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 disgraced
and put to shame.
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.
8 #
3 Macc 6.21. Surprise 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.
19 #
Ps 69.4; Jn 15.25. Don't let my brutal enemies
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;
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: CEVDCI
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Contemporary English Version, Second Edition (CEV®)
© 2006 American Bible Society. All rights reserved.
Psalms 35
35
Prayer for Victory
Davidic.
1Oppose my opponents, Lord;
fight those who fight me. # Ex 14:25; Is 49:25
2Take Your shields — large and small —
and come to my aid. # Ps 5:12; 91:4
3Draw the spear and javelin against my pursuers,
and assure me: “I am your deliverance.” # Ps 13:5; 40:17
4Let those who seek to kill me
be disgraced and humiliated;
let those who plan to harm me
be turned back and ashamed. # Ps 40:14; 70:2; 129:5
5Let them be like chaff in the wind,
with the angel of the Lord driving them away. # Jb 21:18; Ps 83:13; Is 29:5
6Let their way be dark and slippery,
with the angel of the Lord pursuing them. # Ps 73:18; Jr 23:12
7They hid their net for me without cause;
they dug a pit for me without cause. # Ps 140:5
8Let ruin come on him unexpectedly,
and let the net that he hid ensnare him;
let him fall into it — to his ruin. # Jb 18:8; Ps 7:15
9Then I will rejoice in the Lord;
I will delight in His deliverance. # Ps 9:14; 13:5
10My very bones will say,
“Lord, who is like You, # Ex 15:11; Ps 86:8; Mc 7:18
rescuing the poor from one too strong for him,
the poor or the needy from one who robs him? ” # Ps 72:12; 82:4
11Malicious witnesses come forward;
they question me about things I do not know. # Ps 27:12; Pr 19:5,9
12They repay me evil for good,
making me desolate. # Ps 38:20; 109:5; Jr 18:20
13Yet when they were sick,
my clothing was sackcloth;
I humbled myself with fasting,
and my prayer was genuine. # Lit prayer returned to my chest # Ps 69:10-11
14I went about grieving as if for my friend or brother;
I was bowed down with grief,
like one mourning a mother. # Ps 38:6
15But when I stumbled, they gathered in glee;
they gathered against me.
Assailants I did not know
tore at me and did not stop. # Jb 30:1,8,12; Ob 12
16With godless mockery # Hb obscure
they gnashed their teeth at me. # Jb 16:9; Ps 37:12; Lm 2:16
17Lord, how long will You look on? # Ps 13:1; Hab 1:13
Rescue my life from their ravages,
my only one from the young lions. # Ps 22:20-21
18I will praise You in the great congregation;
I will exalt You among many people. # Ps 22:22,25; 40:9-10; Heb 2:12
19Do not let my deceitful enemies rejoice over me;
do not let those who hate me without cause # Ps 38:19; Jn 15:25
look at me maliciously. # Ps 13:4; 30:1; 38:16
20For they do not speak in friendly ways,
but contrive deceitful schemes # Lit but devise deceitful words
against those who live peacefully in the land. # Ps 55:21; Jr 9:8; Mc 6:12
21They open their mouths wide against me and say,
“Aha, aha! We saw it! ” # Lit Our eyes saw! # Jb 16:10; Ps 22:13; 40:15; 70:3
22You saw it, Lord; do not be silent.
Lord, do not be far from me. # Ps 10:1; 22:11; 28:1
23Wake up and rise to my defense,
to my cause, my God and my Lord! # Ps 7:6; 44:23; 59:4
24Vindicate me, Lord my God,
in keeping with Your righteousness,
and do not let them rejoice over me. # Ps 26:1; 43:1
25Do not let them say in their hearts,
“Aha! Just what we wanted.”
Do not let them say,
“We have swallowed him up! ” # Ps 124:3; Lm 2:16
26Let those who rejoice at my misfortune
be disgraced and humiliated;
let those who exalt themselves over me
be clothed with shame and reproach. # Jb 8:22; Ps 40:14; 109:29
27Let those who want my vindication
shout for joy and be glad;
let them continually say,
“The Lord be exalted.
He takes pleasure in His servant’s well-being.” # Ps 40:16; 70:4
28And my tongue will proclaim Your righteousness,
Your praise all day long. # Ps 71:8,15,24
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