Psalm 71–72

A Prayer to God the Rock of Refuge

71In you, O Yahweh, I have 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 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.

⁴My God, rescue me from the hand of the wicked,

from the grasp^b of the evildoer and the oppressor,

⁵because you are my hope,

O Lord Yahweh, my confidence from my youth.

⁶Upon 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.

⁷I have become a wonder to many,

but you are my strong refuge.

⁸My mouth is filled with your praise,

with your glory all the day.

⁹Do not cast me away in the time of old age;

when my strength fails do not abandon me.

¹⁰For my enemies talk concerning me,

and those who watch for my life conspire together,

¹¹saying, “His God has abandoned him.

Pursue and seize him, because there is no deliverer.”

¹²O God, do not be far from me.

My God, hurry to help me.

¹³Let them be ashamed; let them perish

who are my adversaries.^e

Let them wrap themselves with scorn and disgrace

who seek my harm.

¹⁴But as for me, I will hope continually

and increase your praise.

¹⁵My mouth will tell of your righteousness,

your salvation all day long,^f

though I do not know the full sum of them.

¹⁶I will come in to tell the mighty deeds of Lord Yahweh.

I will make known^g your righteousness, yours only.

¹⁷O God, you have taught me from my youth,

and up to now I have proclaimed your wonderful deeds.

¹⁸And 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.

¹⁹And your righteousness, O God, is to the height of heaven.

You who have done great things,

O God, who is like you?

²⁰You who have caused meⁱ 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.

²¹You will increase my greatness,

and you will comfort me all around.^k

²²On 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.

²³My lips will sing for joy when I sing praises to you,

and my soul, which you have redeemed.

²⁴My 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.

A Prayer for the Prosperity of God’s Anointed King

72Of Solomon.^a

¹O God, give your judgments to the king,

and your righteousness to the king’s son.

²May he judge your people with righteousness,

and your poor with justice.

³Let the mountains yield prosperity^b for the people,

and the hills in righteousness.

⁴May he provide justice for the poor of the people,

save the children of the needy,

and crush the oppressor.

⁵May he live long^c while the sun endures^d

as long as the moon^e for all generations.^f

⁶May he descend like rain on mown grass,

like showers watering the earth.

⁷May what is right blossom in his days

and an abundance of peace, until the moon is no more.

⁸And may he rule from sea up to sea,

and from the River^g to the edges of the land.

⁹Let the desert dwellers bow down before him,

and his enemies lick the dust.

¹⁰Let the kings of Tarshish and the islands bring tribute.

Let the kings of Sheba and Seba present gifts,

¹¹and let all kings bow down to him.

Let all nations serve him.

¹²Indeed he will deliver the needy who is crying for help,

and the afflicted who has no helper.

¹³He will take pity on the helpless and needy,

and the lives of the needy he will save.

¹⁴From oppression and from violence

he will redeem their lives,

and their blood will be precious in his eyes.

¹⁵So may he live, and may gold from Sheba be given to him,

and may prayers be offered for him continually.

May blessings be invoked for him all day long.^h

¹⁶May there be an abundance of grain in the land

even on the top of the mountains.

May his cropⁱ sway like the trees of Lebanon,

and may those from the city blossom like the grass of the earth.

¹⁷May his name endure forever.

May his name increase as long as the sun shines,^j

and let them be blessed in him.

Let all nations call him blessed.

¹⁸Blessed be Yahweh God, the God of Israel,

who alone does wonderful things.

¹⁹And blessed be his glorious name forever,

and may the whole earth be filled with his glory.

Amen and Amen.

²⁰The prayers of David, the son of Jesse, are completed.