| Berean Study Bible | New Living Translation |
| 1Of David. Contend with my opponents, O LORD; fight against those who fight against me. | 1O LORD, oppose those who oppose me. Fight those who fight against me. |
| 2Take up Your shield and buckler; arise and come to my aid. | 2Put on your armor, and take up your shield. Prepare for battle, and come to my aid. |
| 3Draw the spear and javelin against my pursuers; say to my soul: “I am your salvation.” | 3Lift up your spear and javelin against those who pursue me. Let me hear you say, “I will give you victory!” |
| 4May those who seek my life be disgraced and put to shame; may those who plan to harm me be driven back and confounded. | 4Bring shame and disgrace on those trying to kill me; turn them back and humiliate those who want to harm me. |
| 5May they be like chaff in the wind, as the angel of the LORD drives them away. | 5Blow them away like chaff in the wind— a wind sent by the angel of the LORD. |
| 6May their path be dark and slick, as the angel of the LORD pursues. | 6Make their path dark and slippery, with the angel of the LORD pursuing them. |
| 7For without cause they laid their net for me; without reason they dug a pit for my soul. | 7I did them no wrong, but they laid a trap for me. I did them no wrong, but they dug a pit to catch me. |
| 8May ruin befall them by surprise; may the net they hid ensnare them; may they fall into the hazard they created. | 8So let sudden ruin come upon them! Let them be caught in the trap they set for me! Let them be destroyed in the pit they dug for me. |
| 9Then my soul will rejoice in the LORD and exult in His salvation. | 9Then I will rejoice in the LORD. I will be glad because he rescues me. |
| 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?” | 10With every bone in my body I will praise him: “LORD, who can compare with you? Who else rescues the helpless from the strong? Who else protects the helpless and poor from those who rob them?” |
| 11Hostile witnesses come forward; they make charges I know nothing about. | 11Malicious witnesses testify against me. They accuse me of crimes I know nothing about. |
| 12They repay me evil for good, to the bereavement of my soul. | 12They repay me evil for good. I am sick with despair. |
| 13Yet when they were ill, I put on sackcloth; I humbled myself with fasting, but my prayers returned unanswered. | 13Yet when they were ill, I grieved for them. I denied myself by fasting for them, 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. | 14I was sad, as though they were my friends or family, as if I were grieving for my own mother. |
| 15But when I stumbled, they assembled in glee; they gathered together against me. Assailants I did not know slandered me without ceasing. | 15But they are glad now that I am in trouble; they gleefully join together against me. I am attacked by people I don’t even know; they slander me constantly. |
| 16Like godless jesters at a feast, they gnashed their teeth at me. | 16They mock me and call me names; they snarl at me. |
| 17How long, O Lord, will You look on? Rescue my soul from their ravages, my precious life from these lions. | 17How long, O Lord, will you look on and do nothing? Rescue me from their fierce attacks. Protect my life from these lions! |
| 18Then I will give You thanks in the great assembly; I will praise You among many people. | 18Then I will thank you in front of the great assembly. I will praise you before all the people. |
| 19Let not my enemies gloat over me without cause, nor those who hate me without reason wink in malice. | 19Don’t let my treacherous enemies rejoice over my defeat. Don’t let those who hate me without cause gloat over my sorrow. |
| 20For they do not speak peace, but they devise deceitful schemes against those who live quietly in the land. | 20They don’t talk of peace; they plot against innocent people who mind their own business. |
| 21They gape at me and say, “Aha, aha! Our eyes have seen!” | 21They shout, “Aha! Aha! With our own eyes we saw him do it!” |
| 22O LORD, You have seen it; be not silent. O Lord, be not far from me. | 22O LORD, you know all about this. Do not stay silent. Do not abandon me now, O Lord. |
| 23Awake and rise to my defense, to my cause, my God and my Lord! | 23Wake up! Rise to my defense! Take up my case, my God and my Lord. |
| 24Vindicate me by Your righteousness, O LORD my God, and do not let them gloat over me. | 24Declare me not guilty, O LORD my God, for you give justice. Don’t let my enemies laugh about me in my troubles. |
| 25Let them not say in their hearts, “Aha, just what we wanted!” Let them not say, “We have swallowed him up!” | 25Don’t let them say, “Look, we got what we wanted! Now we will eat him alive!” |
| 26May those who gloat in my distress be ashamed and confounded; may those who exalt themselves over me be clothed in shame and reproach. | 26May those who rejoice at my troubles be humiliated and disgraced. May those who triumph over me be covered with shame and dishonor. |
| 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.” | 27But give great joy to those who came to my defense. Let them continually say, “Great is the LORD, who delights in blessing his servant with peace!” |
| 28Then my tongue will proclaim Your righteousness and Your praises all day long. | 28Then I will proclaim your justice, and I will praise you all day long. |
|
