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.

Give the King Your Justice

Of (AI)Solomon.

72 Give the king your (AJ)justice, O God,
    and your righteousness to the royal son!
May he (AK)judge your people with righteousness,
    and your poor with justice!
Let the mountains bear (AL)prosperity for the people,
    and the hills, in righteousness!
May he defend the cause of the poor of the people,
    give deliverance to the children of the needy,
    and crush the oppressor!

May they fear you[a] while (AM)the sun endures,
    and as long as the moon, (AN)throughout all generations!
May he be like (AO)rain that falls on (AP)the mown grass,
    like (AQ)showers that water the earth!
In his days may (AR)the righteous flourish,
    and (AS)peace abound, till the moon be no more!

May he have dominion from (AT)sea to sea,
    and from (AU)the River[b] to the (AV)ends of the earth!
May desert tribes (AW)bow down before him,
    and his enemies (AX)lick the dust!
10 May the kings of (AY)Tarshish and of (AZ)the coastlands
    render him (BA)tribute;
may the kings of (BB)Sheba and (BC)Seba
    bring gifts!
11 May all kings (BD)fall down before him,
    all nations serve him!

12 For he delivers (BE)the needy when he calls,
    the poor and him who has no helper.
13 He has pity on the weak and the needy,
    and saves the lives of the needy.
14 From oppression and violence he redeems their life,
    and (BF)precious is their blood in his sight.

15 Long may he live;
    may (BG)gold of Sheba be given to him!
May prayer be made (BH)for him continually,
    and blessings invoked for him all the day!
16 May there be abundance of grain in the land;
    on the tops of the mountains may it wave;
    may its fruit be like Lebanon;
and may people (BI)blossom in the cities
    like the (BJ)grass of the field!
17 (BK)May his name endure forever,
    his fame continue as long as the sun!
(BL)May people be blessed in him,
    (BM)all nations call him blessed!

18 (BN)Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
    who alone does (BO)wondrous things.
19 Blessed be his (BP)glorious name forever;
    may (BQ)the whole earth be filled with his glory!
(BR)Amen and Amen!

20 (BS)The prayers of (BT)David, the son of Jesse, are ended.

Book Three

God Is My Strength and Portion Forever

A Psalm of (BU)Asaph.

73 Truly God is good to (BV)Israel,
    to those who are (BW)pure in heart.
But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled,
    my steps had nearly slipped.
(BX)For I was (BY)envious of the arrogant
    when I saw the (BZ)prosperity of the wicked.

For they have no pangs until death;
    their bodies are fat and sleek.
They are not in trouble as others are;
    they are not (CA)stricken like the rest of mankind.
Therefore pride is (CB)their necklace;
    violence covers them as (CC)a garment.
Their (CD)eyes swell out through fatness;
    their hearts overflow with follies.
They scoff and (CE)speak with malice;
    loftily they threaten oppression.
They set their mouths against the heavens,
    and their tongue struts through the earth.
10 Therefore his people turn back to them,
    and find (CF)no fault in them.[c]
11 And they say, (CG)“How can God know?
    Is there knowledge in the Most High?”
12 Behold, these are the wicked;
    always at ease, they (CH)increase in riches.
13 All in vain have I (CI)kept my heart clean
    and (CJ)washed my hands in innocence.
14 For all the day long I have been (CK)stricken
    and (CL)rebuked (CM)every morning.
15 If I had said, “I will speak thus,”
    I would have betrayed (CN)the generation of your children.

16 But when I thought how to understand this,
    it seemed to me (CO)a wearisome task,
17 until I went into (CP)the sanctuary of God;
    then I discerned their (CQ)end.

18 Truly you set them in (CR)slippery places;
    you make them fall to ruin.
19 How they are destroyed (CS)in a moment,
    swept away utterly by (CT)terrors!
20 Like (CU)a dream when one awakes,
    O Lord, when (CV)you rouse yourself, you despise them as phantoms.
21 When my soul was embittered,
    when I was pricked in heart,
22 I was (CW)brutish and ignorant;
    I was like (CX)a beast toward you.

