Psalm 71

Prayer of an Old Man for Deliverance.

1In You, O Lord, I have taken refuge;
Let me never be ashamed.
In Your righteousness deliver me and rescue me;
Incline Your ear to me and save me.
Be to me a rock of habitation to which I may continually come;
You have given commandment to save me,
For You are my [a]rock and my fortress.
Rescue me, O my God, out of the hand of the wicked,
Out of the [b]grasp of the wrongdoer and ruthless man,
For You are my hope;
O Lord [c]God, You are my confidence from my youth.
[d]By You I have been sustained from my birth;
You are He who took me from my mother’s womb;
My praise is continually [e]of You.

I have become a marvel to many,
For You are my strong refuge.
My mouth is filled with Your praise
And with Your glory all day long.
Do not cast me off in the time of old age;
Do not forsake me when my strength fails.
10 For my enemies have spoken [f]against me;
And those who watch for my [g]life have consulted together,
11 Saying, “God has forsaken him;
Pursue and seize him, for there is no one to deliver.”

12 O God, do not be far from me;
O my God, hasten to my help!
13 Let those who are adversaries of my soul be ashamed and consumed;
Let them be covered with reproach and dishonor, who seek [h]to injure me.
14 But as for me, I will hope continually,
And will [i]praise You yet more and more.
15 My mouth shall tell of Your righteousness
And of Your salvation all day long;
For I do not know the [j]sum of them.
16 I will come with the mighty deeds of the Lord [k]God;
I will make mention of Your righteousness, Yours alone.

17 O God, You have taught me from my youth,
And I still declare Your wondrous deeds.
18 And even when I am old and gray, O God, do not forsake me,
Until I declare Your [l]strength to this generation,
Your power to all who are to come.
19 [m]For Your righteousness, O God, reaches to the [n]heavens,
You who have done great things;
O God, who is like You?
20 You who have shown [o]me many troubles and distresses
Will revive [p]me again,
And will bring [q]me up again from the depths of the earth.
21 May You increase my greatness
And turn to comfort me.

22 I will also praise You with [r]a harp,
Even Your [s]truth, O my God;
To You I will sing praises with the lyre,
O Holy One of Israel.
23 My lips will shout for joy when I sing praises to You;
And my soul, which You have redeemed.
24 My tongue also will utter Your righteousness all day long;
For they are ashamed, for they are humiliated who seek [t]my hurt.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 71:3 Or crag
  2. Psalm 71:4 Lit palm
  3. Psalm 71:5 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
  4. Psalm 71:6 Lit Upon You I have been supported
  5. Psalm 71:6 Lit in
  6. Psalm 71:10 Lit with reference to
  7. Psalm 71:10 Lit soul
  8. Psalm 71:13 Lit my injury
  9. Psalm 71:14 Lit add upon all Your praise
  10. Psalm 71:15 Lit numbers
  11. Psalm 71:16 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
  12. Psalm 71:18 Lit arm
  13. Psalm 71:19 Or And
  14. Psalm 71:19 Lit height
  15. Psalm 71:20 Another reading is us
  16. Psalm 71:20 Another reading is us
  17. Psalm 71:20 Another reading is us
  18. Psalm 71:22 Lit an instrument of a harp
  19. Psalm 71:22 Or faithfulness
  20. Psalm 71:24 Or to injure me