Contend with My Opponents, O LORD 1 CPDV Of David himself. O Lord, judge those who harm me; assail those who attack me. BSB BSB: Of David. Contend with my opponents, O LORD; fight against those who fight against me.
2 CPDV Take hold of weapons and a shield, and rise up in assistance to me. BSB BSB: Take up Your shield and buckler; arise and come to my aid.
3 CPDV Bring forth the spear, and close in on those who persecute me. Say to my soul, “I am your salvation.” BSB BSB: Draw the spear and javelin against my pursuers; say to my soul: “I am your salvation.”
4 CPDV Let them be confounded and in awe, who pursue my soul. Let them be turned back and be confounded, who think up evil against me. BSB BSB: May those who seek my life be disgraced and put to shame; may those who plan to harm me be driven back and confounded.
5 CPDV May they become like dust before the face of the wind, and let the Angel of the Lord hem them in. BSB BSB: May they be like chaff in the wind, as the angel of the LORD drives them away.
6 CPDV May their way become dark and slippery, and may the Angel of the Lord pursue them. BSB BSB: May their path be dark and slick, as the angel of the LORD pursues.
7 CPDV For, without cause, they have concealed their snare for me unto destruction. Over nothing, they have rebuked my soul. BSB BSB: For without cause they laid their net for me; without reason they dug a pit for my soul.
8 CPDV Let the snare, of which he is ignorant, come upon him, and let the deception, which he has hidden, take hold of him: and may he fall into that very snare. BSB BSB: May ruin befall them by surprise; may the net they hid ensnare them; may they fall into the hazard they created.
9 CPDV But my soul will exult in the Lord and delight over his salvation. BSB BSB: Then my soul will rejoice in the LORD and exult in His salvation.
10 CPDV All my bones will say, “Lord, who is like you?” He rescues the needy from the hand of the stronger one, the indigent and the poor from those who plunder him. BSB BSB: All my bones will exclaim, “Who is like You, O LORD, who delivers the afflicted from the aggressor, the poor and needy from the robber?”
11 CPDV Unfair witnesses have risen up, interrogating me about things of which I am ignorant. BSB BSB: Hostile witnesses come forward; they make charges I know nothing about.
12 CPDV They repaid me evil for good, to the deprivation of my soul. BSB BSB: They repay me evil for good, to the bereavement of my soul.
13 CPDV But as for me, when they were harassing me, I was clothed with haircloth. I humbled my soul with fasting, and my prayer will become my sinews. BSB BSB: Yet when they were ill, I put on sackcloth; I humbled myself with fasting, but my prayers returned unanswered.
14 CPDV Like a neighbor, and like our brother, so did I please; like one mourning and contrite, so was I humbled. BSB BSB: I paced about as for my friend or brother; I was bowed down with grief, like one mourning for his mother.
15 CPDV And they have been joyful against me, and they joined together. Scourges have been gathered over me, and I was ignorant of it. BSB BSB: But when I stumbled, they assembled in glee; they gathered together against me. Assailants I did not know slandered me without ceasing.
16 CPDV They have been scattered, yet they were unremorseful. They have tested me. They scoffed at me with scorn. They gnashed their teeth over me. BSB BSB: Like godless jesters at a feast, they gnashed their teeth at me.
17 CPDV Lord, when will you look down upon me? Restore my soul from before their malice, my only one from before the lions. BSB BSB: How long, O Lord, will You look on? Rescue my soul from their ravages, my precious life from these lions.
18 CPDV I will confess to you in a great Church. I will praise you among a weighty people. BSB BSB: Then I will give You thanks in the great assembly; I will praise You among many people.
19 CPDV May those who are my unjust adversaries not be glad over me: those who have hated me without cause, and who nod agreement with their eyes. BSB BSB: Let not my enemies gloat over me without cause, nor those who hate me without reason wink in malice.
20 CPDV For indeed, they spoke peacefully to me; and speaking with passion to the earth, they intended deceit. BSB BSB: For they do not speak peace, but they devise deceitful schemes against those who live quietly in the land.
21 CPDV And they opened their mouth wide over me. They said, “Well, well, our eyes have seen.” BSB BSB: They gape at me and say, “Aha, aha! Our eyes have seen!”
22 CPDV You have seen, O Lord, do not be silent. Lord, do not depart from me. BSB BSB: O LORD, You have seen it; be not silent. O Lord, be not far from me.
23 CPDV Rise up and be attentive to my judgment, to my cause, my God and my Lord. BSB BSB: Awake and rise to my defense, to my cause, my God and my Lord!
24 CPDV Judge me according to your justice, O Lord, my God, and do not let them be glad over me. BSB BSB: Vindicate me by Your righteousness, O LORD my God, and do not let them gloat over me.
25 CPDV Do not let them say in their hearts, “Well, well, to our soul.” Neither let them say, “We have devoured him.” BSB BSB: Let them not say in their hearts, “Aha, just what we wanted!” Let them not say, “We have swallowed him up!”
26 CPDV Let them blush and be in awe together, those who congratulate at my misfortunes. Let them be clothed with confusion and awe, who speak great things against me. BSB BSB: May those who gloat in my distress be ashamed and confounded; may those who exalt themselves over me be clothed in shame and reproach.
27 CPDV Let them exult and rejoice, who wish my justice, and let them ever say, “The Lord be magnified,” who will the peace of his servant. BSB BSB: May 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.”
28 CPDV And so my tongue will express your justice: your praise all day long. BSB BSB: Then my tongue will proclaim Your righteousness and Your praises all day long.
Select verses for actions: Enter goes to them and Escape comes back.