Psalms
Chapter 69
1 Help me, God; the waters have come up to my soul.
2 I am sinking in deep mud where I can’t stand; I’ve come into deep waters where the floods sweep over me.
3 I am tired from crying; my throat is dry; my eyes are weak as I wait for my God.
4 Those who hate me for no reason outnumber the hairs on my head; those who attack me without cause are strong. Yet I gave back what I didn’t steal.
5 God, you know my foolishness; my sins are not hidden from you.
6 God, don’t let those who wait for you be embarrassed because of me. Don’t let those who look for you be confused because of me, God of Israel.
7 I have faced insults and shame for you; my face is hidden by disgrace.
8 I have become a stranger to my brothers, and a foreigner to my mother’s children.
9 My passion for your house has consumed me; the insults aimed at you have fallen on me.
10 When I cried and disciplined myself with fasting, it became my shame.
11 I also made sackcloth my clothing, and I turned into a saying among them.
12 Those who sit at the gate talk about me; and I am the song of drunk people.
13 As for me, I pray to you, God, at the right time: O God, because of your great mercy, listen to me and save me with your faithful help.
14 Save me from the mud and don’t let me drown; rescue me from those who hate me and from the deep waters.
15 Don’t let the floodwaters overwhelm me, nor let the depths swallow me, and don’t let the pit close over me.
16 Listen to me, God, because your kindness is good; turn to me because you are very merciful.
17 Do not hide from me, your servant; I am in trouble: listen to me quickly.
18 Come close to my soul and save it; rescue me because of my enemies.
19 You know of my disgrace, my shame, and my dishonor: all my enemies are in front of you.
20 Insults have broken my heart; I am very sad. I hoped for someone to show sympathy, but nobody did; I looked for comforters, but found none.
21 They also gave me bitter food to eat; and when I was thirsty, they gave me vinegar to drink.
22 May their table turn into a trap before them, and let what should have been for their good become a snare.
23 Make their eyes so dark that they cannot see; and keep their backs always shaking.
24 Pour out your anger on them, and let your fierce anger catch them.
25 Let their home be empty; and let no one live in their tents.
26 They chase after the one you have struck, and they talk to hurt those you have wounded.
27 Add wrong upon their wrongs, and don’t let them share in your goodness.
28 Remove them from the book of life, and do not list them with the good people.
29 I am poor and sad: God, let your salvation lift me up.
30 I will praise God with a song and honor him with thanks.
31 This will make God happier than a cow or a bull with horns and hooves.
32 The humble will see this and be happy, and the hearts of those who seek God will be filled with life.
33 God hears the poor and does not scorn his captives.
34 Let the sky and earth praise God, the seas, and all that moves in them.
35 God will rescue Zion and rebuild the towns of Judah so people can live there and own it.
36 His servants’ descendants will inherit the land, and those who love his name will live there.