A Cry for Help
For the director of music. To the tune of “Lilies.” A psalm of David.
69 God, ·save me [give me victory],
because the water has risen to my neck [C the waters of chaos].
2 I’m sinking down into the ·mud [mire],
and there is nothing to stand on.
I ·am in deep water [have come into the depths of the waters],
and the flood ·covers [overwhelms] me.
3 I am ·tired [exhausted] from calling for help;
my throat is ·sore [dry].
My eyes are ·tired [worn out] from ·waiting [hoping]
for God to help me.
4 There are more people who hate me for no reason than hairs on my head;
·powerful [or many] enemies want to destroy me for no reason.
They make me ·pay back [return]
what I did not steal.
5 God, you know ·what I have done wrong [my foolishness];
I cannot hide my guilt from you.
6 Lord God ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts],
do not let those who ·hope in [wait for] you be ashamed because of me.
God of Israel,
do not let ·your worshipers [L those who seek you] be disgraced because of me.
7 For you, I carry this ·shame [reproach; scorn],
and my face is covered with disgrace.
8 I am like a stranger to my closest relatives
and a foreigner to my mother’s children.
9 My ·strong love [jealousy; passion; zeal] for your ·Temple [L house] ·completely controls [L consumes] me [John 2:17].
·When people insult you, it hurts me [L The reproaches/scorn of those who reproach/scorn you fall on me; Rom. 15:3].
10 When I ·cry [weep] and fast,
they ·make fun of [reproach; scorn] me.
11 When I wear ·rough cloth [sackcloth; burlap; C a sign of grief],
·they joke about me [L I am a byword/proverb/joke to them].
12 ·They make fun of me in public places [L Those who sit in the gate complain about me],
and the drunkards make up songs about me.
13 But I pray to you, Lord, ·for favor [or at an appropriate time].
God, because of your great ·love [loyalty], answer me.
You are ·truly able [faithful] to ·save [give victory].
14 ·Pull [Protect] me from the ·mud [mire],
and do not let me sink.
·Save [Protect] me from those who hate me
and from the deep water.
15 Do not let the flood ·drown [overwhelm] me
or the deep water swallow me
or the ·grave [L pit] close its mouth over me.
16 Lord, answer me because your ·love [loyalty] is so good.
Because of your ·great kindness [abundant compassion], turn to me.
17 Do not hide your face from me, your servant.
I am in ·trouble [distress]. Hurry to ·help [L answer] me!
18 Come near and ·save [ransom] me;
·rescue [redeem] me from my enemies.
19 You ·see [know] my ·shame [reproach; scorn] and disgrace.
·You know all my enemies and what they have said [L The humiliation of all my foes is before you].
20 ·Insults [Reproach; Scorn] have broken my heart
and ·left me weak [I am depressed].
I ·looked [hoped; waited] for ·sympathy [pity; consolation], but there was none;
I found no one to comfort me.
21 They ·put [L gave me] poison in my food
and gave me vinegar to drink for my thirst [Matt. 27:48; Mark 15:23, 36; Luke 23:36; John 19:29].
22 Let their ·own feasts cause their ruin [L table be a snare before them];
·let their feasts trap them and pay them back [or a trap for their friends].
23 Let their eyes be ·closed [L darkened] so they cannot see
and their ·backs [L loins] ·be forever weak from troubles [L tremble all the time].
24 Pour your ·anger [wrath] out on them;
let your anger ·catch up with [overtake] them.
25 May their ·place [camp] be ·empty [desolate];
leave no one to live in their tents.
26 They ·chase after [persecute; pursue] those you have ·hurt [struck],
and they talk about the pain of those you have wounded.
27 Charge them with ·crime after crime [L guilt on guilt],
and do not ·let them have anything good [vindicate them].
28 ·Wipe [Blot] their names from the book of life [C kill them],
and do not ·list them [write them down] with those who ·do what is right [are righteous].
29 I am ·sad [afflicted] and ·hurting [in pain].
God, ·save me [give me victory] and ·protect me [give me refuge].
30 I will praise ·God [L the name of God] in a song
and will ·honor [magnify] him by giving thanks.
31 That will please the Lord more than ·offering him cattle [L an ox],
more than sacrificing a bull with horns and hoofs.
32 Poor people will see this and be glad [C offering an ox or bull is expensive].
·Be encouraged, you who worship God [The hearts of those who seek God will be enlivened].
33 The Lord listens to those in need
and does not ·look down on [despise] ·captives [prisoners].
34 Heaven and earth should praise him,
the seas and ·everything in them [L all that swarms in them].
35 God will ·save Jerusalem [L give Zion victory; C the location of the Temple]
and rebuild the cities of Judah.
Then people will live there and own the land.
36 The ·descendants [L seed] of his servants will inherit that land,
and those who love ·him [L his name] will live there.