Psalms 35
35
(A psalm by David.)
A prayer for protection from enemies
1Fight my enemies, LORD!
Attack my attackers!
2Shield me and help me.
3Aim your spear at everyone
who hunts me down,
but promise to save me.
4Let all who want to kill me
be disappointed
and disgraced.
Chase away and confuse
all who plan to harm me.
5Send your angel after them
and let them be like straw
in the wind.
6Make them run in the dark
on a slippery road,
as your angel chases them.
7I did them no harm,
but they hid a net
to trap me,
and they dug a deep pit
to catch and kill me.
8Surprise them with disaster!
Trap them in their own nets
and let them fall and rot
in the pits they have dug.
9I will celebrate and be joyful
because you, LORD,
have saved me.
10Every bone in my body
will shout:
“No one is like the LORD!”
You protect the helpless
from those in power;
you save the poor and needy
from those who hurt them.
11Liars accuse me of crimes
I know nothing about.
12They repay evil for good,
and I feel all alone.
13When they were sick,
I wore sackcloth#35.13 sackcloth: See the note at 30.11.
and went without food.#35.13 went without food: People sometimes went without food (called “fasting”) to show sorrow.
I truly prayed for them,#35.13 I…them: Or “My prayer wasn't answered, but I prayed.”
14as I would for a friend
or a relative.
I was in sorrow and mourned,
as I would for my mother.
15I have stumbled,
and worthless liars
I don't even know
surround me and sneer.
16Worthless people make fun#35.16 Worthless…fun: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
and never stop laughing.
17But all you do is watch!
When will you do something?
Save me from the attack
of those vicious lions.
18And when your people meet,
I will praise you
and thank you, Lord,
in front of them all.
19Don't let my brutal enemies#Ps 69.4; Jn 15.25.
be glad because of me.
They hate me for no reason.
Don't let them wink
behind my back.
20They say hurtful things,
and they lie to people
who want to live in peace.
21They are quick to accuse me.
They say, “You did it!
We saw you ourselves.”
22You see everything, LORD!
Please don't keep silent
or stay so far away.
23Fight to defend me, Lord God,
24and prove that I am right
by your standards.
Don't let them laugh at me
25or say to each other,
“Now we've got what we want!
We'll gobble him up!”
26Disappoint and confuse
all who are glad
to see me in trouble,
but disgrace and embarrass
my proud enemies who say to me,
“You are nothing!”
27Let all who want me to win
be happy and joyful.
From now on let them say,
“The LORD is wonderful!
God is glad when all goes well
for his servant.”
28Then I will shout all day,
“Praise the LORD God!
He did what was right.”
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Psalms 35: CEVUK
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© British and Foreign Bible Society 2012
Tehillim (Psa) 35
35
1By David:
Adonai, oppose those who oppose me;
fight against those who fight against me.
2Grasp your shield and protective gear,
and rise to my defense.
3Brandish spear and battle-axe
against my pursuers;
let me hear you say,
“I am your salvation.”
4May those who seek my life
be disgraced and put to confusion;
may those who are plotting harm for me
be repulsed and put to shame.
5May they be like chaff before the wind,
with the angel of Adonai to drive them on.
6May their way be dark and slippery,
with the angel of Adonai to pursue them.
7For unprovoked, they hid their net over a pit;
unprovoked, they dug it for me.
8May destruction come over him unawares.
May the net he concealed catch himself;
may he fall into it and be destroyed.
9Then I will be joyful in Adonai,
I will rejoice in his salvation.
10All my bones will say,
“Who is like you?
Who can rescue the weak
from those stronger than they,
the poor and needy
from those who exploit them?”
11Malicious witnesses come forward,
asking me things about which I know nothing.
12They repay me evil for good;
it makes me feel desolate as a parent bereaved.
13But I, when they were ill, wore sackcloth;
I put myself out and fasted;
I can pray that what I prayed for them
might also happen to me.
14I behaved as I would for my friend or my brother;
I bent down in sorrow as if mourning my mother.
15But when I stumble, they gather in glee;
they gather against me and strike me unawares;
they tear me apart unceasingly.
16With ungodly mocking and grimacing,
they grind their teeth at me.
17Adonai, how much longer will you look on?
Rescue me from their assaults,
save the one life I have from the lions!
18I will give you thanks in the great assembly,
I will give you praise among huge crowds of people.
19Don’t let those who are wrongfully my enemies
gloat over me;
and those who hate me unprovoked —
don’t let them smirk at me.
20For they don’t speak words of peace
but devise ways to deceive
the peaceful of the land.
21They shout to accuse me, “Aha! Aha!
we saw you with our own eyes!”
22You saw them, Adonai; don’t stay silent.
Adonai, don’t stay far away from me.
23Wake up! Get up, my God, my Lord!
Defend me and my cause!
24Give judgment for me, Adonai, my God,
as your righteousness demands.
Don’t let them gloat over me.
25Don’t let them say to themselves,
“Aha! We got what we wanted!”
or say, “We swallowed them up!”
26May those who gloat over my distress
be disgraced and humiliated.
May those who aggrandize themselves at my expense
be covered with shame and confusion.
27But may those who delight in my righteousness
shout for joy and be glad!
Let them say always, “How great is Adonai,
who delights in the peace of his servant!”
28Then my tongue will tell of your righteousness
and praise you all day long.
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