Psalms 35

1 BY DAVID. Strive, YHWH, with my strivers, fight with my fighters,

A Psalme of Dauid. Pleade thou my cause, O Lord, with them that striue with me: fight thou against them, that fight against me.

2 Take hold of shield and buckler, and rise for my help,

Lay hand vpon the shielde and buckler, and stand vp for mine helpe.

3 And draw out spear and lance, To meet my pursuers. Say to my soul, “I [am] your salvation.”

Bring out also the speare and stop the way against them, that persecute me: say vnto my soule, I am thy saluation.

4 They are ashamed and blush, those seeking my soul, Turned backward and confounded, Those devising my evil.

Let them be confounded and put to shame, that seeke after my soule: let them be turned backe, and brought to confusion, that imagine mine hurt.

5 They are as chaff before wind, And a messenger of YHWH driving away.

Let them be as chaffe before the winde, and let the Angel of the Lord scatter them.

6 Their way is darkness and slipperiness, And a messenger of YHWH—their pursuer.

Let their way be darke and slipperie: and let the Angel of the Lord persecute 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 haue hid the pit and their net for me: without cause haue they digged a pit for my soule.

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 vpon him at vnwares, and let his net, that he hath laid priuilie, take him: let him fall into the same destruction.

9 And my soul is joyful in YHWH, It rejoices in His salvation.

Then my soule shalbe ioyfull in the Lord: it shall reioyce in his saluation.

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, Lord, who is like vnto thee, which deliuerest the poore from him, that is too strong for him! yea, the poore and him that is in miserie, from him that spoyleth him!

11 Violent witnesses rise up, That which I have not known they ask me.

Cruell witnesses did rise vp: they asked of me things that I knewe not.

12 They pay me evil for good, bereaving my soul,

They rewarded me euill for good, to haue spoyled my soule.

13 And I—in their sickness my clothing [is] sackcloth, I have humbled my soul with fastings, And my prayer returns to my bosom.

Yet I, when they were sicke, I was clothed with a sacke: I humbled my soule with fasting: and my praier was turned vpon my bosome.

14 As [if] a friend, as [if] my brother, I habitually walked, As a mourner for a mother, I have bowed down mourning.

I behaued my selfe as to my friend, or as to my brother: I humbled my selfe, mourning as one that bewaileth his 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 in mine aduersitie they reioyced, and gathered them selues together: the abiects assembled themselues against me, and knewe not: they tare me and ceased not,

16 With profane ones, mockers in feasts, Gnashing their teeth against me.

With the false skoffers at bankets, gnashing 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 beholde this? deliuer my soule from their tumult, euen my desolate soule from the lions.

18 I thank You in a great assembly, I praise You among a mighty people.

So will I giue thee thankes in a 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 mine enemies, vniustly reioyce ouer mee, neyther let them winke with the eye, that hate mee without a cause.

20 For they do not speak peace, And against the quiet of the land, They devise deceitful words,

For they speake not as friendes: but they imagine deceitfull woordes against the quiet of the lande.

21 And they enlarge their mouth against me, They said, “Aha, aha, our eye has seen.”

And they gaped on mee with their mouthes, saying, Aha, aha, our eye hath seene.

22 You have seen, O YHWH, Do not be silent, O Lord—do not be far from me,

Thou hast seene it, O Lord: keepe not silence: be not farre from me, O Lord.

23 Stir up, and wake to my judgment, My God, and my Lord, to my plea.

Arise and wake to my iudgement, euen 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.

Iudge me, O Lord my God, according to thy righteousnesse, and let them not reioyce ouer mee.

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, O our soule reioyce: neither let them say, We haue deuoured 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 bee confounded, and put to shame together, that reioyce at mine hurt: let them bee clothed with confusion and shame, that lift vp themselues 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.”

But let them be ioyful and glad, that loue my righteousnesse: yea, let them say alway, Let the Lord be magnified, which loueth the prosperitie of his seruant.

28 And my tongue utters Your righteousness, All the day Your praise!

And my tongue shall vtter thy righteousnesse, and thy praise euery day.