69:1KJV Save me, O God; for the waters are come in unto my soul.
B:E Project Save me, God — the water has closed in right over my soul.
Context: Psalm 69 is an intense lament (with imprecatory sections later) traditionally attributed to David; it opens by plunging straight into crisis using drowning as a metaphor for being overwhelmed.
Meaning: This is one of the Bible's most vivid images for feeling overwhelmed — not just a bad day, but a sense of being submerged by circumstances beyond your control. It gives permission to name that feeling plainly, without dressing it up.
Lesson: When you feel like you're going under, I don't ask you to pretend you're fine. Cry out honestly — that's the first step towards help, not a sign of weakness.
See Also: Psalm 42:7 (deep calls unto deep, similar flood imagery); Jonah 2:3 (Jonah describes being engulfed by waters in crisis).
69:2KJV I sink in deep mire, where there is no standing: I am come into deep waters, where the floods overflow me.
B:E Project I'm sinking into deep mud with no solid ground to stand on; I've gone into deep water and the flood is drowning me.
Context: Continues the sinking/drowning imagery of verse 1, painting a picture of a situation offering no foothold and no escape.
Meaning: Mire is powerful imagery because, unlike open water, struggling in mud just makes you sink further. It captures situations where trying harder alone makes things worse, and outside help becomes essential.
Lesson: Some struggles you cannot climb out of by sheer effort. I want you to know it isn't failure to admit you're stuck and need something bigger than yourself to pull you free.
See Also: Psalm 40:2 (God lifting the psalmist out of a miry pit); Jeremiah 38:6 (Jeremiah literally sunk in mire in a cistern).
69:3KJV I am weary of my crying: my throat is dried: mine eyes fail while I wait for my God.
B:E Project I'm worn out from calling for help; my throat is raw, and my eyes are exhausted from watching and waiting for my God.
Context: The psalmist describes the physical toll of prolonged, unanswered crying-out during this crisis.
Meaning: This names something rarely admitted: waiting on hope is exhausting, and faith doesn't erase fatigue. It normalises the weariness of hoping for a long time without answers.
Lesson: I don't expect endless enthusiasm from you. Tiredness in the waiting is honest, and it doesn't mean your hope has failed — keep watching, even wearily.
See Also: Psalm 6:6 (weeping enough to soak the bed); Isaiah 40:31 (renewed strength for those who wait).
69:4KJV They that hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of mine head: they that would destroy me, being mine enemies wrongfully, are mighty: then I restored that which I took not away.
B:E Project The people who hate me for no reason outnumber the hairs on my head; my enemies who want to destroy me are powerful, even though I've done nothing to deserve it — I even had to pay back things I never stole.
Context: The psalmist protests his innocence amid overwhelming, unjustified hostility; this verse's phrase is later applied to Jesus in the Gospels.
Meaning: This is about being punished disproportionately to any actual wrong — even being forced to answer for things you didn't do. It validates the deep injustice of being blamed unfairly.
Lesson: When you're accused of things you didn't do, I understand that ache better than anyone. Stay honest and don't let unjust hatred turn you bitter or vengeful in return.
See Also: John 15:25 (Jesus quotes 'they hated me without a cause' of himself); 1 Peter 2:22-23 (Jesus suffered unjustly without retaliating).
69:5KJV O God, thou knowest my foolishness; and my sins are not hid from thee.
B:E Project God, you know my mistakes and failures — my wrongs aren't hidden from you.
Context: A moment of honest self-examination within the lament — the psalmist isn't claiming total innocence, only innocence regarding this specific persecution.
Meaning: This shows real maturity: acknowledging personal faults even while protesting unjust treatment. You can be wrongly persecuted for one thing while still owning your actual failures elsewhere.
Lesson: Being honest about your own faults doesn't cancel out real injustice done to you — you can hold both truths at once. I want honesty with yourself, not blind self-defence or false guilt.
See Also: Psalm 19:12 (asking to be cleansed from hidden faults); 1 John 1:8-9 (confessing sin honestly).
69:6KJV Let not them that wait on thee, O Lord GOD of hosts, be ashamed for my sake: let not those that seek thee be confounded for my sake, O God of Israel.
B:E Project Lord, don't let those who trust you be embarrassed because of what happens to me; don't let those who seek you be humiliated on my account.
