Psalm 71–72

An Old Man’s Prayer

71Lord, I have come to you for protection;

never let me be defeated!

²Because you are righteous, help me and rescue me.

Listen to me and save me!

³Be my secure shelter

and a strong fortress^y to protect me;

you are my refuge and defence.

⁴My God, rescue me from the wicked,

from the power of those who are cruel and evil.

⁵Sovereign Lord, I put my hope in you;

I have trusted in you since I was young.

⁶I have relied on you all my life;

you have protected^z me since the day I was born.

I will always praise you.

⁷My life has been an example to many,

because you have been my strong defender.

⁸All day long I praise you

and proclaim your glory.

⁹Do not reject me now that I am old;

do not abandon me now that I am feeble.

¹⁰My enemies want to kill me;

they talk and plot against me.

¹¹They say, “God has abandoned him;

let’s go after him and catch him;

there is no one to rescue him.”

¹²Don’t stay so far away, O God;

my God, hurry to my aid!

¹³May those who attack me

be defeated and destroyed.

May those who try to hurt me

be shamed and disgraced.

¹⁴I will always put my hope in you;

I will praise you more and more.

¹⁵I will tell of your goodness;

all day long I will speak of your salvation,

though it is more than I can understand.

¹⁶I will go in the strength of the Lord God;

I will proclaim your goodness, yours alone.

¹⁷You have taught me ever since I was young,

and I still tell of your wonderful acts.

¹⁸Now that I am old and my hair is grey,

do not abandon me, O God!

Be with me while I proclaim your power and might

to all generations to come.

¹⁹Your righteousness, God, reaches the skies.

You have done great things;

there is no one like you.

²⁰You have sent troubles and suffering on me,

but you will restore my strength;

you will keep me from the grave.

²¹You will make me greater than ever;

you will comfort me again.

²²I will indeed praise you with the harp;

I will praise your faithfulness, my God.

On my harp I will play hymns to you,

the Holy One of Israel.

²³I will shout for joy as I play for you;

with my whole being I will sing

because you have saved me.

²⁴I will speak of your righteousness all day long,

because those who tried to harm me

have been defeated and disgraced.

A Prayer for the King^a

72 Teach the king to judge with your righteousness, O God;

share with him your own justice,

²so that he will rule over your people with justice

and govern the oppressed with righteousness.

³May the land enjoy prosperity;

may it experience righteousness.

⁴May the king judge the poor fairly;

may he help the needy

and defeat their oppressors.

⁵May your people worship you

as long as the sun shines, as long as the moon gives light, for ages to come.

⁶May the king be like rain on the fields,

like showers falling on the land.

⁷May righteousness flourish in his lifetime,

and may prosperity last as long as the moon gives light.

^8*His kingdom will reach from sea to sea,

from the Euphrates to the ends of the earth.

⁹The peoples of the desert will bow down before him;

his enemies will throw themselves to the ground.

¹⁰The kings of Spain and of the islands will offer him gifts;

the kings of Sheba and Seba^b will bring him offerings.

¹¹All kings will bow down before him;

all nations will serve him.

¹²He rescues the poor who call to him,

and those who are needy and neglected.

¹³He has pity on the weak and poor;

he saves the lives of those in need.

¹⁴He rescues them from oppression and violence;

their lives are precious to him.

¹⁵Long live the king!

May he be given gold from Sheba;^c

may prayers be said for him at all times;

may God’s blessings be on him always!

¹⁶May there be plenty of corn in the land;

may the hills be covered with crops,

as fruitful as those of Lebanon.

May the cities be filled with people,

like fields full of grass.

¹⁷May the king’s name never be forgotten;

may his fame last as long as the sun.

May all nations ask God to bless them

as he has blessed the king.^d

¹⁸Praise the Lord, the God of Israel!

He alone does these wonderful things.

¹⁹Praise his glorious name for ever!

May his glory fill the whole world.

Amen! Amen!

²⁰This is the end of the prayers of David son of Jesse.

BOOK THREE