23 Nevertheless, I am continually with you;
    you (CY)hold my right hand.
24 You (CZ)guide me with your counsel,
    and afterward you will (DA)receive me to glory.
25 (DB)Whom have I in heaven but you?
    And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.
26 (DC)My flesh and my heart may fail,
    but God is (DD)the strength[d] of my heart and my (DE)portion (DF)forever.

27 For behold, those who are (DG)far from you shall perish;
    you put an end to everyone who is (DH)unfaithful to you.
28 But for me it is good to (DI)be near God;
    I have made the Lord God my (DJ)refuge,
    that I may (DK)tell of all your works.

Arise, O God, Defend Your Cause

A Maskil[e] of (DL)Asaph.

74 O God, why do you (DM)cast us off forever?
    Why does your anger (DN)smoke against (DO)the sheep of your pasture?
(DP)Remember your congregation, which you have (DQ)purchased of old,
    which you have (DR)redeemed to be (DS)the tribe of your heritage!
    Remember Mount Zion, (DT)where you have dwelt.
Direct your steps to (DU)the perpetual ruins;
    the enemy has destroyed everything in the sanctuary!

Your foes have (DV)roared in the midst of your meeting place;
    (DW)they set up their (DX)own signs for (DY)signs.
They were like those who swing (DZ)axes
    in a forest of trees.[f]
And all its (EA)carved wood
    they broke down with hatchets and hammers.
They (EB)set your sanctuary on fire;
    they (EC)profaned (ED)the dwelling place of your name,
    bringing it down to the ground.
They (EE)said to themselves, “We will utterly subdue them”;
    they burned all the meeting places of God in the land.

We do not see our (EF)signs;
    (EG)there is no longer any prophet,
    and there is none among us who knows how long.
10 How long, O God, (EH)is the foe to scoff?
    Is the enemy to revile your name forever?
11 Why (EI)do you hold back your hand, your right hand?
    Take it from the fold of your garment[g] and destroy them!

12 Yet (EJ)God my King is from of old,
    working salvation in the midst of the earth.
13 You (EK)divided the sea by your might;
    you (EL)broke the heads of (EM)the sea monsters[h] on the waters.
14 You crushed the heads of (EN)Leviathan;
    you gave him as food for the creatures of the wilderness.
15 You (EO)split open springs and brooks;
    you (EP)dried up ever-flowing streams.
16 Yours is the day, yours also the night;
    you have established (EQ)the heavenly lights and the sun.
17 You have (ER)fixed all the boundaries of the earth;
    you have made (ES)summer and winter.

18 (ET)Remember this, O Lord, how the enemy scoffs,
    and (EU)a foolish people reviles your name.
19 Do not deliver the soul of your (EV)dove to the wild beasts;
    (EW)do not forget the life of your poor forever.

20 Have regard for (EX)the covenant,
    for (EY)the dark places of the land are full of the habitations of violence.
21 Let not (EZ)the downtrodden (FA)turn back in shame;
    let (FB)the poor and needy praise your name.

22 Arise, O God, (FC)defend your cause;
    (FD)remember how the foolish scoff at you all the day!
23 Do not forget the clamor of your foes,
    (FE)the uproar of those who rise against you, which goes up continually!

God Will Judge with Equity

To the choirmaster: according to (FF)Do Not Destroy. (FG)A Psalm of Asaph. A Song.

75 We give thanks to you, O God;
    we give thanks, for your name is (FH)near.
We[i] recount your wondrous deeds.

“At (FI)the set time that I appoint
    I will judge (FJ)with equity.
When the earth (FK)totters, and all its inhabitants,
    it is I who keep steady its (FL)pillars. Selah
I say to the boastful, ‘Do not boast,’
    and to the wicked, (FM)‘Do not lift up your horn;
do not lift up your horn on high,
    or speak with haughty neck.’”

For not from the east or from the west
    and not from the wilderness comes (FN)lifting up,
but it is (FO)God who executes judgment,
    (FP)putting down one and lifting up another.
(FQ)For in the hand of the Lord there is (FR)a cup
    with foaming wine, (FS)well mixed,
and he pours out from it,
    and all the wicked of the earth
    shall (FT)drain it down to the dregs.

