Psalm 71

Prayer Of An Old Man For Rescue.

1In you, O LORD, I have put my trust and confidently taken refuge;
Let me never be put to shame. 2In Your righteousness deliver me and rescue me;
Incline Your ear to me and save me. 3Be to me a rock of refuge and a sheltering stronghold to which I may continually come;
You have given the commandment to save me,
For You are my rock and my fortress. 4Rescue me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked (godless),
From the grasp of the unrighteous and ruthless man. 5For You are my hope;
O Lord GOD, You are my trust and the source of my confidence from my youth. 6Upon You have I relied and been sustained from my birth;
You are He who took me from my mother’s womb and You have been my benefactor from that day.
My praise is continually of You. 7I am as a wonder to many,
For You are my strong refuge. 8My mouth is filled with Your praise
And with Your glory all day long. 9Do not cast me off nor send me away in the time of old age;
Do not abandon me when my strength fails and I am weak. 10For my enemies have spoken against me;
Those who watch for my life have consulted together, 11Saying, “God has abandoned him;
Pursue and seize him, for there is no one to rescue him.” 12O God, do not be far from me;
O my God, come quickly to help me! 13Let those who attack my life be ashamed and consumed;
Let them be covered with reproach and dishonor, who seek to injure me. 14But as for me, I will wait and hope continually,
And will praise You yet more and more. 15My mouth shall tell of Your righteousness
And of Your [deeds of] salvation all day long,
For their number is more than I know. 16I will come with the mighty acts of the Lord GOD [and in His strength];
I will make mention of Your righteousness, Yours alone. 17O God, You have taught me from my youth,
And I still declare Your wondrous works and miraculous deeds. 18And even when I am old and gray-headed, O God, do not abandon me,
Until I declare Your [mighty] strength to this generation,
Your power to all who are to come. 19Your righteousness, O God, reaches to the [height of the] heavens,
You who have done great things;
O God, who is like You, [who is Your equal]? 20You who have shown me many troubles and distresses
Will revive and renew me again,
And will bring me up again from the depths of the earth. 21May You increase my greatness (honor)
And turn to comfort me. 22I will also praise You with the harp,
Your truth and faithfulness, O my God;
To You I will sing praises with the lyre,
O Holy One of Israel. 23My lips will shout for joy when I sing praises to You,
And my soul, which You have redeemed. 24My tongue also will speak of Your righteousness all day long;
For they are ashamed, for they are humiliated who seek my injury.