Psalm 35:13
New International Version
Yet when they were ill, I put on sackcloth and humbled myself with fasting. When my prayers returned to me unanswered,

New Living Translation
Yet when they were ill, I grieved for them. I denied myself by fasting for them, but my prayers returned unanswered.

English Standard Version
But I, when they were sick— I wore sackcloth; I afflicted myself with fasting; I prayed with head bowed on my chest.

Berean Standard Bible
Yet when they were ill, I put on sackcloth; I humbled myself with fasting, but my prayers returned unanswered.

King James Bible
But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth: I humbled my soul with fasting; and my prayer returned into mine own bosom.

New King James Version
But as for me, when they were sick, My clothing was sackcloth; I humbled myself with fasting; And my prayer would return to my own heart.

New American Standard Bible
But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth; I humbled my soul with fasting, But my prayer kept returning to me.

NASB 1995
But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth; I humbled my soul with fasting, And my prayer kept returning to my bosom.

NASB 1977
But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth; I humbled my soul with fasting; And my prayer kept returning to my bosom.

Legacy Standard Bible
But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth; I humbled my soul with fasting, And my prayer kept returning to my bosom.

Amplified Bible
But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth (mourning garment); I humbled my soul with fasting, And I prayed with my head bowed on my chest.

Christian Standard Bible
Yet when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth; I humbled myself with fasting, and my prayer was genuine.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Yet when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth; I humbled myself with fasting, and my prayer was genuine.

American Standard Version
But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth: I afflicted my soul with fasting; And my prayer returned into mine own bosom.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And I wore sackcloth in their sicknesses, and my soul was humbled by fasting and my prayer returned to my bosom.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
But I, when they troubled me, put on sackcloth, and humbled my soul with fasting: and my prayer shall return to my own bosom.

Contemporary English Version
When they were sick, I wore sackcloth and went without food. I truly prayed for them,

Douay-Rheims Bible
But as for me, when they were troublesome to me, I was clothed with haircloth. I humbled my soul with fasting; and my prayer shall be turned into my bosom.

English Revised Version
But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth: I afflicted my soul with fasting; and my prayer returned into mine own bosom.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
But when they were sick, I wore sackcloth. I humbled myself with fasting. When my prayer returned unanswered,

Good News Translation
But when they were sick, I dressed in mourning; I deprived myself of food; I prayed with my head bowed low,

International Standard Version
But when they were sick, I wore sackcloth, humbled myself with fasting, and prayed from my heart repeatedly for them.

JPS Tanakh 1917
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.

Literal Standard Version
And I—in their sickness my clothing [is] sackcloth, | I have humbled my soul with fastings, | And my prayer returns to my bosom.

Majority Standard Bible
Yet when they were ill, I put on sackcloth; I humbled myself with fasting, but my prayers returned unanswered.

New American Bible
Yet I, when they were ill, put on sackcloth, afflicted myself with fasting, sobbed my prayers upon my bosom.

NET Bible
When they were sick, I wore sackcloth, and refrained from eating food. (If I am lying, may my prayers go unanswered!)

New Revised Standard Version
But as for me, when they were sick, I wore sackcloth; I afflicted myself with fasting. I prayed with head bowed on my bosom,

New Heart English Bible
But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth. I afflicted my soul with fasting; and my prayer returned into my own bosom.

Webster's Bible Translation
But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth: I humbled my soul with fasting; and my prayer returned into my own bosom.

World English Bible
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.

Young's Literal Translation
And I -- in their sickness my clothing is sackcloth, I have humbled with fastings my soul, And my prayer unto my bosom returneth.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Contend with My Opponents
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.…

Cross References
Matthew 10:13
If the home is worthy, let your peace rest on it; but if it is not, let your peace return to you.

Luke 10:6
If a man of peace is there, your peace will rest on him; if not, it will return to you.

Job 30:25
Have I not wept for those in trouble? Has my soul not grieved for the needy?

Psalm 69:10
I wept and fasted, but it brought me reproach.

Psalm 69:11
I made sackcloth my clothing, and I was sport to them.

Psalm 79:12
Pay back into the laps of our neighbors sevenfold the reproach they hurled at You, O Lord.

Psalm 109:24
My knees are weak from fasting, and my body grows lean and gaunt.


Treasury of Scripture

But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth: I humbled my soul with fasting; and my prayer returned into my own bosom.

when

Psalm 69:10,11
When I wept, and chastened my soul with fasting, that was to my reproach…

Job 30:25
Did not I weep for him that was in trouble? was not my soul grieved for the poor?

Matthew 5:44
But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;

humbled.

Leviticus 16:29,31
And this shall be a statute for ever unto you: that in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, ye shall afflict your souls, and do no work at all, whether it be one of your own country, or a stranger that sojourneth among you: …

Matthew 9:14,15
Then came to him the disciples of John, saying, Why do we and the Pharisees fast oft, but thy disciples fast not? …

my prayer

Matthew 10:13
And if the house be worthy, let your peace come upon it: but if it be not worthy, let your peace return to you.