But I will declare it forever;
    I will sing praises to the God of Jacob.
10 (FU)All the horns of the wicked I will cut off,
    (FV)but the horns of the righteous shall be lifted up.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 72:5 Septuagint He shall endure
  2. Psalm 72:8 That is, the Euphrates
  3. Psalm 73:10 Probable reading; Hebrew the waters of a full cup are drained by them
  4. Psalm 73:26 Hebrew rock
  5. Psalm 74:1 Probably a musical or liturgical term
  6. Psalm 74:5 The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain
  7. Psalm 74:11 Hebrew from your bosom
  8. Psalm 74:13 Or the great sea creatures
  9. Psalm 75:1 Hebrew They

Psalm 71(A)

In you, Lord, I have taken refuge;(B)
    let me never be put to shame.(C)
In your righteousness, rescue me and deliver me;
    turn your ear(D) to me and save me.
Be my rock of refuge,
    to which I can always go;
give the command to save me,
    for you are my rock and my fortress.(E)
Deliver(F) me, my God, from the hand of the wicked,(G)
    from the grasp of those who are evil and cruel.(H)

For you have been my hope,(I) Sovereign Lord,
    my confidence(J) since my youth.
From birth(K) I have relied on you;
    you brought me forth from my mother’s womb.(L)
    I will ever praise(M) you.
I have become a sign(N) to many;
    you are my strong refuge.(O)
My mouth(P) is filled with your praise,
    declaring your splendor(Q) all day long.

Do not cast(R) me away when I am old;(S)
    do not forsake(T) me when my strength is gone.
10 For my enemies(U) speak against me;
    those who wait to kill(V) me conspire(W) together.
11 They say, “God has forsaken(X) him;
    pursue him and seize him,
    for no one will rescue(Y) him.”
12 Do not be far(Z) from me, my God;
    come quickly, God, to help(AA) me.
13 May my accusers(AB) perish in shame;(AC)
    may those who want to harm me
    be covered with scorn and disgrace.(AD)

14 As for me, I will always have hope;(AE)
    I will praise you more and more.

15 My mouth will tell(AF) of your righteous deeds,(AG)
    of your saving acts all day long—
    though I know not how to relate them all.
16 I will come and proclaim your mighty acts,(AH) Sovereign Lord;
    I will proclaim your righteous deeds, yours alone.
17 Since my youth, God, you have taught(AI) me,
    and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds.(AJ)
18 Even when I am old and gray,(AK)
    do not forsake me, my God,
till I declare your power(AL) to the next generation,
    your mighty acts to all who are to come.(AM)

19 Your righteousness, God, reaches to the heavens,(AN)
    you who have done great things.(AO)
    Who is like you, God?(AP)
20 Though you have made me see troubles,(AQ)
    many and bitter,
    you will restore(AR) my life again;
from the depths of the earth(AS)
    you will again bring me up.
21 You will increase my honor(AT)
    and comfort(AU) me once more.

22 I will praise you with the harp(AV)
    for your faithfulness, my God;
I will sing praise to you with the lyre,(AW)
    Holy One of Israel.(AX)
23 My lips will shout for joy(AY)
    when I sing praise to you—
    I whom you have delivered.(AZ)
24 My tongue will tell of your righteous acts
    all day long,(BA)
for those who wanted to harm me(BB)
    have been put to shame and confusion.(BC)

Psalm 72

Of Solomon.

Endow the king with your justice,(BD) O God,
    the royal son with your righteousness.
May he judge your people in righteousness,(BE)
    your afflicted ones with justice.

May the mountains bring prosperity to the people,
    the hills the fruit of righteousness.
May he defend the afflicted(BF) among the people
    and save the children of the needy;(BG)
    may he crush the oppressor.(BH)
May he endure[a](BI) as long as the sun,
    as long as the moon, through all generations.(BJ)
May he be like rain(BK) falling on a mown field,
    like showers watering the earth.
In his days may the righteous flourish(BL)
    and prosperity abound till the moon is no more.

May he rule from sea to sea
    and from the River[b](BM) to the ends of the earth.(BN)
May the desert tribes bow before him
    and his enemies lick the dust.
10 May the kings of Tarshish(BO) and of distant shores(BP)
    bring tribute to him.
May the kings of Sheba(BQ) and Seba
    present him gifts.(BR)
11 May all kings bow down(BS) to him
    and all nations serve(BT) him.

