{"id":47402,"date":"2026-11-04T09:28:40","date_gmt":"2026-11-04T09:28:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/emanuelshahar.com\/?p=47402"},"modified":"2026-11-04T09:28:40","modified_gmt":"2026-11-04T09:28:40","slug":"article-20207-en","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/emanuelshahar.com\/?p=47402&lang=en","title":{"rendered":"Psalm 35 \u2014 a plea for protection and help"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>\n.es-site{--ink:#483320;--paper:#fbf8f2;--gold:#a78349;background:var(--paper);color:var(--ink);font:18px\/1.85 Arial,sans-serif;overflow-wrap:break-word}\n.es-site *{box-sizing:border-box}.es-site a{color:#6b5036;text-underline-offset:4px}.es-site h1,.es-site h2,.es-site h3{color:#483320;line-height:1.35;font-weight:600}.es-site h1{font-size:clamp(36px,5vw,64px);margin:12px 0}.es-site h2{font-size:clamp(28px,3vw,40px);margin:0 0 24px}.es-site h3{font-size:23px;margin:0 0 16px}.es-site p{margin:0 0 24px}.es-wrap{max-width:1160px;margin:auto;padding:64px 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href=\"https:\/\/emanuelshahar.com\/?page_id=1054&#038;lang=ar\" hreflang=\"ar\" lang=\"ar\">\u0627\u0644\u0639\u0631\u0628\u064a\u0629<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/emanuelshahar.com\/?page_id=20074&#038;lang=es\" hreflang=\"es\" lang=\"es\">Espa\u00f1ol<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/emanuelshahar.com\/?page_id=20369&#038;lang=fa\" hreflang=\"fa\" lang=\"fa\">\u0641\u0627\u0631\u0633\u06cc<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/emanuelshahar.com\/?page_id=20374&#038;lang=tr\" hreflang=\"tr\" lang=\"tr\">T\u00fcrk\u00e7e<\/a><\/nav>\n<\/div>\n<nav class=\"es-nav\"><a href=\"https:\/\/emanuelshahar.com\/?page_id=1052&#038;lang=en#about\">About the Rabbi<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/emanuelshahar.com\/?page_id=1052&#038;lang=en#practice\">Fields of practice<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/emanuelshahar.com\/?page_id=1052&#038;lang=en#articles\">Articles<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/emanuelshahar.com\/?page_id=1052&#038;lang=en#videos\">Videos<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/emanuelshahar.com\/?page_id=1052&#038;lang=en#amulets\">Amulets<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/emanuelshahar.com\/?page_id=1052&#038;lang=en#contact\">Contact the office<\/a><\/nav>\n<style>.es-site img{max-width:100%;height:auto}.es-site iframe{max-width:100%}.es-site .es-archive-body{max-width:1100px}.es-site .es-archive-body h1{font-size:clamp(28px,4vw,44px)}.es-site .es-archive-body table{max-width:100%;overflow-wrap:anywhere}<\/style>\n<p><main class=\"es-wrap es-archive-body\"><\/p>\n<h1>Psalm 35 \u2014 a plea for protection and help<\/h1>\n<figure><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/emanuelshahar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/prayer-psalm35.webp\" alt=\"Ancient shield in a Jerusalem courtyard \u2014 illustration for Psalm 35\" width=\"1200\" height=\"800\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;border-radius:8px\"><\/figure>\n<div class=\"emanuel-editorial\" dir=\"ltr\">\n<p>Psalm 35 expresses a plea for protection, justice and help in distress. Its full text is presented here for reading and prayer. In segulah literature it is also associated with a plea against accusation; reciting it neither guarantees a particular outcome nor replaces action required by life\u2019s circumstances.<\/p>\n<h2>Psalm 35<\/h2>\n<p>1. Of David. Contend, LORD, with those who contend with me; fight those who fight me.<\/p>\n<p>2. Take hold of shield and buckler, and rise to help me.<\/p>\n<p>3. Draw the spear and bar the way against my pursuers; say to my soul: I am your salvation.<\/p>\n<p>4. Let those seeking my life be ashamed and disgraced; let those plotting my harm retreat in humiliation.<\/p>\n<p>5. Let them be like chaff before the wind, driven by the angel of the LORD.<\/p>\n<p>6. Let their way be dark and slippery, with the angel of the LORD pursuing them.<\/p>\n<p>7. For without cause they hid their net in a pit for me; without cause they dug a trap for my life.<\/p>\n<p>8. Let unforeseen ruin come upon him; let the net he hid catch him, and let him fall into it in destruction.<\/p>\n<p>9. My soul shall rejoice in the LORD and delight in His salvation.<\/p>\n<p>10. All my bones shall say: LORD, who is like You, rescuing the poor from one stronger than they, the poor and needy from their robber? <\/p>\n<p>11. Violent witnesses rise up; they question me about things I do not know.<\/p>\n<p>12. They repay me evil for good, bereaving my soul.<\/p>\n<p>13. But when they were ill I wore sackcloth, humbled my soul with fasting, and my prayer returned to my bosom.<\/p>\n<p>14. I walked as though for a friend or brother; like one mourning a mother, I bowed in grief.