Zaburi 69

Rescue me from the deep waters

¹For the music director. On shoshannim. Of David. ²Rescue me, God, \q for the water has risen to my throat. ³I am sinking in deep mud with nothing to stand on; \q I have gone down into deep water, and the current is carrying me away. ⁴I am exhausted from calling out; my throat is burning dry. \q My eyes have grown dim \q from watching for my God. ⁵There are more people hating me for no reason than hairs on my head; \q strong are the ones who seek my ruin, my enemies with their lies. \q Am I to repay what I never took? ⁶God, you know my foolishness; \q none of my guilt is hidden from you. ⁷May no one who waits for you be shamed through me, Lord GOD of Armies; \q may no one who seeks you be humiliated through me, \q God of Israel. ⁸Because of you I have carried scorn; \q humiliation covers my face. ⁹My own brothers treat me as a stranger; \q to my mother’s sons I am an outsider. ¹⁰Passion for your house burns me up, \q and the taunts aimed at you have landed on me. ¹¹I wept and went without food, \q and for that they mocked me. ¹²When I put on sackcloth for clothing, \q they made me the butt of their sayings. ¹³The people who sit at the city gate gossip about me, \q and drunkards sing songs mocking me. ¹⁴But as for me, I pray to you, LORD, at a time you will accept; \q God, in your great loyal love, \q answer me with your faithful rescue. ¹⁵Pull me out of the mud, and do not let me go under; \q let me be snatched away from those who hate me, out of the deep water. ¹⁶Do not let the flood waters wash over me or the deep gulp me down, \q or the pit shut its mouth on me. ¹⁷Answer me, LORD, because your loyal love is good; \q in your great compassion, turn toward me. ¹⁸Do not turn away from me, your servant; \q I am hard pressed, so be quick to answer me. ¹⁹Come close to me and buy me back; \q set me free because of my enemies. ²⁰You know the scorn I bear, my shame and my disgrace; \q every one of my enemies is in your sight. ²¹Scorn has broken my heart, leaving me sick; \q I hoped someone would pity me, but no one did, \q that someone would comfort me, but there was no one to be found. ²²They put bitter poison into my food, \q and for my thirst they handed me sour wine. ²³May the meal set before them become a trap for them, \q a snare when they feel secure.^{a 24}May their eyes grow dim until they cannot see; \q make their bodies tremble without end. ²⁵Pour your fury out on them; \q let your blazing anger catch up with them. ²⁶Let their camp become a wasteland, \q with nobody living in their tents. ²⁷For they chase down the one you have struck, \q and gossip about the pain of the people you have wounded. ²⁸Add guilt to their guilt; \q let them have no share in your saving justice. ²⁹May their names be erased from the book of life, \q never to be entered with the righteous. ³⁰But I am poor and hurting; \q let your saving help, God, lift me up to safety. ³¹With a song I will praise God’s name \q and proclaim his greatness with thanksgiving. ³²That will delight the LORD more than an ox \q or a young bull with full-grown horns and hooves. ³³The humble will see it and be glad; \q you who seek God, take heart and live! ³⁴For the LORD hears the poor \q and does not look down on his people in chains. ³⁵Let the heavens and the earth praise him, \q the seas and all that swarms in them. ³⁶For God will rescue Zion and build up Judah’s towns again; \q his people will live there and hold it as their own, ³⁷the descendants of his servants will receive it as their inheritance, \q and all who love his name will make their home in it.