Bible in Basic English
For the mouth of the sinner is open against me in deceit: his tongue has said false things against me.
Words of hate are round about me; they have made war against me without cause.
For my love they give me back hate; but I have given myself to prayer.
They have put on me evil for good; hate in exchange for my love.
Put an evil man over him; and let one be placed at his right hand to say evil of him.
When he is judged, let the decision go against him; and may his prayer become sin.
Let his life be short; let another take his position of authority.
Let his children have no father, and his wife be made a widow.
Let his children be wanderers, looking to others for their food; let them be sent away from the company of their friends.
Let his creditor take all his goods; and let others have the profit of his work.
Let no man have pity on him, or give help to his children when he is dead.
Let his seed be cut off; in the coming generation let their name go out of memory.
Let the Lord keep in mind the wrongdoing of his fathers; and may the sin of his mother have no forgiveness.
Let them be ever before the eyes of the Lord, so that the memory of them may be cut off from the earth.
Because he had no mercy, but was cruel to the low and the poor, designing the death of the broken-hearted.
As he took pleasure in cursing, so let it come on him; and as he had no delight in blessing, let it be far from him.
He put on cursing like a robe, and it has come into his body like water, and into his bones like oil.
Let it be to him as a robe which he puts on, let it be like a band which is round him at all times.
Let this be the reward given to my haters from the Lord, and to those who say evil of my soul.
But, O Lord God, give me your help, because of your name; take me out of danger, because your mercy is good.
For I am poor and in need, and my heart is wounded in me.
I am gone like the shade when it is stretched out: I am forced out of my place like a locust.
My knees are feeble for need of food; there is no fat on my bones.
As for me, they make sport of me; shaking their heads when they see me.
Give me help, O Lord my God; in your mercy be my saviour;
So that they may see that it is the work of your hand; that you, Lord, have done it.
They may give curses but you give blessing; when they come up against me, put them to shame; but let your servant be glad.
Let my haters be clothed with shame, covering themselves with shame as with a robe.
I will give the Lord great praise with my mouth; yes, I will give praise to him among all the people.
For he is ever at the right hand of the poor, to take him out of the hands of those who go after his soul.
— Psalms 109:2-1964, Bible in Basic English
“For they say cruel and deceptive things to me; they lie to me. They surround me and say hateful things; they attack me for no reason. They repay my love with accusations, but I continue to pray. They repay me evil for good, and hate for love. Appoint an evil man to testify against him! May an accuser stand at his right side! When he is judged, he will be found guilty! Then his prayer will be regarded as sinful. May his days be few! May another take his job! May his children be fatherless, and his wife a widow! May his children roam around begging, asking for handouts as they leave their ruined home! May the creditor seize all he owns! May strangers loot his property! May no one show him kindness! May no one have compassion on his fatherless children! May his descendants be cut off! May the memory of them be wiped out by the time the next generation arrives! May his ancestors’ sins be remembered by the LORD! May his mother’s sin not be forgotten! May the LORD be constantly aware of them, and cut off the memory of his children from the earth! For he never bothered to show kindness; he harassed the oppressed and needy, and killed the disheartened. He loved to curse others, so those curses have come upon him. He had no desire to bless anyone, so he has experienced no blessings. He made cursing a way of life, so curses poured into his stomach like water and seeped into his bones like oil. May a curse attach itself to him, like a garment one puts on, or a belt one wears continually! May the LORD repay my accusers in this way, those who say evil things about me! O sovereign LORD, intervene on my behalf for the sake of your reputation! Because your loyal love is good, deliver me! For I am oppressed and needy, and my heart beats violently within me. I am fading away like a shadow at the end of the day; I am shaken off like a locust. I am so starved my knees shake; I have turned into skin and bones. I am disdained by them. When they see me, they shake their heads. Help me, O LORD my God! Because you are faithful to me, deliver me! Then they will realize this is your work, and that you, LORD, have accomplished it. They curse, but you will bless. When they attack, they will be humiliated, but your servant will rejoice. My accusers will be covered with shame, and draped in humiliation as if it were a robe. I will thank the LORD profusely, in the middle of a crowd I will praise him, because he stands at the right hand of the needy, to deliver him from those who threaten his life.”
God of my praise, let my prayer be answered;
For the mouth of the sinner is open against me in deceit: his tongue has said false things against me.
Words of hate are round about me; they have made war against me without cause.
For my love they give me back hate; but I have given myself to prayer.
They have put on me evil for good; hate in exchange for my love.
Put an evil man over him; and let one be placed at his right hand to say evil of him.
When he is judged, let the decision go against him; and may his prayer become sin.
Let his life be short; let another take his position of authority.
Let his children have no father, and his wife be made a widow.
Let his children be wanderers, looking to others for their food; let them be sent away from the company of their friends.
Let his creditor take all his goods; and let others have the profit of his work.
Let no man have pity on him, or give help to his children when he is dead.
Let his seed be cut off; in the coming generation let their name go out of memory.
Let the Lord keep in mind the wrongdoing of his fathers; and may the sin of his mother have no forgiveness.
Let them be ever before the eyes of the Lord, so that the memory of them may be cut off from the earth.
Because he had no mercy, but was cruel to the low and the poor, designing the death of the broken-hearted.
As he took pleasure in cursing, so let it come on him; and as he had no delight in blessing, let it be far from him.
He put on cursing like a robe, and it has come into his body like water, and into his bones like oil.
Let it be to him as a robe which he puts on, let it be like a band which is round him at all times.
Let this be the reward given to my haters from the Lord, and to those who say evil of my soul.
But, O Lord God, give me your help, because of your name; take me out of danger, because your mercy is good.
For I am poor and in need, and my heart is wounded in me.
I am gone like the shade when it is stretched out: I am forced out of my place like a locust.
My knees are feeble for need of food; there is no fat on my bones.
As for me, they make sport of me; shaking their heads when they see me.
Give me help, O Lord my God; in your mercy be my saviour;
So that they may see that it is the work of your hand; that you, Lord, have done it.
They may give curses but you give blessing; when they come up against me, put them to shame; but let your servant be glad.
Let my haters be clothed with shame, covering themselves with shame as with a robe.
I will give the Lord great praise with my mouth; yes, I will give praise to him among all the people.
For he is ever at the right hand of the poor, to take him out of the hands of those who go after his soul.