Psalm 69-78

English Standard Version

^4 (I)More in number than the hairs of my head
    are ^(J)those who hate me ^(K)without cause;
mighty are those who would destroy me,
    ^(L)those who attack me with lies.
What I did not steal
    must I now restore?
⁵ O God, you know my folly;
    the wrongs I have done are not hidden from you.

⁶ Let not those who hope in you ^(M)be put to shame through me,
    O Lord God of hosts;
let not those who seek you be brought to dishonor through me,
    O God of Israel.
⁷ For it is ^(N)for your sake that I have borne reproach,
    that dishonor has covered my face.
⁸ I have become ^(O)a stranger to my brothers,
    an alien to my mother's sons.

⁹ For ^(P)zeal for your house has consumed me,
    and ^(Q)the reproaches of those who reproach you have fallen on me.
¹⁰ When I wept and humbled^[b] my soul with fasting,
    it became my reproach.
¹¹ When I made ^(R)sackcloth my clothing,
    I became ^(S)a byword to them.
¹² I am the talk of those who ^(T)sit in the gate,
    and the drunkards make ^(U)songs about me.

¹³ But as for me, my ^(V)prayer is to you, O Lord.
    At ^(W)an acceptable time, O God,
    in the abundance of your steadfast love answer me in your saving faithfulness.
¹⁴ Deliver me
    from sinking in ^(X)the mire;
^(Y)let me be delivered from my enemies
    and from ^(Z)the deep waters.
¹⁵ Let not the flood sweep over me,
    or the deep swallow me up,
    or ^(AA)the pit close ^(AB)its mouth over me.

¹⁶ Answer me, O Lord, for your ^(AC)steadfast love is good;
    according to your abundant ^(AD)mercy, ^(AE)turn to me.
^17 (AF)Hide not your face from your servant,
    ^(AG)for I am in distress; ^(AH)make haste to answer me.
¹⁸ Draw near to my soul, redeem me;
    ransom me because of my enemies!

¹⁹ You know my ^(AI)reproach,
    and my shame and my dishonor;
    my foes are all known to you.
^20 (AJ)Reproaches have broken my heart,
    so that I am in ^(AK)despair.
I ^(AL)looked for ^(AM)pity, but there was none,
    and for ^(AN)comforters, but I found none.
²¹ They gave me ^(AO)poison for food,
    and for my thirst they gave me ^(AP)sour wine to drink.

^22 (AQ)Let their own ^(AR)table before them become a snare;
    ^(AS)and when they are at peace, let it become a trap.^[c]
23 (AT)Let their eyes be darkened, so that they cannot see,
    ^(AU)and make their loins tremble continually.
²⁴ Pour out your indignation upon them,
    and let your burning anger overtake them.
^25 (AV)May their camp be a desolation;
    let no one dwell in their tents.
²⁶ For they ^(AW)persecute him whom ^(AX)you have struck down,
    and they recount the pain of ^(AY)those you have wounded.
^27 (AZ)Add to them punishment upon punishment;
    may they have no acquittal from you.^[d]
28 Let them be ^(BA)blotted out of the book of the living;
    let them not be ^(BB)enrolled among the righteous.

²⁹ But I am afflicted and in pain;
    let your salvation, O God, ^(BC)set me on high!

³⁰ I will ^(BD)praise the name of God with a song;
    I will ^(BE)magnify him with ^(BF)thanksgiving.
³¹ This will ^(BG)please the Lord more than an ox
    or a bull ^(BH)with horns and hoofs.
³² When ^(BI)the humble see it they will be glad;
    you who seek God, ^(BJ)let your hearts revive.
³³ For the Lord hears the needy
    and ^(BK)does not despise his own people who are prisoners.

³⁴ Let ^(BL)heaven and earth praise him,
    the seas and everything that moves in them.
³⁵ For ^(BM)God will save Zion
    and build up the cities of Judah,
and people shall dwell there and possess it;
^{36     (BN)}the offspring of his servants shall inherit it,
    and those who love his name shall dwell in it.

⁴ May all who seek you
    rejoice and be glad in you!
May those who love your salvation
    say evermore, “God is great!”
⁵ But I am poor and needy;
    ^(BQ)hasten to me, O God!
You are my help and my deliverer;
    O Lord, do not delay!

