Font Size
Psalm 69-72
English Standard Version
Psalm 69-72
English Standard Version
Save Me, O God
To the choirmaster: according to (A)Lilies. Of David.
69 Save me, O God!
For (B)the waters have come up to my neck.[a]
2 I sink in deep (C)mire,
where there is no foothold;
I have come into deep waters,
and the flood (D)sweeps over me.
3 (E)I am weary with my crying out;
(F)my throat is parched.
(G)My eyes grow dim
with (H)waiting for my God.
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.
O Lord, Do Not Delay
To the choirmaster. Of David, (BO)for the memorial offering.
70 (BP)Make haste, O God, to deliver me!
O Lord, make haste to help me!
2 Let them be put to shame and confusion
who seek my life!
Let them be turned back and brought to dishonor
who delight in my hurt!
3 Let them turn back because of their shame
who say, “Aha, Aha!”
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!
Forsake Me Not When My Strength Is Spent
71 (BR)In you, O Lord, do I take refuge;
let me never be put to shame!
2 In your righteousness deliver me and rescue me;
incline your ear to me, and save me!
3 Be to me a rock of (BS)refuge,
to which I may continually come;
you have (BT)given the command to save me,
for you are my (BU)rock and my fortress.
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.
Give the King Your Justice
Of (CZ)Solomon.
72 Give the king your (DA)justice, O God,
and your righteousness to the royal son!
2 May he (DB)judge your people with righteousness,
and your poor with justice!
3 Let the mountains bear (DC)prosperity for the people,
and the hills, in righteousness!
4 May he defend the cause of the poor of the people,
give deliverance to the children of the needy,
and crush the oppressor!
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!
Footnotes
- Psalm 69:1 Or waters threaten my life
- Psalm 69:10 Hebrew lacks and humbled
- Psalm 69:22 Hebrew; a slight revocalization yields (compare Septuagint, Syriac, Jerome) a snare, and retribution and a trap
- Psalm 69:27 Hebrew may they not come into your righteousness
- Psalm 72:5 Septuagint He shall endure
- Psalm 72:8 That is, the Euphrates
Psalm 69-72
New International Version
Psalm 69-72
New International Version
Psalm 69[a]
For the director of music. To the tune of “Lilies.” Of David.
1 Save me, O God,
for the waters(A) have come up to my neck.(B)
2 I sink in the miry depths,(C)
where there is no foothold.
I have come into the deep waters;
the floods engulf me.
3 I am worn out calling for help;(D)
my throat is parched.
My eyes fail,(E)
looking for my God.
4 Those who hate me(F) without reason(G)
outnumber the hairs of my head;
many are my enemies without cause,(H)
those who seek to destroy me.(I)
I am forced to restore
what I did not steal.
6 Lord, the Lord Almighty,
may those who hope in you
not be disgraced because of me;
God of Israel,
may those who seek you
not be put to shame because of me.
7 For I endure scorn(L) for your sake,(M)
and shame covers my face.(N)
8 I am a foreigner to my own family,
a stranger to my own mother’s children;(O)
9 for zeal for your house consumes me,(P)
and the insults of those who insult you fall on me.(Q)
10 When I weep and fast,(R)
I must endure scorn;
11 when I put on sackcloth,(S)
people make sport of me.
12 Those who sit at the gate(T) mock me,
and I am the song of the drunkards.(U)
13 But I pray to you, Lord,
in the time of your favor;(V)
in your great love,(W) O God,
answer me with your sure salvation.
14 Rescue me from the mire,
do not let me sink;
deliver me from those who hate me,
from the deep waters.(X)
15 Do not let the floodwaters(Y) engulf me
or the depths swallow me up(Z)
or the pit close its mouth over me.(AA)
16 Answer me, Lord, out of the goodness of your love;(AB)
in your great mercy turn to me.
17 Do not hide your face(AC) from your servant;
answer me quickly,(AD) for I am in trouble.(AE)
18 Come near and rescue me;
deliver(AF) me because of my foes.
19 You know how I am scorned,(AG) disgraced and shamed;
all my enemies are before you.
20 Scorn has broken my heart
and has left me helpless;
I looked for sympathy, but there was none,
for comforters,(AH) but I found none.(AI)
21 They put gall in my food
and gave me vinegar(AJ) for my thirst.(AK)
22 May the table set before them become a snare;
may it become retribution and[b] a trap.(AL)
23 May their eyes be darkened so they cannot see,
and their backs be bent forever.(AM)
24 Pour out your wrath(AN) on them;
let your fierce anger overtake them.
25 May their place be deserted;(AO)
let there be no one to dwell in their tents.(AP)
26 For they persecute those you wound
and talk about the pain of those you hurt.(AQ)
27 Charge them with crime upon crime;(AR)
do not let them share in your salvation.(AS)
28 May they be blotted out of the book of life(AT)
and not be listed with the righteous.(AU)
29 But as for me, afflicted and in pain—
may your salvation, God, protect me.(AV)
30 I will praise God’s name in song(AW)
and glorify him(AX) with thanksgiving.
31 This will please the Lord more than an ox,
more than a bull with its horns and hooves.(AY)
32 The poor will see and be glad(AZ)—
you who seek God, may your hearts live!(BA)
33 The Lord hears the needy(BB)
and does not despise his captive people.
34 Let heaven and earth praise him,
the seas and all that move in them,(BC)
35 for God will save Zion(BD)
and rebuild the cities of Judah.(BE)
Then people will settle there and possess it;
36 the children of his servants will inherit it,(BF)
and those who love his name will dwell there.(BG)
Psalm 70[c](BH)
For the director of music. Of David. A petition.
