A Cry of Distress and a Curse on Adversaries.
For the music director; according to 69:0 Or possibly LiliesShoshannim. A Psalm of David.
1 Save me, God,
For the waters have 69:1 Lit come up to my soulthreatened my life.
2 I have sunk in deep mud, and there is no foothold;
I have come into deep waters, and a 69:2 Lit flowing streamflood overflows me.
3 I am weary with my crying; my throat is parched;
My eyes fail while I wait for my God.
4 Those who hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of my head;
Those who would 69:4 Or silencedestroy me are powerful, those who oppose me with lies;
What I did not steal, I then have to restore.
5 God, You know my foolishness,
And my guilt is not hidden from You.
6 May those who wait for You not be ashamed because of me, Lord 69:6 Heb YHWH, usually rendered LordGod of armies;
May those who seek You not be dishonored because of me, God of Israel,
7 Because for Your sake I have endured disgrace;
Dishonor has covered my face.
8 I have become estranged 69:8 Lit tofrom my brothers,
And a stranger to my mother’s sons.
9 For zeal for Your house has consumed me,
And the taunts of those who taunt You have fallen on me.
10 When I wept in my soul with fasting,
It became my disgrace.
11 When I made sackcloth my clothing,
I became a proverb to them.
12 Those who sit in the gate talk about me,
And songs of mockery by those habitually drunk are about me.
13 But as for me, my prayer is to You, Lord, at an acceptable time;
God, in the greatness of Your mercy,
Answer me with 69:13 Or the faithfulness of Your salvationYour saving truth.
14 Rescue me from the mud and do not let me sink;
May I be rescued from those who hate me, and from the depths of water.
15 May the 69:15 Lit streamflood of water not overflow me
Nor the deep swallow me up,
Nor the pit close its mouth on me.
16 Answer me, Lord, for Your mercy is good;
According to the greatness of Your compassion, turn to me,
17 And do not hide Your face from Your servant,
For I am in distress; answer me quickly.
18 Come near to my soul and redeem it;
Ransom me because of my enemies!
19 You know my disgrace, my shame, and my dishonor;
All my enemies are 69:19 Lit before Youknown to You.
20 Disgrace has broken my heart, and I am so sick.
And I waited for sympathy, but there was none;
And for comforters, but I found none.
21 They also gave me 69:21 Or poisona bitter herb in my food,
And for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.
22 May their table before them become a snare;
And 69:22 Lit for those who are securewhen they are at peace, may it become a trap.
23 May their eyes grow dim so that they cannot see,
And make their hips shake continually.
24 Pour out Your indignation on them,
And may Your burning anger overtake them.
25 May their 69:25 Lit encampmentcamp be desolated;
May there be none living in their tents.
26 For they have persecuted him whom You Yourself struck,
And they tell of the pain of those whom You have 69:26 Lit piercedwounded.
27 Add guilt to their guilt,
And may they not come into Your righteousness.
28 May they be wiped out of the book of life,
And may they not be 69:28 Lit writtenrecorded with the righteous.
29 But I am afflicted and in pain;
69:29 Or Your salvation, O God, will set... May Your salvation, God, set me safely on high.
30 I will praise the name of God with song,
And exalt Him with thanksgiving.
31 And it will please the Lord better than an ox
Or bull with horns and hoofs.
32 The humble 69:32 Some mss and ancient versions will seehave seen it and are glad;
You who seek God, let your heart 69:32 Or liverevive.
33 For the Lord hears the needy,
And does not despise those of His who are prisoners.
34 Heaven and earth shall praise Him,
The seas and everything that moves in them.
35 For God will save Zion and build the cities of Judah,
So that they may live there and possess it.
36 The 69:36 Lit seeddescendants of His servants will inherit it,
And those who love His name will live in it.