^4 (BV)Rescue me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked,
    from the grasp of the unjust and cruel man.
⁵ For you, O Lord, are my ^(BW)hope,
    my trust, O Lord, from my youth.
⁶ Upon you I have leaned ^(BX)from before my birth;
    you are he who ^(BY)took me from my mother's womb.
My praise is continually of you.

⁷ I have been as ^(BZ)a portent to many,
    but you are my strong refuge.
⁸ My ^(CA)mouth is filled with your praise,
    and with your glory all the day.
^9 (CB)Do not cast me off in the time of old age;
    forsake me not when my strength is spent.
¹⁰ For my enemies speak concerning me;
    those who ^(CC)watch for my life ^(CD)consult together
¹¹ and say, “God has forsaken him;
    pursue and seize him,
    for there is none to deliver him.”

¹² O God, be not ^(CE)far from me;
    O my God, ^(CF)make haste to help me!
¹³ May my accusers be ^(CG)put to shame and consumed;
    ^(CH)with scorn and disgrace may they be covered
    who ^(CI)seek my hurt.
¹⁴ But I will ^(CJ)hope continually
    and will ^(CK)praise you yet more and more.
¹⁵ My ^(CL)mouth will tell of your righteous acts,
    of your deeds of salvation all the day,
    for ^(CM)their number is past my knowledge.
¹⁶ With the mighty deeds of the Lord God I will come;
    I will remind them of your righteousness, yours alone.

¹⁷ O God, from my youth you have taught me,
    and I still proclaim your wondrous deeds.
¹⁸ So even to ^(CN)old age and gray hairs,
    O God, ^(CO)do not forsake me,
until I proclaim your might to another generation,
    your power to all those to come.
¹⁹ Your ^(CP)righteousness, O God,
    reaches the high heavens.
You who have done ^(CQ)great things,
    O God, ^(CR)who is like you?
²⁰ You who have ^(CS)made me see many troubles and calamities
    will ^(CT)revive me again;
from the depths of the earth
    you will bring me up again.
²¹ You will increase my greatness
    and comfort me again.

²² I will also praise you with ^(CU)the harp
    for your faithfulness, O my God;
I will sing praises to you with the lyre,
    O ^(CV)Holy One of Israel.
²³ My lips will shout for joy,
    when I sing praises to you;
    my soul also, which you have ^(CW)redeemed.
²⁴ And my ^(CX)tongue will talk of your righteous help all the day long,
for they have been ^(CY)put to shame and disappointed
    who sought to do me hurt.

⁵ May they fear you^[e] while ^(DD)the sun endures,
    and as long as the moon, ^(DE)throughout all generations!
⁶ May he be like ^(DF)rain that falls on ^(DG)the mown grass,
    like ^(DH)showers that water the earth!
⁷ In his days may ^(DI)the righteous flourish,
    and ^(DJ)peace abound, till the moon be no more!

⁸ May he have dominion from ^(DK)sea to sea,
    and from ^(DL)the River^[f] to the ^(DM)ends of the earth!
⁹ May desert tribes ^(DN)bow down before him,
    and his enemies ^(DO)lick the dust!
¹⁰ May the kings of ^(DP)Tarshish and of ^(DQ)the coastlands
    render him ^(DR)tribute;
may the kings of ^(DS)Sheba and ^(DT)Seba
    bring gifts!
¹¹ May all kings ^(DU)fall down before him,
    all nations serve him!

¹² For he delivers ^(DV)the needy when he calls,
    the poor and him who has no helper.
¹³ He has pity on the weak and the needy,
    and saves the lives of the needy.
¹⁴ From oppression and violence he redeems their life,
    and ^(DW)precious is their blood in his sight.

¹⁵ Long may he live;
    may ^(DX)gold of Sheba be given to him!
May prayer be made ^(DY)for him continually,
    and blessings invoked for him all the day!
¹⁶ May there be abundance of grain in the land;
    on the tops of the mountains may it wave;
    may its fruit be like Lebanon;
and may people ^(DZ)blossom in the cities
    like the ^(EA)grass of the field!
^17 (EB)May his name endure forever,
    his fame continue as long as the sun!
^(EC)May people be blessed in him,
    ^(ED)all nations call him blessed!

