A Prayer for Help
1 Oppose those who oppose me, Lord,
and fight those who fight against me!
2 Take your shield and armor
and come to my rescue.
3 Lift up your spear and war ax
against those who pursue me.
Promise that you will save me.
4 May those who try to kill me
be defeated and disgraced!
May those who plot against me
be turned back and confused!
5 May they be like straw blown by the wind
as the angel of the Lord pursues them!
6 May their path be dark and slippery
while the angel of the Lord strikes them down!
7 Without any reason they laid a trap for me
and dug a deep hole to catch me.
8 But destruction will catch them before they know it;
they will be caught in their own trap
and fall to their destruction!
9 Then I will be glad because of the Lord;
I will be happy because he saved me.
10 With all my heart I will say to the Lord,
“There is no one like you.
You protect the weak from the strong,
the poor from the oppressor.”
11 Evil people testify against me
and accuse me of crimes I know nothing about.
12 They pay me back evil for good,
and I sink in despair.
13 But when they were sick, I dressed in mourning;
I deprived myself of food;
I prayed with my head bowed low,
14 as I would pray for a friend or a brother.
I went around bent over in mourning,
as one who mourns for his mother.
15 But when I was in trouble, they were all glad
and gathered around to make fun of me;
strangers beat me
and kept striking me.
16 Like those who would mock a cripple,
they glared at me with hate.
17 How much longer, Lord, will you just look on?
Rescue me from their attacks;
save my life from these lions!
18 Then I will thank you in the assembly of your people;
I will praise you before them all.
19 Don't let my enemies, those liars,
gloat over my defeat.
Don't let those who hate me for no reason
smirk with delight over my sorrow.
20 They do not speak in a friendly way;
instead they invent all kinds of lies about peace-loving people.
21 They accuse me, shouting,
“We saw what you did!”
22 But you, O Lord, have seen this.
So don't be silent, Lord;
don't keep yourself far away!
23 Rouse yourself, O Lord, and defend me;
rise up, my God, and plead my cause.
24 You are righteous, O Lord, so declare me innocent;
don't let my enemies gloat over me.
25 Don't let them say to themselves,
“We are rid of him!
That's just what we wanted!”
26 May those who gloat over my suffering
be completely defeated and confused;
may those who claim to be better than I am
be covered with shame and disgrace.
27 May those who want to see me acquitted
shout for joy and say again and again,
“How great is the Lord!
He is pleased with the success of his servant.”
28 Then I will proclaim your righteousness,
and I will praise you all day long.
الرب يدافع عن الأبرياء
1 لِداوُدَ:
خاصِمْ يا ربُّ مَنْ يُخاصِمُني،
وقاتِلِ الّذينَ يُقاتِلونَني.
2 أمسِكْ تُرْسا ودِرْعا
وقُمْ إلى نجدَتي!
3 بِرُمحِكَ صُدَّ مَنْ يُطارِدُني،
وقُلْ لي: «أنا خلاصُكَ!»
4 الخِزيُ والهَوانُ لِمَنْ يَطلُبُ حياتي،
والهَزيمةُ والخَجَلُ لِمَنْ ينوي لي شَرًّا.
5 وليكُونوا كالتِّبْنِ في وجهِ الرِّيحِ،
حينَ يَدحَرُهُم ملاكُ الرّبِّ.
6 وليكُنْ طريقُهُم مُظلِما زَلِقا،
حينَ يطرُدُهُم ملاكُ الرّبِّ.
7 بلا سبَبٍ أخفَوا لي شرَكا،
وبلا سبَبٍ حَفَروا حُفرَةً لي.
8 يأتيهِمِ الشَّرُّ وهُم لا يعرِفونَ،
ويَصطادُهُمُ الشَّرَكُ الّذي أخفَوهُ.
وفي الحُفرَةِ نَفسِها يَسقُطونَ.
9 أمَّا أنا فأبتَهِـجُ بالرّبِّ
وأنشَرِحُ لأنَّه خَلَّصَني.
10 عِظامي جميعُها تقولُ:
مَنْ مِثلُكَ أيُّها الرّبُّ
يُنقِذُ المَساكينَ البائِسينَ
مِنْ سالبِيهم الأقوى مِنهُم.
11 يقومُ أعدَائي ويسألونَني
بِـحَماسةٍ عَمَّا لا أعلَمُ.
12 يُجازونَني عنِ الخَيرِ شَرًّا،
فمِنهُم يا ويحَ نفْسي.
13 وأنا عِندَما مَرِضوا
كانَ لِباسي مِسْحا.
وأنهكْتُ بالصَّومِ نفْسي،
فكانَت صلاتي تَرجِـعُ إلى حُضني.
14 كصَديقٍ بل كأخٍ سَلكْتُ معَهُم،
وكأُمٍّ في الحِدادِ وانحَنَيتُ حُزنا.
15 زلَلْتُ فَشَمَتوا وتَجَمَّعوا عليَّ.
تَجَمَّعوا شامِتينَ ولم يتركوني،
وَنكأُوا جِراحي ولم يكُفُّوا.
16 في عُقوقِهِم هَزِئُوا بـي،
وصَرُّوا أسنانَهُم عليَّ
17 يا ربُّ إلى متى تنظُرُ
ولا تَسْتَرِدُّ مِنْ شُرُورهِم نفْسي،
ومِنْ هؤُلاءِ الكافِرينَ حياتي؟
18 فَأحمَدُكَ في الجُموعِ الكبـيرةِ،
وفي شعبٍ عظيمٍ أُهَلِّلُ لكَ.
19 يا ربُّ لا تَدَعْ أعدائي
يَشمَتونَ بـي باطِلا
ولا الّذينَ يُبغِضونَني بلا سبَبٍ
يَتغامَزونَ بالعينِ عليَّ.
20 هُم لا يَتكَلَّمونَ بالسَّلامِ وينسِبونَ
إلى وُدَعاءِ الأرضِ كلامَ المكْرِ.
21 فغَروا أفواهَهُم عليَّ وقالوا:
«هَهْ! هَهْ! رأت عيونُنا ما حَلَّ بهِ».
22 رأيتَ يا ربُّ فلا تَسكُتْ.
يا سيِّدُ لا تَبتَعِدْ عنِّي.
23 أفِقْ واسْتَيقِظْ يا إلهي
واحكُمْ لي يا ربُّ في دَعواي.
24 أنصِفْني بِــعَدلِكَ يا ربُّ،
يا إلهي، فلا يشمَتوا بـي
25 ويقولوا في قلوبِهِم: «نِلْنا مُنانا».
أو يقولوا: «هذا ما تمنَّيناهُ».
26 الخِزْيُ والخجَلُ للشَّامِتينَ بِنكبَتي.
وليَلبَسِ العارَ والهَوانَ المُتكَبِّرونَ عليَّ!
27 يُرَنِّمُ ويفرَحُ كُلُّ مَنْ يُريدُ حَقِّي،
ويقُولُ كُلَّ حينٍ ما أعظمَ الرّبَّ،
لأنَّهُ يُسَرُّ بِسلامةِ عبدِهِ.
28 فيَلهَجُ لِساني بِــعَدلِكَ،
ونهارا وليلا يُهَلِّلُ لكَ.
