69:31 That will please the Lord more than an ox or a bull
with horns and hooves.
69:32 The oppressed look on – let them rejoice!
You who seek God, 1 may you be encouraged! 2
69:33 For the Lord listens to the needy;
he does not despise his captive people. 3
69:34 Let the heavens and the earth praise him,
along with the seas and everything that swims in them!
69:35 For God will deliver Zion
and rebuild the cities of Judah,
and his people 4 will again live in them and possess Zion. 5
69:36 The descendants of his servants will inherit it,
and those who are loyal to him 6 will live in it. 7
1 sn You who seek God refers to those who seek to have a relationship with God by obeying and worshiping him (see Ps 53:2).
2 tn Heb “may your heart[s] live.” See Ps 22:26.
3 tn Heb “his prisoners he does not despise.”
4 tn Heb “they”; the referent (God’s people) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
5 tn Heb “it.” The third feminine singular pronominal suffix probably refers to “Zion” (see Pss 48:12; 102:14); thus the referent has been specified in the translation for clarity.
6 tn Heb “the lovers of his name.” The phrase refers to those who are loyal to God (cf. v. 35). See Pss 5:11; 119:132; Isa 56:6.
7 sn Verses 35-36 appear to be an addition to the psalm from the time of the exile. The earlier lament reflects an individual’s situation, while these verses seem to reflect a communal application of it.