Psalm 35

¹Contend, LORD, with those who contend with me.

Fight against those who fight against me.

²Take hold of shield and buckler,

and stand up for my help.

³Brandish the spear and block those who pursue me.

Tell my soul, “I am your salvation.”

⁴Let those who seek after my soul be disappointed and brought to dishonour.

Let those who plot my ruin be turned back and confounded.

⁵Let them be as chaff before the wind,

The LORD’s angel driving them on.

⁶Let their way be dark and slippery,

The LORD’s angel pursuing them.

⁷For without cause they have hidden their net in a pit for me.

Without cause they have dug a pit for my soul.

⁸Let destruction come on him unawares.

Let his net that he has hidden catch himself.

Let him fall into that destruction.

⁹My soul shall be joyful in the LORD.

It shall rejoice in his salvation.

¹⁰All my bones shall say, “LORD, who is like you,

who delivers the poor from him who is too strong for him;

yes, the poor and the needy from him who robs him?”

¹¹Unrighteous witnesses rise up.

They ask me about things that I don’t know about.

¹²They reward me evil for good,

to the bereaving of my soul.

¹³But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth.

I afflicted my soul with fasting.

My prayer returned into my own bosom.

¹⁴I behaved myself as though it had been my friend or my brother.

I bowed down mourning, as one who mourns his mother.

¹⁵But in my adversity, they rejoiced, and gathered themselves together.

The attackers gathered themselves together against me, and I didn’t know it.

They tore at me, and didn’t cease.

¹⁶Like the profane mockers in feasts,

they gnashed their teeth at me.

¹⁷Lord, how long will you look on?

Rescue my soul from their destruction,

my precious life from the lions.

¹⁸I will give you thanks in the great assembly.

I will praise you amongst many people.

¹⁹Don’t let those who are my enemies wrongfully rejoice over me;

neither let those who hate me without a cause wink their eyes.

²⁰For they don’t speak peace,

but they devise deceitful words against those who are quiet in the land.

²¹Yes, they opened their mouth wide against me.

They said, “Aha! Aha! Our eye has seen it!”

²²You have seen it, LORD. Don’t keep silent.

Lord, don’t be far from me.

²³Wake up! Rise up to defend me, my God!

My Lord, contend for me!

²⁴Vindicate me, LORD my God, according to your righteousness.

Don’t let them gloat over me.

²⁵Don’t let them say in their heart, “Aha! That’s the way we want it!”

Don’t let them say, “We have swallowed him up!”

²⁶Let them be disappointed and confounded together who rejoice at my calamity.

Let them be clothed with shame and dishonour who magnify themselves against me.

²⁷Let those who favour my righteous cause shout for joy and be glad.

Yes, let them say continually, “May The LORD be magnified,

who has pleasure in the prosperity of his servant!”

²⁸My tongue shall talk about your righteousness and about your praise all day long.