Psalm 69

A Plea for Rescue

For the choir director: according to “The Lilies.”(A) Of David.

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

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

13 But 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.(O)
14 Rescue me from the miry mud; don’t let me sink.
Let me be rescued from those who hate me
and from the deep water.(P)
15 Don’t let the floodwaters sweep over me
or the deep swallow me up;
don’t let the Pit close its mouth over me.(Q)
16 Answer me, Lord,
for your faithful love is good.
In keeping with your abundant compassion,
turn to me.(R)
17 Don’t hide your face from your servant,
for I am in distress.
Answer me quickly!(S)
18 Come near to me and redeem me;
ransom me because of my enemies.(T)

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

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

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

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

Footnotes

  1. 69:35 Or and rebuild

A Story of Seduction

At the window of my house
I looked through my lattice.(A)
I saw among the inexperienced,[a]
I noticed among the youths,
a young man lacking sense.
Crossing the street near her corner,
he strolled down the road to her house
at twilight, in the evening,
in the dark of the night.(B)
10 A woman came to meet him
dressed like a prostitute,(C)
having a hidden agenda.[b]
11 She is loud and defiant;(D)
her feet do not stay at home.(E)
12 Now in the street, now in the squares,(F)
she lurks at every corner.(G)
13 She grabs him and kisses him;
she brazenly says[c] to him,
14 “I’ve made fellowship offerings;
today I’ve fulfilled my vows.(H)
15 So I came out to meet you,
to search for you, and I’ve found you.
16 I’ve spread coverings on my bed(I)
richly colored linen from Egypt.(J)
17 I’ve perfumed my bed
with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.(K)
18 Come, let’s drink deeply of lovemaking until morning.(L)
Let’s feast on each other’s love!
19 My husband isn’t home;
he went on a long journey.
20 He took a bag of silver with him
and will come home at the time of the full moon.”
21 She seduces him with her persistent pleading;
she lures with her flattering talk.
22 He follows her impulsively
like an ox going to the slaughter,
like a deer bounding toward a trap[d]
23 until an arrow pierces its[e] liver,(M)
like a bird darting into a snare(N)
he doesn’t know it will cost him his life.

24 Now, sons, listen to me,
and pay attention to the words from my mouth.
25 Don’t let your heart turn aside to her ways;
don’t stray onto her paths.(O)
26 For she has brought many down to death;
her victims are countless.[f]
27 Her house is the road to Sheol,
descending to the chambers of death.(P)

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Footnotes

  1. 7:7 Or simple, or gullible, or naive
  2. 7:10 Or prostitute with a guarded heart
  3. 7:13 Lit she makes her face strong and says
  4. 7:22 Text emended; MT reads like a shackle to the discipline of a fool; Hb obscure
  5. 7:23 Or his
  6. 7:26 Or and powerful men are all her victims

Warnings from Israel’s Past

10 Now I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, that our ancestors(A) were all under the cloud,(B) all passed through the sea,(C) and all were baptized(D) into Moses(E) in the cloud and in the sea. They all ate the same spiritual food,(F) and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual rock(G) that followed them, and that rock was Christ.(H) Nevertheless God was not pleased with most of them, since they were struck down in the wilderness.(I)

Now these things took place as examples for us, so that we will not desire(J) evil things as they did.[a](K) Don’t become idolaters(L) as some of them were; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and got up to party.[b][c](M) Let us not commit sexual immorality(N) as some of them did,[d] and in a single day twenty-three thousand people died.(O) Let us not test Christ as some of them did[e] and were destroyed by snakes.(P) 10 And don’t grumble(Q) as some of them did,[f](R) and were killed by the destroyer.[g](S) 11 These things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our instruction,(T) on whom the ends of the ages[h](U) have come.(V) 12 So, whoever thinks he stands must be careful not to fall.(W) 13 No temptation has come upon you except what is common to humanity. But God is faithful;(X) he will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation he will also provide the way out(Y) so that you may be able to bear it.

Warning against Idolatry

14 So then, my dear friends, flee from idolatry. 15 I am speaking as to sensible people. Judge for yourselves what I am saying. 16 The cup(Z) of blessing(AA) that we bless, is it not a sharing in the blood of Christ? The bread(AB) that we break, is it not a sharing in the body of Christ? 17 Because there is one bread, we who are many are one(AC) body, since all of us share the one bread. 18 Consider the people of Israel.[i] Do not those who eat the sacrifices participate in the altar?(AD) 19 What am I saying then? That food sacrificed to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything? 20 No, but I do say that what they[j] sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be participants with demons! 21 You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot share in the Lord’s table and the table of demons. 22 Or are we provoking the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than he?(AE)

Christian Liberty

23 “Everything is permissible,”[k] but not everything is beneficial. “Everything is permissible,”[l] but not everything builds up. 24 No one is to seek his own good, but the good of the other person.(AF)

25 Eat everything that is sold in the meat market, without raising questions for the sake of conscience, 26 since the earth is the Lord’s,(AG) and all that is in it.[m](AH) 27 If any of the unbelievers invites you over and you want to go, eat everything that is set before you, without raising questions for the sake of conscience. 28 But if someone says to you, “This is food from a sacrifice,” do not eat it,(AI) out of consideration for the one who told you, and for the sake of conscience.[n] 29 I do not mean your own conscience, but the other person’s. For why is my freedom judged(AJ) by another person’s conscience? 30 If I partake with thanksgiving,(AK) why am I criticized because of something for which I give thanks?

31 So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God.(AL) 32 Give no offense(AM) to Jews or Greeks or the church of God, 33 just as I also try to please everyone in everything, not seeking my own benefit, but the benefit of many,(AN) so that they may be saved.

Footnotes

  1. 10:6 Lit they desired
  2. 10:7 Or to dance
  3. 10:7 Ex 32:6
  4. 10:8 Lit them committed sexual immorality
  5. 10:9 Lit them tested
  6. 10:10 Lit them grumbled
  7. 10:10 Or the destroying angel
  8. 10:11 Or goals of the ages, or culmination of the ages
  9. 10:18 Lit Look at Israel according to the flesh
  10. 10:20 Other mss read Gentiles
  11. 10:23 Other mss add for me
  12. 10:23 Other mss add for me
  13. 10:26 Ps 24:1
  14. 10:28 Other mss add “For the earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it.”

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