^18 (EE)Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
    who alone does ^(EF)wondrous things.
¹⁹ Blessed be his ^(EG)glorious name forever;
    may ^(EH)the whole earth be filled with his glory!
^(EI)Amen and Amen!

^20 (EJ)The prayers of ^(EK)David, the son of Jesse, are ended.

⁴ For they have no pangs until death;
    their bodies are fat and sleek.
⁵ They are not in trouble as others are;
    they are not ^(ER)stricken like the rest of mankind.
⁶ Therefore pride is ^(ES)their necklace;
    violence covers them as ^(ET)a garment.
⁷ Their ^(EU)eyes swell out through fatness;
    their hearts overflow with follies.
⁸ They scoff and ^(EV)speak with malice;
    loftily they threaten oppression.
⁹ They set their mouths against the heavens,
    and their tongue struts through the earth.
¹⁰ Therefore his people turn back to them,
    and find ^(EW)no fault in them.^[g]
11 And they say, ^(EX)“How can God know?
    Is there knowledge in the Most High?”
¹² Behold, these are the wicked;
    always at ease, they ^(EY)increase in riches.
¹³ All in vain have I ^(EZ)kept my heart clean
    and ^(FA)washed my hands in innocence.
¹⁴ For all the day long I have been ^(FB)stricken
    and ^(FC)rebuked ^(FD)every morning.
¹⁵ If I had said, “I will speak thus,”
    I would have betrayed ^(FE)the generation of your children.

¹⁶ But when I thought how to understand this,
    it seemed to me ^(FF)a wearisome task,
¹⁷ until I went into ^(FG)the sanctuary of God;
    then I discerned their ^(FH)end.

¹⁸ Truly you set them in ^(FI)slippery places;
    you make them fall to ruin.
¹⁹ How they are destroyed ^(FJ)in a moment,
    swept away utterly by ^(FK)terrors!
²⁰ Like ^(FL)a dream when one awakes,
    O Lord, when ^(FM)you rouse yourself, you despise them as phantoms.
²¹ When my soul was embittered,
    when I was pricked in heart,
²² I was ^(FN)brutish and ignorant;
    I was like ^(FO)a beast toward you.

²³ Nevertheless, I am continually with you;
    you ^(FP)hold my right hand.
²⁴ You ^(FQ)guide me with your counsel,
    and afterward you will ^(FR)receive me to glory.
^25 (FS)Whom have I in heaven but you?
    And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.
^26 (FT)My flesh and my heart may fail,
    but God is ^(FU)the strength^[h] of my heart and my ^(FV)portion ^(FW)forever.

²⁷ For behold, those who are ^(FX)far from you shall perish;
    you put an end to everyone who is ^(FY)unfaithful to you.
²⁸ But for me it is good to ^(FZ)be near God;
    I have made the Lord God my ^(GA)refuge,
    that I may ^(GB)tell of all your works.

⁴ Your foes have ^(GM)roared in the midst of your meeting place;
    ^(GN)they set up their ^(GO)own signs for ^(GP)signs.
⁵ They were like those who swing ^(GQ)axes
    in a forest of trees.^[j]
6 And all its ^(GR)carved wood
    they broke down with hatchets and hammers.
⁷ They ^(GS)set your sanctuary on fire;
    they ^(GT)profaned ^(GU)the dwelling place of your name,
    bringing it down to the ground.
⁸ They ^(GV)said to themselves, “We will utterly subdue them”;
    they burned all the meeting places of God in the land.

⁹ We do not see our ^(GW)signs;
    ^(GX)there is no longer any prophet,
    and there is none among us who knows how long.
¹⁰ How long, O God, ^(GY)is the foe to scoff?
    Is the enemy to revile your name forever?
¹¹ Why ^(GZ)do you hold back your hand, your right hand?
    Take it from the fold of your garment^[k] and destroy them!

¹² Yet ^(HA)God my King is from of old,
    working salvation in the midst of the earth.
¹³ You ^(HB)divided the sea by your might;
    you ^(HC)broke the heads of ^(HD)the sea monsters^[l] on the waters.
¹⁴ You crushed the heads of ^(HE)Leviathan;
    you gave him as food for the creatures of the wilderness.
¹⁵ You ^(HF)split open springs and brooks;
    you ^(HG)dried up ever-flowing streams.
¹⁶ Yours is the day, yours also the night;
    you have established ^(HH)the heavenly lights and the sun.
¹⁷ You have ^(HI)fixed all the boundaries of the earth;
    you have made ^(HJ)summer and winter.

