Psalms 35
35
Psalm 35
Of David.
1 LORD, argue with those who argue with me;
fight with those who fight against me!
2Grab a shield and armor;
stand up and help me!
3Use your spear and ax#35.3 Correction
against those who are out to get me!
Say to me:#35.3 Or my soul; also in 35:4, 7, 9, 12, 13, 17, 24 “I’m your salvation!”
4Let those who want me dead
be humiliated and put to shame.
Let those who intend to hurt me
be thoroughly frustrated and disgraced.
5Let them be like dust on the wind—
and let the LORD’s messenger be the one who does the blowing!
6Let their path be dark and slippery—
and let the LORD’s messenger be the one who does the chasing!
7Because they hid their net for me for no reason,
they dug a pit for me for no reason.
8Let disaster come to them when they don’t suspect it.
Let the net they hid catch them instead!
Let them fall into it—to their disaster!
9But I will rejoice in the LORD;
I will celebrate his salvation.
10All my bones will say, “LORD, who could compare to you?
You rescue the weak from those who overpower them;
you rescue the weak and the needy from those who plunder them.”
11Violent witnesses stand up.
They question me about things I know nothing about.
12They pay me back evil for good,
leaving me stricken with grief.
13But when they were sick, I wore clothes for grieving,
and I kept a strict fast.
When my prayer came back unanswered,#35.13 Heb uncertain
14I would wander around like I was grieving a friend or a brother.
I was weighed down, sad, like I was a mother in mourning.
15But when I stumbled, they celebrated and gathered together—
they gathered together against me!
Strangers#35.15 Correction I didn’t know tore me to pieces and wouldn’t quit.
16They ridiculed me over and over again,
like godless people would do,
grinding their teeth at me.
17How long, my Lord, will you watch this happen?
Rescue me from their attacks;
rescue my precious life from these predatory lions!
18Then I will thank you in the great assembly;
I will praise you in a huge crowd of people.
19Don’t let those who are my enemies
without cause celebrate over me;
don’t let those who hate me for no reason
wink at my demise.
20They don’t speak the truth;
instead, they plot false accusations
against innocent people in the land.
21They speak out against me,
saying, “Yes! Oh, yes! We’ve seen it with our own eyes!”
22But you’ve seen it too, LORD.
Don’t keep quiet about it.
Please don’t be far from me, my Lord.
23Wake up! Get up and do justice for me;
argue my case, my Lord and my God!
24Establish justice for me
according to your righteousness, LORD, my God.
Don’t let them celebrate over me.
25Don’t let them say to themselves,
Yes! Exactly what we wanted!
Don’t let them say, “We ate him up!”
26Let all those who celebrate my misfortune be disgraced and put to shame!
Let those who exalt themselves over me
be dressed up in shame and dishonor!
27But let those who want things to be set right for me
shout for joy and celebrate!
Let them constantly say, “The LORD is great—
God wants his servant to be at peace.”
28Then my tongue will talk
all about your righteousness;
it will talk
about your praise all day long.
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Psalms 35: CEB
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2011 Common English Bible. All rights reserved.
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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Contemporary English Version, Second Edition (CEV®)
© 2006 American Bible Society. All rights reserved.