Psalms 69
1 For the chief musician; set to Shoshannim. A psalm of David. Save me, God; for the waters have put my life in danger.
For the music director. To the tune “Lilies.” A psalm of David. God, please save me, because the water is up to my neck!
2 I sink in deep mire, where there is no place to stand; I have come into deep waters, where the floods flow over me.
I'm sinking deeper into the mud—there's no solid ground for me to stand. I find myself in deep water; floods wash over me.
3 I am weary with my crying; my throat is dry; my eyes fail while I wait for my God.
I'm so tired of screaming out for help my throat is totally raw. My eyes are worn out looking for my God to help me.
4 Those who hate me without a cause are more than the hairs on my head; those who would cut me off, being my enemies for wrong reasons, are mighty; what I did not steal, I have to give back.
Those who hate me for no reason are more than the number of hairs on my head. Many enemies try to destroy me by telling lies. How can I give back what I didn't steal?
5 God, you know my foolishness, and my sins are not hidden from you.
God, you know how foolish I am! My sins are not hidden from you.
6 Let not those who hope in you be put to shame because of me, Lord Yahweh of hosts; let not those who seek you be brought to dishonor because of me, God of Israel.
Don't let those who trust you be ashamed because of me, Lord God Almighty. Don't let those who follow you be disgraced because of me, God of Israel.
7 For your sake I have borne rebuke; shame has covered my face.
For your sake I put up with the insults; my face shows my embarrassment.
8 I have become a stranger to my brothers, an alien to my mother's children.
I have become a foreigner to my brother Israelites; a stranger to my very own brothers.
9 For the zeal of your house has eaten me up, and the rebukes of those who rebuke you have fallen on me.
My devotion for your house is burning me up inside; the insults of those who insulted you have fallen on me.
10 When I wept and did not eat food, they insulted me.
I wept and I fasted, but they mocked me;
11 When I made sackcloth my clothing, I became the object of a proverb to them.
I mourned in sackcloth, but they laughed at me.
12 Those who sit in the city gate talk about me; I am a song of drunkards.
People sitting by the town gate gossip about me. I'm the subject of rude songs sung by drunks.
13 But as for me, my prayer is to you, Yahweh, at a time that you will accept; answer me in the trustworthiness of your salvation.
But my prayer is to you, Lord, believing this is a good time to respond to me. God, in your wonderful trustworthy love, answer me with your sure salvation.
14 Pull me out of the mire, and do not let me sink; let me be taken away from those who hate me and rescued out of the deep waters.
Please rescue me from the mud—don't let me sink! Save me from those who hate me and from drowning in the deep waters!
15 Do not let the floods of water overwhelm me, neither let the deep swallow me up. Do not let the pit shut its mouth on me.
Don't let the flood waters wash over me. Don't let the deep waters pull me down. Don't let the grave close over me.
16 Answer me, Yahweh, for your covenant faithfulness is good; because your mercies for me are many, turn to me.
Please answer my prayers, Lord, for you are good and love me with your trustworthy love; because of your kindness, please help me.
17 Do not hide your face from your servant, for I am in distress; answer me quickly.
Don't turn away from me, your servant. Please answer me quickly because I'm in trouble.
18 Come to me and redeem me. Because of my enemies, ransom me.
Come here and rescue me; set me free from my enemies.
19 You know my rebuke, my shame, and my dishonor; my adversaries are all before you.
You—you know my shame, my disgrace, my humiliation. You see everything my enemies are doing.
20 Rebuke has broken my heart; I am full of heaviness; I looked for someone to take pity, but there was none; I looked for comforters, but I found none.
Insults have broken my heart—I am so sick there is no cure. I looked for some sympathy, but there was no one! Nobody showed me any compassion.
21 They gave me poison for my food; in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.
Instead they gave me bitter herbs to eat and vinegar to drink.
22 Let their table before them become a snare; when they think they are in safety, let it become a trap.
May the table set before them become a trap for them, a net that catches them, bringing punishment.
23 Let their eyes be darkened so that they cannot see; and always make their loins shake.
May their eyes become blind so they cannot see, and may their backs always be bent low in dejection.
24 Pour out your indignation on them, and let the fierceness of your anger overtake them.
Pour out your judgment on them; chase them down in your fierce anger.
25 Let their place be a desolation; let no one live in their tents.
Let the places where they live be deserted. Let their homes be abandoned.
26 For they persecuted the one you struck down. They repeated the account of the pain of those you have wounded.
For they persecute those you have punished, and make it even more painful for those you have disciplined.
27 Accuse them of having committed iniquity after iniquity; do not let them come into your righteous victory.
Punish them for the evil they have done. Don't acquit them.
28 Let them be blotted out of the Book of Life and not be written down along with the righteous.
Blot out their names from the Book of Life. Don't let them be listed with those who do right.
29 But I am poor and sorrowful; let your salvation, God, set me up on high.
But I am suffering and in physical pain. God, please save me and keep me safe.
30 I will praise the name of God with a song and will exalt him with thanksgiving.
I will praise God's character in song; I will say how incredible he is and how thankful I am.
31 That will please Yahweh better than an ox or a bull that has horns and hooves.
The Lord is happier with this than with offering animals as sacrifices: cattle, or bulls with horns and hooves.
32 The meek have seen it and are glad; you who seek after God, let your hearts live.
The humble will see this and be happy. May God encourage everyone who comes to him.
33 For Yahweh hears the needy and does not despise his prisoners.
God hears the poor, and he does not ignore his people who are in prison.
34 Let heaven and earth praise him, the seas and everything that moves in them.
Praise him heaven and earth, the seas and everything that lives in them!
35 For God will save Zion and will rebuild the cities of Judah; the people will live there and have it as a possession.
For God will save Zion, and rebuild the cities of Judah. They will live there and own the land.
36 His servants' descendants will inherit it; and those who love his name will live there.
The descendants of those who follow him will inherit the land, and those who love him will live there.
