MAY GOD BLESS WHEN PEOPLE CURSE
Passage: Psalm 109:1~31  
Key verse: 4
Psalm 109For the director of music. Of David. A psalm.
1 My God, whom I praise,(A)
do not remain silent,(B)
2 for people who are wicked and deceitful(C)
have opened their mouths against me;
they have spoken against me with lying tongues.(D)
3 With words of hatred(E) they surround me;
they attack me without cause.(F)
4 In return for my friendship they accuse me,
but I am a man of prayer.(G)
5 They repay me evil for good,(H)
and hatred for my friendship.
6 Appoint someone evil to oppose my enemy;
let an accuser(I) stand at his right hand.
7 When he is tried, let him be found guilty,(J)
and may his prayers condemn(K) him.
8 May his days be few;(L)
may another take his place(M) of leadership.
9 May his children be fatherless
and his wife a widow.(N)
10 May his children be wandering beggars;(O)
may they be driven[a] from their ruined homes.
11 May a creditor(P) seize all he has;
may strangers plunder(Q) the fruits of his labor.(R)
12 May no one extend kindness to him
or take pity(S) on his fatherless children.
13 May his descendants be cut off,(T)
their names blotted out(U) from the next generation.
14 May the iniquity of his fathers(V) be remembered before the Lord;
may the sin of his mother never be blotted out.
15 May their sins always remain before(W) the Lord,
that he may blot out their name(X) from the earth.
16 For he never thought of doing a kindness,
but hounded to death the poor
and the needy(Y) and the brokenhearted.(Z)
17 He loved to pronounce a curse—
may it come back on him.(AA)
He found no pleasure in blessing—
may it be far from him.
18 He wore cursing(AB) as his garment;
it entered into his body like water,(AC)
into his bones like oil.
19 May it be like a cloak wrapped(AD) about him,
like a belt tied forever around him.
20 May this be the Lord’s payment(AE) to my accusers,
to those who speak evil(AF) of me.
21 But you, Sovereign Lord,
help me for your name’s sake;(AG)
out of the goodness of your love,(AH) deliver me.(AI)
22 For I am poor and needy,
and my heart is wounded within me.
23 I fade away like an evening shadow;(AJ)
I am shaken off like a locust.
24 My knees give(AK) way from fasting;(AL)
my body is thin and gaunt.(AM)
25 I am an object of scorn(AN) to my accusers;
when they see me, they shake their heads.(AO)
26 Help me,(AP) Lord my God;
save me according to your unfailing love.
27 Let them know(AQ) that it is your hand,
that you, Lord, have done it.
28 While they curse,(AR) may you bless;
may those who attack me be put to shame,
but may your servant rejoice.(AS)
29 May my accusers be clothed with disgrace
and wrapped in shame(AT) as in a cloak.
1 My God, whom I praise,(A)
do not remain silent,(B)
2 for people who are wicked and deceitful(C)
have opened their mouths against me;
they have spoken against me with lying tongues.(D)
3 With words of hatred(E) they surround me;
they attack me without cause.(F)
4 In return for my friendship they accuse me,
but I am a man of prayer.(G)
5 They repay me evil for good,(H)
and hatred for my friendship.
6 Appoint someone evil to oppose my enemy;
let an accuser(I) stand at his right hand.
7 When he is tried, let him be found guilty,(J)
and may his prayers condemn(K) him.
8 May his days be few;(L)
may another take his place(M) of leadership.
9 May his children be fatherless
and his wife a widow.(N)
10 May his children be wandering beggars;(O)
may they be driven[a] from their ruined homes.
11 May a creditor(P) seize all he has;
may strangers plunder(Q) the fruits of his labor.(R)
12 May no one extend kindness to him
or take pity(S) on his fatherless children.
13 May his descendants be cut off,(T)
their names blotted out(U) from the next generation.
14 May the iniquity of his fathers(V) be remembered before the Lord;
may the sin of his mother never be blotted out.
15 May their sins always remain before(W) the Lord,
that he may blot out their name(X) from the earth.
16 For he never thought of doing a kindness,
but hounded to death the poor
and the needy(Y) and the brokenhearted.(Z)
17 He loved to pronounce a curse—
may it come back on him.(AA)
He found no pleasure in blessing—
may it be far from him.
18 He wore cursing(AB) as his garment;
it entered into his body like water,(AC)
into his bones like oil.
19 May it be like a cloak wrapped(AD) about him,
like a belt tied forever around him.
