Font Size
Psalm 69
The Voice
Psalm 69
The Voice
Psalm 69
For the worship leader. A song of David to the tune “Lilies.”[a]
This Davidic lament complains to God of enemies, false witnesses, insults, abandonment by friends and family, and even poisoning. Early Christians interpreted this psalm prophetically in order to understand Jesus’ experience in His suffering and death on the cross.
1 Reach down for me, True God; deliver me.
The waters have risen to my neck; I am going down!
2 My feet are swallowed in this murky bog;
I am sinking—there is no sturdy ground.
I am in the deep;
the floods are crashing in!
3 I am weary of howling;
my throat is scratched dry.
I still look for my God
even though my eyes fail.
4 My enemies despise me without any cause;
they outnumber the hairs on my head.
They torment me with their power;
they have absolutely no reason to hate me.
Now I am set to pay for crimes
I have never committed!
5 O True God, my foolish ways are plain before You;
my mistakes—no, nothing can be hidden from You.
6 Don’t let Your hopeful followers face disgrace because of me,
O Lord, Eternal One, Commander of heaven’s armies;
Don’t let Your seekers be shamed on account of me,
O True God of Israel.
7 I have been mocked when I stood up for You;
I cower, shamefaced.
8 You know my brothers and sisters?
They now reject me—they act as if I never existed.
I’m like a stranger to my own family.
9 And here’s why: I am consumed with You, completely devoted to protecting Your house;
when they insult You, they insult me.
10 When I mourn and discipline my soul by fasting,
they deride me.
11 And when I put on sackcloth,
they mock me.
12 Those who sit at the gate gossip about me;
I am shamed by the slurred songs of drunkards.
13 But, Eternal One, I just pray the time is right
that You would hear me. And, True God,
because You are enduring love, that You would answer.
In Your faithfulness, please, save me.
14 Pluck me from this murky bog;
don’t let it pull me down!
Pull me from this rising water;
take me away from my enemies to dry land.
15 Don’t let the flood take me under
or let me, Your servant, be swallowed into the deep
or let the yawning pit seal me in!
16 O Eternal One, hear me. Answer me. For Your enduring love is good comfort;
in Your great mercy, turn toward me.
17 Yes, shine Your face upon me, Your servant;
put an end to my anguish—don’t wait another minute.
18 Come near; rescue me!
Set me free from my enemies.
19 You know all my opponents;
You see them, see the way they treat me—
humiliating me with insults, trying to disgrace me.
20 All this ridicule has broken my heart,
killed my spirit.
I searched for sympathy, and I came up empty.
I looked for supporters, but there was no one.
21 Even more, they gave me poison for my food
and offered me only sour vinegar to drink.
22 Let them be ambushed at the dinner table,
caught in a trap when they least expect it.
23 Cloud their vision so they cannot see;
make their bodies shake, their knees knock in terror.
24 Pour out Your fiery wrath upon them!
Make a clean sweep; engulf them with Your flaming fury.
25 May their camps be bleak
with not one left in any tent.
26 Because they have persecuted the one You have struck,
add insult to those whom You have wounded.
27 Compound their sins; don’t let them off the hook!
Keep them from entering into Your mercy.
28 Blot out their names from Your book of life
so they will not be recorded alongside those who are upright before You.
29 I am living in pain; I’m suffering,
so save me, True God, and keep me safe in troubled times!
30 The name of the True God will be my song,
an uplifting tune of praise and thanksgiving!
31 My praise will please the Eternal more than if I were to sacrifice an ox
or the finest bull. (Horns, hooves, and all!)
32 Those who humbly serve will see and rejoice!
All you seekers-after-God will revive your souls!
33 The Eternal listens to the prayers of the poor
and has regard for His people held in bondage.
34 All God’s creation: join together in His praise! All heaven, all earth,
all seas, all creatures of the ocean deep!
35 The True God will save Zion
and rebuild the cities of Judah
So that His servants may own it and live there once again.
36 Their children and children’s children shall have it as their inheritance,
and those who love His name will live in it.
Footnotes
- 69:title Hebrew, shoshannim, white lily-like flowers, perhaps the melody to which the song is sung
Psalm 69
New International Version
Psalm 69
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.
Footnotes
- Psalm 69:1 In Hebrew texts 69:1-36 is numbered 69:2-37.
- Psalm 69:22 Or snare / and their fellowship become
The Voice (VOICE)
The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society 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.