1. O God, whom I praise, do not turn a deaf ear to me.
2. Wicked and deceitful people have opened their mouths against me.They speak against me with lying tongues.
3. They surround me with hateful words.They fight against me for no reason.
4. In return for my love, they accuse me,but I pray for them.
5. They reward me with evil instead of goodand with hatred instead of love.
6. ⌊I said,⌋ “Appoint the evil one to oppose him.Let Satan stand beside him.
7. When he stands trial,let him be found guilty.Let his prayer be considered sinful.
8. Let his days be few ⌊in number⌋.Let someone else take his position.
9. “Let his children become fatherless and his wife a widow.
10. Let his children wander around and beg.Let them seek help far from their ruined homes.
11. Let a creditor take everything he owns.Let strangers steal what he has worked for.
12. Let no one be kind to him anymore.Let no one show any pity to his fatherless children.
13. Let his descendants be cut offand their family name be wiped out by the next generation.
14. Let the Lord remember the guilt of his ancestorsand not wipe out his mother’s sin.
15. Let their guilt and sin always remain on recordin front of the Lord.Let the Lord remove every memory of him from the earth,
16. because he did not remember to be kind.“He drove oppressed, needy,and brokenhearted people to their graves.
17. He loved to put curses ⌊on others⌋,so he, too, was cursed.He did not like to bless ⌊others⌋,so he never received a blessing.
18. He wore cursing as though it were clothing,so cursing entered his body like waterand his bones like oil.
19. Let cursing be his clothing,a belt he always wears.”
20. This is how the Lord rewards those who accuse me,those who say evil things against me.