Psalms 69
1 O God, save me, because [I am in great danger]. [It is as though] flood water is up to my neck, [and I am about to drown] [MET].
“For the leader of the music. Upon the Shoshannim. A psalm of David.” Save me, O God! For the waters press in to my very life!
2 I continue to sink in the deep mud, and there is no solid ground for me to stand on. I am in deep water, and flood waters are swirling around me.
I sink in deep mire, where is no standing; I have come into deep waters, and the waves flow over me.
3 I am exhausted from calling out [for help]; my throat is very dry. Because I have cried so much as I have waited for God [to help me], my eyes are swollen.
I am weary with crying; my throat is parched; Mine eyes are wasted, while I wait for my God.
4 Those who hate me when there is no reason to hate me are more than the number of hairs on my head [HYP]! Those who want to get rid of me are strong, and they tell lies about me. They demand that I return to them things that I did not steal!
More numerous than the hairs of my head are they who hate me without reason; Mighty are they who seek to destroy me, being my enemies without cause: I must restore what I took not away.
5 O God, (you see the sins that I have committed/my sins are not hidden from you). You know that I have foolishly [disobeyed your laws].
O God! thou knowest my offences, And my sins are not hidden from thee!
6 O Yahweh God, [you who are the commander] of the armies [of heaven], do not allow the [wrong things that] I [have done] to cause those who trust in you to be disappointed/disillusioned. O God, you whom [we] Israeli people [worship], do not allow me to cause your people to be humiliated.
Let not them that trust in thee through me be put to shame, O Lord Jehovah, God of hosts! Let not them that seek thee through me be confounded, O God of Israel!
7 People have insulted/ridiculed me because [I am devoted to] you. They have thoroughly humiliated [IDM] me.
For on account of thee do I suffer reproach, And shame covereth my face!
8 Even my own [older] brothers act as if they do not know me; they treat me like a foreigner.
I am become a stranger to my brothers; Yea, an alien to my mother's sons.
9 [Some people have despised your temple]; but my zeal for [keeping] your temple [holy] is like a fire burning inside me. So [it is as though] those who are insulting you are also insulting me.
For zeal for thy house consumeth me, And the reproaches of them that reproach thee fall upon me.
10 When I have humbled myself and (fasted/abstained from eating food) [to show my sadness about the disgraceful things that they have done to your temple], they just insult me.
When I weep and fast, That is made my reproach;
11 When I put on [rough] sackcloth [to show that I am sad], they laugh at [IDM] me.
When I clothe myself in sackcloth, Then I become their by-word.
12 Even the elders [of the city] say bad things about me. The drunkards of the city sing [disgusting] songs about me.
They who sit in the gate speak against me, And I am become the song of drunkards.
13 But Yahweh, I will [continue] praying to you. At the time that you choose, answer me and rescue me because you faithfully love me.
Yet will I address my prayer to thee, O LORD! May it be in an acceptable time according to thy great goodness! Hear, O God! and afford me thy sure help!
14 Do not allow me to sink any more in the mud. Rescue me from those who hate me! Lift me up out of these deep waters!
Save me from the mire, and let me not sink; May I be delivered from my enemies, —from the deep waters!
15 Do not allow flood waters to swirl around me, do not allow the deep [mud] to swallow me; keep me from sinking into the pit [of death] [MET].
Let not the water-flood overflow me; Let not the deep swallow me up, And let not the pit close her mouth upon me!
16 O Yahweh, answer my prayer and help me because you are good and love me faithfully.
Hear me, O LORD! since great is thy loving-kindness; According to the abundance of thy tender mercies look upon me!
17 Do not (hide yourself from/refuse to hear) me; answer me quickly because I am in great trouble.
Hide not thy face from thy servant; I am greatly distressed, O make haste to mine aid!
18 Come near to me and save me; rescue me from my enemies.
Draw near to me, and redeem my life; Deliver me because of my enemies!
19 You know that I am insulted and that [people cause] me [to feel] ashamed and dishonored; you know [who] all my enemies [are].
Thou knowest my reproach, and dishonor, and shame; All my adversaries are in thy view!
20 [Their] insults have deeply offended me, and I (feel helpless/am in despair). I searched for [someone who would] pity [me], but there was no one. I wanted someone to encourage/comfort me, but there were none.
Reproach hath broken my heart, and I am full of heaviness; I look for pity, but there is none; For comforters, but find none.
21 [Instead], they gave me food [that tasted like] poison, and when I was thirsty, they gave me sour wine to drink.
For my food they give me gall, And in my thirst they give me vinegar to drink.
22 I hope/desire that the feasts [MTY] [that they enjoy] will (become a snare for/bring trouble to) them, and that [those whom they invite to] the sacrificial feasts will also be trapped.
May their table be to them a snare; May it be a trap to them, while they are at ease!
23 I hope/desire that their eyesight will become dim so that they cannot see anything, and that their backs/bodies will become weaker and weaker.
May their eyes be darkened, that they may not see; And cause their loins continually to shake!
24 Show them that you are very angry with them! Because of your great/furious anger, chase after them and catch them.
Pour out upon them thine indignation, And may the heat of thine anger overtake them!
25 Cause their towns to become abandoned/deserted and that there will be no one left to live in their tents/houses.
Let their habitation be desolate, And let none dwell in their tents!
26 [Do this] because they persecute those whom you have punished, (they talk about the sins of/they want to hurt even more) those whom you have wounded.
For they persecute those whom thou hast smitten, And talk of the pain of those whom thou hast wounded.
27 Keep making a record of all their sins, do not acquit/pardon them [for the evil things that they have done].
Add iniquity to their iniquity, And let them never come into thy favor!
28 Erase their names [SYN] from the book [containing the names of those who have eternal] life; do not include them in the list of righteous people.
Let them be blotted out of the book of the living; Let not their names be written with the righteous!
29 As for me, I have pain and am suffering. O God, protect me and rescue me.
But I am poor, and sorrowful: May thine aid, O God! set me on high!
30 When God does that, I will sing as I praise God, and I will honor him by thanking him.
Then I will praise the name of God in a song; I will give glory to him with thanksgiving.
31 My doing that will please Yahweh more than [sacrificing] oxen, more than offering him full-grown bulls.
More pleasing shall this be to the LORD Than a full-horned and full-hoofed bullock.
32 Oppressed/Afflicted people will see [that God has rescued me], and they will be glad. I want all of you who ask God [to help you] to be encouraged.
The afflicted shall see, and rejoice; The hearts of them that fear God shall be revived.
33 Yahweh listens to those who are needy; He does not ignore/forget those who are oppressed/imprisoned.
For the LORD heareth the poor, And despiseth not his people in their bonds.
34 I desire that everything will praise God— everything that is in heaven and on earth, and all the creatures that are in the seas.
Let the heaven and the earth praise him; The sea, and all that move therein!
35 God will rescue the people of Jerusalem [from their enemies], and he will rebuild the towns that are in Judah. His people will live there and [again] possess the land.
For God will save Zion, and will build the cities of Judah, That they may dwell therein, and possess it.
36 The descendants of his people will inherit it, and those who love him will live there [safely].
Yea, the posterity of his servants shall possess it, And they that love him shall dwell therein.