12 For he will deliver the needy who cry out,
    the afflicted who have no one to help.
13 He will take pity(BU) on the weak and the needy
    and save the needy from death.
14 He will rescue(BV) them from oppression and violence,
    for precious(BW) is their blood in his sight.

15 Long may he live!
    May gold from Sheba(BX) be given him.
May people ever pray for him
    and bless him all day long.(BY)
16 May grain(BZ) abound throughout the land;
    on the tops of the hills may it sway.
May the crops(CA) flourish like Lebanon(CB)
    and thrive[c] like the grass of the field.(CC)
17 May his name endure forever;(CD)
    may it continue as long as the sun.(CE)

Then all nations will be blessed through him,[d]
    and they will call him blessed.(CF)

18 Praise be to the Lord God, the God of Israel,(CG)
    who alone does marvelous deeds.(CH)
19 Praise be to his glorious name(CI) forever;
    may the whole earth be filled with his glory.(CJ)
Amen and Amen.(CK)

20 This concludes the prayers of David son of Jesse.(CL)

BOOK III

Psalms 73–89

Psalm 73

A psalm of Asaph.

Surely God is good to Israel,
    to those who are pure in heart.(CM)

But as for me, my feet had almost slipped;(CN)
    I had nearly lost my foothold.(CO)
For I envied(CP) the arrogant
    when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.(CQ)

They have no struggles;
    their bodies are healthy and strong.[e]
They are free(CR) from common human burdens;
    they are not plagued by human ills.
Therefore pride(CS) is their necklace;(CT)
    they clothe themselves with violence.(CU)
From their callous hearts(CV) comes iniquity[f];
    their evil imaginations have no limits.
They scoff, and speak with malice;(CW)
    with arrogance(CX) they threaten oppression.(CY)
Their mouths lay claim to heaven,
    and their tongues take possession of the earth.
10 Therefore their people turn to them
    and drink up waters in abundance.[g]
11 They say, “How would God know?
    Does the Most High know anything?”

12 This is what the wicked are like—
    always free of care,(CZ) they go on amassing wealth.(DA)

13 Surely in vain(DB) I have kept my heart pure
    and have washed my hands in innocence.(DC)
14 All day long I have been afflicted,(DD)
    and every morning brings new punishments.

15 If I had spoken out like that,
    I would have betrayed your children.
16 When I tried to understand(DE) all this,
    it troubled me deeply
17 till I entered the sanctuary(DF) of God;
    then I understood their final destiny.(DG)

18 Surely you place them on slippery ground;(DH)
    you cast them down to ruin.(DI)
19 How suddenly(DJ) are they destroyed,
    completely swept away(DK) by terrors!
20 They are like a dream(DL) when one awakes;(DM)
    when you arise, Lord,
    you will despise them as fantasies.(DN)

21 When my heart was grieved
    and my spirit embittered,
22 I was senseless(DO) and ignorant;
    I was a brute beast(DP) before you.

23 Yet I am always with you;
    you hold me by my right hand.(DQ)
24 You guide(DR) me with your counsel,(DS)
    and afterward you will take me into glory.
25 Whom have I in heaven but you?(DT)
    And earth has nothing I desire besides you.(DU)
26 My flesh and my heart(DV) may fail,(DW)
    but God is the strength(DX) of my heart
    and my portion(DY) forever.

27 Those who are far from you will perish;(DZ)
    you destroy all who are unfaithful(EA) to you.
28 But as for me, it is good to be near God.(EB)
    I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge;(EC)
    I will tell of all your deeds.(ED)

Psalm 74

A maskil[h] of Asaph.

O God, why have you rejected(EE) us forever?(EF)
    Why does your anger smolder against the sheep of your pasture?(EG)
Remember the nation you purchased(EH) long ago,(EI)
    the people of your inheritance,(EJ) whom you redeemed(EK)
    Mount Zion,(EL) where you dwelt.(EM)
Turn your steps toward these everlasting ruins,(EN)
    all this destruction the enemy has brought on the sanctuary.

