STUDY / LIVING THE CHRISTIAN LIFE / HYMNS

Now plead my cause, almighty God First Part Prayer and faith of persecuted saints; or, Imprecations mixed with charity

Isaac Watts's setting of Psalm 35:1–9, printed in 1719 in The Psalms of David Imitated, where he set the psalms "in the language of the New Testament".

WRITTEN BY

Isaac Watts 1674–1748

PRINTED

1719 The Psalms of David Imitated · no. 1

METRE

Common Metre 8.6.8.6 · 8 stanzas

WRITTEN ON

Psalm 35:1–9 the verse printed above it

The hymn, and the Scripture in it

All 8 stanzas as Watts printed them, with the verses their lines echo beside them. Point at a line to join it to its verse; click to read the passage.

SHARED WORDSthe verse shares the line's wording ECHOproposed by an AI model, confirmed by a separate check Not the author's own notes

AMONG THE SCRIPTURES

The stanzas at the centre; around them, every book its heading and its echoes come from, Old Testament on the left and New on the right. Choose a stanza or a book.

a line echoes this verse its heading or an echo comes from here

STANZA I

Now plead my cause, almighty God

Now plead my cause, almighty God,

With all the Sons of strife;

And fight against the men of blood,

Who fight against my life.

The psalm it sets

Watts made this hymn from Psalm 35:1–9, "in the language of the New Testament": a paraphrase, not a translation. The line that comes closest to it is marked.

1Contend with my opponents, O LORD; fight against those who fight against me. 2Take up Your shield and buckler; arise and come to my aid. 3Draw the spear and javelin against my pursuers; say to my soul: “I am your salvation.” 4May those who seek my life be disgraced and put to shame; may those who plan to harm me be driven back and confounded. 5May they be like chaff in the wind, as the angel of the LORD drives them away. 6May their path be dark and slick, as the angel of the LORD pursues. 7For without cause they laid their net for me; without reason they dug a pit for my soul. 8May ruin befall them by surprise; may the net they hid ensnare them; may they fall into the hazard they created. 9Then my soul will rejoice in the LORD and exult in His salvation. PSALM 35:1–9 · BEREAN STANDARD BIBLE READ PSALM 35

Now plead my cause, almighty God, With all the Sons of strife; And fight against the men of blood, Who fight against my life. STANZA I

Its place in the book

Watts's psalms run from Psalm 1 to Psalm 150, several settings to many psalms: 367 hymns. This is number 1. Point at a tick to see the hymn; click it to open that hymn.

NO. 1 · ISAAC WATTS · THIS HYMN Now plead my cause, almighty God

Rooted in Scripture. Open for discovery.

A place to read slowly, ask deeply, and follow the connections. Scripture, study and the voices of Christian history, brought together for a lifetime of learning.

SPEND TIME IN THE WORD

  • Open the reader
  • Books & reading progress
  • Compare Scripture editions
  • Find a passage

FOLLOW YOUR QUESTIONS

  • Study collections
  • People & places
  • Faith & apologetics
  • Stories of faith

A library with a paper trail.

Meet the authors. Explore the collection. Trace each work to its source.

Download the code.

Open source on GitHub.