Contend, LORD, With Those Who Contend

Contend, LORD, with those who contend with me.Fight against those who fight against me.

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

The psalm opens with a double request: contend with those who contend with me, and fight against those who fight against me. God is asked to take the writer's side in both a dispute and a battle.

Also read Joshua 10:42, 1 Samuel 24:15, Micah 7:9, Isaiah 49:25

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

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

Also read Isaiah 42:13, Exodus 15:3, Psalm 7:12-13, Deuteronomy 32:41-42

Brandish the spear and block those who pursue me.Tell my soul, “I am your salvation.”

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

God is pictured as a soldier who brandishes the spear and blocks the pursuers. The verse ends with a quieter request: tell my soul, I am your salvation.

Also read Job 1:10, Isaiah 12:2, Genesis 49:18, Psalm 27:2

Let those who seek after my soul be disappointed and brought to dishonor.Let those who plot my ruin be turned back and confounded.

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.

This is the first of the psalm's requests against its attackers. Those who seek the writer's life are to be disappointed, dishonored, turned back and confounded, so their plans fail.

Also read 1 Samuel 23:23, Psalm 129:5, Psalm 71:24, Isaiah 37:29

Let them be as chaff before the wind,the LORD’s angel driving them on.

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

The attackers are pictured as chaff blown by the wind, with the LORD's angel driving them on. The image is of something weightless and easily scattered.

Also read Psalm 83:13-17, Isaiah 17:13, Isaiah 29:5, Psalm 1:4

Let their way be dark and slippery,the LORD’s angel pursuing them.

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

Also read Jeremiah 13:16, Psalm 73:18, Jeremiah 23:12, Proverbs 4:19

For without cause they have hidden their net in a pit for me.Without cause they have dug a pit for my soul.

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

The words without cause appear twice in this verse. The writer insists that his enemies hid a net and dug a pit for him with no provocation, which is the grievance behind the whole psalm.

Also read Psalm 140:5, Job 18:8, Psalm 25:3, Psalm 7:3-5

Let destruction come on him unawares.Let his net that he has hidden catch himself.Let him fall into that destruction.

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

Also read 1 Samuel 31:2-4, 2 Samuel 17:2-4, Proverbs 5:22, Proverbs 29:1

My soul shall be joyful in the LORD.It shall rejoice in his salvation.

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

The first promise of praise comes here. The writer's soul will be joyful in the LORD and rejoice in his salvation once the rescue has come.

Also read Psalm 13:5, Psalm 21:1, Psalm 68:1-3, Luke 1:46-47

All my bones shall say, “LORD, who is like you,who delivers the poor from him who is too strong for him;yes, the poor and the needy from him who robs him?”

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?

Even the writer's bones are pictured as speaking. They ask who is like the LORD, who rescues the poor and needy from people too strong for them and from those who rob them.

Also read Psalm 10:14, Psalm 37:14, Psalm 102:3, Psalm 71:19

Unrighteous witnesses rise up.They ask me about things that I don’t know about.

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

The attack moves to false testimony. Unrighteous witnesses rise up and question the writer about things he knows nothing about.

Also read Psalm 27:12, 1 Samuel 25:10, Acts 24:5-6, 1 Samuel 24:9

They reward me evil for good,to the bereaving of my soul.

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

Also read 1 Samuel 20:31-33, Luke 23:21-23, Jeremiah 18:20, Proverbs 17:13

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.

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.

This verse shows how the writer treated his accusers when they were sick. He wore sackcloth, afflicted himself with fasting and prayed for them, which makes their later cruelty harder to bear.

Also read Matthew 10:13, Job 30:25, Romans 12:14-15, Luke 10:6

I behaved myself as though it had been my friend or my brother.I bowed down mourning, as one who mourns his mother.

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

The speaker describes how he treated those who now attack him. When they were sick he grieved as if for a friend or a brother, bowing down like someone mourning his own mother. This sharpens the complaint of verse 12, that they reward him evil for good.

Also read Psalm 38:6, 2 Samuel 1:17-27, Genesis 24:67, 2 Samuel 1:11-12

But in my adversity, they rejoiced, and gathered themselves together.The attackers gathered themselves together against me, and I didn’t know it.They tore at me, and didn’t cease.

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:

Also read 1 Corinthians 13:6, Job 30:1-12, Psalm 71:10-11, Psalm 35:8

Like the profane mockers in feasts,they gnashed their teeth at me.

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

Also read Lamentations 2:16, 1 Samuel 20:24-42, John 18:28, Psalm 37:12

Lord, how long will you look on?Rescue my soul from their destruction,my precious life from the lions.

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

The complaint takes the form of a question: Lord, how long will you look on. The writer asks for his precious life to be rescued from people he compares to lions.

Also read Psalm 74:9-10, Psalm 69:14-15, Psalm 22:20-21, Habakkuk 1:13

I will give you thanks in the great assembly.I will praise you among many people.

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

The second promise of praise is public. The writer will give thanks in the great assembly and praise God among many people.

Also read Psalm 22:22-25, Isaiah 25:3, Hebrews 2:12, Psalm 116:18

Don’t let those who are my enemies wrongfully rejoice over me;neither let those who hate me without a cause wink their eyes.

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

The writer asks God not to let his enemies rejoice over him wrongfully. The phrase hate me without a cause repeats the psalm's central claim that the attack is undeserved.

Also read Lamentations 3:52, Proverbs 6:13, Proverbs 10:10, Psalm 25:2

For they don’t speak peace,but they devise deceitful words against those who are quiet in the land.

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

Also read Acts 23:15, Psalm 140:2-5, Matthew 12:19, Psalm 31:13

Yes, they opened their mouth wide against me.They said, “Aha! Aha! Our eye has seen it!”

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

Also read Psalm 40:15, Luke 11:53-54, Isaiah 9:12, Psalm 22:13

You have seen it, LORD. Don’t keep silent.Lord, don’t be far from me.

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

Also read Psalm 38:21, Psalm 39:12, Psalm 50:21, Psalm 22:19

Wake up! Rise up to defend me, my God!My Lord, contend for me!

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

Also read Psalm 59:4, Psalm 142:5, Isaiah 51:9, Psalm 89:26

Vindicate me, LORD my God, according to your righteousness.Don’t let them gloat over me.

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

Also read Psalm 7:8, 1 Peter 2:22, Psalm 35:19, Psalm 18:20-24

Don’t let them say in their heart, “Aha! That’s the way we want it!”Don’t let them say, “We have swallowed him up!”

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

Also read Psalm 70:3, Mark 2:8, Psalm 74:8, Psalm 28:3

Let them be disappointed and confounded together who rejoice at my calamity.Let them be clothed with shame and dishonor who magnify themselves against me.

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.

Also read Psalm 38:16, Psalm 109:28-29, Psalm 40:14-15, Psalm 132:18

Let those who favor my righteous cause shout for joy and be glad.Yes, let them say continually, “May the LORD be magnified,who has pleasure in the prosperity of his servant!”

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.

The prayer widens to include those who favor the writer's righteous cause. They are to shout for joy and keep saying that the LORD be magnified, who has pleasure in the prosperity of his servant.

Also read Psalm 40:16, John 16:22, Proverbs 8:18, Psalm 132:16

My tongue shall talk about your righteousness and about your praise all day long.

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

The psalm ends with the writer's own tongue. It will talk about God's righteousness and praise all day long, turning the mouth from complaint to praise.

Also read Psalm 145:1-2, Psalm 34:1, Psalm 104:33-34, Psalm 71:24