Psalm 71
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Psalm 71
Prayer for Lifelong Protection and Help
1 In you, O Lord, I take refuge;
let me never be put to shame.(A)
2 In your righteousness deliver me and rescue me;
incline your ear to me and save me.(B)
3 Be to me a rock of refuge,
a strong fortress[a] to save me,
for you are my rock and my fortress.(C)
4 Rescue me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked,
from the grasp of the unjust and cruel.(D)
5 For you, O Lord, are my hope,
my trust, O Lord, from my youth.(E)
6 From my birth I have leaned upon you,
my protector since my mother’s womb.[b]
My praise is continually of you.(F)
7 I have been like a portent to many,
but you are my strong refuge.(G)
8 My mouth is filled with your praise
and with your glory all day long.(H)
9 Do not cast me off in the time of old age;
do not forsake me when my strength is spent.(I)
10 For my enemies speak concerning me,
and those who watch for my life consult together.(J)
11 They say, “Pursue and seize that person
whom God has forsaken,
for there is no one to deliver.”(K)
12 O God, do not be far from me;
O my God, make haste to help me!(L)
13 Let my accusers be put to shame and consumed;
let those who seek to hurt me
be covered with scorn and disgrace.(M)
14 But I will hope continually
and will praise you yet more and more.
15 My mouth will tell of your righteous acts,
of your deeds of salvation all day long,
though their number is past my knowledge.(N)
16 I will come praising the mighty deeds of the Lord God;
I will praise your righteousness, yours alone.(O)
17 O God, from my youth you have taught me,
and I still proclaim your wondrous deeds.(P)
18 So even to old age and gray hairs,
O God, do not forsake me,
until I proclaim your might
to all the generations to come.[c]
Your power(Q) 19 and your righteousness, O God,
reach the high heavens.
You who have done great things,
O God, who is like you?(R)
20 You who have made me see many troubles and calamities
will revive me again;
from the depths of the earth
you will bring me up again.(S)
21 You will increase my honor
and comfort me once again.
22 I will also praise you with the harp
for your faithfulness, O my God;
I will sing praises to you with the lyre,
O Holy One of Israel.(T)
23 My lips will shout for joy
when I sing praises to you;
my soul also, which you have rescued.(U)
24 All day long my tongue will talk of your righteous help,
for those who tried to do me harm
have been put to shame and disgraced.(V)
Psalm 71
Lexham English Bible
A Prayer to God the Rock of Refuge
71 In you, O Yahweh, I have taken refuge;
let me never be put to shame.
2 In your righteousness deliver me and rescue me;
incline your ear to me and save me.
3 Be for me a rock of refuge to resort to always;
you have ordained[a] to save me,
because you are my rock and my fortress.
4 My God, rescue me from the hand of the wicked,
from the grasp[b] of the evildoer and the oppressor,
5 because you are my hope,
O Lord Yahweh, my confidence from my youth.
6 Upon you I have leaned from birth.[c]
It was you who took[d] me from the womb of my mother.
My praise is of you continually.
7 I have become a wonder to many,
but you are my strong refuge.
8 My mouth is filled with your praise,
with your glory all the day.
9 Do not cast me away in the time of old age;
when my strength fails do not abandon me.
10 For my enemies talk concerning me,
and those who watch for my life conspire together,
11 saying, “His God has abandoned him.
Pursue and seize him, because there is no deliverer.”
12 O God, do not be far from me.
My God, hurry to help me.
13 Let them be ashamed; let them perish
who are my adversaries.[e]
Let them wrap themselves with scorn and disgrace
who seek my harm.
14 But as for me, I will hope continually
and increase your praise.
15 My mouth will tell of your righteousness,
your salvation all day long,[f]
though I do not know the full sum of them.
16 I will come in to tell the mighty deeds of Lord Yahweh.
I will make known[g] your righteousness, yours only.
17 O God, you have taught me from my youth,
and up to now I have proclaimed your wonderful deeds.
18 And even when I am old and gray,
O God, do not abandon me
until I proclaim your strength[h] to this generation,
your power to every one that comes after.
19 And your righteousness, O God, is to the height of heaven.
You who have done great things,
O God, who is like you?
20 You who have caused me[i] to see many troubles and evils,
you will again revive me.[j]
And from the depths of the earth
you will again bring me up.
21 You will increase my greatness,
and you will comfort me all around.[k]
22 On my part, I will praise you with a stringed instrument,
and your faithfulness, O my God.
I will sing praises to you with a lyre,
O Holy One of Israel.
23 My lips will sing for joy when I sing praises to you,
and my soul, which you have redeemed.
24 My tongue also
will speak of your righteousness all the day,
because they have been put to shame, because they have been humiliated
who seek my harm.
Footnotes
- Psalm 71:3 Or “commanded”
- Psalm 71:4 Literally “palm”
- Psalm 71:6 Literally “from the belly”
- Psalm 71:6 Literally “cut,” that is, the umbilical cord
- Psalm 71:13 Literally “adversaries of my soul”
- Psalm 71:15 Literally “all the day”
- Psalm 71:16 Literally “bring to remembrance”
- Psalm 71:18 Literally “arm”
- Psalm 71:20 According to the reading tradition (Qere)
- Psalm 71:20 According to the reading tradition (Qere)
- Psalm 71:21 A slightly different vocalization yields, “… comfort me again”; compare the LXX.
New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
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