Help Me, O Lord My God
To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.
1 tBe not silent, O uGod of my praise!
2 For wicked and vdeceitful mouths are opened against me,
speaking against me with lying tongues.
3 They encircle me with words of hate,
and attack me wwithout cause.
4 In return for my love they xaccuse me,
but I ygive myself to prayer.1
5 So they zreward me evil for good,
and hatred for my love.
6 aAppoint a wicked man bagainst him;
let an accuser stand cat his right hand.
7 When he is tried, let him come forth guilty;
let his dprayer be counted as sin!
8 May his edays be few;
may fanother take his goffice!
9 May his hchildren be fatherless
and his wife a widow!
10 May his children iwander about and beg,
jseeking food far from the ruins they inhabit!
11 May kthe creditor seize all that he has;
may kstrangers plunder the fruits of his toil!
12 Let there be none to lextend kindness to him,
nor any to mpity his fatherless children!
13 May his nposterity be cut off;
may his oname be blotted out in the second generation!
14 May pthe iniquity of his fathers be remembered before the Lord,
and let not the sin of his mother be qblotted out!
15 rLet them be before the Lord continually,
that he may scut off the memory of them from the earth!
16 For he did not remember to show kindness,
but pursued tthe poor and needy
and uthe brokenhearted, to put them to death.
17 vHe loved to curse; let curses come2 upon him!
He did not delight in blessing; may it be far3 from him!
18 He wclothed himself with cursing as his coat;
may it xsoak4 into his body like water,
like oil into his bones!
19 May it be like a garment that he wraps around him,
like a belt that he puts on every day!
20 May this be the reward of my yaccusers from the Lord,
of those who speak evil against my life!
21 But you, O God my Lord,
deal on my behalf zfor your name’s sake;
because your asteadfast love is good, deliver me!
22 For I am bpoor and needy,
and my heart is stricken within me.
23 I am gone like ca shadow at evening;
I am dshaken off like a locust.
24 My knees are weak ethrough fasting;
my fbody has become gaunt, with no fat.
25 I am gan object of scorn to my accusers;
when they see me, they hwag their heads.
26 iHelp me, O Lord my God!
Save me according to your steadfast love!
27 Let them jknow that this is your hand;
you, O Lord, have done it!
28 kLet them curse, but you will bless!
They arise and are put to shame, but lyour servant will be glad!
29 May my accusers be mclothed with dishonor;
may they nbe wrapped in their own shame as in a cloak!
30 With my mouth I will give great thanks to the Lord;
I will opraise him in the midst of the throng.
31 For he stands pat the right hand of the needy one,
to save him from those who condemn his soul to death.
David Defeats Ammon and Syria
1 sAfter this the king of the Ammonites died, and Hanun his son reigned in his place. 2 And David said, “I will deal loyally1 with Hanun the son of tNahash, as his father dealt loyally with me.” So David sent by his servants to console him concerning his father. And David’s servants came into the land of the Ammonites. 3 But the princes of the Ammonites said to Hanun their lord, “Do you think, because David has sent comforters to you, that he is honoring your father? Has not David sent his servants to you to search the city and to spy it out and to overthrow it?” 4 So Hanun took David’s servants and shaved off half the beard of each and cut off their garments in the middle, uat their hips, and sent them away. 5 When it was told David, he sent to meet them, for the men were greatly ashamed. And the king said, “Remain at Jericho until your beards have grown and then return.”
6 When the Ammonites saw that they had become a stench to David, the Ammonites sent and hired the Syrians of vBeth-rehob, and wthe Syrians of Zobah, 20,000 foot soldiers, and the king of xMaacah with 1,000 men, and the men of yTob, 12,000 men. 7 And when David heard of it, he sent Joab and all the host of zthe mighty men. 8 And the Ammonites came out and drew up in battle array at the entrance of the gate, and wthe Syrians of Zobah and of Rehob and ythe men of Tob and Maacah were by themselves in the open country.
9 When Joab saw that the battle was set against him both in front and in the rear, he chose some of the best men of Israel and arrayed them against the Syrians. 10 The rest of his men he put in the charge of Abishai his brother, and he arrayed them against the Ammonites. 11 And he said, “If the Syrians are too strong for me, then you shall help me, but if the Ammonites are too strong for you, then I will come and help you. 12 aBe of good courage, and blet us be courageous for our people, and for the cities of our God, and cmay the Lord do what seems good to him.” 13 So Joab and the people who were with him drew near to battle against the Syrians, and they fled before him. 14 And when the Ammonites saw that the Syrians fled, they likewise fled before Abishai and entered the city. Then Joab returned from fighting against the Ammonites and came to Jerusalem.
15 But when the Syrians saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they gathered themselves together. 16 And Hadadezer sent and brought out the Syrians who were beyond dthe Euphrates.2 They came to Helam, with eShobach the commander of the army of Hadadezer at their head. 17 And when it was told David, he gathered all Israel together and crossed the Jordan and came to Helam. The Syrians arrayed themselves against David and fought with him. 18 And the Syrians fled before Israel, and David killed of the Syrians the men of 700 chariots, and 40,000 horsemen, and wounded fShobach the commander of their army, so that he died there. 19 And when all the kings who were servants of Hadadezer saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they made peace with Israel gand became subject to them. So the Syrians were afraid to save the Ammonites anymore.
