一个老年人的祈祷

71 耶和华啊,我投靠了你,
求你使我永不蒙羞。
求你凭公义搭救我,
侧耳听我的恳求,拯救我。
求你成为保护我的磐石,
让我可以随时投靠你。
求你下令救我,
因为你是我的磐石和堡垒。
我的上帝啊,
求你从恶人手中拯救我,
从邪恶、残暴之徒掌下拯救我。
主耶和华啊,你是我的盼望,
我从小就信靠你。
你使我出了母胎,
我从出生就依靠你,
我要永远赞美你。
我的遭遇使许多人感到惊骇,
但你是我坚固的避难所。
我口中充满对你的赞美,
终日述说你的荣耀。
我年老时,求你不要丢弃我;
我体力衰微时,求你不要离弃我。
10 我的仇敌议论我,
那些想杀害我的一起策划阴谋,说:
11 “上帝已经丢弃了他。
去追赶、捉拿他吧,
因为无人会救他。”

12 上帝啊,不要远离我;
我的上帝啊,求你快来帮助我!
13 愿我的仇敌在羞辱中灭亡,
愿那些害我的人抱愧蒙羞。
14 我必常常心怀盼望,
向你献上更多的赞美。
15 虽然我无法测度你的公义和拯救之恩,
但我要终日传扬你的作为。
16 主耶和华啊,
我要传扬你大能的作为,
单单述说你的公义。
17 上帝啊,
我从小就受你的教导,
直到今日我仍传扬你奇妙的作为。
18 上帝啊,
就是我年老发白的时候,
求你也不要丢弃我,
好让我把你的大能告诉下一代,世代相传。
19 上帝啊,你的公义高达穹苍,
你成就了奇妙大事。
上帝啊,有谁能像你?
20 你使我经历了许多患难,
最终必使我重获新生,
救我脱离死亡的深渊。
21 你必赐我更大的尊荣,
你必再次安慰我。
22 我的上帝啊,
我要弹琴赞美你的信实;
以色列的圣者啊,
我要伴随着琴声赞美你。
23 你救赎了我的灵魂,
我的口和灵魂都要欢呼歌颂你。
24 我要终日向人述说你的公义,
因为那些想害我的人已经蒙羞受辱。

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

God’s Help in Old Age

71 Lord, I seek refuge in you;
let me never be disgraced.(A)
In your justice, rescue and deliver me;
listen closely to me and save me.(B)
Be a rock of refuge for me,
where I can always go.
Give the command to save me,
for you are my rock and fortress.(C)
Deliver me, my God, from the power of the wicked,
from the grasp of the unjust and oppressive.(D)
For you are my hope, Lord God,
my confidence from my youth.(E)
I have leaned on you from birth;
you took me from my mother’s womb.(F)
My praise is always about you.(G)
I am like a miraculous sign to many,
and you are my strong refuge.(H)
My mouth is full of praise
and honour to you all day long.(I)

Don’t discard me in my old age.
As my strength fails, do not abandon me.(J)
10 For my enemies talk about me,
and those who spy on me plot together,(K)
11 saying, ‘God has abandoned him;
chase him and catch him,
for there is no one to rescue him.’(L)
12 God, do not be far from me;
my God, hurry to help me.(M)
13 May my adversaries be disgraced and destroyed;
may those who intend to harm me
be covered with disgrace and humiliation.(N)
14 But I will hope continually
and will praise you more and more.(O)
15 My mouth will tell about your righteousness
and your salvation all day long,
though I cannot sum them up.(P)
16 I come because of the mighty acts of the Lord God;
I will proclaim your righteousness, yours alone.(Q)

17 God, you have taught me from my youth,
and I still proclaim your wondrous works.(R)
18 Even while I am old and grey,
God, do not abandon me,(S)
while I proclaim your power
to another generation,
your strength to all who are to come.(T)
19 Your righteousness reaches the heights, God,
you who have done great things;
God, who is like you?(U)
20 You caused me to experience
many troubles and misfortunes,(V)
but you will revive me again.(W)
You will bring me up again,
even from the depths of the earth.(X)
21 You will increase my honour
and comfort me once again.(Y)
22 Therefore, I will praise you with a harp
for your faithfulness, my God;
I will sing to you with a lyre,
Holy One of Israel.(Z)
23 My lips will shout for joy
when I sing praise to you
because you have redeemed me.(AA)
24 Therefore, my tongue will proclaim
your righteousness all day long,
for those who intend to harm me
will be disgraced and confounded.(AB)