一個老年人的祈禱

71 耶和華啊,我投靠了你,
求你使我永不蒙羞。
求你憑公義搭救我,
側耳聽我的懇求,拯救我。
求你成為保護我的磐石,
讓我可以隨時投靠你。
求你下令救我,
因為你是我的磐石和堡壘。
我的上帝啊,
求你從惡人手中拯救我,
從邪惡、殘暴之徒掌下拯救我。
主耶和華啊,你是我的盼望,
我從小就信靠你。
你使我出了母胎,
我從出生就依靠你,
我要永遠讚美你。
我的遭遇使許多人感到驚駭,
但你是我堅固的避難所。
我口中充滿對你的讚美,
終日述說你的榮耀。
我年老時,求你不要丟棄我;
我體力衰微時,求你不要離棄我。
10 我的仇敵議論我,
那些想殺害我的一起策劃陰謀,說:
11 「上帝已經丟棄了他。
去追趕、捉拿他吧,
因為無人會救他。」

12 上帝啊,不要遠離我;
我的上帝啊,求你快來幫助我!
13 願我的仇敵在羞辱中滅亡,
願那些害我的人抱愧蒙羞。
14 我必常常心懷盼望,
向你獻上更多的讚美。
15 雖然我無法測度你的公義和拯救之恩,
但我要終日傳揚你的作為。
16 主耶和華啊,
我要傳揚你大能的作為,
單單述說你的公義。
17 上帝啊,
我從小就受你的教導,
直到今日我仍傳揚你奇妙的作為。
18 上帝啊,
就是我年老髮白的時候,
求你也不要丟棄我,
好讓我把你的大能告訴下一代,世代相傳。
19 上帝啊,你的公義高達穹蒼,
你成就了奇妙大事。
上帝啊,有誰能像你?
20 你使我經歷了許多患難,
最終必使我重獲新生,
救我脫離死亡的深淵。
21 你必賜我更大的尊榮,
你必再次安慰我。
22 我的上帝啊,
我要彈琴讚美你的信實;
以色列的聖者啊,
我要伴隨著琴聲讚美你。
23 你救贖了我的靈魂,
我的口和靈魂都要歡呼歌頌你。
24 我要終日向人述說你的公義,
因為那些想害我的人已經蒙羞受辱。

O God, Do Not Forsake Me

71 (A)In You, O Yahweh, I have taken refuge;
Let me never be ashamed.
(B)In Your righteousness deliver me and protect me;
(C)Incline Your ear to me and save me.
(D)Be to me a rock of (E)habitation to which I may continually come;
You have given the (F)command to save me,
For You are (G)my [a]rock and my fortress.
(H)Protect me, O my God, out of the hand of the wicked,
Out of the [b]grasp of the unrighteous and ruthless man,
For You are my (I)hope;
O Lord Yahweh, You are my (J)trust from my youth.
[c]By You I have been (K)sustained from my birth;
You are He who (L)took me from my mother’s womb;
My (M)praise is continually [d]of You.

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

12 O God, (W)do not be far from me;
O my God, (X)hasten to my help!
13 Let those who accuse my soul be (Y)ashamed and consumed;
Let them be (Z)wrapped up with reproach and dishonor, who (AA)seek [g]to do me evil.
14 But as for me, I will (AB)wait continually,
And will [h](AC)praise You yet more and more.
15 My (AD)mouth shall recount Your righteousness
And (AE)Your salvation all day long;
For I (AF)do not know the [i]sum of them.
16 I will come (AG)with the mighty deeds of Lord Yahweh;
I will (AH)bring to remembrance Your righteousness, Yours alone.

17 O God, You (AI)have taught me from my youth,
And I still (AJ)declare Your wondrous deeds.
18 And even when I am (AK)old and gray, O God, do not forsake me,
Until I (AL)declare Your [j]strength to this generation,
Your might to all who are to come.
19 [k]For Your (AM)righteousness, O God, reaches to the [l]heavens,
You who have (AN)done great things;
O God, (AO)who is like You?
20 You, who have (AP)shown [m]me many troubles and [n]evils,
Will (AQ)revive [o]me again,
And will bring [p]me up again (AR)from the depths of the earth.
21 May You increase my (AS)greatness
And turn to (AT)comfort me.

22 I will also praise You with [q](AU)a harp,
Even Your [r]truth, O my God;
To You I will sing praises with the (AV)lyre,
O (AW)Holy One of Israel.
23 My lips will (AX)sing for joy when I sing praises to You;
And my (AY)soul, which You have redeemed.
24 My (AZ)tongue also will utter Your righteousness all day long;
For they are (BA)ashamed, for they are humiliated who seek [s]to do me evil.

Footnotes

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