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Psalm 35
Common English Bible
Psalm 35
Common English Bible
Psalm 35
Of David.
35 Lord, argue with those who argue with me;
fight with those who fight against me!
2 Grab a shield and armor;
stand up and help me!
3 Use your spear and ax[a]
against those who are out to get me!
Say to me:[b] “I’m your salvation!”
4 Let those who want me dead
be humiliated and put to shame.
Let those who intend to hurt me
be thoroughly frustrated and disgraced.
5 Let them be like dust on the wind—
and let the Lord’s messenger be the one who does the blowing!
6 Let their path be dark and slippery—
and let the Lord’s messenger be the one who does the chasing!
7 Because they hid their net for me for no reason,
they dug a pit for me for no reason.
8 Let disaster come to them when they don’t suspect it.
Let the net they hid catch them instead!
Let them fall into it—to their disaster!
9 But I will rejoice in the Lord;
I will celebrate his salvation.
10 All my bones will say, “Lord, who could compare to you?
You rescue the weak from those who overpower them;
you rescue the weak and the needy from those who plunder them.”
11 Violent witnesses stand up.
They question me about things I know nothing about.
12 They pay me back evil for good,
leaving me stricken with grief.
13 But when they were sick, I wore clothes for grieving,
and I kept a strict fast.
When my prayer came back unanswered,[c]
14 I would wander around like I was grieving a friend or a brother.
I was weighed down, sad, like I was a mother in mourning.
15 But when I stumbled, they celebrated and gathered together—
they gathered together against me!
Strangers[d] I didn’t know tore me to pieces and wouldn’t quit.
16 They ridiculed me over and over again,
like godless people would do,
grinding their teeth at me.
17 How long, my Lord, will you watch this happen?
Rescue me from their attacks;
rescue my precious life from these predatory lions!
18 Then I will thank you in the great assembly;
I will praise you in a huge crowd of people.
19 Don’t let those who are my enemies
without cause celebrate over me;
don’t let those who hate me for no reason
wink at my demise.
20 They don’t speak the truth;
instead, they plot false accusations
against innocent people in the land.
21 They speak out against me,
saying, “Yes! Oh, yes! We’ve seen it with our own eyes!”
22 But you’ve seen it too, Lord.
Don’t keep quiet about it.
Please don’t be far from me, my Lord.
23 Wake up! Get up and do justice for me;
argue my case, my Lord and my God!
24 Establish justice for me
according to your righteousness, Lord, my God.
Don’t let them celebrate over me.
25 Don’t let them say to themselves,
Yes! Exactly what we wanted!
Don’t let them say, “We ate him up!”
26 Let all those who celebrate my misfortune be disgraced and put to shame!
Let those who exalt themselves over me
be dressed up in shame and dishonor!
27 But let those who want things to be set right for me
shout for joy and celebrate!
Let them constantly say, “The Lord is great—
God wants his servant to be at peace.”
28 Then my tongue will talk
all about your righteousness;
it will talk
about your praise all day long.
Footnotes
- Psalm 35:3 Correction
- Psalm 35:3 Or my soul; also in 35:4, 7, 9, 12, 13, 17, 24
- Psalm 35:13 Heb uncertain
- Psalm 35:15 Correction
Psalm 35
English Standard Version
Psalm 35
English Standard Version
Great Is the Lord
Of David.
35 Contend, O Lord, with those who (A)contend with me;
(B)fight against those who fight against me!
2 Take hold of (C)shield and buckler
and rise for my help!
3 Draw the spear and javelin[a]
against my pursuers!
Say to my soul,
“I am your salvation!”
4 (D)Let them be (E)put to shame and dishonor
who seek after my life!
Let them be (F)turned back and disappointed
who devise evil against me!
5 Let them be like (G)chaff before the wind,
with the angel of the Lord driving them away!
6 Let their way be dark and (H)slippery,
with the angel of the Lord pursuing them!
7 For (I)without cause (J)they hid their net for me;
without cause they dug (K)a pit for my life.[b]
8 Let (L)destruction come upon him (M)when he does not know it!
And let the net that he hid ensnare him;
let him fall into it—to his destruction!
9 Then my soul will rejoice in the Lord,
(N)exulting in his salvation.
10 All my (O)bones shall say,
“O Lord, (P)who is like you,
delivering the poor
from him who is too strong for him,
the poor and needy from him who robs him?”
11 (Q)Malicious[c] witnesses rise up;
they ask me of things that I do not know.
12 (R)They repay me evil for good;
my soul is bereft.[d]
13 But I, (S)when they were sick—
I (T)wore sackcloth;
I (U)afflicted myself with fasting;
I prayed (V)with head bowed[e] on my chest.
14 I went about as though I grieved for my friend or my brother;
as one who laments his mother,
I (W)bowed down in mourning.
15 But at my stumbling they rejoiced and gathered;
they gathered together against me;
(X)wretches whom I did not know
tore at me without ceasing;
16 like profane mockers at a feast,[f]
they (Y)gnash at me with their teeth.
17 How long, O Lord, will you (Z)look on?
Rescue me from their destruction,
(AA)my precious life from the lions!