20 May this be the Lord’s payment(AE) to my accusers,
to those who speak evil(AF) of me.
21 But you, Sovereign Lord,
help me for your name’s sake;(AG)
out of the goodness of your love,(AH) deliver me.(AI)
22 For I am poor and needy,
and my heart is wounded within me.
23 I fade away like an evening shadow;(AJ)
I am shaken off like a locust.
24 My knees give(AK) way from fasting;(AL)
my body is thin and gaunt.(AM)
25 I am an object of scorn(AN) to my accusers;
when they see me, they shake their heads.(AO)
26 Help me,(AP) Lord my God;
save me according to your unfailing love.
27 Let them know(AQ) that it is your hand,
that you, Lord, have done it.
28 While they curse,(AR) may you bless;
may those who attack me be put to shame,
but may your servant rejoice.(AS)
29 May my accusers be clothed with disgrace
and wrapped in shame(AT) as in a cloak.
Footnotes
- Psalm 109:10 Septuagint; Hebrew sought
Cross references
- Psalm 109:1 : S Ex 15:2; Jer 17:14
- Psalm 109:1 : S Job 34:29
- Psalm 109:2 : S Ps 43:1
- Psalm 109:2 : S Ps 52:4
- Psalm 109:3 : Ps 69:4
- Psalm 109:3 : Ps 35:7; Jn 15:25
- Psalm 109:4 : Ps 69:13; 141:5
- Psalm 109:5 : S Ge 44:4
- Psalm 109:6 : 1Ch 21:1; Job 1:6; Zec 3:1
- Psalm 109:7 : Ps 1:5
- Psalm 109:7 : Pr 28:9; Isa 41:24
- Psalm 109:8 : S Job 15:32
- Psalm 109:8 : Ac 1:20*
- Psalm 109:9 : Ex 22:24; Jer 18:21
- Psalm 109:10 : S Ge 4:12
- Psalm 109:11 : Ne 5:3
- Psalm 109:11 : S Nu 14:3; Isa 1:7; 6:11; 36:1; La 5:2
- Psalm 109:11 : Job 20:18
- Psalm 109:12 : S Job 5:4
- Psalm 109:13 : Job 18:19; Ps 21:10
- Psalm 109:13 : S Nu 14:12; Ps 9:5; Pr 10:7
- Psalm 109:14 : Ex 20:5; Nu 14:18; Isa 65:6-7; Jer 32:18
- Psalm 109:15 : Ps 90:8
- Psalm 109:15 : S Ex 17:14; S Dt 32:26
- Psalm 109:16 : S Job 20:19; S Ps 35:10
- Psalm 109:16 : S Ps 34:18
- Psalm 109:17 : Pr 28:27; S Mt 7:2
- Psalm 109:18 : Ps 10:7
- Psalm 109:18 : Nu 5:22
- Psalm 109:19 : ver 29; Ps 73:6; Eze 7:27
- Psalm 109:20 : S Ex 32:34; Ps 54:5; 94:23; Isa 3:11; 2Ti 4:14
- Psalm 109:20 : Ps 71:10
- Psalm 109:21 : S Ex 9:16; S Ps 23:3
- Psalm 109:21 : Ps 69:16
- Psalm 109:21 : S Ps 3:7
- Psalm 109:23 : S Job 14:2
- Psalm 109:24 : Heb 12:12
- Psalm 109:24 : S Ps 35:13
- Psalm 109:24 : S Job 16:8
- Psalm 109:25 : S Ps 22:6
- Psalm 109:25 : S Job 16:4; S Mt 27:39; Mk 15:29
- Psalm 109:26 : Ps 12:1; 119:86
- Psalm 109:27 : S Job 37:7
- Psalm 109:28 : S 2Sa 16:12
- Psalm 109:28 : Ps 66:4; Isa 35:10; 51:11; 54:1; 65:14
- Psalm 109:29 : S Ps 35:26
- Psalm 109:30 : S Ps 35:18
- Psalm 109:31 : Ps 16:8; 108:6
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Source:  BibleGateway
The apostles understood this Psalm as a description of Jesus’ betrayal and suffering to pay the price for our sins, and of the condemnation that came upon Judas Iscariot. We may take comfort in knowing that Jesus has experienced all the pain that we have, even the pain of betrayal.
Prayer: Father, help me pour out my heart to you when I am unfairly treated. Thank you for Jesus who was betrayed in order to take the punishment for our sins.
One Word: God saves the needy from accusers.