Font Size
Psalm 69-72
New King James Version
Psalm 69-72
New King James Version
An Urgent Plea for Help in Trouble
To the Chief Musician. Set to [a]“The Lilies.” A Psalm of David.
69 Save me, O God!
For (A)the waters have come up to my [b]neck.
2 (B)I sink in deep mire,
Where there is no standing;
I have come into deep waters,
Where the floods overflow me.
3 (C)I am weary with my crying;
My throat is dry;
(D)My eyes fail while I wait for my God.
4 Those who (E)hate me without a cause
Are more than the hairs of my head;
They are mighty who would destroy me,
Being my enemies wrongfully;
Though I have stolen nothing,
I still must restore it.
5 O God, You know my foolishness;
And my sins are not hidden from You.
6 Let not those who [c]wait for You, O Lord God of hosts, be ashamed because of me;
Let not those who seek You be [d]confounded because of me, O God of Israel.
7 Because for Your sake I have borne reproach;
Shame has covered my face.
8 (F)I have become a stranger to my brothers,
And an alien to my mother’s children;
9 (G)Because zeal for Your house has eaten me up,
(H)And the reproaches of those who reproach You have fallen on me.
10 When I wept and chastened my soul with fasting,
That became my reproach.
11 I also [e]made sackcloth my garment;
I became a byword to them.
12 Those who [f]sit in the gate speak against me,
And I am the song of the (I)drunkards.
13 But as for me, my prayer is to You,
O Lord, in the acceptable time;
O God, in the multitude of Your mercy,
Hear me in the truth of Your salvation.
14 Deliver me out of the mire,
And let me not sink;
Let me be delivered from those who hate me,
And out of the deep waters.
15 Let not the floodwater overflow me,
Nor let the deep swallow me up;
And let not the pit shut its mouth on me.
16 Hear me, O Lord, for Your lovingkindness is good;
Turn to me according to the multitude of Your tender mercies.
17 And do not hide Your face from Your servant,
For I am in trouble;
Hear me speedily.
18 Draw near to my soul, and redeem it;
Deliver me because of my enemies.
19 You know (J)my reproach, my shame, and my dishonor;
My adversaries are all before You.
20 Reproach has broken my heart,
And I am full of [g]heaviness;
(K)I looked for someone to take pity, but there was none;
And for (L)comforters, but I found none.
21 They also gave me gall for my food,
(M)And for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.
22 (N)Let their table become a snare before them,
And their well-being a trap.
23 (O)Let their eyes be darkened, so that they do not see;
And make their loins shake continually.
24 (P)Pour out Your indignation upon them,
And let Your wrathful anger take hold of them.
25 (Q)Let their dwelling place be desolate;
Let no one live in their tents.
26 For they persecute the ones (R)You have struck,
And talk of the grief of those You have wounded.
27 (S)Add iniquity to their iniquity,
(T)And let them not come into Your righteousness.
28 Let them (U)be blotted out of the book of the living,
(V)And not be written with the righteous.
29 But I am poor and sorrowful;
Let Your salvation, O God, set me up on high.
30 (W)I will praise the name of God with a song,
And will magnify Him with thanksgiving.
31 (X)This also shall please the Lord better than an ox or bull,
Which has horns and hooves.
32 (Y)The humble shall see this and be glad;
And you who seek God, (Z)your hearts shall live.
33 For the Lord hears the poor,
And does not despise (AA)His prisoners.
34 (AB)Let heaven and earth praise Him,
The seas (AC)and everything that moves in them.
35 (AD)For God will save Zion
And build the cities of Judah,
That they may dwell there and possess it.
36 Also, (AE)the [h]descendants of His servants shall inherit it,
And those who love His name shall dwell in it.
Prayer for Relief from Adversaries(AF)
To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David. (AG)To bring to remembrance.
70 Make haste, (AH)O God, to deliver me!
Make haste to help me, O Lord!
2 (AI)Let them be ashamed and confounded
Who seek my life;
Let them be [i]turned back and confused
Who desire my hurt.
3 (AJ)Let them be turned back because of their shame,
Who say, [j]“Aha, aha!”
4 Let all those who seek You rejoice and be glad in You;
And let those who love Your salvation say continually,
“Let God be magnified!”
5 (AK)But I am poor and needy;
(AL)Make haste to me, O God!
You are my help and my deliverer;
O Lord, do not delay.
God the Rock of Salvation
71 In (AM)You, O Lord, I put my trust;
Let me never be put to shame.
2 (AN)Deliver me in Your righteousness, and cause me to escape;
(AO)Incline Your ear to me, and save me.
3 (AP)Be my [k]strong refuge,
To which I may resort continually;
You have given the (AQ)commandment to save me,
For You are my rock and my fortress.
4 (AR)Deliver me, O my God, out of the hand of the wicked,
Out of the hand of the unrighteous and cruel man.
5 For You are (AS)my hope, O Lord God;
You are my trust from my youth.
