Psalms 35:13-28 - Compare All Versions

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Yet when they were ill, I put on sackcloth and humbled myself with fasting. When my prayers returned to me unanswered, I went about mourning as though for my friend or brother. I bowed my head in grief as though weeping for my mother. But when I stumbled, they gathered in glee; assailants gathered against me without my knowledge. They slandered me without ceasing. Like the ungodly they maliciously mocked; they gnashed their teeth at me. How long, Lord, will you look on? Rescue me from their ravages, my precious life from these lions. I will give you thanks in the great assembly; among the throngs I will praise you. Do not let those gloat over me who are my enemies without cause; do not let those who hate me without reason maliciously wink the eye. They do not speak peaceably, but devise false accusations against those who live quietly in the land. They sneer at me and say, “Aha! Aha! With our own eyes we have seen it.” LORD, you have seen this; do not be silent. Do not be far from me, Lord. Awake, and rise to my defense! Contend for me, my God and Lord. Vindicate me in your righteousness, LORD my God; do not let them gloat over me. Do not let them think, “Aha, just what we wanted!” or say, “We have swallowed him up.” May all who gloat over my distress be put to shame and confusion; may all who exalt themselves over me be clothed with shame and disgrace. May those who delight in my vindication shout for joy and gladness; may they always say, “The LORD be exalted, who delights in the well-being of his servant.” My tongue will proclaim your righteousness, your praises all day long.

But I, when they were sick— I wore sackcloth; I afflicted myself with fasting; I prayed with head bowed on my chest. I went about as though I grieved for my friend or my brother; as one who laments his mother, I bowed down in mourning. But at my stumbling they rejoiced and gathered; they gathered together against me; wretches whom I did not know tore at me without ceasing; like profane mockers at a feast, they gnash at me with their teeth. How long, O Lord, will you look on? Rescue me from their destruction, my precious life from the lions! I will thank you in the great congregation; in the mighty throng I will praise you. Let not those rejoice over me who are wrongfully my foes, and let not those wink the eye who hate me without cause. For they do not speak peace, but against those who are quiet in the land they devise words of deceit. They open wide their mouths against me; they say, “Aha, Aha! Our eyes have seen it!” You have seen, O LORD; be not silent! O Lord, be not far from me! Awake and rouse yourself for my vindication, for my cause, my God and my Lord! Vindicate me, O LORD, my God, according to your righteousness, and let them not rejoice over me! Let them not say in their hearts, “Aha, our heart’s desire!” Let them not say, “We have swallowed him up.” Let them be put to shame and disappointed altogether who rejoice at my calamity! Let them be clothed with shame and dishonor who magnify themselves against me! Let those who delight in my righteousness shout for joy and be glad and say evermore, “Great is the LORD, who delights in the welfare of his servant!” Then my tongue shall tell of your righteousness and of your praise all the day long.

Yet when they were ill, I grieved for them. I denied myself by fasting for them, but my prayers returned unanswered. I was sad, as though they were my friends or family, as if I were grieving for my own mother. But they are glad now that I am in trouble; they gleefully join together against me. I am attacked by people I don’t even know; they slander me constantly. They mock me and call me names; they snarl at me. How long, O Lord, will you look on and do nothing? Rescue me from their fierce attacks. Protect my life from these lions! Then I will thank you in front of the great assembly. I will praise you before all the people. Don’t let my treacherous enemies rejoice over my defeat. Don’t let those who hate me without cause gloat over my sorrow. They don’t talk of peace; they plot against innocent people who mind their own business. They shout, “Aha! Aha! With our own eyes we saw him do it!” O LORD, you know all about this. Do not stay silent. Do not abandon me now, O Lord. Wake up! Rise to my defense! Take up my case, my God and my Lord. Declare me not guilty, O LORD my God, for you give justice. Don’t let my enemies laugh about me in my troubles. Don’t let them say, “Look, we got what we wanted! Now we will eat him alive!” May those who rejoice at my troubles be humiliated and disgraced. May those who triumph over me be covered with shame and dishonor. But give great joy to those who came to my defense. Let them continually say, “Great is the LORD, who delights in blessing his servant with peace!” Then I will proclaim your justice, and I will praise you all day long.

Yet when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth; I humbled myself with fasting, and my prayer was genuine.  , I went about mourning as if for my friend or brother; I was bowed down with grief, like one mourning for a mother.  But when I stumbled, they gathered in glee; they gathered against me. Assailants I did not know tore at me and did not stop.  With godless mockery  they gnashed their teeth at me.  Lord, how long will you look on?  Rescue me from their ravages; rescue my precious life from the young lions.  I will praise you in the great assembly; I will exalt you among many people.  Do not let my deceitful enemies rejoice over me; do not let those who hate me without cause  wink at me maliciously.  For they do not speak in friendly ways, but contrive fraudulent schemes  against those who live peacefully in the land.  They open their mouths wide against me and say, “Aha, aha! We saw it! ”  , You saw it, LORD; do not be silent. Lord, do not be far from me.  Wake up and rise to my defense, to my cause, my God and my Lord!  Vindicate me, LORD  my God, in keeping with your righteousness, and do not let them rejoice over me.  Do not let them say in their hearts, “Aha! Just what we wanted.” Do not let them say, “We have swallowed him up! ”  Let those who rejoice at my misfortune be disgraced and humiliated; let those who exalt themselves over me be clothed with shame and reproach.  Let those who want my vindication shout for joy and be glad; let them continually say, “The LORD be exalted. He takes pleasure in his servant’s well-being.”  And my tongue will proclaim your righteousness, your praise all day long.