<\/p>\n<p>15. But when I stumbled they rejoiced and gathered; attackers gathered against me unknown to me, tearing without ceasing.<\/p>\n<p>16. Like godless mockers at a feast, they gnashed their teeth at me.<\/p>\n<p>17. Lord, how long will You look on? Rescue my soul from their ravages, my only life from the lions.<\/p>\n<p>18. I shall thank You in a great assembly; among a mighty people I shall praise You.<\/p>\n<p>19. Let not my false enemies rejoice over me, nor those who hate me without cause wink their eyes.<\/p>\n<p>20. For they do not speak peace; they devise deceitful words against the quiet people of the land.<\/p>\n<p>21. They open their mouths wide against me, saying: Aha, aha! Our eyes have seen it.<\/p>\n<p>22. You have seen, LORD; do not be silent. Lord, do not be far from me.<\/p>\n<p>23. Stir and awake for my judgment, my God and my Lord, for my cause.<\/p>\n<p>24. Judge me according to Your righteousness, LORD my God; do not let them rejoice over me.<\/p>\n<p>25. Let them not say in their hearts: Aha, our wish! Let them not say: We have swallowed him up.<\/p>\n<p>26. Let all who delight in my misfortune be ashamed and humiliated together; let those who exalt themselves over me be clothed in shame and disgrace.<\/p>\n<p>27. Let those who desire my vindication sing and rejoice; let them always say: Great is the LORD, who desires the peace of His servant.<\/p>\n<p>28. My tongue shall speak of Your righteousness and Your praise all day long.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/main><\/p>\n<footer class=\"es-footer\">\n<p>Rabbi Emanuel Shahar \u00b7 Tiferet Malchut Shlomo<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/emanuelshahar.com\/?page_id=20352&#038;lang=en\">About the Rabbi<\/a> \u00b7 <a href=\"https:\/\/emanuelshahar.com\/?page_id=50002&#038;lang=en\">Terms of use<\/a><\/p>\n<nav class=\"es-langs\" aria-label=\"Language\"><a href=\"https:\/\/emanuelshahar.com\/?page_id=22&#038;lang=he\" hreflang=\"he\" lang=\"he\">\u05e2\u05d1\u05e8\u05d9\u05ea<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/emanuelshahar.com\/?page_id=1052&#038;lang=en\" hreflang=\"en\" lang=\"en\" aria-current=\"page\">English<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/emanuelshahar.com\/?page_id=1053&#038;lang=fr\" hreflang=\"fr\" lang=\"fr\">Fran\u00e7ais<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/emanuelshahar.com\/?page_id=1054&#038;lang=ar\" hreflang=\"ar\" lang=\"ar\">\u0627\u0644\u0639\u0631\u0628\u064a\u0629<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/emanuelshahar.com\/?page_id=20074&#038;lang=es\" hreflang=\"es\" lang=\"es\">Espa\u00f1ol<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/emanuelshahar.com\/?page_id=20369&#038;lang=fa\" hreflang=\"fa\" lang=\"fa\">\u0641\u0627\u0631\u0633\u06cc<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/emanuelshahar.com\/?page_id=20374&#038;lang=tr\" hreflang=\"tr\" lang=\"tr\">T\u00fcrk\u00e7e<\/a><\/nav>\n<\/footer>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Psalm 35 expresses a plea for protection, justice and help in distress. Its full text is presented here for reading and prayer. In segulah literature it is also associated with a plea against accusation; reciting it neither guarantees\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":20205,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"elementor_canvas","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[233],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-47402","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-topic-77-en"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/emanuelshahar.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47402","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/emanuelshahar.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/emanuelshahar.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/emanuelshahar.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/emanuelshahar.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=47402"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/emanuelshahar.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47402\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":50636,"href":"https:\/\/emanuelshahar.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47402\/revisions\/50636"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/emanuelshahar.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/20205"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/emanuelshahar.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=47402"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/emanuelshahar.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=47402"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/emanuelshahar.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=47402"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}