Psalm 71–72

Psalm 71

71:1–3pp—Ps 31:1–4

¹In you, Lord, I have taken refuge;ⁿ

let me never be put to shame.^o

²In your righteousness, rescue me and deliver me;

turn your ear^p to me and save me.

³Be my rock of refuge,

to which I can always go;

give the command to save me,

for you are my rock and my fortress.^q

⁴Deliver^r me, my God, from the hand of the wicked,^s

from the grasp of those who are evil and cruel.^t

⁵For you have been my hope,^u Sovereign Lord,

my confidence^v since my youth.

⁶From birth^w I have relied on you;

you brought me forth from my mother’s womb.^x

I will ever praise^y you.

⁷I have become a sign^z to many;

you are my strong refuge.^a

⁸My mouth^b is filled with your praise,

declaring your splendor^c all day long.

⁹Do not cast^d me away when I am old;^e

do not forsake^f me when my strength is gone.

¹⁰For my enemies^g speak against me;

those who wait to kill^h me conspireⁱ together.

¹¹They say, “God has forsaken^j him;

pursue him and seize him,

for no one will rescue^k him.”

¹²Do not be far^l from me, my God;

come quickly, God, to help^m me.

¹³May my accusersⁿ perish in shame;^o

may those who want to harm me

be covered with scorn and disgrace.^p

¹⁴As for me, I will always have hope;^q

I will praise you more and more.

¹⁵My mouth will tell^r of your righteous deeds,^s

of your saving acts all day long—

though I know not how to relate them all.

¹⁶I will come and proclaim your mighty acts,^t Sovereign Lord;

I will proclaim your righteous deeds, yours alone.

¹⁷Since my youth, God, you have taught^u me,

and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds.^v

¹⁸Even when I am old and gray,^w

do not forsake me, my God,

till I declare your power^x to the next generation,

your mighty acts to all who are to come.^y

¹⁹Your righteousness, God, reaches to the heavens,^z

you who have done great things.^a

Who is like you, God?^b

²⁰Though you have made me see troubles,^c

many and bitter,

you will restore^d my life again;

from the depths of the earth^e

you will again bring me up.

²¹You will increase my honor^f

and comfort^g me once more.

²²I will praise you with the harp^h

for your faithfulness, my God;

I will sing praise to you with the lyre,ⁱ

Holy One of Israel.^j

²³My lips will shout for joy^k

when I sing praise to you—

I whom you have delivered.^l

²⁴My tongue will tell of your righteous acts

all day long,^m

for those who wanted to harm meⁿ

have been put to shame and confusion.^o

Psalm 72

Of Solomon.

¹Endow the king with your justice,^p O God,

the royal son with your righteousness.

²May he judge your people in righteousness,^q

your afflicted ones with justice.

³May the mountains bring prosperity to the people,

the hills the fruit of righteousness.

⁴May he defend the afflicted^r among the people

and save the children of the needy;^s

may he crush the oppressor.^t

⁵May he endure^au as long as the sun,

as long as the moon, through all generations.^v

⁶May he be like rain^w falling on a mown field,

like showers watering the earth.

⁷In his days may the righteous flourish^x

and prosperity abound till the moon is no more.

⁸May he rule from sea to sea

and from the River^by to the ends of the earth.^z

⁹May the desert tribes bow before him

and his enemies lick the dust.

¹⁰May the kings of Tarshish^a and of distant shores^b

bring tribute to him.

May the kings of Sheba^c and Seba

present him gifts.^d

¹¹May all kings bow down^e to him

and all nations serve^f him.

¹²For he will deliver the needy who cry out,

the afflicted who have no one to help.

¹³He will take pity^g on the weak and the needy

and save the needy from death.

¹⁴He will rescue^h them from oppression and violence,

for preciousⁱ is their blood in his sight.

¹⁵Long may he live!

May gold from Sheba^j be given him.

May people ever pray for him

and bless him all day long.^k

¹⁶May grain^l abound throughout the land;

on the tops of the hills may it sway.

May the crops^m flourish like Lebanonⁿ

and thrive^c like the grass of the field.^o

¹⁷May his name endure forever;^p

may it continue as long as the sun.^q

Then all nations will be blessed through him,^d

and they will call him blessed.^r

¹⁸Praise be to the Lord God, the God of Israel,^s

who alone does marvelous deeds.^t

¹⁹Praise be to his glorious name^u forever;

may the whole earth be filled with his glory.^v

Amen and Amen.^w

²⁰This concludes the prayers of David son of Jesse.^x