1 Save me, O God,
for the waters have come up to my neck. |
2 I sink in the miry depths,
where there is no foothold.
I have come into the deep waters;
the floods engulf me. |
3 I am worn out calling for help;
my throat is parched.
My eyes fail,
looking for my God. |
4 Those who hate me without reason
outnumber the hairs of my head;
many are my enemies without cause,
those who seek to destroy me.
I am forced to restore
what I did not steal. |
5 You know my folly, O God;
my guilt is not hidden from you. |
6 May those who hope in you
not be disgraced because of me,
O Lord, the LORD Almighty;
may those who seek you
not be put to shame because of me,
O God of Israel. |
7 For I endure scorn for your sake,
and shame covers my face. |
8 I am a stranger to my brothers,
an alien to my own mother's sons; |
9 for zeal for your house consumes me,
and the insults of those who insult you fall on me. |
10 When I weep and fast,
I must endure scorn; |
11 when I put on sackcloth,
people make sport of me. |
12 Those who sit at the gate mock me,
and I am the song of the drunkards. |
13 But I pray to you, O LORD ,
in the time of your favor;
in your great love, 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. |
15 Do not let the floodwaters engulf me
or the depths swallow me up
or the pit close its mouth over me. |
16 Answer me, O LORD , out of the goodness of your love;
in your great mercy turn to me. |
17 Do not hide your face from your servant;
answer me quickly, for I am in trouble. |
18 Come near and rescue me;
redeem me because of my foes. |
19 You know how I am scorned, 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, but I found none. |
21 They put gall in my food
and gave me vinegar for my thirst. |
22 May the table set before them become a snare;
may it become retribution and1 69:22 Or snare / and their fellowship become a trap. |
23 May their eyes be darkened so they cannot see,
and their backs be bent forever. |
24 Pour out your wrath on them;
let your fierce anger overtake them. |
25 May their place be deserted;
let there be no one to dwell in their tents. |
26 For they persecute those you wound
and talk about the pain of those you hurt. |
27 Charge them with crime upon crime;
do not let them share in your salvation. |
28 May they be blotted out of the book of life
and not be listed with the righteous. |
29 I am in pain and distress;
may your salvation, O God, protect me. |
30 I will praise God's name in song
and glorify him with thanksgiving. |
31 This will please the LORD more than an ox,
more than a bull with its horns and hoofs. |
32 The poor will see and be glad-
you who seek God, may your hearts live! |
33 The LORD hears the needy
and does not despise his captive people. |
34 Let heaven and earth praise him,
the seas and all that move in them, |
35 for God will save Zion
and rebuild the cities of Judah.
Then people will settle there and possess it; |
36 the children of his servants will inherit it,
and those who love his name will dwell there. |
