Psalm 139:20
New International Version
They speak of you with evil intent; your adversaries misuse your name.

New Living Translation
They blaspheme you; your enemies misuse your name.

English Standard Version
They speak against you with malicious intent; your enemies take your name in vain.

Berean Standard Bible
who speak of You deceitfully; Your enemies take Your name in vain.

King James Bible
For they speak against thee wickedly, and thine enemies take thy name in vain.

New King James Version
For they speak against You wickedly; Your enemies take Your name in vain.

New American Standard Bible
For they speak against You wickedly, And Your enemies take Your name in vain.

NASB 1995
For they speak against You wickedly, And Your enemies take Your name in vain.

NASB 1977
For they speak against Thee wickedly, And Thine enemies take Thy name in vain.

Legacy Standard Bible
For they speak against You wickedly, And Your enemies take Your name in vain.

Amplified Bible
For they speak against You wickedly, Your enemies take Your name in vain.

Christian Standard Bible
who invoke you deceitfully. Your enemies swear by you falsely.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
who invoke You deceitfully. Your enemies swear by You falsely.

American Standard Version
For they speak against thee wickedly, And thine enemies take thy name in vain.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
Because they have spoken against you and they have taken your city without a cause!

Brenton Septuagint Translation
For thou wilt say concerning their thought, that they shall take thy cities in vain.

Contemporary English Version
They are always rebelling and speaking evil of you.

Douay-Rheims Bible
Because you say in thought: They shall receive thy cities in vain.

English Revised Version
For they speak against thee wickedly, and thine enemies take thy name in vain.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
They say wicked things about you. Your enemies misuse your name.

Good News Translation
They say wicked things about you; they speak evil things against your name.

International Standard Version
who speak against you with evil motives, your enemies who are acting in vain.

JPS Tanakh 1917
Who utter Thy name with wicked thought, They take it for falsehood, even Thine enemies--

Literal Standard Version
Who exchange You for wickedness, | Your enemies [are] lifted up to vanity.

Majority Standard Bible
who speak of You deceitfully; Your enemies take Your name in vain.

New American Bible
Your foes who conspire a plot against you are exalted in vain.

NET Bible
They rebel against you and act deceitfully; your enemies lie.

New Revised Standard Version
those who speak of you maliciously, and lift themselves up against you for evil!

New Heart English Bible
For they speak against you wickedly. Your enemies take your name in vain.

Webster's Bible Translation
For they speak against thee wickedly, and thy enemies take thy name in vain.

World English Bible
For they speak against you wickedly. Your enemies take your name in vain.

Young's Literal Translation
Who exchange Thee for wickedness, Lifted up to vanity are Thine enemies.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
You Have Searched Me and Known Me
19O God, that You would slay the wicked—away from me, you bloodthirsty men— 20who speak of You deceitfully; Your enemies take Your name in vain. 21Do I not hate those who hate You, O LORD, and detest those who rise against You?…

Cross References
Jude 1:15
to execute judgment on everyone, and to convict all the ungodly of every ungodly act of wickedness and every harsh word spoken against Him by ungodly sinners."

Exodus 20:7
You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not leave anyone unpunished who takes His name in vain.

Deuteronomy 5:11
You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not leave anyone unpunished who takes His name in vain.


Treasury of Scripture

For they speak against you wickedly, and your enemies take your name in vain.

for they speak

Psalm 73:8,9
They are corrupt, and speak wickedly concerning oppression: they speak loftily…

Psalm 74:18,22,23
Remember this, that the enemy hath reproached, O LORD, and that the foolish people have blasphemed thy name…

Job 21:14,15
Therefore they say unto God, Depart from us; for we desire not the knowledge of thy ways…

thine

Psalm 2:1-3
Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? …

Exodus 20:7
Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.

Jump to Previous
Adversaries Defy Designs Enemies Evil Exchange Falsehood Haters Intent Lift Maliciously Misuse Speak Sport Themselves Thought Utter Vain Vanity Wicked Wickedly Wickedness
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Adversaries Defy Designs Enemies Evil Exchange Falsehood Haters Intent Lift Maliciously Misuse Speak Sport Themselves Thought Utter Vain Vanity Wicked Wickedly Wickedness
Psalm 139
1. David praises God for his all-seeing providence
17. And for this infinite mercies
19. He defies the wicked
23. He prays for sincerity














(20) For they speak.--Better, Who rebel against thee. This is actually the reading of the fifth of the Greek translations preserved by Origen, and entails only a change of the vowel pointing.

And thine enemies.--The state of the text is unsatisfactory. The subject to the verb must be that of the last clause, and the rendering "enemies" of a word properly meaning cities is very doubtful, in spite of 1Samuel 28:16 (but Aquila has "rivals," and Symmachus" adversaries"), where there is also a textual correction required.

Of the various proposed emendations, the simplest produces

"And rise up against them in vain."

Verse 20. - For they speak against thee wickedly; literally, who speak of thee for wickedness; i.e. use thy Name for the accomplishment of wicked ends. And thine enemies take thy Name in vain. The text must be altered to produce this meaning. As it stands, it can only be rendered, "Thine enemies lift up [their scull to vanity" (comp. Psalm 24:4).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
who
אֲשֶׁ֣ר (’ă·šer)
Pronoun - relative
Strong's 834: Who, which, what, that, when, where, how, because, in order that

invoke You
יֹ֭אמְרֻךָ (yō·mə·ru·ḵā)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine plural | second person masculine singular
Strong's 559: To utter, say

with deceit;
לִמְזִמָּ֑ה (lim·zim·māh)
Preposition-l | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 4209: A plan, evil, sometimes good

Your enemies
עָרֶֽיךָ׃ (‘ā·re·ḵā)
Noun - masculine plural construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 6145: Perhaps adversary

take
נָשֻׂ֖א (nā·śu)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 5375: To lift, carry, take

[Your name] in vain.
לַשָּׁ֣וְא (laš·šāw)
Preposition-l, Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 7723: Evil, idolatry, uselessness


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OT Poetry: Psalm 139:20 For they speak against you wickedly (Psalm Ps Psa.)
Psalm 139:19
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