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71 In thee, Jehovah, do I trust: let me never be ashamed.

Deliver me in thy righteousness, and rescue me; incline thine ear unto me, and save me.

Be to me a rock of habitation, whereunto I may continually resort: thou hast given commandment to save me; for thou art my rock and my fortress.

My God, rescue me out of the hand of the wicked, out of the hand of the unrighteous and cruel man.

For thou art my hope, O Lord Jehovah, my confidence from my youth.

On thee have I been stayed from the womb; from the bowels of my mother thou didst draw me forth: my praise shall be continually of thee.

I have been as a wonder unto many; but thou art my strong refuge.

My mouth shall be filled with thy praise, with thy glory, all the day.

Cast me not off in the time of old age; forsake me not when my strength faileth.

10 For mine enemies speak against me, and they that watch for my soul consult together,

11 Saying, God hath forsaken him; pursue and seize him, for there is none to deliver.

12 O God, be not far from me; my God, hasten to my help.

13 Let them be ashamed, let them be consumed, that are adversaries to my soul; let them be covered with reproach and dishonour that seek my hurt.

14 But as for me, I will hope continually, and will praise thee yet more and more.

15 My mouth shall declare thy righteousness, [and] thy salvation all the day: for I know not the numbers [thereof].

16 I will go in the might of the Lord Jehovah; I will recall thy righteousness, thine alone.

17 O God, thou hast taught me from my youth, and hitherto have I proclaimed thy marvellous works:

18 Now also, when I am old and greyheaded, O God, forsake me not, until I have proclaimed thine arm unto [this] generation, thy might to every one that is to come.

19 And thy righteousness, O God, reacheth on high, thou who hast done great things: O God, who is like unto thee?

20 Thou, who hast shewn us many and sore troubles, wilt revive us again, and wilt bring us up again from the depths of the earth;

21 Thou wilt increase my greatness, and comfort me on every side.

22 I will also praise thee with the psaltery, even thy truth, my God; unto thee will I sing psalms with the harp, thou holy One of Israel.

23 My lips shall exult when I sing psalms unto thee; and my soul, which thou hast redeemed.

24 My tongue also shall talk of thy righteousness all the day; for they shall be ashamed, for they shall be brought to confusion, that seek my hurt.

For Solomon.

72 O God, give the king thy judgments, and thy righteousness unto the king's son.

He will judge thy people with righteousness, and thine afflicted with judgment.

The mountains shall bring peace to the people, and the hills, by righteousness.

He will do justice to the afflicted of the people; he will save the children of the needy, and will break in pieces the oppressor.

They shall fear thee as long as sun and moon endure, from generation to generation.

He shall come down like rain on the mown grass, as showers that water the earth.

In his days shall the righteous flourish, and abundance of peace till the moon be no more.

And he shall have dominion from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth.

The dwellers in the desert shall bow before him, and his enemies shall lick the dust.

10 The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall render presents; the kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer tribute:

11 Yea, all kings shall bow down before him; all nations shall serve him.

12 For he will deliver the needy who crieth, and the afflicted, who hath no helper;

13 He will have compassion on the poor and needy, and will save the souls of the needy:

14 He will redeem their souls from oppression and violence, and precious shall their blood be in his sight.

15 And he shall live; and to him shall be given of the gold of Sheba; and prayer shall be made for him continually: all the day shall he be blessed.

16 There shall be abundance of corn in the earth, upon the top of the mountains; the fruit thereof shall shake like Lebanon; and they of the city shall bloom like the herb of the earth.

17 His name shall endure for ever; his name shall be continued as long as the sun: and [men] shall bless themselves in him; all nations shall call him blessed.

18 Blessed be Jehovah Elohim, the God of Israel, who alone doeth wondrous things!

19 And blessed be his glorious name for ever! and let the whole earth be filled with his glory! Amen, and Amen.

20 The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended.

A Psalm of Asaph.

73 Truly God is good to Israel, to such as are of a pure heart.

But as for me, my feet were almost gone, my steps had well nigh slipped;

For I was envious at the arrogant, seeing the prosperity of the wicked.

For they have no pangs in their death, and their body is well nourished;

They have not the hardships of mankind, neither are they plagued like [other] men:

Therefore pride encompasseth them as a neck-chain, violence covereth them [as] a garment;

Their eyes stand out from fatness, they exceed the imaginations of their heart:

They mock and speak wickedly of oppression, they speak loftily:

They set their mouth in the heavens, and their tongue walketh through the earth.

