Psalms 35
1 “A psalm of David.” Contend, O LORD! with them that contend with me! Fight against them that fight against me!
Yahweh, fight against those who fight against me! Fight against [my enemies] when they fight me!
2 Take hold of shield and buckler, And stand up for my help!
Be [like] a shield [DOU] to protect me and come to help me!
3 Draw forth the spear and the axe against my persecutors; Say to me, “I am thy 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 they be confounded and put to shame, who seek my life; May they be turned back with disgrace, who devise my hurt!
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 dust before the wind; May the angel of the LORD drive them!
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 way be dark and slippery, And may the angel of the LORD pursue them!
Cause the path on which they run to be dark and slippery as your angel pursues them!
7 For without cause they have laid for me a snare; Without cause they have digged for me a pit.
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 unforeseen destruction come upon them! May the snare which they have laid lay hold on themselves, And may they fall into destruction!
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 shall my soul rejoice in the LORD; It shall exult in his protection.
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 shall say, Who, O LORD! is like thee, Who dost rescue the afflicted from the oppressor, The afflicted and destitute from the spoiler?
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 False witnesses have risen up; They charge me with that which has not entered my mind.
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; They cause bereavement to 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 And yet I, during their sickness, clothed myself with sackcloth, And afflicted myself with fasting; And my prayer was turned to my bosom.
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 behaved myself as if he had been my friend or brother; I bowed down in sadness, as 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 at my fall they rejoice, and gather themselves together; Revilers whom I know not assemble themselves against me; They tear 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 With base men who mock for their bread, They gnash at me with their teeth.
Worthless people ridicule me and snarl at me.
17 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!
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 I will thank thee in the great assembly! Before a numerous people I will praise thee.
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 them that are my enemies wrongfully triumph over me; Let them not wink with the eye, who hate me without cause!
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 speak not peace; They devise deceit against them that are quiet in the land.
They do not talk peacefully to people; instead, they seek ways to tell lies about people who are peaceful.
21 Yea, they open their mouths wide against me; They say, “Aha, aha! our eyes seeth it.”
They shout at me, to accuse me, saying, “We saw the wrong things that you did!”
22 Thou seest it, O LORD! 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 Arouse thyself; awake for my defence! My God and my Lord, awake to my cause!
Arise, my God, and plead my case in court, and successfully defend me!
24 Judge me according to thy righteousness, O Jehovah, my God! Let them not triumph 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! we have our wish!” 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 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!
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 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!”
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 So shall my tongue speak of thy righteousness, And daily repeat thy praise.
Then I will proclaim that you act righteously, and I will praise you all day long.
