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Psalm chapter 35

English Standard Version

1Of David. Contend, O LORD, with those who contend with me; fight against those who fight against me! 2Take hold of shield and buckler and rise for my help! 3Draw the spear and javelin against my pursuers! Say to my soul, “I am your salvation!” 4Let them be put to shame and dishonor who seek after my life! Let them be turned back and disappointed who devise evil against me! 5Let them be like chaff before the wind, with the angel of the LORD driving them away! 6Let their way be dark and slippery, with the angel of the LORD pursuing them! 7For without cause they hid their net for me; without cause they dug a pit for my life. 8Let destruction come upon him when he does not know it! And let the net that he hid ensnare him; let him fall into it—to his destruction! 9Then my soul will rejoice in the LORD, exulting in his salvation. 10All my bones shall say, “O LORD, who is like you, delivering the poor from him who is too strong for him, the poor and needy from him who robs him?” 11Malicious witnesses rise up; they ask me of things that I do not know. 12They repay me evil for good; my soul is bereft. 13But I, when they were sick— I wore sackcloth; I afflicted myself with fasting; I prayed with head bowed on my chest. 14I went about as though I grieved for my friend or my brother; as one who laments his mother, I bowed down in mourning. 15But at my stumbling they rejoiced and gathered; they gathered together against me; wretches whom I did not know tore at me without ceasing; 16like profane mockers at a feast, they gnash at me with their teeth. 17How long, O Lord, will you look on? Rescue me from their destruction, my precious life from the lions! 18I will thank you in the great congregation; in the mighty throng I will praise you. 19Let not those rejoice over me who are wrongfully my foes, and let not those wink the eye who hate me without cause. 20For they do not speak peace, but against those who are quiet in the land they devise words of deceit. 21They open wide their mouths against me; they say, “Aha, Aha! Our eyes have seen it!” 22You have seen, O LORD; be not silent! O Lord, be not far from me! 23Awake and rouse yourself for my vindication, for my cause, my God and my Lord! 24Vindicate me, O LORD, my God, according to your righteousness, and let them not rejoice over me! 25Let them not say in their hearts, “Aha, our heart’s desire!” Let them not say, “We have swallowed him up.” 26Let them be put to shame and disappointed altogether who rejoice at my calamity! Let them be clothed with shame and dishonor who magnify themselves against me! 27Let those who delight in my righteousness shout for joy and be glad and say evermore, “Great is the LORD, who delights in the welfare of his servant!” 28Then my tongue shall tell of your righteousness and of your praise all the day long.
New International Version

1Of David. Contend, LORD, with those who contend with me; fight against those who fight against me. 2Take up shield and armor; arise and come to my aid.
3Brandish spear and javelin against those who pursue me. Say to me, 'I am your salvation.' 4May those who seek my life be disgraced and put to shame; may those who plot my ruin be turned back in dismay. 5May they be like chaff before the wind, with the angel of the LORD driving them away;
6may their path be dark and slippery, with the angel of the LORD pursuing them. 7Since they hid their net for me without cause and without cause dug a pit for me, 8may ruin overtake them by surprise-- may the net they hid entangle them, may they fall into the pit, to their ruin. 9Then my soul will rejoice in the LORD and delight in his salvation.
10My whole being will exclaim, 'Who is like you, LORD? You rescue the poor from those too strong for them, the poor and needy from those who rob them.' 11Ruthless witnesses come forward; they question me on things I know nothing about. 12They repay me evil for good and leave me like one bereaved. 13Yet when they were ill, I put on sackcloth and humbled myself with fasting. When my prayers returned to me unanswered, 14I went about mourning as though for my friend or brother. I bowed my head in grief as though weeping for my mother. 15But when I stumbled, they gathered in glee; assailants gathered against me without my knowledge. They slandered me without ceasing.
16Like the ungodly they maliciously mocked; they gnashed their teeth at me. 17How long, Lord, will you look on? Rescue me from their ravages, my precious life from these lions. 18I will give you thanks in the great assembly; among the throngs I will praise you. 19Do not let those gloat over me who are my enemies without cause; do not let those who hate me without reason maliciously wink the eye. 20They do not speak peaceably, but devise false accusations against those who live quietly in the land.
21They sneer at me and say, 'Aha! Aha! With our own eyes we have seen it.' 22LORD, you have seen this; do not be silent. Do not be far from me, Lord. 23Awake, and rise to my defense! Contend for me, my God and Lord. 24Vindicate me in your righteousness, LORD my God; do not let them gloat over me.
25Do not let them think, 'Aha, just what we wanted!' or say, 'We have swallowed him up.' 26May all who gloat over my distress be put to shame and confusion; may all who exalt themselves over me be clothed with shame and disgrace.
27May those who delight in my vindication shout for joy and gladness; may they always say, 'The LORD be exalted, who delights in the well-being of his servant.' 28My tongue will proclaim your righteousness, your praises all day long.
New American Standard Bible