Context: The psalmist widens his concern beyond himself, worried his suffering might discourage others who trust God.
Meaning: This reflects a human, relational fear: that our personal struggles might damage other people's hope. It's the concern of someone who feels responsible to a wider community.
Lesson: Your pain doesn't exist in isolation — I know you sometimes worry it will let others down. But trust that honesty about struggle strengthens community more than pretending everything is fine.
See Also: Romans 15:3 (Paul applies this psalm to Christ bearing reproach for others); 1 Corinthians 12:26 (if one part suffers, all suffer together).
69:7KJV Because for thy sake I have borne reproach; shame hath covered my face.
B:E Project I've been mocked because of my devotion to you; shame covers my whole face.
Context: The psalmist links his suffering directly to loyalty to God — scorned specifically because of his faith, not wrongdoing.
Meaning: This names the real cost some people pay for standing by their convictions — ridicule not for a mistake, but for what they believe. It validates that this kind of suffering is genuinely painful.
Lesson: Being mocked for what you stand for hurts, and I never ask you to pretend it doesn't. Real conviction sometimes costs you comfort — but it's not shame in my eyes.
See Also: Matthew 5:11 (blessed when reviled for righteousness); 1 Peter 4:14 (reproached for the name of Christ).
69:8KJV I am become a stranger unto my brethren, and an alien unto my mother’s children.
B:E Project I've become like an outsider to my own brothers, a stranger to my own mother's children.
Context: The isolation deepens — even his own family have distanced themselves from him because of his devotion and troubles.
Meaning: Family rejection is one of the most painful forms of isolation, and this verse names it directly. It speaks to anyone cut off by the people who should be closest to them.
Lesson: I know what it is to be misunderstood by your own family — people close to me thought I'd lost my mind too. You are not alone in that particular loneliness.
See Also: Mark 3:21 (Jesus' own family thought he was out of his mind); John 7:5 (even his brothers didn't believe in him).
69:9KJV For the zeal of thine house hath eaten me up; and the reproaches of them that reproached thee are fallen upon me.
B:E Project My passionate devotion to your house has consumed me, and the insults aimed at you have landed on me instead.
Context: A pivotal verse — the psalmist's intense loyalty to God's honour brings personal cost, and this line is directly quoted of Jesus in the New Testament.
Meaning: This describes what it costs to care deeply about something bigger than yourself — you absorb hostility really aimed at the cause you represent. It's the price of genuine passion.
Lesson: When you stand up for what matters, expect to take some of the heat meant for the cause itself. I did exactly that, and it's a mark of real love, not foolishness.
See Also: John 2:17 (disciples recall this verse when Jesus clears the temple); Romans 15:3 (applied to Christ bearing others' reproaches).
69:10KJV When I wept, and chastened my soul with fasting, that was to my reproach.
B:E Project When I cried and disciplined myself through fasting, people mocked me for it.
Context: Even the psalmist's genuine spiritual devotion becomes another target for ridicule from onlookers.
Meaning: This captures the frustrating experience of being mocked for sincere effort — when trying to do right earns scorn instead of respect.
Lesson: Don't let mockery talk you out of sincere effort towards what's right. I was laughed at for genuine devotion too — others' ridicule isn't proof you're wrong.
See Also: Nehemiah 4:1-3 (Sanballat mocks the rebuilders' sincere work); Matthew 27:29 (Jesus mocked despite doing right).
69:11KJV I made sackcloth also my garment; and I became a proverb to them.
B:E Project I wore rough sackcloth as a sign of mourning, and people turned me into a joke, a byword.
Context: Continuing the theme of public ridicule for outward signs of grief and repentance.
Meaning: 'Became a proverb' means he became a punchline — a cautionary tale in the mouths of others. It speaks to the pain of being reduced to public gossip.
Lesson: Being turned into someone else's joke is a specific kind of pain. I see you even when others reduce you to a punchline — you are more than what people say about you.
See Also: Job 30:9 (Job also became a byword/mockery); Lamentations 3:14 (became a derision to all people).
69:12KJV They that sit in the gate speak against me; and I was the song of the drunkards.
B:E Project The town leaders sitting at the gate gossip about me, and drunks make up songs mocking me.
Context: The mockery spans all levels of society, from respected elders at the city gate to drunkards in the street.