1 Hasten, O God, to save me;
come quickly, Lord, to help me.(BI)
2 May those who want to take my life(BJ)
be put to shame and confusion;
may all who desire my ruin
be turned back in disgrace.(BK)
3 May those who say to me, “Aha! Aha!”(BL)
turn back because of their shame.
4 But may all who seek you(BM)
rejoice and be glad(BN) in you;
may those who long for your saving help always say,
“The Lord is great!”(BO)
5 But as for me, I am poor and needy;(BP)
come quickly to me,(BQ) O God.
You are my help(BR) and my deliverer;(BS)
Lord, do not delay.(BT)
Psalm 71(BU)
1 In you, Lord, I have taken refuge;(BV)
let me never be put to shame.(BW)
2 In your righteousness, rescue me and deliver me;
turn your ear(BX) to me and save me.
3 Be my rock of refuge,
to which I can always go;
give the command to save me,
for you are my rock and my fortress.(BY)
4 Deliver(BZ) me, my God, from the hand of the wicked,(CA)
from the grasp of those who are evil and cruel.(CB)
5 For you have been my hope,(CC) Sovereign Lord,
my confidence(CD) since my youth.
6 From birth(CE) I have relied on you;
you brought me forth from my mother’s womb.(CF)
I will ever praise(CG) you.
7 I have become a sign(CH) to many;
you are my strong refuge.(CI)
8 My mouth(CJ) is filled with your praise,
declaring your splendor(CK) all day long.
9 Do not cast(CL) me away when I am old;(CM)
do not forsake(CN) me when my strength is gone.
10 For my enemies(CO) speak against me;
those who wait to kill(CP) me conspire(CQ) together.
11 They say, “God has forsaken(CR) him;
pursue him and seize him,
for no one will rescue(CS) him.”
12 Do not be far(CT) from me, my God;
come quickly, God, to help(CU) me.
13 May my accusers(CV) perish in shame;(CW)
may those who want to harm me
be covered with scorn and disgrace.(CX)
14 As for me, I will always have hope;(CY)
I will praise you more and more.
15 My mouth will tell(CZ) of your righteous deeds,(DA)
of your saving acts all day long—
though I know not how to relate them all.
16 I will come and proclaim your mighty acts,(DB) Sovereign Lord;
I will proclaim your righteous deeds, yours alone.
17 Since my youth, God, you have taught(DC) me,
and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds.(DD)
18 Even when I am old and gray,(DE)
do not forsake me, my God,
till I declare your power(DF) to the next generation,
your mighty acts to all who are to come.(DG)
19 Your righteousness, God, reaches to the heavens,(DH)
you who have done great things.(DI)
Who is like you, God?(DJ)
20 Though you have made me see troubles,(DK)
many and bitter,
you will restore(DL) my life again;
from the depths of the earth(DM)
you will again bring me up.
21 You will increase my honor(DN)
and comfort(DO) me once more.
22 I will praise you with the harp(DP)
for your faithfulness, my God;
I will sing praise to you with the lyre,(DQ)
Holy One of Israel.(DR)
23 My lips will shout for joy(DS)
when I sing praise to you—
I whom you have delivered.(DT)
24 My tongue will tell of your righteous acts
all day long,(DU)
for those who wanted to harm me(DV)
have been put to shame and confusion.(DW)
Psalm 72
Of Solomon.
1 Endow the king with your justice,(DX) O God,
the royal son with your righteousness.
2 May he judge your people in righteousness,(DY)
your afflicted ones with justice.
3 May the mountains bring prosperity to the people,
the hills the fruit of righteousness.
4 May he defend the afflicted(DZ) among the people
and save the children of the needy;(EA)
may he crush the oppressor.(EB)
5 May he endure[d](EC) as long as the sun,
as long as the moon, through all generations.(ED)
6 May he be like rain(EE) falling on a mown field,
like showers watering the earth.
7 In his days may the righteous flourish(EF)
and prosperity abound till the moon is no more.
8 May he rule from sea to sea
and from the River[e](EG) to the ends of the earth.(EH)
9 May the desert tribes bow before him
and his enemies lick the dust.
10 May the kings of Tarshish(EI) and of distant shores(EJ)
bring tribute to him.
May the kings of Sheba(EK) and Seba
present him gifts.(EL)
11 May all kings bow down(EM) to him
and all nations serve(EN) him.
12 For he will deliver the needy who cry out,
the afflicted who have no one to help.
13 He will take pity(EO) on the weak and the needy
and save the needy from death.
14 He will rescue(EP) them from oppression and violence,
for precious(EQ) is their blood in his sight.
15 Long may he live!
May gold from Sheba(ER) be given him.
May people ever pray for him
and bless him all day long.(ES)
16 May grain(ET) abound throughout the land;
on the tops of the hills may it sway.
May the crops(EU) flourish like Lebanon(EV)
and thrive[f] like the grass of the field.(EW)
17 May his name endure forever;(EX)
may it continue as long as the sun.(EY)
18 Praise be to the Lord God, the God of Israel,(FA)
who alone does marvelous deeds.(FB)
19 Praise be to his glorious name(FC) forever;
may the whole earth be filled with his glory.(FD)
Amen and Amen.(FE)
20 This concludes the prayers of David son of Jesse.(FF)
Footnotes
- Psalm 69:1 In Hebrew texts 69:1-36 is numbered 69:2-37.
- Psalm 69:22 Or snare / and their fellowship become
- Psalm 70:1 In Hebrew texts 70:1-5 is numbered 70:2-6.
- Psalm 72:5 Septuagint; Hebrew You will be feared
- Psalm 72:8 That is, the Euphrates
- Psalm 72:16 Probable reading of the original Hebrew text; Masoretic Text Lebanon, / from the city
- Psalm 72:17 Or will use his name in blessings (see Gen. 48:20)
English Standard Version (ESV) 
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.