In Psalm 35 David proclaims his innocence and calls on God to destroy his enemies. "Some of the most troubling psalms are those that contain prayers asking God to curse the wicked. These imprecatory psalms are sometimes thought to conflict with the sentiment of the gospel, but in fact they accurately reflect God's abhorrence of evil" (Nelson Study Bible, introduction to Psalms).

David is not specific about his trouble, but he speaks of betrayal and injustice—“they hid their net for me without cause" (verse 7). David asks God to intervene: "Plead my cause!" "Fight for me!" "Rescue me!" (verses 1-3). David calls for God to pour out judgment on his enemies: Bring on them "shame" (military defeat). Make them "chaff" (worthless and scattered thin). Lead them into "dark and slippery" paths (troubles and uncertainties). Orchestrate their "ruin" (sudden and complete desolation) (see The Expositors Bible Commentary, notes on verses 4-8). After God has dealt with these enemies, "Then," David says, "my soul will rejoice in the Lord and delight in His salvation" (verses 9-10).

David is dumbfounded that people for whom he had shown concern (verses 13-14) have become enemies, detractors and false witnesses (verses 11-16). They gloat, "Aha! Aha! With our own eyes we have seen it" (verse 21, NIV). David's distress in the face of people who hated him without cause (verse 19) and "ruthless witnesses" (verse 11, NIV) foreshadowed the suffering of Jesus Christ (see John 15:24-25; Mark 14:57-59).

The closing section of the psalm states that those who rejoice at David's hurt will be "ashamed" (verse 26)—figuratively "clothed with shame" (same verse). This refers "not to simple embarrassment, but to the revelation of the complete emptiness of wickedness before the judgment seat of God" (Nelson Study Bible, note on verses 26-28).

This section also informs us that there are other people on David's side (verse 27), evidently from among those referred to in verse 20 as the "quiet ones in the land." David is confident that they will shout for joy and praise God with him when he is at last delivered.