13-14 When they were sick, I dressed in black;
    instead of eating, I prayed.
My prayers were like lead in my gut,
    like I’d lost my best friend, my brother.
I paced, distraught as a motherless child,
    hunched and heavyhearted.

15-16 But when I was down
    they threw a party!
All the nameless misfits of the town came
    chanting insults about me.
Like barbarians desecrating a shrine,
    they destroyed my reputation.

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14     I went about mourning(A)
    as though for my friend or brother.
I bowed my head in grief
    as though weeping for my mother.
15 But when I stumbled, they gathered in glee;(B)
    assailants gathered against me without my knowledge.
    They slandered(C) me without ceasing.
16 Like the ungodly they maliciously mocked;[a](D)
    they gnashed their teeth(E) at me.

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Footnotes

  1. Psalm 35:16 Septuagint; Hebrew may mean Like an ungodly circle of mockers,