The Song of the Slandered

1To the chiefe musition, a psalme of Dauid. Holde not thy tongue: O thou the Lorde of my prayse.

2For the mouth of the vngodly and the mouth of the deceiptfull is opened vpon me: they haue spoken against me with a false tongue.

3And they haue compassed me about with hatefull wordes: and fought against me without a cause.

4For the loue that I bare vnto them, they are become mine aduersaries: but I geue my selfe vnto prayer.

5Thus haue they rewarded me euyll for good: and hatred for my good wyll.

6Set thou an vngodly man to be ruler ouer him: and let Satan stande at his right hande.

7When sentence is geuen vpon hym, let him be condemned: and let his prayer be turned into sinne.

8Let his dayes be fewe: and let another take his office.

9Let his chyldren be fatherlesse: and his wyfe a wydowe.

10Let his children be vagaboundes and go a begging: and let them seeke foode out of their barren groundes.

11Let the extortioner bryng into his snare all that he hath: and let straungers spoyle his labour.

12Let there be no man to shewe hym any gentlenes: nor to haue compassion vpon his fatherlesse children.

13Let his posteritie come to destruction: and in the next generation let his name be cleane put out.

14Let the wyckednes of his fathers be had in remembraunce in the sight of God: and let not the sinne of his mother be wyped away.

15Let them be alway before God: that he may roote out the memorial of them from the earth.

16Because that he remembred not to do good: but he persecuted the afflicted and poore man, and hym whose heart was broken with sorow, that he might take his life from hym.

17His delight was in cursing, and it shal happen vnto him: he loued not blessing, therfore it hath ben farre from him.

18He clothed hym selfe with cursing, as with his garment: and it hath entred into his bowels like water, and like oyle into his bones.

19Let it be vnto hym as the garment that he is wrapt in: and as the gyrdle that he is alway gyrded withall.

20Let this rewarde be from God vnto myne aduersaries: and vnto those that speake euill against my soule.

21But thou O God my Lorde, do vnto me according vnto thy name: for sweete is thy mercy.

22Deliuer me, for truely I am afflicted: and I am poore, and my heart is wounded within me.

23I passe away like a vading shadowe: and I am dryuen from place to place lyke the grashopper.

24My knees are weake through fasting: my fleshe is dryed vp for want of fatnesse.

25I am become also a reproche vnto them: they gase vpon me and they shake their head.

26Helpe me O my Lorde: oh saue me according to thy mercy.

27And let the know how that this is thy hande: & that thou O God hast done it.

28They will curse, but thou wylt blesse: they wyl rise vp against me but let them be confounded, and thy seruaunt wyll reioyce.

29Let mine aduersaries be clothed with shame: & let them couer the selues with their owne cofusion, as with a garment.

30As for me I will greatly prayse God with my mouth: and I wyll prayse hym among the multitude.

31For he wyll stande at the right hande of the poore: to saue him from the iudges of his soule.