God's New Bible

The Book of Psalms

Unlocked Dynamic Bible :: World English Bible Catholic

- Chapter 35 -

Fight with my adversaries

1
Yahweh, fight against those who fight against me! Fight with my enemies when they fight me!
2
Be like a shield to protect me and come to help me!
3
Lift up your spear and throw it at those who pursue me! Promise me that you will enable me to defeat my enemies.
4
Those who are trying to kill me, make others disgrace and dishonor them. Push back and confuse those who are planning to do evil things to me.
5
Send your angel to pursue them and to make them disappear like chaff that the wind blows away.
6
Cause the path on which they run to be dark and slippery as your angel pursues them!
7
Although I did not do anything wrong to them, they dug a deep pit for me to fall into; they hid a net in which they would catch me.
8
Cause them to suddenly experience disaster! Cause their own nets to trap them. Cause them to fall into the pits that they have dug for me, and make them die in them!
9
Then I will rejoice in what you, Yahweh, have done for me; I will be glad that you have rescued me.
10
With my whole inner being I will say, “There is no one like Yahweh! No one else can rescue helpless people from powerful people. No one else can rescue weak and needy people from those who want to rob them.”
11
People who tell lies stand in court and accuse me of doing things that I do not know anything about.
12
In return for my doing good things for them, they do evil things to me, with the result that I feel that I am alone.
13
When they were ill, I showed that I was sad. I did not eat any food, and I bowed my head as I prayed for them.
14
I mourned and bowed my head as I prayed as though it were a friend or my mother for whom I was grieving.
15
But when I had troubles, they were all happy about it. They unexpectedly gathered around to make fun of me. Strangers kept striking me; they would not stop.
16
People who respect no one ridiculed me and snarled at me.
17
Lord, how long will you only watch them doing this? Rescue me from their attacks; Save me from being killed by these men who are attacking me as lions attack other animals!
18
Then, when many of your people gather, I will praise you, and I will thank you in front of all of them.
19
Do not allow my enemies, who tell lies about me, defeat me and then rejoice about it! Do not allow those who hate me when there in no reason to hate me to laugh about how I suffer!
20
They do not speak peacefully to people; instead, they look for ways to tell lies about people in our land who do no harm to anyone.
21
They shout at me in order to accuse me; they say, “We saw the wrong things that you did!”
22
Yahweh, you have seen these things, so do not be silent! Do not stay far from me!
23
Arise, my God, plead my case in court, and successfully defend me!
24
Yahweh, my God, because you are righteous, prove that I am innocent so that my enemies will not be able to gloat that I was judged to be guilty.
25
Do not allow them to be able to say to themselves, “Yes, we have gotten rid of him just like we desired!”
26
Cause those who rejoice about my misfortunes to be completely confused and disgraced; cause those who boast that they are much greater than I am to be disgraced and dishonored!
27
But cause those who desire that you declare me innocent to be happy and shout joyfully; cause them to always say, “Yahweh is great! He is delighted to cause things to go well for those who serve him.”
28
Then I will proclaim that you act in the right way, and I will praise you all the time.

Fight with my adversaries

1
Contend, LORD, with those who contend with me. Fight against those who fight against me.
2
Take hold of shield and buckler, and stand up for my help.
3
Brandish the spear and block those who pursue me. Tell my soul, “I am your salvation.”
4
Let those who seek after my soul be disappointed and brought to dishonor. Let those who plot my ruin be turned back and confounded.
5
Let them be as chaff before the wind, the LORD’s angel driving them on.
6
Let their way be dark and slippery, the LORD’s angel pursuing them.
7
For without cause they have hidden their net in a pit for me. Without cause they have dug a pit for my soul.
8
Let destruction come on him unawares. Let his net that he has hidden catch himself. Let him fall into that destruction.
9
My soul shall be joyful in the LORD. It shall rejoice in his salvation.
10
All 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?”
11
Unrighteous witnesses rise up. They ask me about things that I don’t know about.
12
They reward me evil for good, to the bereaving of my soul.
13
But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth. I afflicted my soul with fasting. My prayer returned into my own bosom.
14
I behaved myself as though it had been my friend or my brother. I bowed down mourning, as one who mourns his mother.
15
But 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.
16
Like the profane mockers in feasts, they gnashed their teeth at me.
17
Lord, how long will you look on? Rescue my soul from their destruction, my precious life from the lions.
18
I will give you thanks in the great assembly. I will praise you among many people.
19
Don’t let those who are my enemies wrongfully rejoice over me; neither let those who hate me without a cause wink their eyes.
20
For they don’t speak peace, but they devise deceitful words against those who are quiet in the land.
21
Yes, they opened their mouth wide against me. They said, “Aha! Aha! Our eye has seen it!”
22
You have seen it, LORD. Don’t keep silent. Lord, don’t be far from me.
23
Wake up! Rise up to defend me, my God! My Lord, contend for me!
24
Vindicate me, LORD my God, according to your righteousness. Don’t let them gloat over me.
25
Don’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!”
26
Let them be disappointed and confounded together who rejoice at my calamity. Let them be clothed with shame and dishonor who magnify themselves against me.
27
Let those who favor 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!”
28
My tongue shall talk about your righteousness and about your praise all day long.