But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth: I humbled my soul with fasting; And my prayer returned into mine own bosom. I behaved myself as though he had been my friend or brother: I bowed down heavily, as one that mourneth for his mother. But in mine adversity they rejoiced, and gathered themselves together: Yea, the abjects gathered themselves together against me, and I knew it not; they did tear me, and ceased not: With hypocritical mockers in feasts, They gnashed upon me with their teeth. Lord, how long wilt thou look on? Rescue my soul from their destructions, my darling from the lions. I will give thee thanks in the great congregation: I will praise thee among much people. Let not them that are mine enemies wrongfully rejoice over me: Neither let them wink with the eye that hate me without a cause. For they speak not peace: But they devise deceitful matters against them that are quiet in the land. Yea, they opened their mouth wide against me, And said, Aha, aha, our eye hath seen it. This thou hast seen, O LORD: keep not silence: O Lord, be not far from me. Stir up thyself, and awake to my judgment, Even unto my cause, my God and my Lord. Judge me, O LORD my God, according to thy righteousness; And let them not rejoice over me. Let them not say in their hearts, Ah, so would we have it: Let them not say, We have swallowed him up. Let them be ashamed and brought to confusion together that rejoice at mine hurt: Let them be clothed with shame and dishonour that magnify themselves against me. Let them shout for joy, and be glad, that favour my righteous cause: Yea, let them say continually, Let the LORD be magnified, which hath pleasure in the prosperity of his servant. And my tongue shall speak of thy righteousness And of thy praise all the day long.

But as for me, when they were sick, My clothing was sackcloth; I humbled myself with fasting; And my prayer would return to my own heart. I paced about as though he were my friend or brother; I bowed down heavily, as one who mourns for his mother. But in my adversity they rejoiced And gathered together; Attackers gathered against me, And I did not know it; They tore at me and did not cease; With ungodly mockers at feasts They gnashed at me with their teeth. Lord, how long will You look on? Rescue me from their destructions, My precious life from the lions. I will give You thanks in the great assembly; I will praise You among many people. Let them not rejoice over me who are wrongfully my enemies; Nor let them wink with the eye who hate me without a cause. For they do not speak peace, But they devise deceitful matters Against the quiet ones in the land. They also opened their mouth wide against me, And said, “Aha, aha! Our eyes have seen it.” This You have seen, O LORD; Do not keep silence. O Lord, do not be far from me. Stir up Yourself, and awake to my vindication, To my cause, my God and my Lord. Vindicate me, O LORD my God, according to Your righteousness; And let them not rejoice over me. Let them not say in their hearts, “Ah, so we would have it!” Let them not say, “We have swallowed him up.” Let them be ashamed and brought to mutual confusion Who rejoice at my hurt; Let them be clothed with shame and dishonor Who exalt themselves against me. Let them shout for joy and be glad, Who favor my righteous cause; And let them say continually, “Let the LORD be magnified, Who has pleasure in the prosperity of His servant.” And my tongue shall speak of Your righteousness And of Your praise all the day long.

When they were sick, I dressed in black; instead of eating, I prayed. My prayers were like lead in my gut, like I’d lost my best friend, my brother. I paced, distraught as a motherless child, hunched and heavyhearted. But when I was down they threw a party! All the nameless misfits of the town came chanting insults about me. Like barbarians desecrating a shrine, they destroyed my reputation. GOD, how long are you going to stand there doing nothing? Save me from their brutalities; everything I’ve got is being thrown to the lions. I will give you full credit when everyone gathers for worship; When the people turn out in force I will say my Hallelujahs. Don’t let these liars, my enemies, have a party at my expense, Those who hate me for no reason, winking and rolling their eyes. No good is going to come from that crowd; They spend all their time cooking up gossip against those who mind their own business. They open their mouths in ugly grins, Mocking, “Ha-ha, ha-ha, thought you’d get away with it? We’ve caught you hands down!” Don’t you see what they’re doing, GOD? You’re not going to let them Get by with it, are you? Not going to walk off without doing something, are you? Please get up—wake up! Tend to my case. My God, my Lord—my life is on the line. Do what you think is right, GOD, my God, but don’t make me pay for their good time. Don’t let them say to themselves, “Ha-ha, we got what we wanted.” Don’t let them say, “We’ve chewed him up and spit him out.” Let those who are being hilarious at my expense Be made to look ridiculous. Make them wear donkey’s ears; Pin them with the donkey’s tail, who made themselves so high and mighty! But those who want the best for me, Let them have the last word—a glad shout!— and say, over and over and over, “GOD is great—everything works together for good for his servant.” I’ll tell the world how great and good you are, I’ll shout Hallelujah all day, every day.

