Psalm 35

PSALM 35

Prayer for Rescue from Enemies.

A Psalm of David.

¹Contend, O Lord, with those who ^acontend with me;

Fight against those who ^bfight against me.

²Take hold of ^1abuckler and shield

And rise up for ^bmy help.

³Draw also the spear and ¹the battle-axe to meet those who pursue me;

Say to my soul, “I am ^ayour salvation.”

⁴Let those be ^aashamed and dishonored who seek my ¹life;

Let those be ^bturned back and humiliated who devise evil against me.

⁵Let them be ^alike chaff before the wind,

With the angel of the Lord driving them on.

⁶Let their way be dark and ^aslippery,

With the angel of the Lord pursuing them.

⁷For ^awithout cause they ^bhid their net for me;

Without cause they dug a ¹pit for my soul.

⁸Let ^adestruction come upon him unawares,

And ^blet the net which he hid catch himself;

Into that very ^cdestruction let him fall.

⁹And my soul shall ^arejoice in the Lord;

It shall ^bexult in His salvation.

¹⁰All my ^abones will say, “Lord, ^bwho is like You,

Who delivers the afflicted from him ^cwho is too strong for him,

And ^dthe afflicted and the needy from him who robs him?”

^11aMalicious witnesses rise up;

They ask me of things that I do not know.

¹²They ^arepay me evil for good,

To the bereavement of my soul.

¹³But as for me, ^awhen they were sick, my ^bclothing was sackcloth;

I ^chumbled my soul with fasting,

And my ^dprayer kept returning to my bosom.

¹⁴I went about as though it were my friend or brother;

I ^abowed down ¹mourning, as one who sorrows for a mother.

¹⁵But ^aat my ¹stumbling they rejoiced and gathered themselves together;

The ^2bsmiters whom I did not know gathered together against me,

They ^3cslandered me without ceasing.

¹⁶Like godless jesters at a feast,

They ^agnashed at me with their teeth.

¹⁷Lord, ^ahow long will You look on?

Rescue my soul ^bfrom their ravages,

My ^conly life from the lions.

¹⁸I will ^agive You thanks in the great congregation;

I will ^bpraise You among a mighty throng.

^19aDo not let those who are wrongfully ^bmy enemies rejoice over me;

Nor let those ^cwho hate me without cause ^1dwink maliciously.

²⁰For they do not speak peace,

But they devise ^adeceitful words against those who are quiet in the land.

²¹They ^aopened their mouth wide against me;

They said, “^bAha, aha, our eyes have seen it!”

^22aYou have seen it, O Lord, ^bdo not keep silent;

O Lord, ^cdo not be far from me.

^23aStir up Yourself, and awake to my right

And to my cause, my God and my Lord.

^24aJudge me, O Lord my God, according to Your righteousness,

And ^bdo not let them rejoice over me.

²⁵Do not let them say in their heart, “^aAha, our desire!”

Do not let them say, “We have ^bswallowed him up!”

²⁶Let ^athose be ashamed and humiliated altogether who rejoice at my distress;

Let those be ^bclothed with shame and dishonor who ^cmagnify themselves over me.

²⁷Let them ^ashout for joy and rejoice, who favor ^bmy vindication;

And ^clet them say continually, “The Lord be magnified,

Who ^ddelights in the prosperity of His servant.”

²⁸And ^amy tongue shall declare Your righteousness

And Your praise all day long.