| Psalm 35 | |
| Subtitle: | "Plead my cause, O LORD, with them that strive with me" |
| Image Upright: | 1.2 |
| Text: | attributed to King David |
| Language: | Hebrew (original) |
Psalm 35 is the 35th psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in English in the King James Version: "Plead my cause, O LORD, with them that strive with me: fight against them that fight against me." It is titled there: The Lord the Avenger of His People.[1] The Book of Psalms is part of the third section of the Hebrew Bible, and a book of the Christian Old Testament. In the slightly different numbering system used in the Greek Septuagint and Latin Vulgate translations of the Bible, this psalm is Psalm 34. In Latin, it is known by the incipit, "Latin: Iudica Domine nocentes me |italic=no".[2] It is generally attributed to King David, although some commentators attribute it to the prophet Jeremiah.[3] Psalm 35 is used in both Jewish and Christian liturgies. It has been set to music, in German by Heinrich Schütz and in Latin by Marc-Antoine Charpentier, among others.
The following table shows the Hebrew text[4] [5] of the Psalm with vowels alongside an English translation based upon the JPS 1917 translation (now in the public domain).
| Verse | Hebrew | English translation (JPS 1917) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | [A Psalm] of David. Strive, O LORD, with them that strive with me; Fight against them that fight against me. | |
| 2 | Take hold of shield and buckler, And rise up to my help. | |
| 3 | Draw out also the spear, and the battle-axe, against them that pursue me; Say unto my soul: 'I am Thy salvation.' | |
| 4 | Let them be ashamed and brought to confusion that seek after my soul; Let them be turned back and be abashed that devise my hurt. | |
| 5 | Let them be as chaff before the wind, The angel of the LORD thrusting them. | |
| 6 | Let their way be dark and slippery, The angel of the LORD pursuing them. | |
| 7 | For without cause have they hid for me the pit, even their net, Without cause have they digged for my soul. . | |
| 8 | Let destruction come upon him unawares; And let his net that he hath hid catch himself; With destruction let him fall therein. | |
| 9 | And my soul shall be joyful in the LORD; It shall rejoice in His salvation. | |
| 10 | All my bones shall say: 'LORD, who is like unto Thee, Who deliverest the poor from him that is too strong for him, Yea, the poor and the needy from him that spoileth him?' | |
| 11 | Unrighteous witnesses rise up; They ask me of things that I know not. | |
| 12 | They repay me evil for good; Bereavement is come to my soul. | |
| 13 | But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth, I afflicted my soul with fasting; And my prayer, may it return into mine own bosom. | |
| 14 | I went about as though it had been my friend or my brother; I bowed down mournful, as one that mourneth for his mother. | |
| 15 | But when I halt they rejoice, and gather themselves together; The abjects gather themselves together against me, and those whom I know not; They tear me, and cease not; | |
| 16 | With the profanest mockeries of backbiting They gnash at me with their teeth. | |
| 17 | Lord, how long wilt Thou look on? Rescue my soul from their destructions, Mine only one from the lions. | |
| 18 | I will give Thee thanks in the great congregation; I will praise Thee among a numerous people. | |
| 19 | Let not them that are wrongfully mine enemies rejoice over me; Neither let them wink with the eye that hate me without a cause. | |
| 20 | For they speak not peace; But they devise deceitful matters against them that are quiet in the land. | |
| 21 | Yea, they open their mouth wide against me; They say: 'Aha, aha, our eye hath seen it.' | |
| 22 | Thou hast seen, O LORD; keep not silence; O Lord, be not far from me. | |
| 23 | Rouse Thee, and awake to my judgment, Even unto my cause, my God and my Lord. | |
| 24 | Judge me, O LORD my God, according to Thy righteousness; And let them not rejoice over me. | |
| 25 | Let them not say in their heart: 'Aha, we have our desire'; Let them not say: 'We have swallowed him up.' | |
| 26 | Let them be ashamed and abashed together that rejoice at my hurt; Let them be clothed with shame and confusion that magnify themselves against me. . | |
| 27 | Let them shout for joy, and be glad, that delight in my righteousness; Yea, let them say continually: 'Magnified be the LORD, Who delighteth in the peace of His servant.' | |
| 28 | And my tongue shall speak of Thy righteousness, And of Thy praise all the day. | |
The Evangelical Heritage Version divides the psalm into an opening prayer (verses 1–3), an account of "the attacks of the wicked" against its author (verses 11–16), three petitions (verses 4–8, 17, and 19–27), and three vows (verses 9–10, 18 and 28).[6]
Relentless enemies are seeking the psalmist's life. Their hostility is groundless, and its maliciousness is aggravated by their ingratitude. He appeals to God to do him justice and deliver him. Each of these points is illustrated by the narrative of David's persecution by Saul in the First Book of Samuel; however, it is not against Saul himself that the psalm is directed, but against the men who fomented his insane jealousy.
In the Church of England's Book of Common Prayer, this psalm is appointed to be read on the morning of the seventh day of the month.[8]
Beginning in 1912, Psalm 35 has become part of the Tenebrae liturgy during the Holy Week.
The first prayer when the American First Continental Congress met in early September 1774 was taken from Psalm 35:1.[9] [10]
Heinrich Schütz wrote a setting of a paraphrase of Psalm 35 in German, "Herr, hader mit den Hadrern mein", SWV 132, for the Becker Psalter, published first in 1628. Marc-Antoine Charpentier wrote a motet in Latin, Judica Domine nocentes me, H. 201, for two voices, two treble instruments and continuo. and François Giroust.
NKJV
EHV