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.

Paul's Visions and His Thorn

12 I must go on boasting. Though there is nothing to be gained by it, I will go on to visions and (A)revelations of the Lord. I know a man (B)in Christ who fourteen years ago was (C)caught up to (D)the third heaven—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, (E)God knows. And I know that this man was caught up into (F)paradise—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, (G)God knows— and he heard things that cannot be told, which man may not utter. On behalf of this man I will boast, but on my own behalf I will not boast, (H)except of my weaknesses— though if I should wish to boast, (I)I would not be a fool, for I would be speaking the truth; but I refrain from it, so that no one may think more of me than he sees in me or hears from me. So (J)to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations,[a] (K)a thorn was given me in the flesh, (L)a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. (M)Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, (N)“My grace is sufficient for you, for (O)my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that (P)the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 (Q)For the sake of Christ, then, (R)I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For (S)when I am weak, then I am strong.

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Corinthians 12:7 Or hears from me, even because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations. So to keep me from becoming conceited

The Triumphal Entry

28 And when he had said these things, (A)he went on ahead, (B)going up to Jerusalem. 29 (C)When he drew near to Bethphage and (D)Bethany, at (E)the mount that is called Olivet, he sent (F)two of the disciples, 30 saying, “Go into the village in front of you, where on entering you will find a colt tied, (G)on which no one has ever yet sat. Untie it and bring it here. 31 If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ you shall say this: ‘The Lord has need of it.’” 32 So those who were sent went away and found it (H)just as he had told them. 33 And as they were untying the colt, its owners said to them, “Why are you untying the colt?” 34 And they said, “The Lord has need of it.” 35 And they brought it to Jesus, and throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it. 36 And as he rode along, they (I)spread their cloaks on the road. 37 As he was drawing near—already on the way down the Mount of Olives—(J)the whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice (K)for all the mighty works that they had seen, 38 saying, (L)“Blessed is (M)the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and (N)glory in the highest!” 39 (O)And some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples.” 40 He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, (P)the very stones would cry out.”

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