Psalm 69
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Psalm 69
Prayer for Deliverance from Persecution
To the leader: according to Lilies. Of David.
1 Save me, O God,
for the waters have come up to my neck.(A)
2 I sink in deep mire,
where there is no foothold;
I have come into deep waters,
and the flood sweeps over me.(B)
3 I am weary with my crying;
my throat is parched.
My eyes grow dim
with waiting for my God.(C)
4 More in number than the hairs of my head
are those who hate me without cause;
many are those who would destroy me,
my enemies who accuse me falsely.
What I did not steal,
must I now restore?(D)
5 O God, you know my folly;
the wrongs I have done are not hidden from you.(E)
6 Do not let those who hope in you be put to shame because of me,
O Lord God of hosts;
do not let those who seek you be dishonored because of me,
O God of Israel.
7 It is for your sake that I have borne reproach,
that shame has covered my face.(F)
8 I have become a stranger to my kindred,
an alien to my mother’s children.(G)
9 It is zeal for your house that has consumed me;
the insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.(H)
10 When I humbled my soul with fasting,[a]
they insulted me for doing so.(I)
11 When I made sackcloth my clothing,
I became a byword to them.(J)
12 I am the subject of gossip for those who sit in the gate,
and the drunkards make songs about me.(K)
13 But as for me, my prayer is to you, O Lord.
At an acceptable time, O God,
in the abundance of your steadfast love, answer me.
With your faithful help(L) 14 rescue me
from sinking in the mire;
let me be delivered from my enemies
and from the deep waters.(M)
15 Do not let the flood sweep over me
or the deep swallow me up
or the Pit close its mouth over me.(N)
16 Answer me, O Lord, for your steadfast love is good;
according to your abundant mercy, turn to me.(O)
17 Do not hide your face from your servant,
for I am in distress—make haste to answer me.(P)
18 Draw near to me; redeem me;
set me free because of my enemies.
19 You know the insults I receive
and my shame and dishonor;
my foes are all known to you.(Q)
20 Insults have broken my heart,
so that I am in despair.
I looked for pity, but there was none;
and for comforters, but I found none.(R)
21 They gave me poison for food,
and for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.(S)
22 Let their table be a trap for them,
a snare for their allies.(T)
23 Let their eyes be darkened so that they cannot see,
and make their loins tremble continually.(U)
24 Pour out your indignation upon them,
and let your burning anger overtake them.(V)
25 May their camp be a desolation;
let no one live in their tents.(W)
26 For they persecute those whom you have struck down,
and those whom you have wounded they attack still more.[b](X)
27 Add guilt to their guilt;
may they have no acquittal from you.
28 Let them be blotted out of the book of the living;
let them not be enrolled among the righteous.(Y)
29 But I am lowly and in pain;
let your salvation, O God, protect me.(Z)
30 I will praise the name of God with a song;
I will magnify him with thanksgiving.(AA)
31 This will please the Lord more than an ox
or a bull with horns and hoofs.(AB)
32 Let the oppressed see it and be glad;
you who seek God, let your hearts revive.(AC)
33 For the Lord hears the needy
and does not despise his own who are in bonds.(AD)
Psalm 69
International Standard Version
To the Director: To the tune of[a] “The Lilies”. Davidic.
When God Seems Distant
69 Deliver me, God,
because the waters are up to my neck.[b]
2 I am sinking in deep mire,
and there is no solid ground.[c]
I have come into deep water,
and the flood overwhelms me.
3 I am exhausted from calling for help.
My throat is parched.
My eyes are strained from looking for God.
4 Those who hate me without cause
are more than the hairs of my head.
My persecutors are mighty,
and they want to destroy me.
Must I be forced to return what I did not steal?
5 God, you know my sins,
and my guilt is not hidden from you.
6 Do not let those who look up to you be ashamed
because of me,
Lord God of the Heavenly Armies.
Let not those who seek you be humiliated
because of me,
God of Israel.
7 I am being mocked because of you.
Dishonor overwhelms me.
8 I am a stranger to my brothers,
a foreigner to my mother’s sons.
9 Zeal for your house consumes me,
and the mockeries of those who insult you fall on me.
10 I weep and fast,
and I am mocked for it.
11 When I dressed in sackcloth,
I became an object of gossip among them.
12 The prominent people mock me,
composing drinking songs.
Seeking God for Deliverance
13 As for me, Lord, may my prayer to you come at a favorable time.
God, in the abundance of your gracious love,
answer me with your sure deliverance.
14 Rescue me from the mud
and do not let me sink.
Rescue me from those who hate me,
and from the deep waters.
15 Let neither the floodwaters overwhelm me
nor let the deep swallow me up,
nor the mouth of the well close over me.
16 Answer me, Lord, for your gracious love is good;
Turn to me in keeping with your great compassion,
17 and[d] do not ignore your servant,
because I am in distress.
Hurry to answer me!
18 Draw near and redeem me;
ransom me because of my enemies.
19 Truly you know my reproach, shame, and disgrace.
All my enemies are known to[e] you.
20 Insults broke my heart.
I despaired and looked for sympathy;
but there was none,
for comforters, but I found none.
21 They put poison in my food,
in my thirst they forced me to drink vinegar.
22 May their dining[f] tables entrap them,
and become a snare for their allies.
23 May their eyes be blinded
and may their bodies tremble continuously.
24 May you pour out your fury on them.
May your burning anger overtake them.
25 May their camp become desolate
and their tents remain unoccupied.
26 For they persecute those whom you have struck,
and they brag about the pain of those you have wounded.
27 May you punish them for their crimes;
may they receive no verdict of innocence[g] from you.
28 May they be erased from the Book of Life,
and their names not be written with the righteous.
29 As for me, I am afflicted and hurting;
may your deliverance, God, establish me on high.
30 Let me praise the name of God with a song
that I may magnify him with thanksgiving.
31 That will please the Lord
more than oxen and bulls with horns and hooves.
32 The afflicted will watch and rejoice.
May you who seek God take courage.
33 For the Lord listens to the needy
and doesn’t despise those in bondage.
34 Let the heavens and earth praise him,
along with the sea and its swarming creatures.[h]
35 For God will deliver Zion
and will rebuild the cities of Judah
so they may live there and possess them.
36 The descendants of his servants will inherit it,
and those who cherish his name will live there.
Footnotes
- Psalm 69:1 Lit. According to
- Psalm 69:1 Lit. soul
- Psalm 69:2 Or foothold
- Psalm 69:17 So MT; DSS 4QPsa lack and
- Psalm 69:19 Lit. are before
- Psalm 69:22 The Heb. lacks dining
- Psalm 69:27 Lit. no righteousness
- Psalm 69:34 The Heb. lacks creatures
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