Psalm 35
35
Great Is the Lord
Of David.
1Contend, O Lord, with those who #Isa. 49:25 contend with me;
# [Ex. 14:25; Isa. 42:13] fight against those who fight against me!
2Take hold of #Ps. 91:4; [Ps. 5:12]shield and buckler
and rise for my help!
3Draw the spear and javelin#35:3 Or and close the way
against my pursuers!
Say to my soul,
“I am your salvation!”
4 # For ver. 4-8, see Ps. 69:22-28; 109:6-15 Let them be #ver. 26; Ps. 40:14; 70:2; 71:13; 83:17 put to shame and dishonor
who seek after my life!
Let them be #Ps. 129:5turned back and disappointed
who devise evil against me!
5Let them be like #See Job 21:18chaff before the wind,
with the angel of the Lord driving them away!
6Let their way be dark and #Ps. 73:18; Jer. 23:12slippery,
with the angel of the Lord pursuing them!
7For #See Ps. 69:4 without cause #See Job 18:8 they hid their net for me;
without cause they dug #See Ps. 7:15a pit for my life.#35:7 The word pit is transposed from the preceding line; Hebrew For without cause they hid the pit of their net for me; without cause they dug for my life
8Let #[1 Thess. 5:3] destruction come upon him #Isa. 47:11when he does not know it!
And let the net that he hid ensnare him;
let him fall into it—to his destruction!
9Then my soul will rejoice in the Lord,
#
Luke 1:47; See Ps. 9:14 exulting in his salvation.
10All my #Ps. 51:8 bones shall say,
“O Lord, #Ps. 71:19; 86:8; 89:6, 8; 113:5; Ex. 15:11who is like you,
delivering the poor
from him who is too strong for him,
the poor and needy from him who robs him?”
11 # See Ps. 27:12 Malicious#35:11 Or Violent witnesses rise up;
they ask me of things that I do not know.
12 #
Ps. 38:20; 109:4; Jer. 18:20; [John 10:32] They repay me evil for good;
my soul is bereft.#35:12 Hebrew it is bereavement to my soul
13But I, #[Job 30:25] when they were sick—
I #Ps. 69:11; [1 Kgs. 20:31] wore sackcloth;
I #Ps. 69:10; Num. 29:7 afflicted myself with fasting;
I prayed #[Matt. 10:13]; Luke 10:6with head bowed#35:13 Or my prayer shall turn back on my chest.
14I went about as though I grieved for my friend or my brother;
as one who laments his mother,
I #See Ps. 38:6bowed down in mourning.
15But at my stumbling they rejoiced and gathered;
they gathered together against me;
#
Job 30:1, 8, 12 wretches whom I did not know
tore at me without ceasing;
16like profane mockers at a feast,#35:16 The meaning of the Hebrew phrase is uncertain
they #Ps. 37:12; Job 16:9; Lam. 2:16gnash at me with their teeth.
17How long, O Lord, will you #Hab. 1:13 look on?
Rescue me from their destruction,
#
Ps. 22:20
my precious life from the lions!
18I will thank you in #Ps. 22:25the great congregation;
in the mighty throng I will praise you.
19 # ver. 24; See Ps. 13:4 Let not those rejoice over me
who are #Ps. 38:19; 69:4; 119:78, 86 wrongfully my foes,
and let not those #Prov. 6:13; 10:10 wink the eye
who #Ps. 69:4; Cited John 15:25 hate me #ver. 7without cause.
20For they do not speak peace,
but against those who are quiet in the land
they devise words of deceit.
21They #See Ps. 22:13 open wide their mouths against me;
they say, #ver. 25; Ps. 40:15; 70:3“Aha, Aha!
Our eyes have seen it!”
22 # [Ex. 3:7] You have seen, O Lord; #Ps. 28:1 be not silent!
O Lord, #See Ps. 10:1be not far from me!
23Awake and #Ps. 44:23; 59:4; 80:2 rouse yourself for #Ps. 7:6my vindication,
for my cause, my God and my Lord!
24 #
Ps. 7:8 Vindicate me, O Lord, my God,
according to your righteousness,
and #ver. 19let them not rejoice over me!
25Let them not say in their hearts,
# ver. 21 “Aha, our heart’s desire!”
Let them not say, #2 Sam. 17:16; Lam. 2:16“We have swallowed him up.”
26Let them be #See ver. 4 put to shame and disappointed altogether
who rejoice at my calamity!
Let them be #See Job 8:22 clothed with shame and dishonor
who #See Job 19:5magnify themselves against me!
27Let those who delight in my righteousness
shout for joy and be glad
#
Ps. 40:16; 70:4 and say evermore,
#
Ps. 34:3 “Great is the Lord,
who #Ps. 149:4delights in the welfare of his servant!”
28Then my #Ps. 51:14; 71:8, 15, 24tongue shall tell of your righteousness
and of your praise all the day long.
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The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
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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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