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。

Forsake Me Not When My Strength Is Spent

71 (A)In you, O Lord, do I take refuge;
    let me never be put to shame!
In your righteousness deliver me and rescue me;
    incline your ear to me, and save me!
Be to me a rock of (B)refuge,
    to which I may continually come;
you have (C)given the command to save me,
    for you are my (D)rock and my fortress.

(E)Rescue me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked,
    from the grasp of the unjust and cruel man.
For you, O Lord, are my (F)hope,
    my trust, O Lord, from my youth.
Upon you I have leaned (G)from before my birth;
    you are he who (H)took me from my mother's womb.
My praise is continually of you.

I have been as (I)a portent to many,
    but you are my strong refuge.
My (J)mouth is filled with your praise,
    and with your glory all the day.
(K)Do not cast me off in the time of old age;
    forsake me not when my strength is spent.
10 For my enemies speak concerning me;
    those who (L)watch for my life (M)consult together
11 and say, “God has forsaken him;
    pursue and seize him,
    for there is none to deliver him.”

12 O God, be not (N)far from me;
    O my God, (O)make haste to help me!
13 May my accusers be (P)put to shame and consumed;
    (Q)with scorn and disgrace may they be covered
    who (R)seek my hurt.
14 But I will (S)hope continually
    and will (T)praise you yet more and more.
15 My (U)mouth will tell of your righteous acts,
    of your deeds of salvation all the day,
    for (V)their number is past my knowledge.
16 With the mighty deeds of the Lord God I will come;
    I will remind them of your righteousness, yours alone.

17 O God, from my youth you have taught me,
    and I still proclaim your wondrous deeds.
18 So even to (W)old age and gray hairs,
    O God, (X)do not forsake me,
until I proclaim your might to another generation,
    your power to all those to come.
19 Your (Y)righteousness, O God,
    reaches the high heavens.
You who have done (Z)great things,
    O God, (AA)who is like you?
20 You who have (AB)made me see many troubles and calamities
    will (AC)revive me again;
from the depths of the earth
    you will bring me up again.
21 You will increase my greatness
    and comfort me again.

22 I will also praise you with (AD)the harp
    for your faithfulness, O my God;
I will sing praises to you with the lyre,
    O (AE)Holy One of Israel.
23 My lips will shout for joy,
    when I sing praises to you;
    my soul also, which you have (AF)redeemed.
24 And my (AG)tongue will talk of your righteous help all the day long,
for they have been (AH)put to shame and disappointed
    who sought to do me hurt.

God the Rock of Salvation

71 In (A)You, O Lord, I put my trust;
Let me never be put to shame.
(B)Deliver me in Your righteousness, and cause me to escape;
(C)Incline Your ear to me, and save me.
(D)Be my [a]strong refuge,
To which I may resort continually;
You have given the (E)commandment to save me,
For You are my rock and my fortress.

(F)Deliver me, O my God, out of the hand of the wicked,
Out of the hand of the unrighteous and cruel man.
For You are (G)my hope, O Lord God;
You are my trust from my youth.
(H)By You I have been [b]upheld from birth;
You are He who took me out of my mother’s womb.
My praise shall be continually of You.

(I)I have become as a wonder to many,
But You are my strong refuge.
Let (J)my mouth be filled with Your praise
And with Your glory all the day.

Do not cast me off in the time of old age;
Do not forsake me when my strength fails.
10 For my enemies speak against me;
And those who lie in wait for my life (K)take counsel together,
11 Saying, “God has forsaken him;
Pursue and take him, for there is none to deliver him.

12 (L)O God, do not be far from me;
O my God, (M)make haste to help me!
13 Let them be [c]confounded and consumed
Who are adversaries of my life;
Let them be covered with reproach and dishonor
Who seek my hurt.

14 But I will hope continually,
And will praise You yet more and more.
15 My mouth shall tell of Your righteousness
And Your salvation all the day,
For I do not know their limits.
16 I will go in the strength of the Lord God;
I will make mention of Your righteousness, of Yours only.

17 O God, You have taught me from my (N)youth;
And to this day I declare Your wondrous works.
18 Now also (O)when I am old and grayheaded,
O God, do not forsake me,
Until I declare Your strength to this generation,
Your power to everyone who is to come.

19 Also (P)Your righteousness, O God, is [d]very high,
You who have done great things;
(Q)O God, who is like You?
20 (R)You, who have shown me great and severe troubles,
(S)Shall revive me again,
And bring me up again from the depths of the earth.
21 You shall increase my greatness,
And comfort me on every side.

22 Also (T)with the lute I will praise You—
And Your faithfulness, O my God!
To You I will sing with the harp,
O (U)Holy One of Israel.
23 My lips shall greatly rejoice when I sing to You,
And (V)my soul, which You have redeemed.
24 My tongue also shall talk of Your righteousness all the day long;
For they are confounded,
For they are brought to shame
Who seek my hurt.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 71:3 Lit. rock of refuge or rock of habitation
  2. Psalm 71:6 sustained from the womb
  3. Psalm 71:13 ashamed
  4. Psalm 71:19 great, lit. to the height of heaven