6 (AT)By You I have been [l]upheld from birth;
You are He who took me out of my mother’s womb.
My praise shall be continually of You.
7 (AU)I have become as a wonder to many,
But You are my strong refuge.
8 Let (AV)my mouth be filled with Your praise
And with Your glory all the day.
9 Do not cast me off in the time of old age;
Do not forsake me when my strength fails.
10 For my enemies speak against me;
And those who lie in wait for my life (AW)take counsel together,
11 Saying, “God has forsaken him;
Pursue and take him, for there is none to deliver him.”
12 (AX)O God, do not be far from me;
O my God, (AY)make haste to help me!
13 Let them be [m]confounded and consumed
Who are adversaries of my life;
Let them be covered with reproach and dishonor
Who seek my hurt.
14 But I will hope continually,
And will praise You yet more and more.
15 My mouth shall tell of Your righteousness
And Your salvation all the day,
For I do not know their limits.
16 I will go in the strength of the Lord God;
I will make mention of Your righteousness, of Yours only.
17 O God, You have taught me from my (AZ)youth;
And to this day I declare Your wondrous works.
18 Now also (BA)when I am old and grayheaded,
O God, do not forsake me,
Until I declare Your strength to this generation,
Your power to everyone who is to come.
19 Also (BB)Your righteousness, O God, is [n]very high,
You who have done great things;
(BC)O God, who is like You?
20 (BD)You, who have shown me great and severe troubles,
(BE)Shall revive me again,
And bring me up again from the depths of the earth.
21 You shall increase my greatness,
And comfort me on every side.
22 Also (BF)with the lute I will praise You—
And Your faithfulness, O my God!
To You I will sing with the harp,
O (BG)Holy One of Israel.
23 My lips shall greatly rejoice when I sing to You,
And (BH)my soul, which You have redeemed.
24 My tongue also shall talk of Your righteousness all the day long;
For they are confounded,
For they are brought to shame
Who seek my hurt.
Glory and Universality of the Messiah’s Reign
A Psalm (BI)of Solomon.
72 Give the king Your judgments, O God,
And Your righteousness to the king’s Son.
2 (BJ)He will judge Your people with righteousness,
And Your poor with justice.
3 (BK)The mountains will bring peace to the people,
And the little hills, by righteousness.
4 (BL)He will bring justice to the poor of the people;
He will save the children of the needy,
And will [o]break in pieces the oppressor.
5 [p]They shall fear You
(BM)As long as the sun and moon endure,
Throughout all generations.
6 (BN)He shall come down like rain upon the grass before mowing,
Like showers that water the earth.
7 In His days the righteous shall flourish,
(BO)And abundance of peace,
Until the moon is no more.
8 (BP)He shall have dominion also from sea to sea,
And from the River to the ends of the earth.
9 (BQ)Those who dwell in the wilderness will bow before Him,
(BR)And His enemies will lick the dust.
10 (BS)The kings of Tarshish and of the isles
Will bring presents;
The kings of Sheba and Seba
Will offer gifts.
11 (BT)Yes, all kings shall fall down before Him;
All nations shall serve Him.
12 For He (BU)will deliver the needy when he cries,
The poor also, and him who has no helper.
13 He will spare the poor and needy,
And will save the souls of the needy.
14 He will redeem their life from oppression and violence;
And (BV)precious shall be their blood in His sight.
15 And He shall live;
And the gold of (BW)Sheba will be given to Him;
Prayer also will be made for Him continually,
And daily He shall be praised.
16 There will be an abundance of grain in the earth,
On the top of the mountains;
Its fruit shall wave like Lebanon;
(BX)And those of the city shall flourish like grass of the earth.
17 (BY)His name shall endure forever;
His name shall continue as long as the sun.
And (BZ)men shall be blessed in Him;
(CA)All nations shall call Him blessed.
18 (CB)Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel,
(CC)Who only does wondrous things!
19 And (CD)blessed be His glorious name forever!
(CE)And let the whole earth be filled with His glory.
Amen and Amen.
20 The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended.
Footnotes
- Psalm 69:1 Heb. Shoshannim
- Psalm 69:1 Lit. soul
- Psalm 69:6 Wait in faith
- Psalm 69:6 dishonored
- Psalm 69:11 Symbolic of sorrow
- Psalm 69:12 Sit as judges
- Psalm 69:20 Lit. sickness
- Psalm 69:36 Lit. seed
- Psalm 70:2 So with MT, LXX, Tg., Vg.; some Heb. mss., Syr. appalled (cf. 40:15)
- Psalm 70:3 An expression of scorn
- Psalm 71:3 Lit. rock of refuge or rock of habitation
- Psalm 71:6 sustained from the womb
- Psalm 71:13 ashamed
- Psalm 71:19 great, lit. to the height of heaven
- Psalm 72:4 crush
- Psalm 72:5 So with MT, Tg.; LXX, Vg. They shall continue
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)
New King James Version (NKJV) 
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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.