The Song of the Slandered

1Holde not thy toge, o God of my prayse.

2For the mouth of the vngodly, yee and the mouth of the disceatfull is opened vpon me,

3and speake agaynst me with false toges. They compase me aboute with wordes of hatred, & fight agaynst me without a cause.

4For the loue that I had vnto them, they take now my contrary parte, but I geue my self vnto prayer.

5Thus they rewarde me euell for good, & hatred for my good will.

6Set an vngodly man to be ruler ouer him, & let Satan stonde at his right hande.

7When sentence is geuen vpon him, let him be codempned, and let his prayer be turned in to synne.

8Let his dayes be fewe, and his bishopricke another take.

9Let his children be fatherlesse, & his wife a wyddowe.

10Let his children be vagabundes, and begg their bred: let them seke it, as they that be destroyed.

11Let the extorcioner cosume all that he hath, and let straungers spoyle his laboure.

12Let there be no man to petie, ner to haue compassion vpon his fatherlesse children.

13Let his ende be destruccion, and in the nexte generacion let his name be clene put out.

14Let the wickednesse of his fathers be had in remembraunce in the sight of the LORDE, and let not the synne of his mother be done awaye.

15Let them be allwaye before the LORDE, but as for the memoriall of them selues, let it perish from out of the earth.

16And that because his mynde was not to do good, but persecuted the poore helplesse, and him that was vexed at the herte, to slaye him.

17His delite was in cursynge, and therfore shall it happe vnto him: he loued not blessynge, and that shall be farre fro him.

18He clothed him self with cursynge like as with a rayment: yee it wente in to his bowels like water, and like oyle in to his bones.

19Let it be vnto him as the cloke that he hath vpon him, and as the gyrdle that he is gyrded withall.

20Let it thus happen from the LORDE vnto myne enemies, and to those that speake euell agaynst my soule.

21But deale thou with me (o LORDE God) acordinge vnto thy name, for swete is thy mercy.

22O delyuer me, for I am helplesse & poore, & my herte is wounded within me,

23I go hence like ye shadowe that departeth, and am dryuen awaye as ye greshoppers.

24My knees are weake thorow fastinge, my flesh is dried vp for want of fatnesse.

25I am become a rebuke vnto them, they loke vpo me and shake their heades.

26Helpe me o LORDE my God, oh saue me for thy mercies sake.

27That they maye knowe, how that this is thy hande, and that thou hast done it.

28Though they curse, yet blesse thou: and let them be cofounded, that ryse vp agaynst me, but let thy seruaunt reioyse.

29Let myne aduersaries be clothed with their owne shame, as with a cloake.

30As for me, I wil geue thankes vnto the LORDE with my mouth, and prayse him amonge the multitude.

31For he stondeth at the right hande of the poore, to saue him from soch as condempne his soule.