Psalm 69

Save Me from the Deep Waters

1Save me, God,
for the waters have come up to my neck. 2I have sunk in deep mire,
where there is no foothold;
I have come into deep waters,
and the flood sweeps over me. 3I am weary with my crying;
my throat is parched.
My eyes fail
with hoping for my God.

4More than the hairs of my head
are those who hate me without cause;
mighty are those who would destroy me,
those who attack me with lies.
What I did not steal
must I now restore? 5God, you know my folly,
and my guilt is not hidden from you. 6Do not let those who hope in you
be shamed because of me,
O Lord God of hosts;
do not let those who seek you
be dishonored because of me,
O God of Israel. 7For it is for your sake
that I have borne reproach,
that shame has covered my face.

Zeal and Reproach

8I have become a stranger to my brothers,
a foreigner to my mother's sons. 9For the zeal for your house has consumed me,
and the reproaches of those who reproach you
have fallen on me. 10When I wept and humbled my soul with fasting,
it became my reproach. 11When I made sackcloth my clothing,
I became a byword to them. 12Those who sit at the gate talk about me,
and I am the song of drunkards.

Answer Me in Your Steadfast Love

13But 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 in your saving faithfulness. 14Rescue me from the mire;
do not let me sink;
deliver me from my foes
and from the depths of the waters. 15Do not let the flood sweep over me,
or the deep swallow me up,
or the pit close its mouth over me. 16Answer me, O LORD,
for your steadfast love is good;
according to your abundant mercy,
turn to me. 17Do not hide your face from your servant;
for I am in trouble,
answer me quickly. 18Draw near to my soul,
redeem it;
ransom me because of my enemies.

You Know My Reproach

19You know my reproach,
my shame, and my dishonor;
my adversaries are all known to you. 20Reproach has broken my heart,
and I am in despair.
I looked for pity, but there was none,
and for comforters, but I found none. 21They gave me poison for food,
and for my thirst,
they gave me vinegar to drink.

A Cry for Justice

22Let their table before them become a snare;
when they are at peace,
let it become a trap. 23Let their eyes be darkened,
so they cannot see,
and make their loins tremble continually. 24Pour out your anger upon them,
and let your burning wrath overtake them. 25May their camp be desolate;
let none dwell in their tents. 26For they persecute those you have struck down,
and they recount the pain
of those you have wounded. 27Add iniquity to their iniquity,
and let them not come into your righteousness. 28Let them be blotted out of the book of the living;
let them not be enrolled among the righteous.

Praise from the Afflicted

29But I am afflicted and in pain;
let your salvation, O God,
set me on high. 30I will praise the name of God with a song;
I will magnify him with thanksgiving. 31This will please the LORD more than an ox
or a bull with horns and hoofs. 32The humble shall see this and be glad;
you who seek God,
let your hearts revive. 33For the LORD hears the needy
and does not despise his own people who are prisoners.

Let Heaven and Earth Praise

34Let heaven and earth praise him,
the seas and everything that moves in them. 35For God will save Zion
and build the cities of Judah;
they shall dwell there and possess it. 36The children of his servants shall inherit it,
and those who love his name shall dwell in it.