Psalms 69

¹Be my saviour, O God; because the waters have come in, even to my neck.

²My feet are deep in the soft earth, where there is no support; I have come into deep waters, the waves are flowing over me.

³I am tired with my crying; my throat is burning: my eyes are wasted with waiting for my God.

⁴Those who have hate for me without cause are greater in number than the hairs of my head; those who are against me, falsely desiring my destruction, are very strong; I gave back what I had not taken away.

⁵O God, you see how foolish I am; and my wrongdoing is clear to you.

⁶Let not those who have hope in you be put to shame because of me, O Lord God of armies: let not those who are waiting for you be made low because of me, O God of Israel.

⁷I have been wounded with sharp words because of you; my face has been covered with shame.

⁸I have become strange to my brothers, and like a man from a far country to my mother's children.

⁹I am on fire with passion for your house; and the hard things which are said about you have come on me.

¹⁰My bitter weeping, and my going without food, were turned to my shame.

¹¹When I put on the clothing of grief, they said evil of me.

¹²I am a cause of wonder to those in authority; a song to those who are given to strong drink.

¹³But as for me, let my prayer be made to you, O Lord, at a time when you are pleased; O God, give me an answer in your great mercy, for your salvation is certain.

¹⁴Take me from the grip of the sticky earth, so that I may not go down into it; let me be lifted up from the deep waters.

¹⁵Let me not be covered by the flowing waters; let not the deep waters go over my head, and let me not be shut up in the underworld.

¹⁶Give an answer to my words, O Lord; for your mercy is good: be turned to me, because of your great pity.

¹⁷Let not your face be covered from your servant, for I am in trouble; quickly give me an answer.

¹⁸Come near to my soul, for its salvation: be my saviour, because of those who are against me.

¹⁹You have seen my shame, how I was laughed at and made low; my haters are all before you.

²⁰My heart is broken by bitter words, I am full of grief; I made a search for some to have pity on me, but there was no one; I had no comforter.

²¹They gave me poison for my food; and bitter wine for my drink.

²²Let their table before them be for their destruction; let their feasts become a net to take them.

²³Let their eyes be blind so that they may not see; let their bodies for ever be shaking.

²⁴Let your curse come on them; let the heat of your wrath overtake them.

²⁵Give their houses to destruction, and let there be no one in their tents.

²⁶Because they are cruel to him against whom your hand is turned; they make bitter the grief of him who is wounded by you.

²⁷Let their punishment be increased; let them not come into your righteousness.

²⁸Let their names be taken from the book of the living, let them not be numbered with the upright.

²⁹But I am poor and full of sorrow; let me be lifted up by your salvation, O Lord.

³⁰I will give praise to the name of God with a song; I will give glory to him for what he has done.

³¹This will be more pleasing to the Lord than an ox, or a young ox of full growth.

³²The poor will see it and be glad: you who are lovers of God, let your hearts have life.

³³For the ears of the Lord are open to the poor, and he takes thought for his prisoners.

³⁴Let the heavens and the earth give praise to him, the seas, and everything moving in them.

³⁵For God will be the saviour of Zion, and the builder of the towns of Judah; so that it may be their resting-place and heritage.

³⁶The seed of his servants will have their part in it, and there the lovers of his name will have rest.

Psalms 69

¹Save me, God, for the waters have come up to my neck!

²I sink in deep mire, where there is no foothold. I have come into deep waters, where the floods overflow me.

³I am weary with my crying. My throat is dry. My eyes fail, looking for my God.

⁴Those who hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of my head. Those who want to cut me off, being my enemies wrongfully, are mighty. I have to restore what I did not take away.

⁵God, you know my foolishness. My sins aren't hidden from you.

⁶Do not let those who wait for you be shamed through me, Lord God of Hosts. Do not let those who seek you be brought to dishonor through me, God of Israel.

⁷Because for your sake, I have borne reproach. Shame has covered my face.

⁸I have become a stranger to my brothers, a foreigner to my mother's children.

⁹For the zeal of your house consumes me. The reproaches of those who reproach you have fallen on me.

¹⁰When I wept and I fasted, that was to my reproach.

¹¹When I made sackcloth my clothing, I became a byword to them.

¹²Those who sit in the gate talk about me. I am the song of the drunkards.

¹³But as for me, my prayer is to you, Lord, in an acceptable time. God, in the abundance of your loving kindness, answer me in the truth of your salvation.

¹⁴Deliver me out of the mire, and do not let me sink. Let me be delivered from those who hate me, and out of the deep waters.

¹⁵Do not let the flood waters overwhelm me, neither let the deep swallow me up. Do not let the pit shut its mouth on me.

¹⁶Answer me, Lord, for your loving kindness is good. According to the multitude of your tender mercies, turn to me.

¹⁷Do not hide your face from your servant, for I am in distress. Answer me speedily!

¹⁸Draw near to my soul, and redeem it. Ransom me because of my enemies.

¹⁹You know my reproach, my shame, and my dishonor. My adversaries are all before you.

²⁰Reproach has broken my heart, and I am full of heaviness. I looked for some to take pity, but there was none; for comforters, but I found none.

²¹They also gave me gall for my food. In my thirst, they gave me vinegar to drink.

²²Let their table before them become a snare. May it become a retribution and a trap.

²³Let their eyes be darkened, so that they can't see. Let their backs be continually bent.

²⁴Pour out your indignation on them. Let the fierceness of your anger overtake them.

²⁵Let their habitation be desolate. Let no one dwell in their tents.

²⁶For they persecute him whom you have wounded. They tell of the sorrow of those whom you have hurt.

²⁷Charge them with crime upon crime. Do not let them come into your righteousness.

²⁸Let them be blotted out of the book of life, and not be written with the righteous.

²⁹But I am in pain and distress. Let your salvation, God, protect me.

³⁰I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify him with thanksgiving.

³¹It will please the Lord better than an ox, or a bull that has horns and hoofs.

³²The humble have seen it, and are glad. You who seek after God, let your heart live.

³³For the Lord hears the needy, and doesn't despise his captive people.

³⁴Let heaven and earth praise him; the seas, and everything that moves therein!

³⁵For God will save Zion, and build the cities of Judah. They shall settle there, and own it.

³⁶The children also of his servants shall inherit it. Those who love his name shall dwell therein.