Meaning: This shows how ridicule can come from every direction, high and low society alike. It captures total social humiliation.
Lesson: When criticism comes from everywhere at once, it can feel like the whole world is against you. I know that feeling — hold onto your integrity rather than trying to win over every voice.
See Also: Lamentations 3:63 ('I am their musick' — mocked in song); Job 30:1 (mocked even by lesser men).
69:13KJV But as for me, my prayer is unto thee, O LORD, in an acceptable time: O God, in the multitude of thy mercy hear me, in the truth of thy salvation.
B:E Project But as for me, I keep praying to you, Lord — at a time when you're ready to listen — hear me because of your great mercy and true salvation.
Context: A turning point — despite all the mockery described, the psalmist redirects focus back to prayer and trust in God's mercy.
Meaning: This is the pivot from complaint to renewed hope — a deliberate choice to keep praying rather than give up, trusting there will be a right moment for an answer.
Lesson: You don't have to have everything resolved before you keep reaching out. I always have 'an acceptable time' for you, even if it isn't right now.
See Also: Isaiah 49:8 ('in an acceptable time have I heard thee'); 2 Corinthians 6:2 (Paul: 'now is the accepted time').
69:14KJV Deliver me out of the mire, and let me not sink: let me be delivered from them that hate me, and out of the deep waters.
B:E Project Pull me out of the mud, don't let me sink; rescue me from the people who hate me and from the deep water.
Context: A direct, urgent plea returning to the drowning/sinking imagery from the psalm's opening.
Meaning: The repeated mire/water imagery emphasises how central this crisis feels — the request is simple and desperate: just get me out.
Lesson: Sometimes prayer doesn't need to be eloquent — just 'get me out of this' is enough. I hear the simplest, most desperate cries as clearly as the most polished ones.
See Also: Psalm 40:2 (drawn up out of the pit and miry clay); Matthew 14:30 (Peter sinking, crying 'Lord, save me').
69:15KJV Let not the waterflood overflow me, neither let the deep swallow me up, and let not the pit shut her mouth upon me.
B:E Project Don't let the flood drown me, don't let the deep swallow me whole, and don't let the pit close its mouth over me.
Context: A triple image of destruction — flood, deep, pit — with the psalmist begging not to be permanently lost to any of them.
Meaning: Three different images for total ruin are stacked together, showing the psalmist fears not just difficulty but complete, final loss. It's a plea against being erased.
Lesson: Fear of being completely lost or forgotten is real and deep. I promise you that even your lowest point is not the end of your story.
See Also: Psalm 88:6 (cast into the lowest pit); Jonah 2:6 (the earth's bars closed on Jonah, yet he was brought up alive).
69:16KJV Hear me, O LORD; for thy lovingkindness is good: turn unto me according to the multitude of thy tender mercies.
B:E Project Answer me, Lord, because your loyal love is good; turn towards me because of your abundant tender mercy.
Context: The psalmist appeals not to his own merit but to God's character — his goodness and mercy — as the basis for being heard.
Meaning: This models asking for help based on the helper's character rather than your own worthiness — healthier than feeling you must earn rescue.
Lesson: You don't need to prove you deserve help before asking for it. Come to me because I am good, not because you've earned anything.
See Also: Psalm 86:5 ('thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive'); Lamentations 3:22-23 (mercies new every morning).
69:17KJV And hide not thy face from thy servant; for I am in trouble: hear me speedily.
B:E Project Don't turn away from me, your servant — I'm in trouble, so answer me quickly.
Context: An urgent plea for God's attention, using the biblical image of God 'hiding his face' as feeling abandoned.
Meaning: 'Hiding the face' is an ancient way of describing the painful sense that God has turned away in your time of need. The request for speed shows real urgency, not patience.
Lesson: It's alright to ask for help now, not eventually. I don't require you to be patient about pain — urgent prayers are honest prayers.
See Also: Psalm 27:9 (hide not thy face from me); Psalm 102:2 (hide not thy face in the day of trouble).
69:18KJV Draw nigh unto my soul, and redeem it: deliver me because of mine enemies.
B:E Project Come close to me and rescue me; save me because of my enemies.
Context: A plea for God's nearness, not just distant help — intimacy alongside rescue.
