Psalm 69 Holman Christian Standard Bible

Psalm 69

A Plea for Rescue

For the choir director: according to “The Lilies.”^[a] Davidic.

¹Save me, God,
for the water has risen to my neck.^(A)
²I have sunk in deep mud, and there is no footing;
I have come into deep waters,
and a flood sweeps over me.^(B)
³I am weary from my crying;
my throat is parched.
My eyes fail, looking for my God.^(C)
⁴Those who hate me without cause
are more numerous than the hairs of my head;
my deceitful enemies, who would destroy me,
are powerful.^(D)
Though I did not steal, I must repay.^(E)

⁵God, You know my foolishness,
and my guilty acts are not hidden from You.^(F)
⁶Do not let those who put their hope in You
be disgraced because of me,
Lord God of Hosts;
do not let those who seek You
be humiliated because of me,
God of Israel.^(G)
⁷For I have endured insults because of You,
and shame has covered my face.^(H)
⁸I have become a stranger to my brothers
and a foreigner to my mother’s sons^(I)
⁹because zeal for Your house has consumed me,^(J)
and the insults of those who insult You
have fallen on me.^(K)
¹⁰I mourned and fasted,
but it brought me insults.^(L)
¹¹I wore sackcloth as my clothing,
and I was a joke to them.
¹²Those who sit at the city gate talk about me,
and drunkards make up songs about me.^(M)

¹³But as for me, Lord,
my prayer to You is for a time of favor.
In Your abundant, faithful love, God,
answer me with Your sure salvation.^(N)
¹⁴Rescue me from the miry mud; don’t let me sink.
Let me be rescued from those who hate me
and from the deep waters.^(O)
¹⁵Don’t let the floodwaters sweep over me
or the deep swallow me up;
don’t let the Pit close its mouth over me.^(P)
¹⁶Answer me, Lord,
for Your faithful love is good;
in keeping with Your great compassion,
turn to me.^(Q)
¹⁷Don’t hide Your face from Your servant,
for I am in distress.
Answer me quickly!^(R)
¹⁸Draw near to me and redeem me;
ransom me because of my enemies.^(S)

¹⁹You know the insults I endure—
my shame and disgrace.
You are aware of all my adversaries.^(T)
²⁰Insults have broken my heart,
and I am in despair.
I waited for sympathy,
but there was none;
for comforters, but found no one.^(U)
²¹Instead, they gave me gall^[b] for my food,
and for my thirst
they gave me vinegar to drink.^(V)

²²Let their table set before them be a snare,
and let it be a trap for their allies.^(W)
²³Let their eyes grow too dim to see,
and let their loins continually shake.^(X)
²⁴Pour out Your rage on them,
and let Your burning anger overtake them.^(Y)
²⁵Make their fortification desolate;
may no one live in their tents.^(Z)
²⁶For they persecute the one You struck
and talk about the pain of those You wounded.^(AA)
²⁷Add guilt to their guilt;
do not let them share in Your righteousness.^(AB)
²⁸Let them be erased from the book of life
and not be recorded with the righteous.^(AC)

²⁹But as for me—poor and in pain—
let Your salvation protect me, God.^(AD)
³⁰I will praise God’s name with song
and exalt Him with thanksgiving.^(AE)
³¹That will please Yahweh more than an ox,
more than a bull with horns and hooves.^(AF)
³²The humble will see it and rejoice.
You who seek God, take heart!^(AG)
³³For the Lord listens to the needy
and does not despise
His own who are prisoners.^(AH)

³⁴Let heaven and earth praise Him,
the seas and everything that moves in them,^(AI)
³⁵for God will save Zion
and build up^[c] the cities of Judah.
They will live there and possess it.^(AJ)
³⁶The descendants of His servants will inherit it,
and those who love His name will live in it.^(AK)