Psa 35 | ESV | STEP | Of David . Contend , O Lord , with those who contend with me; fight against those who fight against me!

Psalms 35

Great Is the Lord

Of David.

1 Contend, O Lord, with those who ^acontend with me;
^bfight against those who fight against me!
2 Take hold of ^cshield and buckler
and rise for my help!
3 Draw the spear and javelin ^{▼▼Or and close the way}
against my pursuers!
Say to my soul,
“I am your salvation!”
4 ^eLet them be ^fput to shame and dishonor
who seek after my life!
Let them be ^gturned back and disappointed
who devise evil against me!
5 Let them be like ^hchaff before the wind,
with the angel of the Lord driving them away!
6 Let their way be dark and ⁱslippery,
with the angel of the Lord pursuing them!
7 For ^jwithout cause ^kthey hid their net for me;
without cause they dug ^la pit for my life. ^{▼▼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}
8 Let ⁿdestruction come upon him ^owhen 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,
^pexulting in his salvation.
10 All my ^qbones shall say,
“O Lord, ^rwho is like you,
delivering the poor
from him who is too strong for him,
the poor and needy from him who robs him?”
11 ^sMalicious ^{▼▼Or Violent} witnesses rise up;
they ask me of things that I do not know.
12 ^uThey repay me evil for good;
my soul is bereft. ^{▼▼Hebrew it is bereavement to my soul}
13 But I, ^wwhen they were sick—
I ^xwore sackcloth;
I ^yafflicted myself with fasting;
I prayed ^zwith head bowed ^{▼▼Or my prayer shall turn back} on my chest.
14 I went about as though I grieved for my friend or my brother;
as one who laments his mother,
I ^abbowed down in mourning.
15 But at my stumbling they rejoiced and gathered;
they gathered together against me;
^acwretches whom I did not know
tore at me without ceasing;
16 like profane mockers at a feast, ^{▼▼The meaning of the Hebrew phrase is uncertain}
they ^aegnash at me with their teeth.
17 How long, O Lord, will you ^aflook on?
Rescue me from their destruction,
^agmy precious life from the lions!
18 I will thank you in ^ahthe great congregation;
in the mighty throng I will praise you.
19 ^aiLet not those rejoice over me
who are ^ajwrongfully my foes,
and let not those ^akwink the eye
who ^alhate me ^amwithout cause.
20 For they do not speak peace,
but against those who are quiet in the land
they devise words of deceit.
21 They ^anopen wide their mouths against me;
they say, ^ao“Aha, Aha!
Our eyes have seen it!”
22 ^apYou have seen, O Lord; ^aqbe not silent!
O Lord, ^arbe not far from me!
23 Awake and ^asrouse yourself for ^atmy vindication,
for my cause, my God and my Lord!
24 ^auVindicate me, O Lord, my God,
according to your righteousness,
and ^avlet them not rejoice over me!
25 Let them not say in their hearts,
^aw“Aha, our heart’s desire!”
Let them not say, ^ax“We have swallowed him up.”
26 Let them be ^ayput to shame and disappointed altogether
who rejoice at my calamity!
Let them be ^azclothed with shame and dishonor
who ^bamagnify themselves against me!
27 Let those who delight in my righteousness
shout for joy and be glad
^bband say evermore,
^bc“Great is the Lord,
who ^bddelights in the welfare of his servant!”
28 Then my ^betongue shall tell of your righteousness
and of your praise all the day long.