10 Therefore his people turn hither, and waters in fulness are wrung out to them.

11 And they say, How can God know, and is there knowledge in the Most High?

12 Behold, these are the wicked, and they prosper in the world: they heap up riches.

13 Truly have I purified my heart in vain, and washed my hands in innocency:

14 For all the day have I been plagued, and chastened every morning.

15 If I said, I will speak thus, behold, I should be faithless to the generation of thy children.

16 When I thought to be able to know this, it was a grievous task in mine eyes;

17 Until I went into the sanctuaries of God; [then] understood I their end.

18 Truly thou settest them in slippery places, thou castest them down in ruins.

19 How are they suddenly made desolate! they pass away, consumed with terrors.

20 As a dream, when one awaketh, wilt thou, Lord, on arising despise their image.

21 When my heart was in a ferment, and I was pricked in my reins,

22 Then I was brutish and knew nothing; I was [as] a beast with thee.

23 Nevertheless I am continually with thee: thou hast holden my right hand;

24 Thou wilt guide me by thy counsel, and after the glory, thou wilt receive me.

25 Whom have I in the heavens? and there is none upon earth I desire beside thee.

26 My flesh and my heart faileth: God is the rock of my heart and my portion for ever.

27 For behold, they that are far from thee shall perish; thou destroyest every one that goeth a whoring from thee.

28 But as for me, it is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord Jehovah, that I may declare all thy works.

Psalm 71(A)

In you, Lord, I have taken refuge;(B)
    let me never be put to shame.(C)
In your righteousness, rescue me and deliver me;
    turn your ear(D) to me and save me.
Be my rock of refuge,
    to which I can always go;
give the command to save me,
    for you are my rock and my fortress.(E)
Deliver(F) me, my God, from the hand of the wicked,(G)
    from the grasp of those who are evil and cruel.(H)

For you have been my hope,(I) Sovereign Lord,
    my confidence(J) since my youth.
From birth(K) I have relied on you;
    you brought me forth from my mother’s womb.(L)
    I will ever praise(M) you.
I have become a sign(N) to many;
    you are my strong refuge.(O)
My mouth(P) is filled with your praise,
    declaring your splendor(Q) all day long.

Do not cast(R) me away when I am old;(S)
    do not forsake(T) me when my strength is gone.
10 For my enemies(U) speak against me;
    those who wait to kill(V) me conspire(W) together.
11 They say, “God has forsaken(X) him;
    pursue him and seize him,
    for no one will rescue(Y) him.”
12 Do not be far(Z) from me, my God;
    come quickly, God, to help(AA) me.
13 May my accusers(AB) perish in shame;(AC)
    may those who want to harm me
    be covered with scorn and disgrace.(AD)

14 As for me, I will always have hope;(AE)
    I will praise you more and more.

15 My mouth will tell(AF) of your righteous deeds,(AG)
    of your saving acts all day long—
    though I know not how to relate them all.
16 I will come and proclaim your mighty acts,(AH) Sovereign Lord;
    I will proclaim your righteous deeds, yours alone.
17 Since my youth, God, you have taught(AI) me,
    and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds.(AJ)
18 Even when I am old and gray,(AK)
    do not forsake me, my God,
till I declare your power(AL) to the next generation,
    your mighty acts to all who are to come.(AM)

19 Your righteousness, God, reaches to the heavens,(AN)
    you who have done great things.(AO)
    Who is like you, God?(AP)
20 Though you have made me see troubles,(AQ)
    many and bitter,
    you will restore(AR) my life again;
from the depths of the earth(AS)
    you will again bring me up.
21 You will increase my honor(AT)
    and comfort(AU) me once more.

22 I will praise you with the harp(AV)
    for your faithfulness, my God;
I will sing praise to you with the lyre,(AW)
    Holy One of Israel.(AX)
23 My lips will shout for joy(AY)
    when I sing praise to you—
    I whom you have delivered.(AZ)
24 My tongue will tell of your righteous acts
    all day long,(BA)
for those who wanted to harm me(BB)
    have been put to shame and confusion.(BC)

Psalm 72

Of Solomon.

Endow the king with your justice,(BD) O God,
    the royal son with your righteousness.
May he judge your people in righteousness,(BE)
    your afflicted ones with justice.

May the mountains bring prosperity to the people,
    the hills the fruit of righteousness.
May he defend the afflicted(BF) among the people
    and save the children of the needy;(BG)
    may he crush the oppressor.(BH)
May he endure[a](BI) as long as the sun,
    as long as the moon, through all generations.(BJ)
May he be like rain(BK) falling on a mown field,
    like showers watering the earth.
In his days may the righteous flourish(BL)
    and prosperity abound till the moon is no more.

