Psalm 69:1-36 CEV

[1] Save me, God! I am about to drown. [2] I am sinking deep in the mud, and my feet are slipping. I am about to be swept under by a mighty flood. [3] I am worn out from crying, and my throat is dry. I have waited for you till my eyes are blurred. [4] 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? [5] You know my foolish sins. Not one is hidden from you. [6] LORD God All-Powerful, ruler of Israel, don't let me embarrass anyone who trusts and worships you. [7] It is for your sake alone that I am insulted and blush with shame. [8] I am like a stranger to my relatives and like a foreigner to my own family. [9] My love for your house burns in me like a fire, and when others insulted you, they insulted me as well. [10] I cried and went without food, but they still insulted me. [11] They sneered at me for wearing sackcloth 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] Enemies poisoned my food, and when I was thirsty, they gave me vinegar. [22] 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] 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] 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.