Read the Bible

¹ God, save me from all my troubles!
    The rising water has reached my neck.
² I have nothing to stand on.
    I am sinking down, down into the mud.
I am in deep water,
    and the waves are about to cover me.
³ I am getting weak from calling for help.
    My throat is sore.
I have waited and looked for your help
    until my eyes are hurting.
⁴ I have more enemies than the hairs on my head.
    They hate me for no reason.
    They try hard to destroy me.
My enemies tell lies about me.
    They say I stole from them
    and they demand that I pay for things I did not steal.
⁵ God, you know my faults.
    I cannot hide my sins from you.
⁶ My Lord God All-Powerful, don't let me embarrass your followers.
    God of Israel, don't let me bring disgrace to those who worship you.
⁷ My face is covered with shame.
    I carry this shame for you.
⁸ My own brothers treat me like a stranger.
    They act as if I came from a foreign land.
⁹ My strong devotion to your Temple is destroying me.
    Those who insult you are also insulting me.
¹⁰ When I spend time crying and fasting,
    they make fun of me.
¹¹ When I wear sackcloth to show my sorrow,
    they tell jokes about me.
¹² They talk about me in public places.
    The beer drinkers make up songs about me.
¹³ As for me, Lord, this is my prayer to you:
    Please accept me!
God, I want you to answer me with love.
    I know I can trust you to save me.
¹⁴ Pull me from the mud,
    and don't let me sink down deeper.
Save me from those who hate me.
    Save me from this deep water.
¹⁵ Don't let the waves drown me.
    Don't let the deep sea swallow me
    or the grave close its mouth on me.
¹⁶ Answer me, Lord, from the goodness of your faithful love.
    Out of your great kindness turn to me and help me!
¹⁷ Don't turn away from your servant.
    I am in trouble, so hurry and help me!
¹⁸ Come save my soul.
    Rescue me from my enemies.
¹⁹ You know the shame I have suffered.
    You know all my enemies.
    You saw how they humiliated me.
²⁰ I feel the pain of their insults.
    The shame makes me feel like dying!
I wanted some sympathy,
    but there was none.
I waited for someone to comfort me,
    but no one came.
²¹ They gave me poison, not food.
    They gave me vinegar, not wine.
²² Their tables are covered with food.
    Let their fellowship meals destroy them.
²³ Let them go blind and their backs become weak.
²⁴ Show them how angry you are.
    Let them feel what your anger can do.
²⁵ Make their homes empty.
    Don't let anyone live there.
²⁶ They try to hurt people you have already punished.
    They tell everyone about the suffering you gave them.
²⁷ Punish them for the bad things they have done.
    Don't show them how good you can be.
²⁸ Erase their names from the book of life.
    Don't let their names appear on the list of those who do what is right.
²⁹ I am sad and hurting.
    God, lift me up and save me!
³⁰ I will praise God's name in song.
    I will honor him by giving him thanks.
³¹ The Lord will be happier with this
    than with the offering of an ox or a full-grown bull as a sacrifice.
³² Poor people, you came to worship God.
    You will be happy to know these things.
³³ The Lord listens to poor, helpless people.
    He does not turn away from those who are in prison.
³⁴ Praise him, heaven and earth!
    Sea and everything in it, praise him!
³⁵ God will save Zion.
    He will rebuild the cities of Judah.
The people will settle there again and own the land.
³⁶     The descendants of his servants will get that land.
    Those who love his name will live there.