Read the Bible

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,^[a]
    but they still insulted me.
¹¹ They sneered at me
for wearing sackcloth^[b]
    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.