Psalm 69

Psalm 69

A Plea for Rescue

For the choir director: according to “The Lilies.” ^uDavidic.

¹Save me, God,

for the water has risen to my neck. ^v

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

I have come into deep waters,

and a flood sweeps over me. ^w

³I am weary from my crying;

my throat is parched.

My eyes fail, looking for my God. ^x

⁴Those who hate me without cause

are more numerous than the hairs of my head;

my deceitful enemies, who would destroy me,

are powerful. ^y

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

⁵God, You know my foolishness,

and my guilty acts are not hidden from You. ^a

⁶Do not let those who put their hope in You

be disgraced because of me,

Lord God of Hosts;

do not let those who seek You

be humiliated because of me,

God of Israel. ^b

⁷For I have endured insults because of You,

and shame has covered my face. ^c

⁸I have become a stranger to my brothers

and a foreigner to my mother’s sons ^d

⁹because zeal for Your house has consumed me, ^e

and the insults of those who insult You

have fallen on me. ^f

¹⁰I mourned and fasted,

but it brought me insults. ^g

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. ^h

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. ⁱ

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

Let me be rescued from those who hate me

and from the deep waters. ^j

¹⁵Don’t let the floodwaters sweep over me

or the deep swallow me up;

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

¹⁶Answer me, Lord,

for Your faithful love is good;

in keeping with Your great compassion,

turn to me. ^l

¹⁷Don’t hide Your face from Your servant,

for I am in distress.

Answer me quickly! ^m

¹⁸Draw near to me and redeem me;

ransom me because of my enemies. ⁿ

¹⁹You know the insults I endure—

my shame and disgrace.

You are aware of all my adversaries. ^o

²⁰Insults have broken my heart,

and I am in despair.

I waited for sympathy,

but there was none;

for comforters, but found no one. ^p

²¹Instead, they gave me gall ^qfor my food,

and for my thirst

they gave me vinegar to drink. ^r

²²Let their table set before them be a snare,

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

²³Let their eyes grow too dim to see,

and let their loins continually shake. ^t

²⁴Pour out Your rage on them,

and let Your burning anger overtake them. ^u

²⁵Make their fortification desolate;

may no one live in their tents. ^v

²⁶For they persecute the one You struck

and talk about the pain of those You wounded. ^w

²⁷Add guilt to their guilt;

do not let them share in Your righteousness. ^x

²⁸Let them be erased from the book of life

and not be recorded with the righteous. ^y

²⁹But as for me—poor and in pain—

let Your salvation protect me, God. ^z

³⁰I will praise God’s name with song

and exalt Him with thanksgiving. ^a

³¹That will please Yahweh more than an ox,

more than a bull with horns and hooves. ^b

³²The humble will see it and rejoice.

You who seek God, take heart! ^c

³³For the Lord listens to the needy

and does not despise

His own who are prisoners. ^d

³⁴Let heaven and earth praise Him,

the seas and everything that moves in them, ^e

³⁵for God will save Zion

and build up ^fthe cities of Judah.

They will live there and possess it. ^g

³⁶The descendants of His servants will inherit it,

and those who love His name will live in it. ^h