Psalms 35

1 Yahweh, fight against those who fight against me! Fight against [my enemies] when they fight me!

Of David. O Lord, be on my side against those who are judging me; be at war with those who make war against me.

2 Be [like] a shield [DOU] to protect me and come to help me!

Be a breastplate to me, and give me your help.

3 Lift up your spear [DOU] and [throw it] at those who pursue me! Promise me that you will enable me to defeat [my enemies].

Take up your spear and keep back my attackers; say to my soul, I am your salvation.

4 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!

Let them be overcome and put to shame who make attempts to take my soul; let those who would do me damage be turned back and made foolish.

5 Send your angel to pursue them, and as a result cause them to disappear like chaff/straw blown away by the wind!

Let them be like dust from the grain before the wind; let the angel of the Lord send them in flight.

6 Cause the path on which they run to be dark and slippery as your angel pursues them!

Let their way be dark and full of danger; let them be troubled by the angel of the Lord.

7 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.

For without cause they have put a net ready for me secretly, in which to take my soul.

8 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!

Let destruction come on them without their knowledge; let them be taken themselves in their secret nets, falling into the same destruction.

9 Then I will be joyful about what you, Yahweh, have done for me, I will be glad that you have rescued me.

And my soul will have joy in the Lord; it will be glad in his salvation.

10 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.”

All my bones will say, Lord, who is like you? The saviour of the poor man from the hands of the strong, of him who is poor and in need from him who takes his goods.

11 People who tell lies stand in court and falsely accuse me of doing things that I do not know [anything] about.

False witnesses got up: they put questions to me about crimes of which I had no knowledge.

12 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.

They gave me back evil for good, troubling my soul.

13 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].

But as for me, when they were ill I put on the clothing of sorrow: I went without food and was sad, and my prayer came back again to my heart.

14 I mourned and bowed my head as I prayed as though it was a friend or my mother for whom I was grieving.

My behaviour was as if it had been my friend or my brother: I was bent low in grief like one whose mother is dead.

15 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.

But they took pleasure in my trouble, and came together, yes, low persons came together against me without my knowledge; they never came to an end of wounding me.

16 Worthless people ridicule me and snarl at me.

Like men of deceit they put me to shame; the voice of their wrath was loud against me.

17 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]

Lord, how long will you be looking on? take my soul from their destruction, my life from the lions.

18 Then, when many of your people gather, I will praise you and I will thank you in front of all of them.

I will give you praise in the great meeting; I will give you honour among a strong people.

19 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)!

Do not let my haters be glad over me falsely; let not those who are against me without cause make sport of me.

20 They do not talk peacefully to people; instead, they seek ways to tell lies about people who are peaceful.

For they do not say words of peace; in their deceit they are designing evil things against the quiet ones in the land.

21 They shout at me, to accuse me, saying, “We saw the wrong things that you did!”

Their mouths were open wide against me, and they said, Aha, aha, our eyes have seen it.

22 Yahweh, you have seen these things, so do not be silent! Do not stay far from me!

You have seen this, O Lord; be not unmoved: O Lord, be not far from me.

23 Arise, my God, and plead my case in court, and successfully defend me!

Be awake, O Lord, be moved to take up my cause, my God and my Lord.

24 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].

Be my judge, O Lord my God, in your righteousness; do not let them be glad over me.

25 Do not allow them to be able to say to themselves, “Yes, we have gotten rid of him [IDM] just like we desired!”

Let them not say in their hearts, So we will have it: let them not say, We have put an end to him.

26 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!

Let all those who take pleasure in my troubles be shamed and come to nothing: let those who are lifted up against me be covered with shame and have no honour.

27 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.”

Let those who are on my side give cries of joy; let them ever say, The Lord be praised, for he has pleasure in the peace of his servant.

28 Then I will proclaim that you act righteously, and I will praise you all day long.

And my tongue will be talking of your righteousness and of your praise all the day.