Your foes roared(EO) in the place where you met with us;
    they set up their standards(EP) as signs.
They behaved like men wielding axes
    to cut through a thicket of trees.(EQ)
They smashed all the carved(ER) paneling
    with their axes and hatchets.
They burned your sanctuary to the ground;
    they defiled(ES) the dwelling place(ET) of your Name.(EU)
They said in their hearts, “We will crush(EV) them completely!”
    They burned(EW) every place where God was worshiped in the land.

We are given no signs from God;(EX)
    no prophets(EY) are left,
    and none of us knows how long this will be.
10 How long(EZ) will the enemy mock(FA) you, God?
    Will the foe revile(FB) your name forever?
11 Why do you hold back your hand, your right hand?(FC)
    Take it from the folds of your garment(FD) and destroy them!

12 But God is my King(FE) from long ago;
    he brings salvation(FF) on the earth.

13 It was you who split open the sea(FG) by your power;
    you broke the heads of the monster(FH) in the waters.
14 It was you who crushed the heads of Leviathan(FI)
    and gave it as food to the creatures of the desert.(FJ)
15 It was you who opened up springs(FK) and streams;
    you dried up(FL) the ever-flowing rivers.
16 The day is yours, and yours also the night;
    you established the sun and moon.(FM)
17 It was you who set all the boundaries(FN) of the earth;
    you made both summer and winter.(FO)

18 Remember how the enemy has mocked you, Lord,
    how foolish people(FP) have reviled your name.
19 Do not hand over the life of your dove(FQ) to wild beasts;
    do not forget the lives of your afflicted(FR) people forever.
20 Have regard for your covenant,(FS)
    because haunts of violence fill the dark places(FT) of the land.
21 Do not let the oppressed(FU) retreat in disgrace;
    may the poor and needy(FV) praise your name.
22 Rise up,(FW) O God, and defend your cause;
    remember how fools(FX) mock you all day long.
23 Do not ignore the clamor(FY) of your adversaries,(FZ)
    the uproar(GA) of your enemies,(GB) which rises continually.

Psalm 75[i]

For the director of music. To the tune of “Do Not Destroy.” A psalm of Asaph. A song.

We praise you, God,
    we praise you, for your Name is near;(GC)
    people tell of your wonderful deeds.(GD)

You say, “I choose the appointed time;(GE)
    it is I who judge with equity.(GF)
When the earth and all its people quake,(GG)
    it is I who hold its pillars(GH) firm.[j]
To the arrogant(GI) I say, ‘Boast no more,’(GJ)
    and to the wicked, ‘Do not lift up your horns.[k](GK)
Do not lift your horns against heaven;
    do not speak so defiantly.(GL)’”

No one from the east or the west
    or from the desert can exalt themselves.
It is God who judges:(GM)
    He brings one down, he exalts another.(GN)
In the hand of the Lord is a cup
    full of foaming wine mixed(GO) with spices;
he pours it out, and all the wicked of the earth
    drink it down to its very dregs.(GP)

As for me, I will declare(GQ) this forever;
    I will sing(GR) praise to the God of Jacob,(GS)
10 who says, “I will cut off the horns of all the wicked,
    but the horns of the righteous will be lifted up.”(GT)

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 72:5 Septuagint; Hebrew You will be feared
  2. Psalm 72:8 That is, the Euphrates
  3. Psalm 72:16 Probable reading of the original Hebrew text; Masoretic Text Lebanon, / from the city
  4. Psalm 72:17 Or will use his name in blessings (see Gen. 48:20)
  5. Psalm 73:4 With a different word division of the Hebrew; Masoretic Text struggles at their death; / their bodies are healthy
  6. Psalm 73:7 Syriac (see also Septuagint); Hebrew Their eyes bulge with fat
  7. Psalm 73:10 The meaning of the Hebrew for this verse is uncertain.
  8. Psalm 74:1 Title: Probably a literary or musical term
  9. Psalm 75:1 In Hebrew texts 75:1-10 is numbered 75:2-11.
  10. Psalm 75:3 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here.
  11. Psalm 75:4 Horns here symbolize strength; also in verses 5 and 10.

