Psalms 35
1 BY DAVID. Strive, YHWH, with my strivers, fight with my fighters,
[A Psalm] of David. Judge you, O Lord, them that injure me, fight against them that fight against me.
2 Take hold of shield and buckler, and rise for my help,
Take hold of shield and buckler, and arise for my help.
3 And draw out spear and lance, To meet my pursuers. Say to my soul, “I [am] your salvation.”
Bring forth a sword, and stop [the way] against them that persecute me: say to my soul, I am your salvation.
4 They are ashamed and blush, those seeking my soul, Turned backward and confounded, Those devising my evil.
Let them that seek my soul be ashamed and confounded: let them that devise evils against me be turned back and put to shame.
5 They are as chaff before wind, And a messenger of YHWH driving away.
Let them be as dust before the wind, and an angel of the Lord afflicting them.
6 Their way is darkness and slipperiness, And a messenger of YHWH—their pursuer.
Let their way be dark and slippery, and an angel of the Lord persecuting them.
7 For without cause they hid their net [in] a pit for me, Without cause they dug for my soul.
For without cause they have hid for me their destructive snare: without a cause they have reproached my soul.
8 Desolation meets him—he does not know, And his net that he hid catches him, He falls into it for desolation.
Let a snare which they know not come upon them; and the gin which they hid take them; and let them fall into the very same snare.
9 And my soul is joyful in YHWH, It rejoices in His salvation.
But my soul shall exult in the Lord: it shall delight in his salvation.
10 All my bones say, “YHWH, who is like You, Delivering the poor from the [one] stronger than he, And the poor and needy from his plunderer.”
All my bones shall say, O Lord, who is like to you? delivering the poor out of the hand of them that are stronger than he, yes, the poor and needy one from them that spoil him.
11 Violent witnesses rise up, That which I have not known they ask me.
Unjust witnesses arose, and asked me of things I new not.
12 They pay me evil for good, bereaving my soul,
They rewarded me evil for good, and bereavement to my soul.
13 And I—in their sickness my clothing [is] sackcloth, I have humbled my soul with fastings, And my prayer returns to my bosom.
But I, when they troubled me, put on sackcloth, and humbled my soul with fasting: and my prayer shall return to my [own] bosom.
14 As [if] a friend, as [if] my brother, I habitually walked, As a mourner for a mother, I have bowed down mourning.
I behaved agreeably towards them as [if it had been] our neighbour [or] brother: I humbled myself as one mourning and sad of countenance.
15 And they have rejoiced in my halting, And have been gathered together, The strikers were gathered against me, And I have not known, They have torn, and they have not ceased;
Yet they rejoiced against me, and plagues were plentifully brought against me, and I knew [it] not: they were scattered, but repented not.
16 With profane ones, mockers in feasts, Gnashing their teeth against me.
They tempted me, they sneered at me most contemptuously, they gnashed their teeth upon me.
17 Lord, how long do You behold? Keep my soul back from their desolations, My only one from young lions.
O Lord, when will you look upon me? Deliver my soul from their mischief, mine only-begotten one from the lions.
18 I thank You in a great assembly, I praise You among a mighty people.
I will give thanks to you even in a great congregation: in an abundant people I will praise you.
19 Do not let my enemies rejoice over me [with] falsehood, Those hating me without cause wink the eye.
Let not them that are mine enemies without a cause rejoice against me; who hate me for nothing, and wink with their eyes.
20 For they do not speak peace, And against the quiet of the land, They devise deceitful words,
For to me they spoke peaceably, but imagined deceits in [their] anger.
21 And they enlarge their mouth against me, They said, “Aha, aha, our eye has seen.”
And they opened wide their mouth upon me; they said Aha, aha, our eyes have seen [it].
22 You have seen, O YHWH, Do not be silent, O Lord—do not be far from me,
You have seen [it], O Lord: keep not silence: O Lord, withdraw not [yourself] from me.
23 Stir up, and wake to my judgment, My God, and my Lord, to my plea.
Awake, O Lord, and attend to my judgement, [even] to my cause, my God and my Lord.
24 Judge me according to Your righteousness, O YHWH my God, And they do not rejoice over me.
Judge me, O Lord, according to your righteousness, O Lord my God; and let them not rejoice against me.
25 They do not say in their heart, “Aha, our desire.” They do not say, “We swallowed him up.”
Let them not say in their hearts, Aha, aha, [it is pleasing] to our soul: neither let them say, We have devoured him.
26 They are ashamed and confounded together, Who are rejoicing at my evil. They put on shame and confusion, Who are magnifying themselves against me.
Let them be confounded and ashamed together that rejoice at my afflictions: let them be clothed with shame and confusion that speak great swelling words against me.
27 They sing and rejoice, who are desiring my righteousness, And they continually say, “YHWH is magnified, Who is desiring the peace of His servant.”
Let them that rejoice in my righteousness exult and be glad: and let them say continually, The Lord be magnified, who desire the peace of his servant.
28 And my tongue utters Your righteousness, All the day Your praise!
And my tongue shall meditate on your righteousness, [and] on your praise all the day.