Meaning: This asks for more than a solution — it asks for closeness itself, recognising that presence matters as much as the fix. Sometimes what we need most is to not feel alone.
Lesson: I don't just want to solve your problems from a distance — I want to be near you in them. Ask for my presence, not only my intervention.
See Also: Psalm 34:18 (the Lord is near to the brokenhearted); James 4:8 (draw near to God and he will draw near to you).
69:19KJV Thou hast known my reproach, and my shame, and my dishonour: mine adversaries are all before thee.
B:E Project You know the insults and shame I've suffered — all my enemies are right there in front of you, you see them clearly.
Context: The psalmist reminds God that nothing about his suffering or his enemies is hidden or unnoticed.
Meaning: This is a comfort in disguise — suffering witnessed is different from suffering unseen. Even when no human notices your pain, this insists it is fully seen.
Lesson: Nothing you go through happens outside my sight. Even suffering that feels invisible to everyone else is fully known and matters to me.
See Also: Genesis 16:13 ('Thou God seest me' — Hagar in the wilderness); Psalm 56:8 (God counts every tear).
69:20KJV Reproach hath broken my heart; and I am full of heaviness: and I looked for some to take pity, but there was none; and for comforters, but I found none.
B:E Project Insults have broken my heart, and I'm overwhelmed with grief; I looked for someone to show pity, but there was no one — I looked for comforters and found none.
Context: The emotional low point of the psalm — total isolation in grief, with no human comfort available.
Meaning: This is raw, honest heartbreak — describing the search for comfort that finds nothing, a deeply relatable low point for anyone who's felt utterly alone in pain.
Lesson: I know what it is to look for comfort and find none — that loneliness was mine too, in the garden before my death. You are never as alone in that moment as it feels.
See Also: Matthew 26:40 (Jesus finds his disciples asleep, no comfort in Gethsemane); Lamentations 1:2 (she has no comforter).
69:21KJV They gave me also gall for my meat; and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.
B:E Project They gave me bitter poison instead of food, and vinegar to drink when I was thirsty.
Context: An image of cruel mockery disguised as help — offering something bitter instead of real relief; directly fulfilled at Jesus's crucifixion.
Meaning: This is cruelty compounding suffering — being offered fake comfort that's actually another insult. It's a striking detail later echoed at the crucifixion of Jesus.
Lesson: I experienced this exact cruelty myself on the cross — offered vinegar when in agony. When people mock your pain instead of easing it, know I have been there too.
See Also: Matthew 27:34, 48 (Jesus offered vinegar/gall on the cross); John 19:29 (soldiers offer vinegar to Jesus).
69:22KJV Let their table become a snare before them: and that which should have been for their welfare, let it become a trap.
B:E Project May their own feasting table become a trap for them; may the very things meant for their comfort turn into a snare.
Context: Begins the imprecatory (curse) section of this lament — the psalmist calls for his enemies' own blessings to turn against them.
Meaning: This is raw anger directed at God rather than acted out personally — wanting justice, specifically that the enemies' own comfort backfires. It's honest fury, not literal instruction.
Lesson: When you're wronged, bring your rage to me honestly rather than plotting revenge yourself. I can hold your anger safely — vengeance is mine to handle, not yours to enact.
See Also: Romans 11:9-10 (Paul quotes this verse regarding Israel's unbelief); Romans 12:19 ('vengeance is mine, saith the Lord').
69:23KJV Let their eyes be darkened, that they see not; and make their loins continually to shake.
B:E Project May their eyes go blind so they can't see, and may their bodies tremble continually.
Context: Continues the imprecatory curses, asking for physical incapacitation of the enemies.
Meaning: These extreme, visceral curses ask for total disabling of the persecutors' power to harm. They express the depth of pain and desire for justice, not a template for how to treat people who wrong us.
Lesson: Rage this intense is real, and I'd rather you shout it at me than swallow it or act on it. Naming the depth of your anger honestly is healthier than pretending it isn't there.
See Also: Romans 11:9-10 (Paul directly quotes verses 22-23); Deuteronomy 28:28-29 (similar curse language for covenant-breaking).
69:24KJV Pour out thine indignation upon them, and let thy wrathful anger take hold of them.
B:E Project Pour your fury out on them, let your burning anger overtake them.
Context: The imprecatory climax — a direct request for God's active judgement against the persecutors.
