Psalms 35
35
A Prayer for Help
Of David.
1Lord, battle with those who battle with me.
Fight against those who fight against me.
2Pick up the shield and armor.
Rise up and help me.
3Lift up your spears, both large and small,
against those who chase me.
Tell me, “I will save you.”
4Make those who want to kill me
be ashamed and disgraced.
Make those who plan to harm me
turn back and run away.
5Make them like chaff blown by the wind.
Let the angel of the Lord chase them away.
6Let their road be dark and slippery
as the angel of the Lord chases them.
7For no reason they spread out their net to trap me.
For no reason they dug a pit for me.
8So let ruin strike them suddenly.
Let them be caught in their own nets.
Let them fall into the pit and die.
9Then I will rejoice in the Lord.
I will be happy when he saves me.
10Even my bones will say,
“Lord, who is like you?
You save the weak from the strong.
You save the weak and poor from robbers.”
11Men without mercy stand up to testify.
They ask me things I do not know.
12They repay me with evil for the good I have done.
They make me very sad.
13Yet when they were sick, I put on rough cloth to show my sadness.
I showed my sorrow by going without food.
But my prayers were not answered.
14I acted as if they were my friends or brothers.
I bowed in sadness as if I were crying for my mother.
15But when I was in trouble, they gathered and laughed.
They gathered to attack before I knew it.
They insulted me without stopping.
16They made fun of me and were cruel to me.
They ground their teeth at me in anger.
17Lord, how long will you watch this happen?
Save my life from their attacks.
Save me from these people who are like lions.
18I will praise you in the great meeting.
I will praise you among crowds of people.
19Do not let my enemies laugh at me.
They hate me for no reason.
Do not let them make fun of me.
They have no reason to hate me.
20Their words are not friendly.
They think up lies about peace-loving people.
21They speak against me.
They say, “Aha! We saw what you did!”
22Lord, you have been watching. Do not keep quiet.
Lord, do not leave me alone.
23Wake up! Come and defend me!
My God and Lord, fight for me!
24Lord my God, defend me with your justice.
Don’t let them laugh at me.
25Don’t let them think, “Aha! We got what we wanted!”
Don’t let them say, “We destroyed him.”
26Let them be ashamed and embarrassed.
They were happy when I hurt.
Cover them with shame and disgrace.
They thought they were better than I was.
27May my friends sing and shout for joy.
May they always say, “Praise the greatness of the Lord.
He loves to see his servants do well.”
28I will tell of your goodness.
I will praise you every day.
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Copyright © 2015 by Tommy Nelson™, a Division of Thomas Nelson, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
Psalms 35
35
A psalm of David.
1Oppose my opponents, Lord; fight those who are fighting against me.
2Put your armor on, and pick up your shield. Get ready, come and help me.
3Draw your spear and your javelin, confront those who are chasing me. Tell me, “I am your salvation!”
4Shame them! Humiliate those who are trying to kill me! Turn them back! Disgrace those who are planning to hurt me!
5Let them be like chaff blown by the wind; let the angel of the Lord drive them away.
6May their path be dark and slippery, with the angel of the Lord chasing them down.
7For no reason they set a net to catch me; for no reason they dug a pit to trap me.
8Let disaster come on them suddenly; let the net they set catch them instead; let the pit they dug trap them instead.
9Then I will be glad in the Lord; I will be happy in his salvation.
10Every part of me#35:10. Literally, “all of my bones.” will say, Who can compare to you, Lord? You rescue the weak from the strong; the poor and needy from robbers.
11Hostile witnesses stand up to testify against me, accusing me of crimes I don't know anything about.
12They pay me back with evil instead of good. I feel like giving up.#35:12. Literally, “my soul is forlorn.”
13But when they were sick, I put on clothes of sackcloth#35:13. “Clothes of sackcloth”—a sign of mourning. in sympathy. I denied myself through fasting. May my prayer for them return to bless me too.#35:13. Literally, “my prayer returned to my bosom.”
14I was upset for them, as if they were my own friends or family; I bowed down in grief as if I was mourning my own mother.
15But when I was in trouble, they gathered around and laughed at me. Even strangers I don't know attacked me, constantly tearing me apart.
16Like irreligious people mocking a cripple#35:16. The Hebrew here is unclear. they mock me and call me names, gnashing their teeth at me.
17How long, Lord, will you sit by and just watch? Save me from their vicious attacks; defend the only life I have from these lions.
18Then I will thank you in front of the whole congregation and praise you in front of all the people.
19Don't let my enemies take pleasure in my troubles, those people who hate me and tell lies about me, gloating over me for no reason.
20They are not looking for peace; they invent malicious and deceptive schemes against innocent peace-loving people.#35:20. Literally, “the quiet ones of the land.”
21They open their mouths wide to make accusations against me, saying, “Look! Look! We saw it with our own eyes!”
22But Lord, you've seen all this! Say something! Don't give up on me, Lord!
23Wake up! Get up and defend me, my Lord and my God! Take up my case and make sure justice is done!
24Vindicate me, my Lord and my God, because you are just and right. Don't let them gloat over me.
25Don't let them say to themselves, “Look! We got what we wanted!” Don't let them say, “We completely destroyed him!”
26Make them totally ashamed, all those who are happy for the trouble I'm in. Let those who are celebrating over me be covered with shame and dishonor.
27Instead let those who are pleased I've been vindicated celebrate and shout for joy. Let them always say, “How great is the Lord! He is happy when his servants live in peace and have what they need.”#35:27. The word used here “shalom” is often translated as simply “peace.” However, it is not simply the absence of conflict but also refers to a happy and prosperous life.
28I will tell others about your character of truth and right, praising you all day long!
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Dr. Jonathan Gallagher. Released under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 Unported License. Version 4.3. For corrections send email to jonathangallagherfbv@gmail.com