Psalms 35

Berean Standard Bible

Chapter summary

David calls upon the Lord to contend with his opponents, take up weapons, and come to his aid against those who seek his life without cause. He asks that his pursuers be disgraced, driven back like chaff in the wind by the angel of the Lord, and ensnared by the very nets and pits they prepared against him. The psalmist describes hostile witnesses rising up with unknown charges, repaying his previous compassion and mourning during their illnesses with malicious glee and slanderous attacks when he stumbles. Appealing to the Lord to witness these actions, awake to his defense, and prevent his enemies from gloating over his distress, David vows to rejoice, give thanks, and praise God in the great assembly upon his deliverance.

Summary automatically generated from the Bible text.

Words of Jesus in red

¹Contend with my opponents, O LORD; fight against those who fight against me. ²Take up Your shield and buckler; arise and come to my aid. ³Draw the spear and javelin against my pursuers; say to my soul: “I am your salvation.” ⁴May those who seek my life be disgraced and put to shame; may those who plan to harm me be driven back and confounded. ⁵May they be like chaff in the wind, as the angel of the LORD drives them away. ⁶May their path be dark and slick, as the angel of the LORD pursues. ⁷For without cause they laid their net for me; without reason they dug a pit for my soul. ⁸May ruin befall them by surprise; may the net they hid ensnare them; may they fall into the hazard they created. ⁹Then my soul will rejoice in the LORD and exult in His salvation. ¹⁰All my bones will exclaim, “Who is like You, O LORD, who delivers the afflicted from the aggressor, the poor and needy from the robber?” ¹¹Hostile witnesses come forward; they make charges I know nothing about. ¹²They repay me evil for good, to the bereavement of my soul. ¹³Yet when they were ill, I put on sackcloth; I humbled myself with fasting, but my prayers returned unanswered. ¹⁴I paced about as for my friend or brother; I was bowed down with grief, like one mourning for his mother. ¹⁵But when I stumbled, they assembled in glee; they gathered together against me. Assailants I did not know slandered me without ceasing. ¹⁶Like godless jesters at a feast, they gnashed their teeth at me. ¹⁷How long, O Lord, will You look on? Rescue my soul from their ravages, my precious life from these lions. ¹⁸Then I will give You thanks in the great assembly; I will praise You among many people. ¹⁹Let not my enemies gloat over me without cause, nor those who hate me without reason wink in malice. ²⁰For they do not speak peace, but they devise deceitful schemes against those who live quietly in the land. ²¹They gape at me and say, “Aha, aha! Our eyes have seen!” ²²O LORD, You have seen it; be not silent. O Lord, be not far from me. ²³Awake and rise to my defense, to my cause, my God and my Lord! ²⁴Vindicate me by Your righteousness, O LORD my God, and do not let them gloat over me. ²⁵Let them not say in their hearts, “Aha, just what we wanted!” Let them not say, “We have swallowed him up!” ²⁶May those who gloat in my distress be ashamed and confounded; may those who exalt themselves over me be clothed in shame and reproach. ²⁷May those who favor my vindication shout for joy and gladness; may they always say, “Exalted be the LORD who delights in His servant’s well-being.” ²⁸Then my tongue will proclaim Your righteousness and Your praises all day long.

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Louis Segond 1910 and Berean Standard Bible: public domain. Cross references: open-cross-ref, Creative Commons BY 4.0.