Psalms 35
1 Of David. Contend with my opponents, O LORD; fight against those who fight against me.
Yahweh, fight against those who fight against me! Fight against [my enemies] when they fight me!
2 Take up Your shield and buckler; arise and come to my aid.
Be [like] a shield [DOU] to protect me and come to help me!
3 Draw the spear and javelin against my pursuers; say to my soul: “I am your salvation.”
Lift up your spear [DOU] and [throw it] at those who pursue me! Promise me that you will enable me to defeat [my enemies].
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.
Cause those who are trying to kill me to be defeated and disgraced! Cause those who are planning to do evil things to me to be pushed back and become confused!
5 May they be like chaff in the wind, as the angel of the LORD drives them away.
Send your angel to pursue them, and as a result cause them to disappear like chaff/straw blown away by the wind!
6 May their path be dark and slick, as the angel of the LORD pursues.
Cause the path on which they run to be dark and slippery as your angel pursues them!
7 For without cause they laid their net for me; without reason they dug a pit for my soul.
Although I did not do anything wrong to them, they concealed a deep pit for me to fall into; they hid a net in which they would catch me.
8 May ruin befall them by surprise; may the net they hid ensnare them; may they fall into the hazard they created.
Cause them to suddenly experience disaster! Cause them to be trapped in their own nets! Cause them to fall into the pits that they have dug for me and disappear!
9 Then my soul will rejoice in the LORD and exult in His salvation.
Then I will be joyful about what you, Yahweh, have done for me, I will be glad that you have rescued me.
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?”
With my whole inner being [SYN] I will say, “There is no one like Yahweh [RHQ]! No one else can rescue helpless people from powerful people [RHQ]. No one else can rescue weak and needy people from those who want to rob them.”
11 Hostile witnesses come forward; they make charges I know nothing about.
People who tell lies stand in court and falsely accuse me of doing things that I do not know [anything] about.
12 They repay me evil for good, to the bereavement of my soul.
In return for my doing good things for them, they do evil things to me, with the result that I feel that I am alone.
13 Yet when they were ill, I put on sackcloth; I humbled myself with fasting, but my prayers returned unanswered.
When they were ill, I showed that I was sad. I did not eat any food, and I bowed my head as I prayed [for them].
14 I paced about as for my friend or brother; I was bowed down with grief, like one mourning for his mother.
I mourned and bowed my head as I prayed as though it was a friend or my mother for whom I was grieving.
15 But when I stumbled, they assembled in glee; they gathered together against me. Assailants I did not know slandered me without ceasing.
But when I had troubles, they were all happy about it. They gathered around to make fun of me. Strangers struck me, and they would not stop.
16 Like godless jesters at a feast, they gnashed their teeth at me.
Worthless people ridicule me and snarl at me.
17 How long, O Lord, will You look on? Rescue my soul from their ravages, my precious life from these lions.
Yahweh, how long will you only watch them doing this? Rescue me from their attacking me; Save me from being killed by these men who are attacking me like [MET] lions [that are attacking other animals]
18 Then I will give You thanks in the great assembly; I will praise You among many people.
Then, when many of your people gather, I will praise you and I will thank you in front of all of them.
19 Let not my enemies gloat over me without cause, nor those who hate me without reason wink in malice.
Do not allow my enemies, who tell lies about me, defeat me and then rejoice! Do not allow those who hate me when there in no reason to hate me to (smirk/smile happily)!
20 For they do not speak peace, but they devise deceitful schemes against those who live quietly in the land.
They do not talk peacefully to people; instead, they seek ways to tell lies about people who are peaceful.
21 They gape at me and say, “Aha, aha! Our eyes have seen!”
They shout at me, to accuse me, saying, “We saw the wrong things that you did!”
22 O LORD, You have seen it; be not silent. O Lord, be not far from me.
Yahweh, you have seen these things, so do not be silent! Do not stay far from me!
23 Awake and rise to my defense, to my cause, my God and my Lord!
Arise, my God, and plead my case in court, and successfully defend me!
24 Vindicate me by Your righteousness, O LORD my God, and do not let them gloat over me.
Yahweh, my God, because you are righteous, prove that I am innocent in order that my enemies will not be able to gloat [that I was judged to be guilty].
25 Let them not say in their hearts, “Aha, just what we wanted!” Let them not say, “We have swallowed him up!”
Do not allow them to be able to say to themselves, “Yes, we have gotten rid of him [IDM] just like we desired!”
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.
Cause those who rejoice about my misfortunes to be completely defeated and disgraced; cause those who boast that they are much greater than me to be disgraced and dishonored!
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.”
But cause those who desire that I be acquitted to be happy and shout joyfully, and cause them to continually say, “Yahweh is great! He is delighted to cause things to go well for those who serve him.”
28 Then my tongue will proclaim Your righteousness and Your praises all day long.
Then I will proclaim that you act righteously, and I will praise you all day long.
