Psalms 35
1 Of David. Contend with my opponents, O LORD; fight against those who fight against me.
Of David. O Lord, be on my side against those who are judging me; be at war with those who make war against me.
2 Take up Your shield and buckler; arise and come to my aid.
Be a breastplate to me, and give me your help.
3 Draw the spear and javelin against my pursuers; say to my soul: “I am your salvation.”
Take up your spear and keep back my attackers; say to my soul, I am your salvation.
4 May those who seek my life be disgraced and put to shame; may those who plan to harm me be driven back and confounded.
Let them be overcome and put to shame who make attempts to take my soul; let those who would do me damage be turned back and made foolish.
5 May they be like chaff in the wind, as the angel of the LORD drives them away.
Let them be like dust from the grain before the wind; let the angel of the Lord send them in flight.
6 May their path be dark and slick, as the angel of the LORD pursues.
Let their way be dark and full of danger; let them be troubled by the angel of the Lord.
7 For without cause they laid their net for me; without reason they dug a pit for my soul.
For without cause they have put a net ready for me secretly, in which to take my soul.
8 May ruin befall them by surprise; may the net they hid ensnare them; may they fall into the hazard they created.
Let destruction come on them without their knowledge; let them be taken themselves in their secret nets, falling into the same destruction.
9 Then my soul will rejoice in the LORD and exult in His salvation.
And my soul will have joy in the Lord; it will be glad in his salvation.
10 All my bones will exclaim, “Who is like You, O LORD, who delivers the afflicted from the aggressor, the poor and needy from the robber?”
All my bones will say, Lord, who is like you? The saviour of the poor man from the hands of the strong, of him who is poor and in need from him who takes his goods.
11 Hostile witnesses come forward; they make charges I know nothing about.
False witnesses got up: they put questions to me about crimes of which I had no knowledge.
12 They repay me evil for good, to the bereavement of my soul.
They gave me back evil for good, troubling my soul.
13 Yet when they were ill, I put on sackcloth; I humbled myself with fasting, but my prayers returned unanswered.
But as for me, when they were ill I put on the clothing of sorrow: I went without food and was sad, and my prayer came back again to my heart.
14 I paced about as for my friend or brother; I was bowed down with grief, like one mourning for his mother.
My behaviour was as if it had been my friend or my brother: I was bent low in grief like one whose mother is dead.
15 But when I stumbled, they assembled in glee; they gathered together against me. Assailants I did not know slandered me without ceasing.
But they took pleasure in my trouble, and came together, yes, low persons came together against me without my knowledge; they never came to an end of wounding me.
16 Like godless jesters at a feast, they gnashed their teeth at me.
Like men of deceit they put me to shame; the voice of their wrath was loud against me.
17 How long, O Lord, will You look on? Rescue my soul from their ravages, my precious life from these lions.
Lord, how long will you be looking on? take my soul from their destruction, my life from the lions.
18 Then I will give You thanks in the great assembly; I will praise You among many people.
I will give you praise in the great meeting; I will give you honour among a strong people.
19 Let not my enemies gloat over me without cause, nor those who hate me without reason wink in malice.
Do not let my haters be glad over me falsely; let not those who are against me without cause make sport of me.
20 For they do not speak peace, but they devise deceitful schemes against those who live quietly in the land.
For they do not say words of peace; in their deceit they are designing evil things against the quiet ones in the land.
21 They gape at me and say, “Aha, aha! Our eyes have seen!”
Their mouths were open wide against me, and they said, Aha, aha, our eyes have seen it.
22 O LORD, You have seen it; be not silent. O Lord, be not far from me.
You have seen this, O Lord; be not unmoved: O Lord, be not far from me.
23 Awake and rise to my defense, to my cause, my God and my Lord!
Be awake, O Lord, be moved to take up my cause, my God and my Lord.
24 Vindicate me by Your righteousness, O LORD my God, and do not let them gloat over me.
Be my judge, O Lord my God, in your righteousness; do not let them be glad over me.
25 Let them not say in their hearts, “Aha, just what we wanted!” Let them not say, “We have swallowed him up!”
Let them not say in their hearts, So we will have it: let them not say, We have put an end to him.
26 May those who gloat in my distress be ashamed and confounded; may those who exalt themselves over me be clothed in shame and reproach.
Let all those who take pleasure in my troubles be shamed and come to nothing: let those who are lifted up against me be covered with shame and have no honour.
27 May those who favor my vindication shout for joy and gladness; may they always say, “Exalted be the LORD who delights in His servant’s well-being.”
Let those who are on my side give cries of joy; let them ever say, The Lord be praised, for he has pleasure in the peace of his servant.
28 Then my tongue will proclaim Your righteousness and Your praises all day long.
And my tongue will be talking of your righteousness and of your praise all the day.
