Psalm 69

Psalm 69

A PLEA FOR RESCUE

For the choir director: according to “The Lilies.”^b Of David.

¹Save me, God,

for the water has risen to my neck.^c

²I have sunk in deep mud, and there is no footing;

I have come into deep water,

and a flood sweeps over me.^d

³I am weary from my crying;

my throat is parched.

My eyes fail, looking for my God.^e

⁴Those who hate me without cause

are more numerous than the hairs of my head;

my deceitful enemies, who would destroy me,

are powerful.^f

Though I did not steal, I must repay.^g

⁵God, you know my foolishness,

and my guilty acts are not hidden from you.^h

⁶Do not let those who put their hope in you

be disgraced because of me,

Lord God of Armies;

do not let those who seek you

be humiliated because of me,

God of Israel.ⁱ

⁷For I have endured insults because of you,

and shame has covered my face.^j

⁸I have become a stranger to my brothers

and a foreigner to my mother’s sons^k

⁹because zeal for your house has consumed me,^l

and the insults of those who insult you

have fallen on me.^m

¹⁰I mourned and fasted,

but it brought me insults.ⁿ

¹¹I wore sackcloth as my clothing,

and I was a joke to them.

¹²Those who sit at the city gate talk about me,

and drunkards make up songs about me.^o

¹³But as for me, Lord,

my prayer to you is for a time of favor.

In your abundant, faithful love, God,

answer me with your sure salvation.^p

¹⁴Rescue me from the miry mud; don’t let me sink.

Let me be rescued from those who hate me

and from the deep water.^q

¹⁵Don’t let the floodwaters sweep over me

or the deep swallow me up;

don’t let the Pit close its mouth over me.^r

¹⁶Answer me, Lord,

for your faithful love is good.

In keeping with your abundant compassion,

turn to me.^s

¹⁷Don’t hide your face from your servant,

for I am in distress.

Answer me quickly!^t

¹⁸Come near to me and redeem me;

ransom me because of my enemies.^u

¹⁹You know the insults I endure—

my shame and disgrace.

You are aware of all my adversaries.^v

²⁰Insults have broken my heart,

and I am in despair.

I waited for sympathy,

but there was none;

for comforters, but found no one.^w

²¹Instead, they gave me gall for my food,

and for my thirst

they gave me vinegar to drink.^x

²²Let their table set before them be a snare,

and let it be a trap for their allies.^y

²³Let their eyes grow too dim to see,

and let their hips continually quake.^z

²⁴Pour out your rage on them,

and let your burning anger overtake them.^aa

²⁵Make their fortification desolate;

may no one live in their tents.^ab

²⁶For they persecute the one you struck

and talk about the pain of those you wounded.^ac

²⁷Charge them with crime on top of crime;

do not let them share in your righteousness.^ad

²⁸Let them be erased from the book of life

and not be recorded with the righteous.^a

²⁹But as for me—poor and in pain—

let your salvation protect me, God.^b

³⁰I will praise God’s name with song

and exalt him with thanksgiving.^c

³¹That will please the Lord more than an ox,

more than a bull with horns and hooves.^d

³²The humble will see it and rejoice.

You who seek God, take heart!^e

³³For the Lord listens to the needy

and does not despise

his own who are prisoners.^f

³⁴Let heaven and earth praise him,

the seas and everything that moves in them,^g

³⁵for God will save Zion

and build up^A the cities of Judah.

They will live there and possess it.^h

³⁶The descendants of his servants will inherit it,

and those who love his name will live in it.ⁱ