Psalm 69-71

Common English Bible

⁴ More numerous than the hairs on my head
    are those who hate me for no reason.
My treacherous enemies,
    those who would destroy me, are countless.
    Must I now give back
    what I didn’t steal in the first place?
⁵ God, you know my foolishness;
    my wrongdoings aren’t hidden from you.

⁶ Lord God of heavenly forces!—
    don’t let those who hope in you
        be put to shame because of me.
God of Israel!—
    don’t let those who seek you
    be disgraced because of me.
⁷ I am insulted because of you.
    Shame covers my face.
⁸ I have become a stranger to my own brothers,
    an immigrant to my mother’s children.
⁹ Because passion for your house has consumed me,
    the insults of those who insult you have fallen on me!
¹⁰ I wept while I fasted—
    even for that I was insulted.
¹¹ When I wore funeral clothes,
    people made fun of me.
¹² Those who sit at the city gate muttered things about me;
    drunkards made up rude songs.

¹³ But me? My prayer reaches you, Lord,
    at just the right time.
God, in your great and faithful love,
    answer me with your certain salvation!
¹⁴ Save me from the mud!
    Don’t let me drown!
    Let me be saved from those who hate me
    and from these watery depths!
¹⁵ Don’t let me be swept away by the floodwaters!
    Don’t let the abyss swallow me up!
    Don’t let the pit close its mouth over me!
¹⁶ Answer me, Lord, for your faithful love is good!
    Turn to me in your great compassion!
¹⁷ Don’t hide your face from me, your servant,
    because I’m in deep trouble.
    Answer me quickly!
¹⁸ Come close to me!
    Redeem me!
    Save me because of my enemies!

¹⁹ You know full well the insults I’ve received;
    you know my shame and my disgrace.
    All my adversaries are right there in front of you.
²⁰ Insults have broken my heart.
    I’m sick about it.
I hoped for sympathy,
    but there wasn’t any;
    I hoped for comforters,
    but couldn’t find any.
²¹ They gave me poison for food.
    To quench my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.

²² Let the table before them become a trap,
    their offerings a snare.
²³ Let their eyes grow too dim to see;
    make their insides tremble constantly.
²⁴ Pour out your anger on them—
    let your burning fury catch them.
²⁵ Let their camp be devastated;
    let no one dwell in their tents.
²⁶ Because they go after those you’ve already struck;
    they talk about the pain of those you’ve already pierced.
²⁷ Pile guilt on top of their guilt!
    Don’t let them come into your righteousness!
²⁸ Let them be wiped out of the scroll of life!
    Let them not be recorded along with the righteous!
²⁹ And me? I’m afflicted.
    I’m full of pain.
    Let your salvation keep me safe, God!

³⁰ I will praise God’s name with song;
    I will magnify him with thanks
³¹     because that is more pleasing to the Lord than an ox,
    more pleasing than a young bull with full horns and hooves.
³² Let the afflicted see it and be glad!
    You who seek God—
    let your hearts beat strong again
³³     because the Lord listens to the needy
        and doesn’t despise his captives.

³⁴ Let heaven and earth praise God,
    the oceans too, and all that moves within them!
³⁵ God will most certainly save Zion
    and will rebuild Judah’s cities
    so that God’s servants can live there and possess it.
³⁶ The offspring of God’s servants will inherit Zion,
    and those who love God’s name will dwell there.

⁴ My God, rescue me from the power of the wicked;
    rescue me from the grip of the wrongdoer and the oppressor
⁵     because you are my hope, Lord.
    You, Lord, are the one I’ve trusted since childhood.
⁶ I’ve depended on you from birth—
    you cut the cord when I came from my mother’s womb.
    My praise is always about you.
⁷ I’ve become an example to many people
    because you are my strong refuge.
⁸ My mouth is filled with your praise,
    glorifying you all day long.
⁹ Don’t cast me off in old age.
    Don’t abandon me when my strength is used up!

¹⁰ Yes, my enemies have been talking about me;
    those who stalk me plot together:
¹¹     “God has abandoned him!
    Pursue him!
    Grab him because no one will deliver him!”
¹² Don’t be far from me, God!
    My God, hurry to help me!
¹³ Let my accusers be put to shame,
    completely finished off!
    Let those who seek my downfall
    be dressed in insults and disgrace!

¹⁴ But me? I will hope. Always.
    I will add to all your praise.
¹⁵ My mouth will repeat your righteous acts
    and your saving deeds all day long.
    I don’t even know how many of those there are!
¹⁶ I will dwell on your mighty acts, my Lord.
    Lord, I will help others remember nothing but your righteous deeds.
¹⁷ You’ve taught me since my youth, God,
    and I’m still proclaiming your wondrous deeds!
¹⁸ So, even in my old age with gray hair,
    don’t abandon me, God!
    Not until I tell generations about your mighty arm,
        tell all who are yet to come about your strength,
¹⁹         and about your ultimate righteousness, God,
    because you’ve done awesome things!
Who can compare to you, God?
²⁰ You, who have shown me many troubles and calamities,
    will revive me once more.^[a]
    From the depths of the earth,
    you will raise me up one more time.
²¹ Please increase my honor
    and comfort me all around.
²² Then I’ll give you thanks with a harp—
    I will thank you for your faithfulness, my God.
        I will make music for you with the lyre, holy one of Israel.
²³ My lips will rejoice aloud when I make music for you;
    my whole being,^[b] which you saved, will do the same.
²⁴ My tongue, also, will tell of your righteousness all day long,
    because those who seek my downfall
    have been put to shame and disgraced.