1Contend, Lord, with those who contend with me; Fight against those who fight against me. 2Take hold of buckler and shield And rise up as my help. 3Draw also the spear and the battle-axe to meet those who pursue me; Say to my soul, 'I am your salvation.' 4Let those be ashamed and dishonored who seek my life; Let those be turned back and humiliated who devise evil against me. 5Let them be like chaff before the wind, With the angel of the Lord driving them on. 6Let their way be dark and slippery, With the angel of the Lord pursuing them. 7For they hid their net for me without cause; Without cause they dug a pit for my soul. 8Let destruction come upon him when he is unaware, And let the net which he hid catch him; Let him fall into that very destruction. 9So my soul shall rejoice in the Lord; It shall rejoice in His salvation. 10All my bones will say, 'Lord, who is like You, Who rescues the afflicted from one who is too strong for him, And the afflicted and the poor from one who robs him?' 11Malicious witnesses rise up; They ask me things that I do not know. 12They repay me evil for good, To the bereavement of my soul. 13But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth; I humbled my soul with fasting, But my prayer kept returning to me. 14I went about as though it were my friend or brother; I bowed down in mourning, like one who mourns for a mother. 15But at my stumbling they rejoiced and gathered themselves together; The afflicted people whom I did not know gathered together against me, They slandered me without ceasing. 16Like godless jesters at a feast, They gnashed at me with their teeth. 17Lord, how long will You look on? Rescue my soul from their ravages, My only life from the lions. 18I will give You thanks in the great congregation; I will praise You among a mighty people. 19Do not let those who are wrongfully my enemies rejoice over me; Nor let those who hate me for no reason wink maliciously. 20For they do not speak peace, But they devise deceitful words against those who are quiet in the land. 21They opened their mouth wide against me; They said, 'Aha, aha! Our eyes have seen it!' 22You have seen it, Lord, do not keep silent; Lord, do not be far from me. 23Stir Yourself, and awake to my right And to my cause, my God and my Lord. 24Judge me, Lord my God, according to Your righteousness, And do not let them rejoice over me. 25Do not let them say in their heart, 'Aha, our desire!' Do not let them say, 'We have swallowed him up!' 26May those be ashamed and altogether humiliated who rejoice at my distress; May those who exalt themselves over me be clothed with shame and dishonor. 27May those shout for joy and rejoice, who take delight in my vindication; And may they say continually, 'The Lord be exalted, Who delights in the prosperity of His servant.' 28And my tongue shall proclaim Your righteousness And Your praise all day long.
Christian Standard Bible

1Oppose my opponents, Lord; fight those who fight me. 2Take your shields--large and small -- and come to my aid.
3Draw the spear and javelin against my pursuers, and assure me, "I am your deliverance." 4Let those who intend to take my life be disgraced and humiliated; let those who plan to harm me be turned back and ashamed. 5Let them be like chaff in the wind, with the angel of the Lord driving them away. 6Let their way be dark and slippery, with the angel of the Lord pursuing them. 7They hid their net for me without cause; they dug a pit for me without cause.
8Let ruin come on him unexpectedly, and let the net that he hid ensnare him; let him fall into it--to his ruin. 9Then I will rejoice in the Lord; I will delight in his deliverance.
10All my bones will say, "Lord, who is like you, rescuing the poor from one too strong for him, the poor or the needy from one who robs him? " 11Malicious witnesses come forward; they question me about things I do not know. 12They repay me evil for good, making me desolate. 13Yet when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth; I humbled myself with fasting, and my prayer was genuine. 14I went about mourning as if for my friend or brother; I was bowed down with grief, like one mourning for a mother. 15But when I stumbled, they gathered in glee; they gathered against me. Assailants I did not know tore at me and did not stop.
16With godless mockery they gnashed their teeth at me. 17Lord, how long will you look on? Rescue me from their ravages; rescue my precious life from the young lions. 18I will praise you in the great assembly; I will exalt you among many people. 19Do not let my deceitful enemies rejoice over me; do not let those who hate me without cause wink at me maliciously. 20For they do not speak in friendly ways, but contrive fraudulent schemes against those who live peacefully in the land.
21They open their mouths wide against me and say, "Aha, aha! We saw it! " 22You saw it, Lord; do not be silent. Lord, do not be far from me. 23Wake up and rise to my defense, to my cause, my God and my Lord! 24Vindicate me, Lord my God, in keeping with your righteousness, and do not let them rejoice over me. 25Do not let them say in their hearts, "Aha! Just what we wanted." Do not let them say, "We have swallowed him up! "
26Let those who rejoice at my misfortune be disgraced and humiliated; let those who exalt themselves over me be clothed with shame and reproach. 27Let those who want my vindication shout for joy and be glad; let them continually say, "The Lord be exalted. He takes pleasure in his servant's well-being." 28And my tongue will proclaim your righteousness, your praise all day long.
New Living Translation