^18 (HK)Remember this, O Lord, how the enemy scoffs,
    and ^(HL)a foolish people reviles your name.
¹⁹ Do not deliver the soul of your ^(HM)dove to the wild beasts;
    ^(HN)do not forget the life of your poor forever.

²⁰ Have regard for ^(HO)the covenant,
    for ^(HP)the dark places of the land are full of the habitations of violence.
²¹ Let not ^(HQ)the downtrodden ^(HR)turn back in shame;
    let ^(HS)the poor and needy praise your name.

²² Arise, O God, ^(HT)defend your cause;
    ^(HU)remember how the foolish scoff at you all the day!
²³ Do not forget the clamor of your foes,
    ^(HV)the uproar of those who rise against you, which goes up continually!

² “At ^(HZ)the set time that I appoint
    I will judge ^(IA)with equity.
³ When the earth ^(IB)totters, and all its inhabitants,
    it is I who keep steady its ^(IC)pillars. Selah
⁴ I say to the boastful, ‘Do not boast,’
    and to the wicked, ^(ID)‘Do not lift up your horn;
⁵ do not lift up your horn on high,
    or speak with haughty neck.’”

⁶ For not from the east or from the west
    and not from the wilderness comes ^(IE)lifting up,
⁷ but it is ^(IF)God who executes judgment,
    ^(IG)putting down one and lifting up another.
^8 (IH)For in the hand of the Lord there is ^(II)a cup
    with foaming wine, ^(IJ)well mixed,
and he pours out from it,
    and all the wicked of the earth
    shall ^(IK)drain it down to the dregs.

⁹ But I will declare it forever;
    I will sing praises to the God of Jacob.
^10 (IL)All the horns of the wicked I will cut off,
    ^(IM)but the horns of the righteous shall be lifted up.

⁴ Glorious are you, more majestic
    ^(IU)than the mountains full of ^(IV)prey.
^5 (IW)The stouthearted were stripped of their spoil;
    ^(IX)they sank into sleep;
all the men of war
    were unable to use their hands.
⁶ At your rebuke, O God of Jacob,
    both ^(IY)rider and horse lay stunned.

^7 (IZ)But you, you are to be feared!
    Who can ^(JA)stand before you
    when once your anger is roused?
⁸ From the heavens you uttered judgment;
    ^(JB)the earth feared and was still,
⁹ when God ^(JC)arose to establish judgment,
    to save all the humble of the earth. Selah

¹⁰ Surely ^(JD)the wrath of man shall praise you;
    the remnant^[n] of wrath you will put on like a belt.
^11 (JE)Make your vows to the Lord your God and perform them;
    let all around him ^(JF)bring gifts
    to him who ^(JG)is to be feared,
¹² who ^(JH)cuts off the spirit of princes,
    who ^(JI)is to be feared by the kings of the earth.

⁴ You hold my eyelids open;
    I am so ^(JR)troubled that I cannot speak.
⁵ I consider ^(JS)the days of old,
    the years long ago.
⁶ I said,^[o] “Let me remember my ^(JT)song in the night;
    let me ^(JU)meditate in my heart.”
    Then my spirit made a diligent search:
⁷ “Will the Lord ^(JV)spurn forever,
    and never again ^(JW)be favorable?
⁸ Has his steadfast love forever ceased?
    Are his ^(JX)promises at an end for all time?
^9 (JY)Has God forgotten to be gracious?
    ^(JZ)Has he in anger shut up his compassion?” Selah

¹⁰ Then I said, “I will appeal to this,
    to the years of the ^(KA)right hand of the Most High.”^[p]

¹¹ I will remember the deeds of the Lord;
    yes, I will ^(KB)remember your wonders of old.
¹² I will ponder all your ^(KC)work,
    and meditate on your ^(KD)mighty deeds.
¹³ Your way, O God, is ^(KE)holy.
    ^(KF)What god is great like our God?
¹⁴ You are the God who ^(KG)works wonders;
    you have ^(KH)made known your might among the peoples.
¹⁵ You ^(KI)with your arm redeemed your people,
    the children of Jacob and Joseph. Selah