Luke 10:6
And if the son of peace be there, your peace shall rest upon it: if not, it shall turn to you again.

Jump to Previous
Afflicted Bosom Bowed Chastened Clothing Fasting Fastings Food Head Heart Humbled Ill Kept Prayed Prayer Prayers Returneth Returning Sackcloth Sad Sick Sorrow Soul Wore
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Afflicted Bosom Bowed Chastened Clothing Fasting Fastings Food Head Heart Humbled Ill Kept Prayed Prayer Prayers Returneth Returning Sackcloth Sad Sick Sorrow Soul Wore
Psalm 35
1. David prays for his own safety, and his enemies' confusion
11. He complains of their wrongful dealing
22. Thereby he incites God against them














(13)And my prayer returned into mine own bosom.--This has been most variously explained. The context evidently implies something done for the benefit of the whilome friends for whom, in their sickness, the poet had worn sackcloth, and had fasted and adopted all the other signs of mourning. We must therefore set aside (1) the idea of fruitless prayer, in spite of the analogy of Matthew 10:13, Luke 10:6. (2) The notion that the answer to the prayer came back to the psalmist himself, instead of to those for whom it was offered, must also be set aside. And (3) we must reject the notion of secret, i.e., silent prayer, in spite of Proverbs 17:23; Proverbs 21:14, since all the "outward and visible" signs of mourning are indicated, and the very object was to show sympathy and interest.

There remains (1) the literal, and my prayer turned upon my bosom, referring to the posture described in Psalm 35:14. (Comp. 1Kings 18:42, where, however, there is no express mention of prayer.) The words were, as it were, muttered into his bosom. This is the view of Ewald and Delitzsch, but seems prosaic. (2)The far more probable meaning, my prayer came back again and again to my bosom, i.e., was repeated over and over again; just as we say, "the thought recurred to my mind." (Comp. the common phrase for thoughts coming upon the heart, Jeremiah 3:16; Jeremiah 7:31, etc.) The Hebrew verb has this frequentative sense in one of its conjugations. . . .

Verse 13. - But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth. It is suggested that David had acted thus, especially in the case of Saul, when he was first afflicted with his terrible malady (1 Samuel 16:14-23; 1 Samuel 18:10); but he appears to speak of his habitual practice, whenever any of his friends were sick. (On the putting on of sackcloth as a sign of grief, see Genesis 37:34; 2 Samuel 3:31; 2 Samuel 21:10; 1 Kings 21:27; 2 Kings 6:30; 2 Kings 19:1; Esther 4:1; Job 16:15; Psalm 69:11; Psalm 69:11, etc.) I humbled my soul with fasting. Another customary indication of grief (see Psalm 69:10; Psalm 109:24; Judges 20:26; 1 Samuel 31:13; 2 Samuel 1:12; 2 Samuel 22:16; 1 Kings 21:27; Nehemiah 1:4, etc.). And my prayer returned into mine own bosom (comp. Matthew 10:13). Prayers for others, if prevented by their unworthiness from benefiting them, are yet not altogether void and vain. They bring a blessing to the man that offers them.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Yet
וַאֲנִ֤י ׀ (wa·’ă·nî)
Conjunctive waw | Pronoun - first person common singular
Strong's 589: I

during their illness,
בַּחֲלוֹתָ֡ם (ba·ḥă·lō·w·ṯām)
Preposition-b | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct | third person masculine plural
Strong's 2470: To be weak or sick

I put on
לְב֬וּשִׁי (lə·ḇū·šî)
Noun - masculine singular construct | first person common singular
Strong's 3830: A garment, clothing, raiment

sackcloth;
שָׂ֗ק (śāq)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 8242: A mesh, coarse loose cloth, sacking, a bag

I humbled
עִנֵּ֣יתִי (‘in·nê·ṯî)
Verb - Piel - Perfect - first person common singular
Strong's 6031: To be bowed down or afflicted

myself
נַפְשִׁ֑י (nap̄·šî)
Noun - feminine singular construct | first person common singular
Strong's 5315: A soul, living being, life, self, person, desire, passion, appetite, emotion

with fasting,
בַצּ֣וֹם (ḇaṣ·ṣō·wm)
Preposition-b, Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 6685: Fasting, a fast

but my prayers
וּ֝תְפִלָּתִ֗י (ū·ṯə·p̄il·lā·ṯî)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - feminine singular construct | first person common singular
Strong's 8605: Intercession, supplication, a hymn

returned unanswered.
עַל־ (‘al-)
Preposition
Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against


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OT Poetry: Psalm 35:13 But as for me when they were (Psalm Ps Psa.)
Psalm 35:12
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