Psalms 35
35
Prayer for Help Against Unjust Enemies
1Of David.
I
#The mixture of judicial, martial, and hunting images shows that the language is figurative. The actual injustice is false accusation of serious crimes (Ps 35:11, 15, 20–21). The psalmist seeks lost honor through a trial before God.Oppose, O Lord, those who oppose me;
war upon those who make war upon me.
2Take up the shield and buckler;
rise up in my defense.
3Brandish lance and battle-ax
against my pursuers.
Say to my soul,
“I am your salvation.”
4Let those who seek my life
be put to shame and disgrace.
Let those who plot evil against me#Ps 40:15; 71:13.
be turned back and confounded.
5Make them like chaff before the wind,#Ps 1:4; 83:14; Jb 21:18.
with the angel of the Lord driving them on.
6Make their way slippery and dark,
with the angel of the Lord pursuing them.
II
7Without cause they set their snare for me;
without cause they dug a pit for me.
8Let ruin overtake them unawares;
let the snare they have set catch them;
let them fall into the pit they have dug.#Ps 7:16; 9:16; 57:7; Prv 26:27; Eccl 10:8; Sir 27:26.
9Then I will rejoice in the Lord,
exult in God’s salvation.
10My very bones shall say,
“O Lord, who is like you,#Ps 86:8; 89:7, 9; Ex 15:11.
Who rescue the afflicted from the powerful,
the afflicted and needy from the despoiler?”
III
11Malicious witnesses rise up,
accuse me of things I do not know.
12They repay me evil for good;
my soul is desolate.#Ps 27:12; 38:20–21; 109:5; Jer 18:20.
13#35:13, 15–17] The Hebrew is obscure.Yet I, when they were ill, put on sackcloth,
afflicted myself with fasting,
sobbed my prayers upon my bosom.
14I went about in grief as for my brother,
bent in mourning as for my mother.
15Yet when I stumbled they gathered with glee,
gathered against me and I did not know it.
They slandered me without ceasing;
16without respect they mocked me,
gnashed their teeth against me.
IV
17O Lord, how long will you look on?
Restore my soul from their destruction,
my very life from lions!#Ps 17:12; 22:22; 58:7.
18Then I will thank you in the great assembly;
I will praise you before the mighty throng.#Ps 22:23; 26:12; 35:18; 40:10; 149:1.
19Do not let lying foes rejoice over me,
my undeserved enemies wink knowingly.#Ps 38:17.
20They speak no words of peace,
but against the quiet in the land
they fashion deceitful speech.#Ps 120:6–7.
21They open wide their mouths against me.
They say, “Aha! Good!
Our eyes have seen it!”#Ps 40:16; Lam 2:16.
22You see this, Lord; do not be silent;#Ps 22:12; 38:21; 109:1.
Lord, do not withdraw from me.
23Awake, be vigilant in my defense,
in my cause, my God and my Lord.
24Defend me because you are just, Lord;
my God, do not let them rejoice over me.
25Do not let them say in their hearts,
“Aha! Our soul!”#Aha! Our soul!: an ancient idiomatic expression meaning that we have attained what we wanted.
Do not let them say,
“We have devoured that one!”
26Put to shame and confound
all who relish my misfortune.
Clothe with shame and disgrace
those who lord it over me.
27But let those who favor my just cause
shout for joy and be glad.
May they ever say, “Exalted be the Lord
who delights in the peace of his loyal servant.”
28Then my tongue shall recount your justice,
declare your praise, all the day long.#Ps 71:15–16.
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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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