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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Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc
Psalms 35
35
A psalm of David.
1Oppose my opponents, Lord; fight those who are fighting against me.
2Put your armor on, and pick up your shield. Get ready, come and help me.
3Draw your spear and your javelin, confront those who are chasing me. Tell me, “I am your salvation!”
4Shame them! Humiliate those who are trying to kill me! Turn them back! Disgrace those who are planning to hurt me!
5Let them be like chaff blown by the wind; let the angel of the Lord drive them away.
6May their path be dark and slippery, with the angel of the Lord chasing them down.
7For no reason they set a net to catch me; for no reason they dug a pit to trap me.
8Let disaster come on them suddenly; let the net they set catch them instead; let the pit they dug trap them instead.
9Then I will be glad in the Lord; I will be happy in his salvation.
10Every part of me#35:10. Literally, “all of my bones.” will say, Who can compare to you, Lord? You rescue the weak from the strong; the poor and needy from robbers.
11Hostile witnesses stand up to testify against me, accusing me of crimes I don't know anything about.
12They pay me back with evil instead of good. I feel like giving up.#35:12. Literally, “my soul is forlorn.”
13But when they were sick, I put on clothes of sackcloth#35:13. “Clothes of sackcloth”—a sign of mourning. in sympathy. I denied myself through fasting. May my prayer for them return to bless me too.#35:13. Literally, “my prayer returned to my bosom.”
14I was upset for them, as if they were my own friends or family; I bowed down in grief as if I was mourning my own mother.
15But when I was in trouble, they gathered around and laughed at me. Even strangers I don't know attacked me, constantly tearing me apart.
16Like irreligious people mocking a cripple#35:16. The Hebrew here is unclear. they mock me and call me names, gnashing their teeth at me.
17How long, Lord, will you sit by and just watch? Save me from their vicious attacks; defend the only life I have from these lions.
18Then I will thank you in front of the whole congregation and praise you in front of all the people.
19Don't let my enemies take pleasure in my troubles, those people who hate me and tell lies about me, gloating over me for no reason.
20They are not looking for peace; they invent malicious and deceptive schemes against innocent peace-loving people.#35:20. Literally, “the quiet ones of the land.”
21They open their mouths wide to make accusations against me, saying, “Look! Look! We saw it with our own eyes!”
22But Lord, you've seen all this! Say something! Don't give up on me, Lord!
23Wake up! Get up and defend me, my Lord and my God! Take up my case and make sure justice is done!
24Vindicate me, my Lord and my God, because you are just and right. Don't let them gloat over me.
25Don't let them say to themselves, “Look! We got what we wanted!” Don't let them say, “We completely destroyed him!”
26Make them totally ashamed, all those who are happy for the trouble I'm in. Let those who are celebrating over me be covered with shame and dishonor.
27Instead let those who are pleased I've been vindicated celebrate and shout for joy. Let them always say, “How great is the Lord! He is happy when his servants live in peace and have what they need.”#35:27. The word used here “shalom” is often translated as simply “peace.” However, it is not simply the absence of conflict but also refers to a happy and prosperous life.
28I will tell others about your character of truth and right, praising you all day long!
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Dr. Jonathan Gallagher. Released under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 Unported License. Version 4.3. For corrections send email to jonathangallagherfbv@gmail.com