee,
And let his prayer turn to sin
which he shall make to thee.

Few be his days, and after him
his charge let others take.
His children let be fatherlesse,
his wife a widow make.
Yea, let his seed be vagabonds,
and beg continually,
And from their places desolate
seek bread for their supply.

Let covetous extortioners
take all his goods away,
Of all, for which he laboured,
let strangers make a prey.
Let none shew mercy unto him,
let there be none at all
That on his children fatherlesse
will let his mercy fall.

The Second Part.

Let his posterity from the earth
cut off for ever bee,
And in the following age his name
be blotted out by thee.
Let not his fathers wickednesse
from Gods remembrance fall,
And his own mothers sin let not
be blotted out at all.

But let them in the sight of God
appear continually,
That he may wholly from the earth
cut off their memory.
Sith mercy he forgat to shew,
and did pursue with spight
The poor weak man, that him whose heart
was broken slay he might.

As he did bitter cursing love,
so let it on him fall,
Let blessing be far from him, as
it pleas'd him not at all.
As he with cursing cloth'd himself
as with clothes, let it so
Into his bowels and his bones
like oil and water go.

As his garment that covers him,
so let it to him be,
And as a girdle wherewith girt
continually is he.
This the reward be from the Lord
unto mine enemies,
Who evil speak against my soul
and mischief do devise.

The Third part.

But for thy names sake, O my God,
and Lord, do thou for me,
From my distresse deliver me,
for good thy mercies be.
Because I needy am and poor,
and without help distrest,
And my afflicted broken heart
is wounded in my breast.

Like to the shadow that declines
so I away do go,
And as the locust with the wind
am tossed to and fro.
My trembling knees are weak and faint,
because I long do fast,
The fatnesse of my flesh is gone,
I do consume and waste.

And I a vile reproach and scorn
by them was made to be,
And they that did upon me look
did shake their heads at me.
But thou, O Lord, that art my God,
save and deliver me,
According to thy mercy, Lord,
mine aid and succour be.

That all men may see and confesse
that this is thine own hand,
And that thou, Lord, hast this perform'd,
they all may understand.
Whom they curse, do thou blesse, and when
they rise up against me,
Let them be made ashamed, but
let me rejoice in thee.

Let them be clothed all with shame
that enemies are to me,
Let their contention as a cloak
to them a covering be.
But with my mouth I greatly will
praise and advance the Lord,
Yea, I among the multitude
his praises will record.

For at the right hand of the poor
he shall stand up to save
Him from the cruel hands of those
that him condemned have.