May he rule from sea to sea
    and from the River[b](BM) to the ends of the earth.(BN)
May the desert tribes bow before him
    and his enemies lick the dust.
10 May the kings of Tarshish(BO) and of distant shores(BP)
    bring tribute to him.
May the kings of Sheba(BQ) and Seba
    present him gifts.(BR)
11 May all kings bow down(BS) to him
    and all nations serve(BT) him.

12 For he will deliver the needy who cry out,
    the afflicted who have no one to help.
13 He will take pity(BU) on the weak and the needy
    and save the needy from death.
14 He will rescue(BV) them from oppression and violence,
    for precious(BW) is their blood in his sight.

15 Long may he live!
    May gold from Sheba(BX) be given him.
May people ever pray for him
    and bless him all day long.(BY)
16 May grain(BZ) abound throughout the land;
    on the tops of the hills may it sway.
May the crops(CA) flourish like Lebanon(CB)
    and thrive[c] like the grass of the field.(CC)
17 May his name endure forever;(CD)
    may it continue as long as the sun.(CE)

Then all nations will be blessed through him,[d]
    and they will call him blessed.(CF)

18 Praise be to the Lord God, the God of Israel,(CG)
    who alone does marvelous deeds.(CH)
19 Praise be to his glorious name(CI) forever;
    may the whole earth be filled with his glory.(CJ)
Amen and Amen.(CK)

20 This concludes the prayers of David son of Jesse.(CL)

BOOK III

Psalms 73–89

Psalm 73

A psalm of Asaph.

Surely God is good to Israel,
    to those who are pure in heart.(CM)

But as for me, my feet had almost slipped;(CN)
    I had nearly lost my foothold.(CO)
For I envied(CP) the arrogant
    when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.(CQ)

They have no struggles;
    their bodies are healthy and strong.[e]
They are free(CR) from common human burdens;
    they are not plagued by human ills.
Therefore pride(CS) is their necklace;(CT)
    they clothe themselves with violence.(CU)
From their callous hearts(CV) comes iniquity[f];
    their evil imaginations have no limits.
They scoff, and speak with malice;(CW)
    with arrogance(CX) they threaten oppression.(CY)
Their mouths lay claim to heaven,
    and their tongues take possession of the earth.
10 Therefore their people turn to them
    and drink up waters in abundance.[g]
11 They say, “How would God know?
    Does the Most High know anything?”

12 This is what the wicked are like—
    always free of care,(CZ) they go on amassing wealth.(DA)

13 Surely in vain(DB) I have kept my heart pure
    and have washed my hands in innocence.(DC)
14 All day long I have been afflicted,(DD)
    and every morning brings new punishments.

15 If I had spoken out like that,
    I would have betrayed your children.
16 When I tried to understand(DE) all this,
    it troubled me deeply
17 till I entered the sanctuary(DF) of God;
    then I understood their final destiny.(DG)

18 Surely you place them on slippery ground;(DH)
    you cast them down to ruin.(DI)
19 How suddenly(DJ) are they destroyed,
    completely swept away(DK) by terrors!
20 They are like a dream(DL) when one awakes;(DM)
    when you arise, Lord,
    you will despise them as fantasies.(DN)

21 When my heart was grieved
    and my spirit embittered,
22 I was senseless(DO) and ignorant;
    I was a brute beast(DP) before you.

23 Yet I am always with you;
    you hold me by my right hand.(DQ)
24 You guide(DR) me with your counsel,(DS)
    and afterward you will take me into glory.
25 Whom have I in heaven but you?(DT)
    And earth has nothing I desire besides you.(DU)
26 My flesh and my heart(DV) may fail,(DW)
    but God is the strength(DX) of my heart
    and my portion(DY) forever.

27 Those who are far from you will perish;(DZ)
    you destroy all who are unfaithful(EA) to you.
28 But as for me, it is good to be near God.(EB)
    I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge;(EC)
    I will tell of all your deeds.(ED)

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 72:5 Septuagint; Hebrew You will be feared
  2. Psalm 72:8 That is, the Euphrates
  3. Psalm 72:16 Probable reading of the original Hebrew text; Masoretic Text Lebanon, / from the city
  4. Psalm 72:17 Or will use his name in blessings (see Gen. 48:20)
  5. Psalm 73:4 With a different word division of the Hebrew; Masoretic Text struggles at their death; / their bodies are healthy
  6. Psalm 73:7 Syriac (see also Septuagint); Hebrew Their eyes bulge with fat
  7. Psalm 73:10 The meaning of the Hebrew for this verse is uncertain.