Section 44 of 27135:1–28Psalms

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King James VersionPsalms 35:1–28

Plead my cause, O LORD, with them that strive with me: fight against them that fight against me.

Take hold of shield and buckler, and stand up for mine help.

Draw out also the spear, and stop the way against them that persecute me: say unto my soul, I am thy salvation.

Let them be confounded and put to shame that seek after my soul: let them be turned back and brought to confusion that devise my hurt.

Let them be as chaff before the wind: and let the angel of the LORD chase them.

Let their way be dark and slippery: and let the angel of the LORD persecute them.

For without cause have they hid for me their net in a pit, which without cause they have digged for my soul.

Let destruction come upon him at unawares; and let his net that he hath hid catch himself: into that very destruction let him fall.

And my soul shall be joyful in the LORD: it shall rejoice in his salvation.

All my bones shall say, LORD, who is like unto thee, which deliverest the poor from him that is too strong for him, yea, the poor and the needy from him that spoileth him?

False witnesses did rise up; they laid to my charge things that I knew not.

They rewarded me evil for good to the spoiling of my soul.

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.

I behaved myself as though he had been my friend or brother: I bowed down heavily, as one that mourneth for his mother.

But in mine adversity they rejoiced, and gathered themselves together: yea, the abjects gathered themselves together against me, and I knew it not; they did tear me, and ceased not:

With hypocritical mockers in feasts, they gnashed upon me with their teeth.

Lord, how long wilt thou look on? rescue my soul from their destructions, my darling from the lions.

I will give thee thanks in the great congregation: I will praise thee among much people.

Let not them that are mine enemies wrongfully rejoice over me: neither let them wink with the eye that hate me without a cause.

For they speak not peace: but they devise deceitful matters against them that are quiet in the land.

Yea, they opened their mouth wide against me, and said, Aha, aha, our eye hath seen it.

This thou hast seen, O LORD: keep not silence: O Lord, be not far from me.

Stir up thyself, and awake to my judgment, even unto my cause, my God and my Lord.

Judge me, O LORD my God, according to thy righteousness; and let them not rejoice over me.

Let them not say in their hearts, Ah, so would we have it: let them not say, We have swallowed him up.

Let them be ashamed and brought to confusion together that rejoice at mine hurt: let them be clothed with shame and dishonour that magnify themselves against me.

Let them shout for joy, and be glad, that favour my righteous cause: yea, let them say continually, Let the LORD be magnified, which hath pleasure in the prosperity of his servant.

And my tongue shall speak of thy righteousness and of thy praise all the day long.

Italic words were supplied in the English translation for clarity.

Scripture text: King James Version, Standardized 1769 text. Public domain in the United States.About this Bible text

Psalms 35:1–28

A plea against violent and false accusers

Plead my cause: a petition, not a hunt

The speaker asks the LORD to contend with those who contend with him, to fight against those who fight him, to take hold of shield and buckler, to draw the spear and javelin against his pursuers. Say to my soul, 'I am your salvation.'

Let them be put to shame who seek his life, turned back who devise evil. Let them be like chaff before the wind, with the angel of the LORD driving them. Let their way be dark and slippery. They hid a net without cause; let the net they hid catch them. The violence named is false witness and ambush. The curses are handed to God. They are not a to-do list for the reader.

Sackcloth for their sickness, then their feast at his stumble

Malicious witnesses rise. They repay evil for good. When they were sick, he wore sackcloth, afflicted himself with fasting, prayed, and went about as though for a friend or brother, bowed in mourning as for a mother.

But at his stumbling they gathered in glee, like profane mockers at a feast, gnashing their teeth. How long, O Lord, will you look on? Rescue my life from their ravages, my only one from the lions. He will thank God in the great congregation. Let not those who are wrongfully his foes rejoice. Then his tongue will tell God's righteousness all the day. Imprecation here is the wounded loyal person's appeal. It must not be aimed at ordinary critics, and it must not be enacted as revenge.

How this should shape us

When you are hunted by lies, ask God to take the case and to be your salvation out loud. Remember how you treated their pain. Do not turn this psalm into a revenge script, a campaign curse, or a hunt.

Teach it back

Explain Psalms 35:1–28 in your own words. Name the poetic voice and movement, trace its place in Psalm 35 and Book I, identify one exact source control or uncertainty, and reject one use the passage does not authorize.

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Go deeper

The explanation above is meant to stand on its own. Open these notes only if you want language, history, disagreements, or source locations.

Where careful interpreters disagreeThe strongest options and their difficulties

Where do responsible readings differ?

Best judgment: The speaker petitions God against grave harm; the curses must not be weaponized against personal critics or enacted as revenge.

How certain? probable

Research trail and exact locationsThe source record behind this section

King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006

Supports: Exact displayed KJV wording, verse order, paragraph metadata, supplied-word markup, and complete thought-unit coverage.

Psalms 35:1–28, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM-derived repository corpus

Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible: Psalms

Supports: Masoretic Hebrew wording and morphology checked at the exact unit without treating morphology as a complete apparatus or interpretation.