Meaning: This hands justice entirely over to God rather than the psalmist taking it into his own hands — an important distinction between expressing anger and acting on it violently.
Lesson: There's a real difference between telling me you're furious and taking revenge yourself. Give me the anger; let me be the one who judges, so it doesn't poison you.
See Also: Romans 12:19 (leave room for God's wrath, do not avenge yourselves); Psalm 79:6 (similar plea to pour out wrath on enemies).
69:25KJV Let their habitation be desolate; and let none dwell in their tents.
B:E Project May their homes become empty ruins, with no one left to live in them.
Context: A curse for total ruin of the enemies' households — this specific verse is later quoted in the New Testament regarding Judas Iscariot.
Meaning: This asks for complete downfall, generational ruin, not just personal defeat — raw grief-fuelled language rather than a model prayer to imitate casually.
Lesson: I don't ask you to pray literal curses on people who hurt you, but I do want your full honesty with me about how deeply you've been wounded.
See Also: Acts 1:20 (Peter applies this verse to Judas's fate and field); Matthew 23:38 ('your house is left unto you desolate').
69:26KJV For they persecute him whom thou hast smitten; and they talk to the grief of those whom thou hast wounded.
B:E Project They go after the very person you've already disciplined, and they gossip about the pain of those you've wounded.
Context: The psalmist's complaint sharpens — his enemies pile cruelty onto someone God was already correcting.
Meaning: This names a specific cruelty: kicking someone when they're already down, adding to suffering already present rather than showing compassion.
Lesson: Adding to someone's pain when they're already struggling is one of the clearest violations of love. I ask you instead to be gentle with people who are already hurting.
See Also: Job 6:14 (pity should be shown to the afflicted); Isaiah 42:3 (a bruised reed he will not break).
69:27KJV Add iniquity unto their iniquity: and let them not come into thy righteousness.
B:E Project Charge them with sin on top of sin — don't let them share in your righteousness or acceptance.
Context: One of the harshest lines in the psalm, asking that the enemies not be forgiven or restored.
Meaning: This is the psalm at its most severe — asking God to withhold mercy from those who showed none. It's included honestly as raw human anger, not a doctrine to be applied generally.
Lesson: I understand wanting someone who hurt you to never get off easy. But my own call is always for you to leave that judgement to me and choose forgiveness for your own freedom, even while feeling this anger.
See Also: Matthew 6:14-15 (Jesus on forgiving others); Romans 12:19-21 (overcome evil with good, leave vengeance to God).
69:28KJV Let them be blotted out of the book of the living, and not be written with the righteous.
B:E Project May they be erased from the book of the living, not listed among the righteous.
Context: The most extreme curse in the psalm — a wish for complete removal from life and from God's people, using the ancient image of a heavenly record book.
Meaning: Being 'blotted out' is the ultimate ancient curse — total exclusion. This reflects the psalmist's deepest anguish, not literal theology to apply to enemies today.
Lesson: This is the rawest edge of human anger — even wishing someone erased. I don't condemn you for feeling this in your darkest moments, but I call you towards mercy as the place where you'll actually find peace.
See Also: Exodus 32:32-33 (Moses references the book God keeps); Revelation 3:5 (the book of life in the New Testament).
69:29KJV But I am poor and sorrowful: let thy salvation, O God, set me up on high.
B:E Project But I am poor and sorrowful — let your salvation lift me up high.
Context: The tone shifts from cursing enemies back to the psalmist's own vulnerable, humble position before God.
Meaning: After the intensity of the curses, this returns to simple honesty about his own weakness and need — not pride, but a plea to be lifted from a low place.
Lesson: After anger, it's healthy to come back to your own honest need. I lift up those who admit they're low, not those who pretend they're strong.
See Also: Psalm 40:17 ('I am poor and needy, yet the Lord thinketh upon me'); Luke 1:52 (God exalts the humble).
69:30KJV I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify him with thanksgiving.
B:E Project I will praise God's name with a song, and honour him with thanksgiving.
Context: A decisive turn towards worship and gratitude, even before the crisis is fully resolved.
Meaning: This is a striking act of faith — choosing to praise before the outcome is certain, based on trust rather than results already seen.
Lesson: You don't have to wait for a happy ending to choose gratitude. Praise offered in the middle of a hard chapter is some of the most genuine kind.
