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.
²Take hold of ^[a]^(C)buckler and shield
And rise up as ^(D)my help.
³Draw also the spear and ^[b]the battle-axe to meet those who pursue me;
Say to my soul, “I am ^(E)your salvation.”
⁴Let those be ^(F)ashamed and dishonored who seek my ^[c]life;
Let those be ^(G)turned back and humiliated who devise evil against me.
⁵Let them be ^(H)like chaff before the wind,
With the angel of the Lord driving them on.
⁶Let their way be dark and ^(I)slippery,
With the angel of the Lord pursuing them.
⁷For ^(J)they ^(K)hid their net for me without cause;
Without cause they dug a pit for my soul.
⁸Let ^(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.

⁹So my soul shall ^(O)rejoice in the Lord;
It shall ^(P)rejoice in His salvation.
¹⁰All 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.
¹²They ^(V)repay me evil for good,
To the bereavement of my soul.
¹³But 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.
¹⁴I went about as though it were my friend or brother;
I ^(AA)bowed down ^[e]in mourning, like one who mourns for a mother.
¹⁵But ^(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.
¹⁶Like godless jesters at a feast,
They ^(AE)gnashed at me with their teeth.

¹⁷Lord, ^(AF)how long will You look on?
Rescue my soul ^(AG)from their ravages,
My ^(AH)only life from the lions.
¹⁸I 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.
²⁰For they do not speak peace,
But they devise ^(AO)deceitful words against those who are quiet in the land.
²¹They ^(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.
²⁵Do not let them say in their heart, “^(AX)Aha, our desire!”
Do not let them say, “We have ^(AY)swallowed him up!”
²⁶May ^(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.

²⁷May 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.”
²⁸And ^(BG)my tongue shall proclaim Your righteousness
And Your praise all day long.