Psalm 35
New American Standard Bible
Prayer for Rescue from Enemies.
A Psalm of David.
35 Contend, Lord, with those who (A)contend with me;
Fight against those who (B)fight against me.
2 Take hold of [a](C)buckler and shield
And rise up as (D)my help.
3 Draw also the spear and [b]the battle-axe to meet those who pursue me;
Say to my soul, “I am (E)your salvation.”
4 Let those be (F)ashamed and dishonored who seek my [c]life;
Let those be (G)turned back and humiliated who devise evil against me.
5 Let them be (H)like chaff before the wind,
With the angel of the Lord driving them on.
6 Let their way be dark and (I)slippery,
With the angel of the Lord pursuing them.
7 For (J)they (K)hid their net for me without cause;
Without cause they dug a pit for my soul.
8 Let (L)destruction come upon him when he is unaware,
And (M)let the net which he hid catch him;
Let him fall into that very (N)destruction.
9 So my soul shall (O)rejoice in the Lord;
It shall (P)rejoice in His salvation.
10 All my (Q)bones will say, “Lord, (R)who is like You,
Who rescues the afflicted from one (S)who is too strong for him,
And (T)the afflicted and the poor from one who robs him?”
11 (U)Malicious witnesses rise up;
They ask me things that I do not know.
12 They (V)repay me evil for good,
To the bereavement of my soul.
13 But as for me, (W)when they were sick, my (X)clothing was sackcloth;
I (Y)humbled my soul with fasting,
But my (Z)prayer kept returning to [d]me.
14 I went about as though it were my friend or brother;
I (AA)bowed down [e]in mourning, like one who mourns for a mother.
15 But (AB)at my [f]stumbling they rejoiced and gathered themselves together;
The [g](AC)afflicted people whom I did not know gathered together against me,
They [h](AD)slandered me without ceasing.
16 Like godless jesters at a feast,
They (AE)gnashed at me with their teeth.
17 Lord, (AF)how long will You look on?
Rescue my soul (AG)from their ravages,
My (AH)only life from the lions.
18 I will (AI)give You thanks in the great congregation;
I will (AJ)praise You among a mighty people.
19 (AK)Do not let those who are wrongfully (AL)my enemies rejoice over me;
Nor let those (AM)who hate me for no reason [i](AN)wink maliciously.
20 For they do not speak peace,
But they devise (AO)deceitful words against those who are quiet in the land.
21 They (AP)opened their mouth wide against me;
They said, “(AQ)Aha, aha! Our eyes have seen it!”
22 (AR)You have seen it, Lord, (AS)do not keep silent;
Lord, (AT)do not be far from me.
23 (AU)Stir Yourself, and awake to my right
And to my cause, my God and my Lord.
24 (AV)Judge me, Lord my God, according to Your righteousness,
And (AW)do not let them rejoice over me.
25 Do not let them say in their heart, “(AX)Aha, our desire!”
Do not let them say, “We have (AY)swallowed him up!”
26 May (AZ)those be ashamed and altogether humiliated who rejoice at my distress;
May those who (BA)exalt themselves over me be (BB)clothed with shame and dishonor.
27 May those (BC)shout for joy and rejoice, who take delight in (BD)my vindication;
And (BE)may they say continually, “The Lord be exalted,
Who (BF)delights in the prosperity of His servant.”
28 And (BG)my tongue shall proclaim Your righteousness
And Your praise all day long.
Footnotes
- Psalm 35:2 I.e., small shield
- Psalm 35:3 Or close up the path against those
- Psalm 35:4 Or soul
- Psalm 35:13 Lit my chest
- Psalm 35:14 Or dressed for mourning
- Psalm 35:15 Or limping
- Psalm 35:15 Or struck ones
- Psalm 35:15 Lit tore
- Psalm 35:19 Or wink the eye
Tehillim 35
Orthodox Jewish Bible
35 (Of Dovid) Contend, Hashem, with them that contend with me; fight against them that fight against me.
2 Take hold of mogen and tzinnah (large shield) and arise to my aid.
3 Draw out also the khanit (spear), and block the way against them that persecute me; say unto my nefesh, I am Thy Yeshuah (salvation).
4 Let them be put to shame and disgraced that seek after my nefesh; let a rout in retreat be theirs and let them be brought to dismay that plot my ruin.
5 Let them be like motz (chaff) before the ruach; and let the Malach Hashem drive them away.
6 Let their derech be choshech and slippery; and let the Malach Hashem pursue them.
7 For without cause have they hid for me their reshet (net) in a shachat (pit), which without cause they dug for my nefesh.
8 Let sho’ah (disaster) come upon him unawares; and let his own reshet (net) that he hath hid ensnare him; into that very sho’ah let him fall.
9 And my nefesh shall rejoice in Hashem; it shall be joyful in His Yeshuah (salvation).
10 All my atzmot shall say, Hashem, mi khamocha (who is like Thee), Who deliverest the oni (poor) from him that is too strong for him, yes, the oni and the evyon (needy) from him that despoileth him?
11 Edei chamas (witnesses of violence, false witnesses) rise up; they lay to my charge things, questioning me of that which I have no da’as.
12 They repay me ra’ah for tovah to the forlornness of my nefesh.
13 But as for me, when they were choleh (ill), my clothing was sackcloth; I humbled my nefesh with tzom (fasting); and my tefillah (prayer) turned back on mine own kheyk (bosom).
14 I went about as though he had been my re’a or ach; I bowed in sadness, as one that mourneth for his em.
15 But at mine stumbling they rejoiced, and gathered themselves together; yes, the attackers gathered themselves together against me, and I had no da’as; they did tear at me [with slander], and ceased not:
16 Like chanef (hypocritical) mockers at cake, they gnashed upon me with their teeth.
17 Adonoi, how long wilt Thou look on? Rescue my nefesh from their destructions, my yechidah (only one, my life) from the lions.
18 I will give Thee thanks in the kahal rav (great congregation); I will praise Thee among the mighty throng.
19 Let not them that are mine oyevim gloat over me; neither let them wink with the eye that have sinas chinom (baseless hatred) toward me.
20 For they speak not shalom, but they scheme divrei mirmot (deceitful matters) against the rigei eretz (them that are quiet in the land).
21 Yea, they opened their mouth wide against me, and said, Aha, aha, our eye hath seen it.
22 This Thou hast seen, Hashem; keep not silent; Adonoi, be not far from me.
23 Stir up Thyself, and awake to my mishpat, even to my cause, Elohai and Adonoi.
24 Vindicate me, Hashem Elohai, according to Thy tzedakah; and let them not gloat over me.
25 Let them not say in their lev, Ah, so would we have it; let them not say, We have swallowed him up.
26 Let them be put to shame and brought to confusion together that gloat at mine ra’ah (disaster, distress); let them be clothed with boshet (shame) and kelimah (dishonor, disgrace) that exalt themselves against me.
27 Let them sing for joy, and be glad, that favor my tzedek (righteousness, vindication); yes, let them say tamid (continually), Let Hashem be magnified, which hath pleasure in the shalom (welfare) of His eved.
28 And my leshon (tongue) shall speak of Thy tzedek (righteousness) and of Thy tehillah (praise) kol hayom (all the day).
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 2002, 2003, 2008, 2010, 2011 by Artists for Israel International