Psalms

69 Save me, God—

I am drowning.

2 I am sunk in a quagmire of ooze

with no standing-ground;

I have got into the deep places in the water,

and the current sweeps me away.

3 I am exhausted with calling out; my throat is inflamed;

my eyes have given out with waiting for my God.

4 There are more of those who hate me for nothing than of hairs on my head;

those who are enemies to me on false pretexts are more numerous than my bones;

what I have not stolen I am then to give back.

5 God, you are aware of my follies,

and my delinquencies are not unknown to you:

6 Let those who hope in you not be put to shame over me,

Jehovah of Armies,

Let those who seek for you not be humiliated over me,

God of Israel,

7 For it is on your account I have borne insult,

humiliation covers my face,

8 I have been made a stranger to my brothers,

a foreigner to my mother’s sons.

9 For jealousy for your house has eaten me up,

and the insults of those who were insulting you fell on me;

10 And I mortified my flesh with fasting

and it became ignominy to me,

11 And I made a sackcloth my clothing

and became a byword of theirs;

12 Sitters in the gate made me their topic,

and beer-drinkers made jingles about me.

13 But as for me, my prayer is to you;

let there now be acceptance,

God, in your great friendliness;

answer me in your saving faithfulness.

14 Deliver me out of the mud and let me not sink in;

let me be delivered from those who hate me and from deep holes in the water,

15 Let no current of water sweep me away,

no ooze swallow me,

no well close its mouth in upon me.

16 Answer me, Jehovah, because kind is your friendliness;

turn toward me as the abundance of your sympathy would have you,

17 And do not veil your face from your servant;

because I am in distress, answer me quickly.

18 Be near my soul; stand its friend in need;

redeem me on account of my enemies.

19 you know my ignominy and shame and humiliation;

all my foemen are before your presence;

20 Insult has broken my heart,

and my case is desperate,

And I hope for condolence and there is none,

for comforters and do not find any,

21 But they have put bitter juice in the meal that was to cheer me up,

and for my thirst they give me a drink of vinegar.

22 May their table become a trap for them,

their welfare-feasts the bait on a trigger;

23 May their eyes be darkened out of seeing;

set their backs to suddenly giving way at any time;

24 Pour out your hostility over them,

and may your anger overtake them;

25 May their camping-ground be desolate

and may there be nobody to live in their tents.

26 Because they pursued those whom you had struck

and added to the pain of those whom you had stabbed,

27 Put on guilt to their guilt

and may they not have the benefit of your right-doing.

28 May they be erased from the book of life

and not written down with honest men.

29 But I am in hardship and in pain;

may your salvation, God, set me out of reach of harm.

30 I will praise God’s name in song

and proclaim his greatness in thanksgiving,

31 And it will be better to Jehovah than a beast,

a horned and hoofed steer.

32 See, humble men, and be glad;

you who invoke God, and blithe be your hearts,

33 Because Jehovah is a hearer of needy men

and does not disdain his prisoners.

34 Let sky and earth praise him,

seas and everything that stirs in them,

35 Because God will save Sion,

will rebuild the cities of Judah,

and they shall live there and have possession of it,

36 And his servants’ issue shall take it as their estate

and those who love his name shall people it.