Open Scriptures MorphHB v2.2, commit 6a5db284c715c18b239422e57bb89684e6a19f00, wlc/Ps.xml, OSIS 35:1–28

NET Bible Notes: Psalms 1-150

Supports: Verse-level controls for poetic syntax, imagery, older KJV language, textual issues, headings, and alternatives in Psalms 35:1–28.

Official NET Bible Psalm 35 HTML, translator, textual, and study notes attached to Psalms 35:1–28

Psalms course: summary, outline, background, introductory issues, theological themes, and Bible in the world

Supports: Five-book, genre, poetic, historical, theological, liturgical, communal, and reception synthesis with visible limits.

Enter the Bible Psalms course, Introductory Issues: individual and communal lament, from lament to praise, and Bible in the World; applied to Psalms 35:1–28

A New English Translation of the Septuagint: Psalms

Supports: Ancient Greek wording, numbering, division, and superscription evidence where it materially clarifies translation or reception.

NETS Psalms, Pietersma introduction pp. 542–543 and exact Greek translation headed Ps 35 for Psalms 35:1–28

An Overview of the Study of Imprecatory Psalms: Reformed and Evangelical Approaches to the Interpretation of Imprecatory Psalms

Supports: Major historical, literary, covenantal, ethical, and reception approaches to curses and enemy language.

Simango and Krüger, 'An Overview of the Study of Imprecatory Psalms,' OTE 29.3 (2016), pp. 581–600, complete approach survey; applied to Psalms 35:1–28

Embracing the Psalter's imprecatory words in the 21st century

Supports: Imprecation retained as difficult prayer and communal speech without converting violent wishes into commands or erasing Jewish reception.

deClaissé-Walford, 'Embracing the Psalter's imprecatory words,' Acta Theologica Suppl. 32 (2021), pp. 275–292, especially literary, liturgical, trauma, and ethical proposal; applied to Psalms 35:1–28

Sources for This Section

These records identify the source, the claim it supports, and the exact location used. A source remains evidence to evaluate; it does not replace the biblical text.

Biblical text

King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006

eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society

USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.

Supports: Exact displayed KJV wording, verse order, paragraph metadata, supplied-word markup, and complete thought-unit coverage.

Exact location: Psalms 35:1–28, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM-derived repository corpus

Open source ↗

hebrew text and morphology

Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible: Psalms

Open Scriptures

Open Scriptures, release 2.2

Supports: Masoretic Hebrew wording and morphology checked at the exact unit without treating morphology as a complete apparatus or interpretation.

Exact location: Open Scriptures MorphHB v2.2, commit 6a5db284c715c18b239422e57bb89684e6a19f00, wlc/Ps.xml, OSIS 35:1–28

Open the fixed Hebrew Psalms file ↗

translation and translator notes

NET Bible Notes: Psalms 1-150

Biblical Studies Press

Biblical Studies Press, current official online edition

Supports: Verse-level controls for poetic syntax, imagery, older KJV language, textual issues, headings, and alternatives in Psalms 35:1–28.

Exact location: Official NET Bible Psalm 35 HTML, translator, textual, and study notes attached to Psalms 35:1–28

Open the official NET Psalms notes ↗

modern scholarly book course

Psalms course: summary, outline, background, introductory issues, theological themes, and Bible in the world

Fred Gaiser; revised by Nicholas Schaser

Enter the Bible, Luther Seminary, revised May 2024

Supports: Five-book, genre, poetic, historical, theological, liturgical, communal, and reception synthesis with visible limits.

Exact location: Enter the Bible Psalms course, Introductory Issues: individual and communal lament, from lament to praise, and Bible in the World; applied to Psalms 35:1–28

Open the Enter the Bible Psalms course ↗

ancient greek text translation and introduction

A New English Translation of the Septuagint: Psalms

Albert Pietersma

International Organization for Septuagint and Cognate Studies; Oxford University Press, 2009

Supports: Ancient Greek wording, numbering, division, and superscription evidence where it materially clarifies translation or reception.

Exact location: NETS Psalms, Pietersma introduction pp. 542–543 and exact Greek translation headed Ps 35 for Psalms 35:1–28

Open NETS Psalms ↗

peer reviewed open access research overview

An Overview of the Study of Imprecatory Psalms: Reformed and Evangelical Approaches to the Interpretation of Imprecatory Psalms

Daniel Simango and P. Paul Krüger

Old Testament Essays 29.3, 2016

Supports: Major historical, literary, covenantal, ethical, and reception approaches to curses and enemy language.

Exact location: Simango and Krüger, 'An Overview of the Study of Imprecatory Psalms,' OTE 29.3 (2016), pp. 581–600, complete approach survey; applied to Psalms 35:1–28

Open the imprecatory-psalm overview ↗

peer reviewed open access literary and ethical study

Embracing the Psalter's imprecatory words in the 21st century

Nancy L. deClaissé-Walford

Acta Theologica Supplementum 32, 2021

Supports: Imprecation retained as difficult prayer and communal speech without converting violent wishes into commands or erasing Jewish reception.

Exact location: deClaissé-Walford, 'Embracing the Psalter's imprecatory words,' Acta Theologica Suppl. 32 (2021), pp. 275–292, especially literary, liturgical, trauma, and ethical proposal; applied to Psalms 35:1–28

Open deClaissé-Walford on imprecation ↗