71 In thee, O Lord, do I put my trust: let me never be put to confusion.

Deliver me in thy righteousness, and cause me to escape: incline thine ear unto me, and save me.

Be thou my strong habitation, whereunto I may continually resort: thou hast given commandment to save me; for thou art my rock and my fortress.

Deliver me, O my God, out of the hand of the wicked, out of the hand of the unrighteous and cruel man.

For thou art my hope, O Lord God: thou art my trust from my youth.

By thee have I been holden up from the womb: thou art he that took me out of my mother's bowels: my praise shall be continually of thee.

I am as a wonder unto many; but thou art my strong refuge.

Let my mouth be filled with thy praise and with thy honour all the day.

Cast me not off in the time of old age; forsake me not when my strength faileth.

10 For mine enemies speak against me; and they that lay wait for my soul take counsel together,

11 Saying, God hath forsaken him: persecute and take him; for there is none to deliver him.

12 O God, be not far from me: O my God, make haste for my help.

13 Let them be confounded and consumed that are adversaries to my soul; let them be covered with reproach and dishonour that seek my hurt.

14 But I will hope continually, and will yet praise thee more and more.

15 My mouth shall shew forth thy righteousness and thy salvation all the day; for I know not the numbers thereof.

16 I will go in the strength of the Lord God: I will make mention of thy righteousness, even of thine only.

17 O God, thou hast taught me from my youth: and hitherto have I declared thy wondrous works.

18 Now also when I am old and greyheaded, O God, forsake me not; until I have shewed thy strength unto this generation, and thy power to every one that is to come.

19 Thy righteousness also, O God, is very high, who hast done great things: O God, who is like unto thee!

20 Thou, which hast shewed me great and sore troubles, shalt quicken me again, and shalt bring me up again from the depths of the earth.

21 Thou shalt increase my greatness, and comfort me on every side.

22 I will also praise thee with the psaltery, even thy truth, O my God: unto thee will I sing with the harp, O thou Holy One of Israel.

23 My lips shall greatly rejoice when I sing unto thee; and my soul, which thou hast redeemed.

24 My tongue also shall talk of thy righteousness all the day long: for they are confounded, for they are brought unto shame, that seek my hurt.

72 Give the king thy judgments, O God, and thy righteousness unto the king's son.

He shall judge thy people with righteousness, and thy poor with judgment.

The mountains shall bring peace to the people, and the little hills, by righteousness.

He shall judge the poor of the people, he shall save the children of the needy, and shall break in pieces the oppressor.

They shall fear thee as long as the sun and moon endure, throughout all generations.

He shall come down like rain upon the mown grass: as showers that water the earth.

In his days shall the righteous flourish; and abundance of peace so long as the moon endureth.

He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth.

They that dwell in the wilderness shall bow before him; and his enemies shall lick the dust.

10 The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall bring presents: the kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts.

11 Yea, all kings shall fall down before him: all nations shall serve him.

12 For he shall deliver the needy when he crieth; the poor also, and him that hath no helper.

13 He shall spare the poor and needy, and shall save the souls of the needy.

14 He shall redeem their soul from deceit and violence: and precious shall their blood be in his sight.

15 And he shall live, and to him shall be given of the gold of Sheba: prayer also shall be made for him continually; and daily shall he be praised.

16 There shall be an handful of corn in the earth upon the top of the mountains; the fruit thereof shall shake like Lebanon: and they of the city shall flourish like grass of the earth.

17 His name shall endure for ever: his name shall be continued as long as the sun: and men shall be blessed in him: all nations shall call him blessed.

18 Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel, who only doeth wondrous things.

19 And blessed be his glorious name for ever: and let the whole earth be filled with his glory; Amen, and Amen.

20 The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended.

73 Truly God is good to Israel, even to such as are of a clean heart.

But as for me, my feet were almost gone; my steps had well nigh slipped.

For I was envious at the foolish, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

For there are no bands in their death: but their strength is firm.

They are not in trouble as other men; neither are they plagued like other men.

Therefore pride compasseth them about as a chain; violence covereth them as a garment.

Their eyes stand out with fatness: they have more than heart could wish.