18 I will thank you in (AB)the great congregation;
in the mighty throng I will praise you.
19 (AC)Let not those rejoice over me
who are (AD)wrongfully my foes,
and let not those (AE)wink the eye
who (AF)hate me (AG)without cause.
20 For they do not speak peace,
but against those who are quiet in the land
they devise words of deceit.
21 They (AH)open wide their mouths against me;
they say, (AI)“Aha, Aha!
Our eyes have seen it!”
22 (AJ)You have seen, O Lord; (AK)be not silent!
O Lord, (AL)be not far from me!
23 Awake and (AM)rouse yourself for (AN)my vindication,
for my cause, my God and my Lord!
24 (AO)Vindicate me, O Lord, my God,
according to your righteousness,
and (AP)let them not rejoice over me!
25 Let them not say in their hearts,
(AQ)“Aha, our heart's desire!”
Let them not say, (AR)“We have swallowed him up.”
26 Let them be (AS)put to shame and disappointed altogether
who rejoice at my calamity!
Let them be (AT)clothed with shame and dishonor
who (AU)magnify themselves against me!
27 Let those who delight in my righteousness
shout for joy and be glad
(AV)and say evermore,
(AW)“Great is the Lord,
who (AX)delights in the welfare of his servant!”
28 Then my (AY)tongue shall tell of your righteousness
and of your praise all the day long.
Footnotes
- Psalm 35:3 Or and close the way
- Psalm 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
- Psalm 35:11 Or Violent
- Psalm 35:12 Hebrew it is bereavement to my soul
- Psalm 35:13 Or my prayer shall turn back
- Psalm 35:16 The meaning of the Hebrew phrase is uncertain
Psalm 35
New International Version
Psalm 35
New International Version
Psalm 35
Of David.
1 Contend,(A) Lord, with those who contend with me;
fight(B) against those who fight against me.
2 Take up shield(C) and armor;
arise(D) and come to my aid.(E)
3 Brandish spear(F) and javelin[a](G)
against those who pursue me.
Say to me,
“I am your salvation.(H)”
4 May those who seek my life(I)
be disgraced(J) and put to shame;(K)
may those who plot my ruin
be turned back(L) in dismay.
5 May they be like chaff(M) before the wind,
with the angel of the Lord(N) driving them away;
6 may their path be dark and slippery,
with the angel of the Lord pursuing them.
7 Since they hid their net(O) for me without cause(P)
and without cause dug a pit(Q) for me,
8 may ruin overtake them by surprise—(R)
may the net they hid entangle them,
may they fall into the pit,(S) to their ruin.
9 Then my soul will rejoice(T) in the Lord
and delight in his salvation.(U)
10 My whole being will exclaim,
“Who is like you,(V) Lord?
You rescue the poor from those too strong(W) for them,
the poor and needy(X) from those who rob them.”
11 Ruthless witnesses(Y) come forward;
they question me on things I know nothing about.
12 They repay me evil for good(Z)
and leave me like one bereaved.
13 Yet when they were ill, I put on sackcloth(AA)
and humbled myself with fasting.(AB)
When my prayers returned to me unanswered,
14 I went about mourning(AC)
as though for my friend or brother.
I bowed my head in grief
as though weeping for my mother.
15 But when I stumbled, they gathered in glee;(AD)
assailants gathered against me without my knowledge.
They slandered(AE) me without ceasing.
16 Like the ungodly they maliciously mocked;[b](AF)
they gnashed their teeth(AG) at me.
17 How long,(AH) Lord, will you look on?
Rescue me from their ravages,
my precious life(AI) from these lions.(AJ)
18 I will give you thanks in the great assembly;(AK)
among the throngs(AL) I will praise you.(AM)
19 Do not let those gloat over me
who are my enemies(AN) without cause;
do not let those who hate me without reason(AO)
maliciously wink the eye.(AP)
20 They do not speak peaceably,
but devise false accusations(AQ)
against those who live quietly in the land.
21 They sneer(AR) at me and say, “Aha! Aha!(AS)
With our own eyes we have seen it.”
22 Lord, you have seen(AT) this; do not be silent.
Do not be far(AU) from me, Lord.
23 Awake,(AV) and rise(AW) to my defense!
Contend(AX) for me, my God and Lord.
24 Vindicate me in your righteousness, Lord my God;
do not let them gloat(AY) over me.
25 Do not let them think, “Aha,(AZ) just what we wanted!”
or say, “We have swallowed him up.”(BA)
26 May all who gloat(BB) over my distress(BC)
be put to shame(BD) and confusion;
may all who exalt themselves over me(BE)
be clothed with shame and disgrace.
27 May those who delight in my vindication(BF)
shout for joy(BG) and gladness;
may they always say, “The Lord be exalted,
who delights(BH) in the well-being of his servant.”(BI)
Footnotes
- Psalm 35:3 Or and block the way
- Psalm 35:16 Septuagint; Hebrew may mean Like an ungodly circle of mockers,
Common English Bible (CEB)
Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible
English Standard Version (ESV) 
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.