¹⁶ When ^(KJ)the waters saw you, O God,
    when the waters saw you, they were afraid;
    indeed, the deep trembled.
¹⁷ The clouds poured out water;
    the skies ^(KK)gave forth thunder;
    your ^(KL)arrows flashed on every side.
^18 (KM)The crash of your thunder was in the whirlwind;
    ^(KN)your lightnings lighted up the world;
    the earth ^(KO)trembled and shook.
¹⁹ Your ^(KP)way was through the sea,
    your path through the great waters;
    yet your footprints ^(KQ)were unseen.^[q]
20 You ^(KR)led your people like a flock
    by the hand of Moses and Aaron.

⁵ He established ^(LA)a testimony in ^(LB)Jacob
    and appointed a law in ^(LC)Israel,
which he commanded our fathers
    to teach to their children,
⁶ that ^(LD)the next generation might know them,
    the children yet unborn,
and arise and tell them to their children,
⁷     so that they should set their hope in God
and not forget ^(LE)the works of God,
    but ^(LF)keep his commandments;
⁸ and that they should not be ^(LG)like their fathers,
    ^(LH)a stubborn and rebellious generation,
a generation ^(LI)whose heart was not steadfast,
    whose spirit was not faithful to God.

⁹ The Ephraimites, armed with^[s] the bow,
    ^(LJ)turned back on the day of battle.
¹⁰ They ^(LK)did not keep God's covenant,
    but refused to walk according to his law.
¹¹ They ^(LL)forgot his works
    and ^(LM)the wonders that he had shown them.
¹² In the sight of their fathers ^(LN)he performed wonders
    in the land of Egypt, in ^(LO)the fields of Zoan.
¹³ He ^(LP)divided the sea and let them pass through it,
    and made the waters ^(LQ)stand like a heap.
^14 (LR)In the daytime he led them with a cloud,
    and all the night with a fiery light.
¹⁵ He ^(LS)split rocks in the wilderness
    and gave them drink abundantly as from the deep.
¹⁶ He made streams come out of ^(LT)the rock
    and caused waters to flow down like rivers.

¹⁷ Yet they sinned still more against him,
    ^(LU)rebelling against the Most High in the desert.
¹⁸ They ^(LV)tested God in their heart
    by demanding the food they craved.
¹⁹ They spoke against God, saying,
    ^(LW)“Can God ^(LX)spread a table in the wilderness?
^20 (LY)He struck the rock so that water gushed out
    and streams overflowed.
Can he also give bread
    or provide meat for his people?”

²¹ Therefore, when the Lord heard, he was full of wrath;
    ^(LZ)a fire was kindled against Jacob;
    his anger rose against Israel,
²² because they ^(MA)did not believe in God
    and did not trust his saving power.
²³ Yet he commanded the skies above
    and ^(MB)opened the doors of heaven,
²⁴ and he ^(MC)rained down on them manna to eat
    and gave them ^(MD)the grain of heaven.
²⁵ Man ate of the bread of ^(ME)the angels;
    he sent them food ^(MF)in abundance.
²⁶ He ^(MG)caused the east wind to blow in the heavens,
    and by his power he led out the south wind;
²⁷ he rained meat on them like ^(MH)dust,
    winged birds like ^(MI)the sand of the seas;
²⁸ he ^(MJ)let them fall in the midst of their camp,
    all around their dwellings.
²⁹ And they ^(MK)ate and were well filled,
    for he gave them what they ^(ML)craved.
³⁰ But before they had satisfied their craving,
    ^(MM)while the food was still in their mouths,
³¹ the anger of God rose against them,
    and he killed ^(MN)the strongest of them
    and laid low ^(MO)the young men of Israel.

