Psalms 35

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¹Contend, O LORD! with them that contend with me! Fight against them that fight against me!

²Take hold of shield and buckler, And stand up for my help!

³Draw forth the spear and the axe against my persecutors; Say to me, "I am thy salvation."

⁴May they be confounded and put to shame, who seek my life; May they be turned back with disgrace, who devise my hurt!

⁵May they be like dust before the wind; May the angel of the LORD drive them!

⁶May their way be dark and slippery, And may the angel of the LORD pursue them!

⁷For without cause they have laid for me a snare; Without cause they have digged for me a pit.

⁸May unforeseen destruction come upon them! May the snare which they have laid lay hold on themselves, And may they fall into destruction!

⁹Then shall my soul rejoice in the LORD; It shall exult in his protection.

¹⁰All my bones shall say, Who, O LORD! is like thee, Who dost rescue the afflicted from the oppressor, The afflicted and destitute from the spoiler?

¹¹False witnesses have risen up; They charge me with that which has not entered my mind.

¹²They repay me evil for good; They cause bereavement to my soul.

¹³And yet I, during their sickness, clothed myself with sackcloth, And afflicted myself with fasting; And my prayer was turned to my bosom.

¹⁴I behaved myself as if he had been my friend or brother; I bowed down in sadness, as one mourning for his mother.

¹⁵But at my fall they rejoice, and gather themselves together; Revilers whom I know not assemble themselves against me; They tear me without ceasing.

¹⁶With base men who mock for their bread, They gnash at me with their teeth.

¹⁷How long, O LORD! wilt thou look on? O rescue my life from the destruction they plot for me; My precious life from these young lions!

¹⁸I will thank thee in the great assembly! Before a numerous people I will praise thee.

¹⁹Let not them that are my enemies wrongfully triumph over me; Let them not wink with the eye, who hate me without cause!

²⁰For they speak not peace; They devise deceit against them that are quiet in the land.

²¹Yea, they open their mouths wide against me; They say, "Aha, aha! our eyes seeth it."

²²Thou seest it, O LORD! be not silent! O LORD! be not far from me!

²³Arouse thyself; awake for my defence! My God and my Lord, awake to my cause!

²⁴Judge me according to thy righteousness, O Jehovah, my God! Let them not triumph over me!

²⁵Let them not say in their hearts, "Aha! we have our wish!" Let them not say, "We have swallowed him up!"

²⁶May they all be confounded and brought to shame, Who rejoice at my calamity! May they be clothed with ignominy and disgrace, Who exalt themselves against me!

²⁷Let them shout for joy, and be glad, Who favor my righteous cause; Let them ever say, "The LORD be praised, Who delighteth in the prosperity of his servant!"

²⁸So shall my tongue speak of thy righteousness, And daily repeat thy praise.

Psalms 35

¹Plead my cause, O Lord, with them that strive with me: fight against them that fight against me.

²Take hold of shield and buckler, and stand up for mine help.

³Draw out also the spear, and stop the way against them that persecute me: say unto my soul, I am thy salvation.

⁴Let them be confounded and put to shame that seek after my soul: let them be turned back and brought to confusion that devise my hurt.

⁵Let them be as chaff before the wind: and let the angel of the Lord chase them.

⁶Let their way be dark and slippery: and let the angel of the Lord persecute them.

⁷For without cause have they hid for me their net in a pit, which without cause they have digged for my soul.

⁸Let destruction come upon him at unawares; and let his net that he hath hid catch himself: into that very destruction let him fall.

⁹And my soul shall be joyful in the Lord: it shall rejoice in his salvation.

¹⁰All my bones shall say, Lord, who is like unto thee, which deliverest the poor from him that is too strong for him, yea, the poor and the needy from him that spoileth him?

¹¹False witnesses did rise up; they laid to my charge things that I knew not.

¹²They rewarded me evil for good to the spoiling of my soul.

¹³But 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.

¹⁴I behaved myself as though he had been my friend or brother: I bowed down heavily, as one that mourneth for his mother.

¹⁵But 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:

¹⁶With hypocritical mockers in feasts, they gnashed upon me with their teeth.

¹⁷Lord, how long wilt thou look on? rescue my soul from their destructions, my darling from the lions.

¹⁸I will give thee thanks in the great congregation: I will praise thee among much people.

¹⁹Let not them that are mine enemies wrongfully rejoice over me: neither let them wink with the eye that hate me without a cause.

²⁰For they speak not peace: but they devise deceitful matters against them that are quiet in the land.

²¹Yea, they opened their mouth wide against me, and said, Aha, aha, our eye hath seen it.

²²This thou hast seen, O Lord: keep not silence: O Lord, be not far from me.

²³Stir up thyself, and awake to my judgment, even unto my cause, my God and my Lord.

²⁴Judge me, O Lord my God, according to thy righteousness; and let them not rejoice over me.

²⁵Let them not say in their hearts, Ah, so would we have it: let them not say, We have swallowed him up.

²⁶Let 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.

²⁷Let 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.

²⁸And my tongue shall speak of thy righteousness and of thy praise all the day long.