See Also: Psalm 34:1 (I will bless the Lord at all times); Habakkuk 3:17-18 (rejoicing even when the fig tree doesn't blossom).
69:31KJV This also shall please the LORD better than an ox or bullock that hath horns and hoofs.
B:E Project This pleases the Lord more than offering a bull with horns and hooves.
Context: The psalmist contrasts heartfelt praise with the formal animal sacrifices of the old religious system, suggesting genuine gratitude matters more than ritual.
Meaning: This elevates sincere, personal thanksgiving above mere ritual performance — a recurring biblical theme that real devotion is about the heart, not just correct outward actions.
Lesson: I care far more about what's genuinely in your heart than about performing the 'right' religious motions. Honest gratitude means more to me than any formality.
See Also: 1 Samuel 15:22 (obedience better than sacrifice); Hosea 6:6 ('I desired mercy, and not sacrifice').
69:32KJV The humble shall see this, and be glad: and your heart shall live that seek God.
B:E Project Humble people will see this and be glad; those who seek God, take heart.
Context: The psalmist anticipates that his eventual rescue and praise will encourage other struggling, humble people watching.
Meaning: This turns personal testimony into communal encouragement — one person's deliverance becomes hope-fuel for others in similar situations.
Lesson: Your story of getting through hardship isn't just for you — it can genuinely encourage someone else who's watching and struggling too. Let your honesty become someone else's hope.
See Also: Psalm 34:2 (the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad); 2 Corinthians 1:4 (comforting others with the comfort we've received).
69:33KJV For the LORD heareth the poor, and despiseth not his prisoners.
B:E Project The Lord listens to the poor and doesn't look down on those who are imprisoned or trapped.
Context: A statement of God's character that grounds the psalmist's hope — God's attention isn't reserved for the powerful or free.
Meaning: This challenges any idea that God favours the successful — it insists he specifically hears those with the least status or freedom, including literal prisoners.
Lesson: However trapped or powerless you feel — by circumstances, by other people, by your own mistakes — you are not beneath my attention. I hear you exactly where you are.
See Also: Luke 4:18 (Jesus' mission includes proclaiming liberty to captives); James 2:5 (God chose the poor to be rich in faith).
69:34KJV Let the heaven and earth praise him, the seas, and every thing that moveth therein.
B:E Project Let the heavens and the earth praise him, and the seas and everything moving in them.
Context: The psalm widens from personal lament to cosmic praise, calling all creation to join in worship.
Meaning: This is a dramatic zoom-out — personal pain gives way to a vision of the whole universe joining in celebration, showing hope isn't confined to one person's story.
Lesson: Your personal breakthrough connects to something much bigger than yourself. Let your relief become part of a larger celebration, not just a private sigh.
See Also: Psalm 148 (entire psalm calling all creation to praise); Psalm 96:11 (let the heavens rejoice, let the sea roar).
69:35KJV For God will save Zion, and will build the cities of Judah: that they may dwell there, and have it in possession.
B:E Project God will save Zion (Jerusalem) and rebuild the cities of Judah, so people can live there and possess the land again.
Context: A forward-looking promise of national restoration, likely written or applied during or after hardship for Jerusalem.
Meaning: The personal hope of the psalmist extends outward to hope for his whole community and nation — rebuilding what was broken, not just individual rescue.
Lesson: Real hope doesn't stop with your own relief — it extends to wanting restoration for your whole community too. I want you to care about others being rebuilt, not just yourself.
See Also: Nehemiah 2:17 (rebuilding Jerusalem's walls); Isaiah 61:4 (rebuilding the old ruins).
69:36KJV The seed also of his servants shall inherit it: and they that love his name shall dwell therein.
B:E Project The descendants of his servants will inherit this land, and those who love his name will live there.
Context: The psalm closes with a promise extending beyond the current generation, into the future for those who remain faithful.
Meaning: This closes the psalm on generational hope — the benefits of faithfulness aren't just for now but ripple forward to future generations.
Lesson: What you build in faithfulness today can outlast you and bless people you'll never meet. Live in a way that leaves a legacy worth inheriting.
See Also: Psalm 37:29 (the righteous shall inherit the land); Deuteronomy 7:9 (God's faithfulness to a thousand generations).