But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth; I humbled my soul with fasting, But my prayer kept returning to me. I went about as though it were my friend or brother; I bowed down in mourning, like one who mourns for a mother. But at my stumbling they rejoiced and gathered themselves together; The afflicted people whom I did not know gathered together against me, They slandered me without ceasing. Like godless jesters at a feast, They gnashed at me with their teeth. ¶Lord, how long will You look on? Rescue my soul from their ravages, My only life from the lions. I will give You thanks in the great congregation; I will praise You among a mighty people. Do not let those who are wrongfully my enemies rejoice over me; Nor let those who hate me for no reason wink maliciously. For they do not speak peace, But they devise deceitful words against those who are quiet in the land. They opened their mouth wide against me; They said, “Aha, aha! Our eyes have seen it!” ¶You have seen it, LORD, do not keep silent; Lord, do not be far from me. Stir Yourself, and awake to my right And to my cause, my God and my Lord. Judge me, LORD my God, according to Your righteousness, And do not let them rejoice over me. Do not let them say in their heart, “Aha, our desire!” Do not let them say, “We have swallowed him up!” May those be ashamed and altogether humiliated who rejoice at my distress; May those who exalt themselves over me be clothed with shame and dishonor. ¶May those shout for joy and rejoice, who take delight in my vindication; And may they say continually, “The LORD be exalted, Who delights in the prosperity of His servant.” And my tongue shall proclaim Your righteousness And Your praise all day long.

But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth (mourning garment); I humbled my soul with fasting, And I prayed with my head bowed on my chest. I behaved as if grieving for my friend or my brother; I bowed down in mourning, as one who sorrows for his mother. But in my stumbling they rejoiced and gathered together [against me]; The slanderers whom I did not know gathered against me; They slandered and reviled me without ceasing. Like godless jesters at a feast, They gnashed at me with their teeth [in malice]. ¶LORD, how long will You look on [without action]? Rescue my life from their destructions, My only life from the young lions. I will give You thanks in the great congregation; I will praise You among a mighty people. Do not let those who are wrongfully my enemies rejoice over me; Nor let those who hate me without cause wink their eye [maliciously]. [John 15:24, 25] For they do not speak peace, But they devise deceitful words [half-truths and lies] against those who are quiet in the land. They open their mouths wide against me; They say, “Aha, aha, our eyes have seen it!” ¶You have seen this, O LORD; do not keep silent. O Lord, do not be far from me. Wake Yourself up, and arise to my right And to my cause, my God and my Lord. Judge me, O LORD my God, according to Your righteousness and justice; And do not let them rejoice over me. Do not let them say in their heart, “Aha, that is what we wanted!” Do not let them say, “We have swallowed him up and destroyed him.” Let those be ashamed and humiliated together who rejoice at my distress; Let those be clothed with shame and dishonor who magnify themselves over me. ¶Let them shout for joy and rejoice, who favor my vindication and want what is right for me; Let them say continually, “Let the LORD be magnified, who delights and takes pleasure in the prosperity of His servant.” And my tongue shall declare Your righteousness (justice), And Your praise all the day long.

When they were sick, I wore sackcloth, and refrained from eating food. (If I am lying, may my prayers go unanswered!) I mourned for them as I would for a friend or my brother. I bowed down in sorrow as if I were mourning for my mother. But when I stumbled, they rejoiced and gathered together; they gathered together to ambush me. They tore at me without stopping to rest. When I tripped, they taunted me relentlessly, and tried to bite me. O Lord, how long are you going to just stand there and watch this? Rescue me from their destructive attacks; guard my life from the young lions! Then I will give you thanks in the great assembly; I will praise you before a large crowd of people! Do not let those who are my enemies for no reason gloat over me! Do not let those who hate me without cause carry out their wicked schemes! For they do not try to make peace with others, but plan ways to deceive those who are unsuspecting. They are ready to devour me; they say, “Aha! Aha! We’ve got you!” But you take notice, LORD! O Lord, do not remain far away from me! Rouse yourself, wake up and vindicate me! My God and Lord, defend my just cause! Vindicate me by your justice, O LORD my God! Do not let them gloat over me! Do not let them say to themselves, “Aha! We have what we wanted!” Do not let them say, “We have devoured him!” May those who want to harm me be totally embarrassed and ashamed! May those who arrogantly taunt me be covered with shame and humiliation! May those who desire my vindication shout for joy and rejoice! May they continually say, “May the LORD be praised, for he wants his servant to be secure.” Then I will tell others about your justice, and praise you all day long.