Psalms 35
1 A psalm of David. Oppose my opponents, Lord; fight those who are fighting against me.
“A psalm of David.” Contend, O LORD! with them that contend with me! Fight against them that fight against me!
2 Put your armor on, and pick up your shield. Get ready, come and help me.
Take hold of shield and buckler, And stand up for my help!
3 Draw your spear and your javelin, confront those who are chasing me. Tell me, “I am your salvation!”
Draw forth the spear and the axe against my persecutors; Say to me, “I am thy salvation.”
4 Shame them! Humiliate those who are trying to kill me! Turn them back! Disgrace those who are planning to hurt me!
May they be confounded and put to shame, who seek my life; May they be turned back with disgrace, who devise my hurt!
5 Let them be like chaff blown by the wind; let the angel of the Lord drive them away.
May they be like dust before the wind; May the angel of the LORD drive them!
6 May their path be dark and slippery, with the angel of the Lord chasing them down.
May their way be dark and slippery, And may the angel of the LORD pursue them!
7 For no reason they set a net to catch me; for no reason they dug a pit to trap me.
For without cause they have laid for me a snare; Without cause they have digged for me a pit.
8 Let disaster come on them suddenly; let the net they set catch them instead; let the pit they dug trap them instead.
May unforeseen destruction come upon them! May the snare which they have laid lay hold on themselves, And may they fall into destruction!
9 Then I will be glad in the Lord; I will be happy in his salvation.
Then shall my soul rejoice in the LORD; It shall exult in his protection.
10 Every part of me will say, Who can compare to you, Lord? You rescue the weak from the strong; the poor and needy from robbers.
All my bones shall say, Who, O LORD! is like thee, Who dost rescue the afflicted from the oppressor, The afflicted and destitute from the spoiler?
11 Hostile witnesses stand up to testify against me, accusing me of crimes I don't know anything about.
False witnesses have risen up; They charge me with that which has not entered my mind.
12 They pay me back with evil instead of good. I feel like giving up.
They repay me evil for good; They cause bereavement to my soul.
13 But when they were sick, I put on clothes of sackcloth in sympathy. I denied myself through fasting. May my prayer for them return to bless me too.
And yet I, during their sickness, clothed myself with sackcloth, And afflicted myself with fasting; And my prayer was turned to my bosom.
14 I was upset for them, as if they were my own friends or family; I bowed down in grief as if I was mourning my own mother.
I behaved myself as if he had been my friend or brother; I bowed down in sadness, as one mourning for his mother.
15 But when I was in trouble, they gathered around and laughed at me. Even strangers I don't know attacked me, constantly tearing me apart.
But at my fall they rejoice, and gather themselves together; Revilers whom I know not assemble themselves against me; They tear me without ceasing.
16 Like irreligious people mocking a cripple they mock me and call me names, gnashing their teeth at me.
With base men who mock for their bread, They gnash at me with their teeth.
17 How long, Lord, will you sit by and just watch? Save me from their vicious attacks; defend the only life I have from these lions.
How long, O LORD! wilt thou look on? O rescue my life from the destruction they plot for me; My precious life from these young lions!
18 Then I will thank you in front of the whole congregation and praise you in front of all the people.
I will thank thee in the great assembly! Before a numerous people I will praise thee.
19 Don't let my enemies take pleasure in my troubles, those people who hate me and tell lies about me, gloating over me for no reason.
Let not them that are my enemies wrongfully triumph over me; Let them not wink with the eye, who hate me without cause!
20 They are not looking for peace; they invent malicious and deceptive schemes against innocent peace-loving people.
For they speak not peace; They devise deceit against them that are quiet in the land.
21 They open their mouths wide to make accusations against me, saying, “Look! Look! We saw it with our own eyes!”
Yea, they open their mouths wide against me; They say, “Aha, aha! our eyes seeth it.”
22 But Lord, you've seen all this! Say something! Don't give up on me, Lord!
Thou seest it, O LORD! be not silent! O LORD! be not far from me!
23 Wake up! Get up and defend me, my Lord and my God! Take up my case and make sure justice is done!
Arouse thyself; awake for my defence! My God and my Lord, awake to my cause!
24 Vindicate me, my Lord and my God, because you are just and right. Don't let them gloat over me.
Judge me according to thy righteousness, O Jehovah, my God! Let them not triumph over me!
25 Don't let them say to themselves, “Look! We got what we wanted!” Don't let them say, “We completely destroyed him!”
Let them not say in their hearts, “Aha! we have our wish!” Let them not say, “We have swallowed him up!”
26 Make them totally ashamed, all those who are happy for the trouble I'm in. Let those who are celebrating over me be covered with shame and dishonor.
May they all be confounded and brought to shame, Who rejoice at my calamity! May they be clothed with ignominy and disgrace, Who exalt themselves against me!
27 Instead let those who are pleased I've been vindicated celebrate and shout for joy. Let them always say, “How great is the Lord! He is happy when his servants live in peace and have what they need.”
Let them shout for joy, and be glad, Who favor my righteous cause; Let them ever say, “The LORD be praised, Who delighteth in the prosperity of his servant!”
28 I will tell others about your character of truth and right, praising you all day long!
So shall my tongue speak of thy righteousness, And daily repeat thy praise.