1O Lord, oppose those who oppose me. Fight those who fight against me. 2Put on your armor, and take up your shield. Prepare for battle, and come to my aid. 3Lift up your spear and javelin against those who pursue me. Let me hear you say, 'I will give you victory!' 4Bring shame and disgrace on those trying to kill me; turn them back and humiliate those who want to harm me. 5Blow them away like chaff in the wind — a wind sent by the angel of the Lord. 6Make their path dark and slippery, with the angel of the Lord pursuing them. 7I did them no wrong, but they laid a trap for me. I did them no wrong, but they dug a pit to catch me. 8So let sudden ruin come upon them! Let them be caught in the trap they set for me! Let them be destroyed in the pit they dug for me.
9Then I will rejoice in the Lord. I will be glad because he rescues me. 10With every bone in my body I will praise him: 'Lord, who can compare with you? Who else rescues the helpless from the strong? Who else protects the helpless and poor from those who rob them?'
11Malicious witnesses testify against me. They accuse me of crimes I know nothing about. 12They repay me evil for good. I am sick with despair. 13Yet when they were ill, I grieved for them. I denied myself by fasting for them, but my prayers returned unanswered. 14I was sad, as though they were my friends or family, as if I were grieving for my own mother. 15But they are glad now that I am in trouble; they gleefully join together against me. I am attacked by people I don’t even know; they slander me constantly. 16They mock me and call me names; they snarl at me.
17How long, O Lord, will you look on and do nothing? Rescue me from their fierce attacks. Protect my life from these lions! 18Then I will thank you in front of the great assembly. I will praise you before all the people. 19Don’t let my treacherous enemies rejoice over my defeat. Don’t let those who hate me without cause gloat over my sorrow. 20They don’t talk of peace; they plot against innocent people who mind their own business. 21They shout, 'Aha! Aha! With our own eyes we saw him do it!'
22O Lord, you know all about this. Do not stay silent. Do not abandon me now, O Lord. 23Wake up! Rise to my defense! Take up my case, my God and my Lord. 24Declare me not guilty, O Lord my God, for you give justice. Don’t let my enemies laugh about me in my troubles. 25Don’t let them say, 'Look, we got what we wanted! Now we will eat him alive!'
26May those who rejoice at my troubles be humiliated and disgraced. May those who triumph over me be covered with shame and dishonor. 27But give great joy to those who came to my defense. Let them continually say, 'Great is the Lord, who delights in blessing his servant with peace!' 28Then I will proclaim your justice, and I will praise you all day long.
King James Version

1{A Psalm of David.} Plead 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.

What does Psalm chapter 35 mean?

This is considered one of the "imprecatory psalms:" songs which request the Lord's immediate destruction of an enemy. Others include psalms 5, 10, 58, 69, 83, 109, and 140. In David's context, he was the anointed leader of a nation meant to produce the Messiah. Believers, today, are not in that same circumstance. With Christ's death accomplished, we're commanded to pray for our enemies' salvation, instead (John 18:36; Matthew 5:44–48). God will accomplish vengeance in His own time and in His own way (Romans 12:17–21).

Psalm 35 can be separated into three sections, all echoing the same basic themes. In each segment, David notes the sin and evil of his enemies, asks God to conquer them, and promises that he will ardently worship the Lord in thanks.

David begins by asking God to take up arms against his enemies, using military terminology. Some of the items mentioned would never have been used at the same time, such as a "standing shield" and a "buckler." The point is not that God will literally use weapons, but that David is asking for His help in battle. David also calls on God to thwart his enemies' efforts. This includes making their attacks rebound to their own destruction (Psalm 35:1–10).

The psalm, itself, is not explicitly tied to any event in David's life. However, he experienced persecution from both Saul (1 Samuel 19:1–2) and Absalom (2 Samuel 15:13–14). Both saw David as a rival for the people's loyalty, so one would expect that slander, lies, and other propaganda would have been part of their efforts. In this segment of the psalm, David focuses much attention on the idea of lying witnesses and false accusations. What's especially grievous is that David treated those same persons as his friends, caring for them and praying for their welfare. Now, they invent lies as part of their attacks on him (Psalm 35:11–18).

In the final stanza, David directly pleads with God to be active in defeating his enemies. He pictures his foes plotting, using secret signals, and anticipating David's utter defeat. This is a pattern of such people attacking those who are peaceful and sincere in their faith. In response, David asks for those who support him to praise God. This is in anticipation of the Lord's righteous response to these wicked assailants (Psalm 35:19–28).
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