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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Psalms 35
35
A song of David.
1Lord, oppose those who oppose me.
Fight those who fight me.
2Pick up your shields, large and small.
Get up and help me!
3Take a spear and javelin
and fight those who are chasing me.
Tell me, “I will rescue you.”
4Some people are trying to kill me.
Disappoint them and make them ashamed.
Make them turn and run away.
They are planning to hurt me.
Defeat and embarrass them.
5Make them like chaff blown by the wind.#35:5 wind This may be a wordplay, because the Hebrew word also means “spirit.”
Let them be chased by the Lord’s angel.
6Make their road dark and slippery.
Let the Lord’s angel chase them.
7I did nothing wrong, but they tried to trap me.
For no reason at all, they dug a pit to catch me.
8So let them fall into their own traps.
Let them stumble into their own nets.
Let some unknown danger catch them.
9Then I will rejoice in the Lord.
I will be happy when he saves me.
10With my whole self I will say,
“Lord, there is no one like you.
You protect the poor from those who are stronger.
You save the poor and helpless from those who try to rob them.”
11There are witnesses#35:11 witnesses People who tell what they have seen or heard. Here, these people were probably telling lies. trying to harm me.
They ask me questions that I know nothing about.
12They pay me back evil for the good I have done.
They make me so very sad.
13When they were sick, I was sad and wore sackcloth.
I went without eating to show my sorrow.
(May my prayers for them not be answered!)
14I mourned for them as I would for a friend or a brother.
I bowed low with sadness, crying as I would for my own mother.
15But when I had troubles, they laughed at me.
They were not really friends.
I was surrounded and attacked
by people I didn’t even know.
16They made fun of me, using the worst language.
They ground their teeth to show their anger.
17My Lord, how long will you watch this happen?
Save my life from these people
who are attacking me like lions and trying to destroy me.
18I will praise you in the great assembly.
I will praise you there among the crowds.
19Don’t let my lying enemies keep on laughing at me.
They have no reason to hate me.
Surely they will be punished for their secret plans.#35:19 Surely … plans Literally, “Will the people who hate me freely wink their eyes?”
20They have no friendly words for others,
but plan ways to hurt those who want to live in peace.
21They are telling lies about me.
They say, “Aha! We know what you did!”
22Lord, surely you can see what is happening.
So don’t keep quiet.
Lord, don’t leave me.
23Wake up! Get up!
My God and my Lord, fight for me, and bring me justice.
24Lord my God, judge me with your fairness.
Don’t let those people laugh at me.
25Don’t let them think, “Aha! We got what we wanted!”
Don’t let them say, “We destroyed him!”
26Let my enemies be ashamed and embarrassed—
all those who were happy about my troubles.
Proud of themselves, they treated me as worthless.
So let them be covered with shame and disgrace.
27To those who want the best for me,
I wish them joy and happiness.
May they always say, “Praise the Lord,
who wants what is best for his servant.”
28So, Lord, I will tell people how good you are.
I will praise you all day long.
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