They are corrupt, and speak wickedly concerning oppression: they speak loftily.

They set their mouth against the heavens, and their tongue walketh through the earth.

10 Therefore his people return hither: and waters of a full cup are wrung out to them.

11 And they say, How doth God know? and is there knowledge in the most High?

12 Behold, these are the ungodly, who prosper in the world; they increase in riches.

13 Verily I have cleansed my heart in vain, and washed my hands in innocency.

14 For all the day long have I been plagued, and chastened every morning.

15 If I say, I will speak thus; behold, I should offend against the generation of thy children.

16 When I thought to know this, it was too painful for me;

17 Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then understood I their end.

18 Surely thou didst set them in slippery places: thou castedst them down into destruction.

19 How are they brought into desolation, as in a moment! they are utterly consumed with terrors.

20 As a dream when one awaketh; so, O Lord, when thou awakest, thou shalt despise their image.

21 Thus my heart was grieved, and I was pricked in my reins.

22 So foolish was I, and ignorant: I was as a beast before thee.

23 Nevertheless I am continually with thee: thou hast holden me by my right hand.

24 Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory.

25 Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee.

26 My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever.

27 For, lo, they that are far from thee shall perish: thou hast destroyed all them that go a whoring from thee.

28 But it is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord God, that I may declare all thy works.

74 O God, why hast thou cast us off for ever? why doth thine anger smoke against the sheep of thy pasture?

Remember thy congregation, which thou hast purchased of old; the rod of thine inheritance, which thou hast redeemed; this mount Zion, wherein thou hast dwelt.

Lift up thy feet unto the perpetual desolations; even all that the enemy hath done wickedly in the sanctuary.

Thine enemies roar in the midst of thy congregations; they set up their ensigns for signs.

A man was famous according as he had lifted up axes upon the thick trees.

But now they break down the carved work thereof at once with axes and hammers.

They have cast fire into thy sanctuary, they have defiled by casting down the dwelling place of thy name to the ground.

They said in their hearts, Let us destroy them together: they have burned up all the synagogues of God in the land.

We see not our signs: there is no more any prophet: neither is there among us any that knoweth how long.

10 O God, how long shall the adversary reproach? shall the enemy blaspheme thy name for ever?

11 Why withdrawest thou thy hand, even thy right hand? pluck it out of thy bosom.

12 For God is my King of old, working salvation in the midst of the earth.

13 Thou didst divide the sea by thy strength: thou brakest the heads of the dragons in the waters.

14 Thou brakest the heads of leviathan in pieces, and gavest him to be meat to the people inhabiting the wilderness.

15 Thou didst cleave the fountain and the flood: thou driedst up mighty rivers.

16 The day is thine, the night also is thine: thou hast prepared the light and the sun.

17 Thou hast set all the borders of the earth: thou hast made summer and winter.

18 Remember this, that the enemy hath reproached, O Lord, and that the foolish people have blasphemed thy name.

19 O deliver not the soul of thy turtledove unto the multitude of the wicked: forget not the congregation of thy poor for ever.

20 Have respect unto the covenant: for the dark places of the earth are full of the habitations of cruelty.

21 O let not the oppressed return ashamed: let the poor and needy praise thy name.

22 Arise, O God, plead thine own cause: remember how the foolish man reproacheth thee daily.

23 Forget not the voice of thine enemies: the tumult of those that rise up against thee increaseth continually.

75 Unto thee, O God, do we give thanks, unto thee do we give thanks: for that thy name is near thy wondrous works declare.

When I shall receive the congregation I will judge uprightly.

The earth and all the inhabitants thereof are dissolved: I bear up the pillars of it. Selah.

I said unto the fools, Deal not foolishly: and to the wicked, Lift not up the horn:

Lift not up your horn on high: speak not with a stiff neck.

For promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south.

But God is the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another.

For in the hand of the Lord there is a cup, and the wine is red; it is full of mixture; and he poureth out of the same: but the dregs thereof, all the wicked of the earth shall wring them out, and drink them.

But I will declare for ever; I will sing praises to the God of Jacob.

10 All the horns of the wicked also will I cut off; but the horns of the righteous shall be exalted.