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 chief musician; set to Shoshannim. A psalm of David. Save me, God; for the waters have put my life in danger.

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 there is no place to stand; I have come into deep waters, where the floods 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 my crying; my throat is dry; my eyes fail 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!

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.

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].

God, you know my foolishness, and my sins are not hidden from you.

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 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.

7 People have insulted/ridiculed me because [I am devoted to] you. They have thoroughly humiliated [IDM] me.

For your sake I have borne rebuke; shame has covered my face.

8 Even my own [older] brothers act as if they do not know me; they treat me like a foreigner.

I have become a stranger to my brothers, an alien to my mother's children.

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 the zeal of your house has eaten me up, and the rebukes of those who rebuke you have fallen on 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 wept and did not eat food, they insulted me.

11 When I put on [rough] sackcloth [to show that I am sad], they laugh at [IDM] me.

When I made sackcloth my clothing, I became the object of a proverb to them.

12 Even the elders [of the city] say bad things about me. The drunkards of the city sing [disgusting] songs about me.

Those who sit in the city gate talk about me; I am a 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.

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.

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!

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.

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].

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.

16 O Yahweh, answer my prayer and help me because you are good and love me faithfully.

Answer me, Yahweh, for your covenant faithfulness is good; because your mercies for me are many, turn to me.

17 Do not (hide yourself from/refuse to hear) me; answer me quickly because I am in great trouble.

Do not hide your face from your servant, for I am in distress; answer me quickly.

18 Come near to me and save me; rescue me from my enemies.

Come to me and redeem me. Because of my enemies, ransom me.

19 You know that I am insulted and that [people cause] me [to feel] ashamed and dishonored; you know [who] all my enemies [are].

You know my rebuke, my shame, and my dishonor; my adversaries are all before you.

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.

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.

21 [Instead], they gave me food [that tasted like] poison, and when I was thirsty, they gave me sour wine to drink.

They gave me poison for my food; in my thirst they gave 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.

Let their table before them become a snare; when they think they are in safety, let it become a trap.

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.

Let their eyes be darkened so that they cannot see; and always make their loins 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 your indignation on them, and let the fierceness of your 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 place be a desolation; let no one live 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 persecuted the one you struck down. They repeated the account of the pain of those you have wounded.

27 Keep making a record of all their sins, do not acquit/pardon them [for the evil things that they have done].

Accuse them of having committed iniquity after iniquity; do not let them come into your righteous victory.

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 Life and not be written down along 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; let your salvation, God, set me up on high.

30 When God does that, I will sing as I praise God, and I will honor him by thanking him.

I will praise the name of God with a song and will exalt him with thanksgiving.

31 My doing that will please Yahweh more than [sacrificing] oxen, more than offering him full-grown bulls.

That will please Yahweh better than an ox or a bull that has horns and hooves.

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 meek have seen it and are glad; you who seek after God, let your hearts live.

33 Yahweh listens to those who are needy; He does not ignore/forget those who are oppressed/imprisoned.

For Yahweh hears the needy and does not despise his prisoners.

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 heaven and earth praise him, the seas and everything that moves in them.

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 rebuild the cities of Judah; the people will live there and have it as a possession.

36 The descendants of his people will inherit it, and those who love him will live there [safely].

His servants' descendants will inherit it; and those who love his name will live there.