³² In spite of all this, they ^(MP)still sinned;
    ^(MQ)despite his wonders, they did not believe.
³³ So he made ^(MR)their days ^(MS)vanish like^[t] a breath,^[u]
    and their years in terror.
³⁴ When he killed them, they ^(MT)sought him;
    they repented and sought God earnestly.
³⁵ They remembered that God was their ^(MU)rock,
    the Most High God their ^(MV)redeemer.
³⁶ But they ^(MW)flattered him with their mouths;
    they ^(MX)lied to him with their tongues.
³⁷ Their ^(MY)heart was not ^(MZ)steadfast toward him;
    they were not faithful to his covenant.
³⁸ Yet he, being ^(NA)compassionate,
    ^(NB)atoned for their iniquity
    and did not destroy them;
he restrained his anger often
    and did not stir up all his wrath.
³⁹ He ^(NC)remembered that they were but ^(ND)flesh,
    ^(NE)a wind that passes and comes not again.
⁴⁰ How often they ^(NF)rebelled against him in the wilderness
    and ^(NG)grieved him in ^(NH)the desert!
⁴¹ They ^(NI)tested God again and again
    and provoked ^(NJ)the Holy One of Israel.
⁴² They ^(NK)did not remember his power^[v]
    or the day when he redeemed them from the foe,
^43 (NL)when he performed his ^(NM)signs in Egypt
    and his ^(NN)marvels in ^(NO)the fields of Zoan.
⁴⁴ He ^(NP)turned their rivers to blood,
    so that they could not drink of their streams.
⁴⁵ He sent among them swarms of ^(NQ)flies, which devoured them,
    and ^(NR)frogs, which destroyed them.
⁴⁶ He gave their crops to ^(NS)the destroying locust
    and the fruit of their labor to the locust.
⁴⁷ He destroyed their vines with ^(NT)hail
    and their sycamores with frost.
⁴⁸ He gave over their ^(NU)cattle to the hail
    and their flocks to thunderbolts.
⁴⁹ He let loose on them his burning anger,
    wrath, indignation, and distress,
    a company of ^(NV)destroying angels.
⁵⁰ He made a path for his anger;
    he did not spare them from death,
    but gave their lives over to the plague.
⁵¹ He struck down every ^(NW)firstborn in Egypt,
    the firstfruits of their strength in the tents of ^(NX)Ham.
⁵² Then he led out his people ^(NY)like sheep
    and guided them in the wilderness like a flock.
^53 (NZ)He led them in safety, so that they ^(OA)were not afraid,
    but ^(OB)the sea overwhelmed their enemies.
⁵⁴ And he brought them to his ^(OC)holy land,
    ^(OD)to the mountain which his right hand had ^(OE)won.
⁵⁵ He ^(OF)drove out nations before them;
    he ^(OG)apportioned them for a possession
    and settled the tribes of Israel in their tents.

⁵⁶ Yet they ^(OH)tested and ^(OI)rebelled against the Most High God
    and did not keep his testimonies,
⁵⁷ but turned away and acted treacherously like their fathers;
    they twisted like ^(OJ)a deceitful bow.
⁵⁸ For they ^(OK)provoked him to anger with their ^(OL)high places;
    they ^(OM)moved him to jealousy with their ^(ON)idols.
⁵⁹ When God heard, he was full of ^(OO)wrath,
    and he utterly rejected Israel.
⁶⁰ He ^(OP)forsook his dwelling at ^(OQ)Shiloh,
    the tent where he dwelt among mankind,
⁶¹ and delivered his ^(OR)power to captivity,
    his ^(OS)glory to the hand of the foe.
⁶² He ^(OT)gave his people over to the sword
    and ^(OU)vented his wrath on his heritage.
^63 (OV)Fire devoured their young men,
    and their young women had no ^(OW)marriage song.
⁶⁴ Their ^(OX)priests fell by the sword,
    and their ^(OY)widows made no lamentation.
⁶⁵ Then the Lord ^(OZ)awoke as from sleep,
    like a strong man shouting because of wine.
⁶⁶ And he ^(PA)put his adversaries to rout;
    he put them to everlasting shame.

⁶⁷ He rejected the tent of ^(PB)Joseph;
    he did not choose the tribe of Ephraim,
⁶⁸ but he chose the tribe of Judah,
    Mount Zion, which he ^(PC)loves.
⁶⁹ He ^(PD)built his sanctuary like the high heavens,
    like the earth, which he has founded forever.
⁷⁰ He ^(PE)chose David his servant
    and took him from the sheepfolds;
⁷¹ from ^(PF)following the nursing ewes he brought him
    to ^(PG)shepherd Jacob his people,
    Israel his ^(PH)inheritance.
⁷² With ^(PI)upright heart he shepherded them
    and ^(PJ)guided them with his skillful hand.