Psalms 35
1 BY DAVID. Strive, YHWH, with my strivers, fight with my fighters,
[A Psalm] of David. Strive, O Jehovah, with them that strive with 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 stand up for my help;
3 And draw out spear and lance, To meet my pursuers. Say to my soul, “I [am] your salvation.”
And draw out the spear, and stop [the way] against my pursuers: say unto my soul, I am thy salvation.
4 They are ashamed and blush, those seeking my soul, Turned backward and confounded, Those devising my evil.
Let them be put to shame and confounded that seek after my life; let them be turned backward and brought to confusion that devise my hurt:
5 They are as chaff before wind, And a messenger of YHWH driving away.
Let them be as chaff before the wind, and let the angel of Jehovah drive [them] away;
6 Their way is darkness and slipperiness, And a messenger of YHWH—their pursuer.
Let their way be dark and slippery, and let the angel of Jehovah pursue them.
7 For without cause they hid their net [in] a pit for me, Without cause they dug for my soul.
For without cause have they hidden for me their net [in] a pit; without cause they have digged [it] for 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 destruction come upon him unawares, and let his net which he hath hidden catch himself: for destruction let him fall therein.
9 And my soul is joyful in YHWH, It rejoices in His salvation.
And my soul shall be joyful in Jehovah; it shall rejoice 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, Jehovah, who is like unto thee, who deliverest the afflicted from one stronger than he, yea, the afflicted and the needy from him that spoileth him!
11 Violent witnesses rise up, That which I have not known they ask me.
Unrighteous witnesses rise up; they lay to my charge things which I know not.
12 They pay me evil for good, bereaving my soul,
They reward me evil for good, [to] the bereavement of 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 as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth; I chastened my soul with fasting, and my prayer returned into mine 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 myself as though [he had been] a friend, a brother to me; I bowed down in sadness, as one that mourneth [for] a mother.
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;
But at my halting they rejoiced, and gathered together: the slanderers gathered themselves together against me, and I knew [it] not; they did tear [me], and ceased not:
16 With profane ones, mockers in feasts, Gnashing their teeth against me.
With profane jesters for bread, they have gnashed their teeth against me.
17 Lord, how long do You behold? Keep my soul back from their desolations, My only one from young lions.
Lord, how long wilt thou look on? Rescue my soul from their destructions, my only one from the young lions.
18 I thank You in a great assembly, I praise You among a mighty people.
I will give thee thanks in the great congregation; I will praise thee among much people.
19 Do not let my enemies rejoice over me [with] falsehood, Those hating me without cause wink the eye.
Let not them that are wrongfully mine enemies rejoice over me; let them not wink with the eye that hate me without cause.
20 For they do not speak peace, And against the quiet of the land, They devise deceitful words,
For they speak not peace; and they devise deceitful words against the quiet in the land.
21 And they enlarge their mouth against me, They said, “Aha, aha, our eye has seen.”
And they opened their mouth wide against me; they said, Aha! aha! our eye hath seen [it].
22 You have seen, O YHWH, Do not be silent, O Lord—do not be far from me,
Thou hast seen [it], Jehovah: keep not silence; O Lord, be not far from me.
23 Stir up, and wake to my judgment, My God, and my Lord, to my plea.
Stir up thyself, and awake for my right, for my cause, my God and Lord!
24 Judge me according to Your righteousness, O YHWH my God, And they do not rejoice over me.
Judge me, Jehovah my God, according to thy righteousness, and let them not rejoice over 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 heart, Aha! so would we have it. Let them not say, We have swallowed him up.
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 ashamed and brought to confusion together that rejoice at mine adversity; let them be clothed with shame and dishonour that magnify themselves 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 exult and rejoice that delight in my righteousness; and let them say continually, Jehovah be magnified, who delighteth in the prosperity of his servant.
28 And my tongue utters Your righteousness, All the day Your praise!
And my tongue shall talk of thy righteousness, [and] of thy praise, all the day.
