Add parallel Print Page Options

(By David for the music leader. To the tune “Lilies.”)

God Can Be Trusted

Save me, God!
    I am about to drown.
I am sinking deep in the mud,
    and my feet are slipping.
I am about to be swept under
    by a mighty flood.
I am worn out from crying,
    and my throat is dry.
I have waited for you
    till my eyes are blurred.

(A) There are more people
    who hate me for no reason
than there are hairs
    on my head.
Many terrible enemies
    want to destroy me, God.
Am I supposed to give back
    something I didn't steal?
You know my foolish sins.
    Not one is hidden from you.

Lord God All-Powerful,
    ruler of Israel,
don't let me embarrass anyone
    who trusts and worships you.
It is for your sake alone
that I am insulted
    and blush with shame.
I am like a stranger
    to my relatives
and like a foreigner
    to my own family.

(B) My love for your house
    burns in me like a fire,
and when others insult you,
    they insulted me as well.
10 I cried and went without food,[a]
    but they still insulted me.
11 They sneered at me
for wearing sackcloth[b]
    to show my sorrow.
12 Rulers and judges gossip
    about me,
and drunkards make up songs
    to mock me.

13 But I pray to you, Lord.
    So when the time is right,
answer me and help me
    with your wonderful love.
14 Don't let me sink in the mud,
but save me from my enemies
    and from the deep water.
15 Don't let me be
    swept away by a flood
    or drowned in the ocean
    or swallowed by death.

16 Answer me, Lord!
    You are kind and good.
Pay attention to me!
    You are truly merciful.
17 Don't turn away from me.
I am your servant,
    and I am in trouble.
Please hurry and help!
18 Come and save me
    from my enemies.

19 You know how I am insulted,
    mocked, and disgraced;
you know every one
    of my enemies.
20 I am crushed by insults,
    and I feel sick.
I had hoped for mercy and pity,
    but there was none.
21 (C) Enemies poisoned my food,
and when I was thirsty,
    they gave me vinegar.

22 (D) Make their table a trap
    for them and their friends.
23 Blind them with darkness
    and make them tremble.
24 Show them how angry you are!
    Be furious and catch them.
25 (E) Destroy their camp
and don't let anyone live
    in their tents.

26 They cause trouble for people
    you have already punished;
their gossip hurts those
    you have wounded.
27 Make them guiltier than ever
    and don't forgive them.
28 (F) Wipe their names from the book
    of the living;
remove them from the list
    of the innocent.
29 I am mistreated and in pain.
Protect me, God,
    and keep me safe!

30 I will praise the Lord God
with a song
    and a thankful heart.
31 This will please the Lord
better than offering an ox
    or a full-grown bull.
32 When those in need see this,
    they will be happy,
and the Lord's worshipers
    will be encouraged.
33 The Lord will listen
    when the homeless cry out,
and he will never forget
    his people in prison.

34 Heaven and earth
    will praise our God,
and so will the oceans
    and everything in them.
35 God will rescue Jerusalem,
and he will rebuild
    the towns of Judah.
His people will live there
    on their own land,
36 and when the time comes,
their children will inherit
    the land.
Then everyone who loves God
    will also settle there.

Footnotes

  1. 69.10 went without food: See the note at 35.13.
  2. 69.11 sackcloth: See the note at 30.11.

Psalm 69[a]

For the director of music. To the tune of “Lilies.” Of David.

Save me, O God,
    for the waters(A) have come up to my neck.(B)
I sink in the miry depths,(C)
    where there is no foothold.
I have come into the deep waters;
    the floods engulf me.
I am worn out calling for help;(D)
    my throat is parched.
My eyes fail,(E)
    looking for my God.
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.

You, God, know my folly;(J)
    my guilt is not hidden from you.(K)

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.
For I endure scorn(L) for your sake,(M)
    and shame covers my face.(N)
I am a foreigner to my own family,
    a stranger to my own mother’s children;(O)
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)

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 69:1 In Hebrew texts 69:1-36 is numbered 69:2-37.
  2. Psalm 69:22 Or snare / and their fellowship become