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Psalm 69
Expanded Bible
Psalm 69
Expanded Bible
A Cry for Help
For the director of music. To the tune of “Lilies.” A psalm of David.
69 God, ·save me [give me victory],
because the water has risen to my neck [C the waters of chaos].
2 I’m sinking down into the ·mud [mire],
and there is nothing to stand on.
I ·am in deep water [have come into the depths of the waters],
and the flood ·covers [overwhelms] me.
3 I am ·tired [exhausted] from calling for help;
my throat is ·sore [dry].
My eyes are ·tired [worn out] from ·waiting [hoping]
for God to help me.
4 There are more people who hate me for no reason than hairs on my head;
·powerful [or many] enemies want to destroy me for no reason.
They make me ·pay back [return]
what I did not steal.
5 God, you know ·what I have done wrong [my foolishness];
I cannot hide my guilt from you.
6 Lord God ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts],
do not let those who ·hope in [wait for] you be ashamed because of me.
God of Israel,
do not let ·your worshipers [L those who seek you] be disgraced because of me.
7 For you, I carry this ·shame [reproach; scorn],
and my face is covered with disgrace.
8 I am like a stranger to my closest relatives
and a foreigner to my mother’s children.
9 My ·strong love [jealousy; passion; zeal] for your ·Temple [L house] ·completely controls [L consumes] me [John 2:17].
·When people insult you, it hurts me [L The reproaches/scorn of those who reproach/scorn you fall on me; Rom. 15:3].
10 When I ·cry [weep] and fast,
they ·make fun of [reproach; scorn] me.
11 When I wear ·rough cloth [sackcloth; burlap; C a sign of grief],
·they joke about me [L I am a byword/proverb/joke to them].
12 ·They make fun of me in public places [L Those who sit in the gate complain about me],
and the drunkards make up songs about me.
13 But I pray to you, Lord, ·for favor [or at an appropriate time].
God, because of your great ·love [loyalty], answer me.
You are ·truly able [faithful] to ·save [give victory].
14 ·Pull [Protect] me from the ·mud [mire],
and do not let me sink.
·Save [Protect] me from those who hate me
and from the deep water.
15 Do not let the flood ·drown [overwhelm] me
or the deep water swallow me
or the ·grave [L pit] close its mouth over me.
16 Lord, answer me because your ·love [loyalty] is so good.
Because of your ·great kindness [abundant compassion], turn to me.
17 Do not hide your face from me, your servant.
I am in ·trouble [distress]. Hurry to ·help [L answer] me!
18 Come near and ·save [ransom] me;
·rescue [redeem] me from my enemies.
19 You ·see [know] my ·shame [reproach; scorn] and disgrace.
·You know all my enemies and what they have said [L The humiliation of all my foes is before you].
20 ·Insults [Reproach; Scorn] have broken my heart
and ·left me weak [I am depressed].
I ·looked [hoped; waited] for ·sympathy [pity; consolation], but there was none;
I found no one to comfort me.
21 They ·put [L gave me] poison in my food
and gave me vinegar to drink for my thirst [Matt. 27:48; Mark 15:23, 36; Luke 23:36; John 19:29].
22 Let their ·own feasts cause their ruin [L table be a snare before them];
·let their feasts trap them and pay them back [or a trap for their friends].
23 Let their eyes be ·closed [L darkened] so they cannot see
and their ·backs [L loins] ·be forever weak from troubles [L tremble all the time].
24 Pour your ·anger [wrath] out on them;
let your anger ·catch up with [overtake] them.
25 May their ·place [camp] be ·empty [desolate];
leave no one to live in their tents.
26 They ·chase after [persecute; pursue] those you have ·hurt [struck],
and they talk about the pain of those you have wounded.
27 Charge them with ·crime after crime [L guilt on guilt],
and do not ·let them have anything good [vindicate them].
28 ·Wipe [Blot] their names from the book of life [C kill them],
and do not ·list them [write them down] with those who ·do what is right [are righteous].
29 I am ·sad [afflicted] and ·hurting [in pain].
God, ·save me [give me victory] and ·protect me [give me refuge].
30 I will praise ·God [L the name of God] in a song
and will ·honor [magnify] him by giving thanks.
31 That will please the Lord more than ·offering him cattle [L an ox],
more than sacrificing a bull with horns and hoofs.
32 Poor people will see this and be glad [C offering an ox or bull is expensive].
·Be encouraged, you who worship God [The hearts of those who seek God will be enlivened].
33 The Lord listens to those in need
and does not ·look down on [despise] ·captives [prisoners].
34 Heaven and earth should praise him,
the seas and ·everything in them [L all that swarms in them].
35 God will ·save Jerusalem [L give Zion victory; C the location of the Temple]
and rebuild the cities of Judah.
Then people will live there and own the land.
36 The ·descendants [L seed] of his servants will inherit that land,
and those who love ·him [L his name] will live there.
Psalm 69
New International Version
Psalm 69
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.
Footnotes
- Psalm 69:1 In Hebrew texts 69:1-36 is numbered 69:2-37.
- Psalm 69:22 Or snare / and their fellowship become
Expanded Bible (EXB)
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New International Version (NIV) 
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