Psalm 71 - pray with me

Psalm 71 (Amplified Bible)

Psalm 71

¹IN YOU, O Lord, do I put my trust and confidently take refuge; let me never be put to shame or confusion!

²Deliver me in Your righteousness and cause me to escape; bow down Your ear to me and save me!

³Be to me a rock of refuge in which to dwell, and a sheltering stronghold to which I may continually resort, which You have appointed to save me, for You are my Rock and my Fortress.

⁴Rescue me, O my God, out of the hand of the wicked, out of the grasp of the unrighteous and ruthless man.

⁵For You are my hope; O Lord God, You are my trust from my youth and the source of my confidence.

⁶Upon You have I leaned and relied from 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 and surprise to many, but You are my strong refuge.

⁸My mouth shall be filled with Your praise and with Your honor all the day.

⁹Cast me not off nor send me away in the time of old age; forsake me not when my strength is spent and my powers fail.

¹⁰For my enemies talk against me; those who watch for my life consult together,

¹¹Saying, God has forsaken him; pursue and persecute and take him, for there is none to deliver him.

¹²O God, be not far from me! O my God, make haste to help me!

¹³Let them be put to shame and consumed who are adversaries to my life; let them be covered with reproach, scorn, and dishonor who seek and require my hurt.

¹⁴But I will hope continually, and will praise You yet more and more.

¹⁵My mouth shall tell of Your righteous acts and of Your deeds of salvation all the day, for their number is more than I know.

¹⁶I will come in the strength and with the mighty acts of the Lord God; I will mention and praise Your righteousness, even Yours alone.

¹⁷O God, You have taught me from my youth, and hitherto have I declared Your wondrous works.

¹⁸Yes, even when I am old and gray-headed, O God, forsake me not, [but keep me alive] until I have declared Your mighty strength to [this] generation, and Your might and power to all that are to come.

¹⁹Your righteousness also, O God, is very high [reaching to the heavens], You Who have done great things; O God, who is like You, or who is Your equal?

²⁰You Who have shown us [all] troubles great and sore will quicken us again and will bring us up again from the depths of the earth.

²¹Increase my greatness (my honor) and turn and comfort me.

²²I will also praise You with the harp, even Your truth and faithfulness, O my God; unto You will I sing praises with the lyre, O Holy One of Israel.

²³My lips shall shout for joy when I sing praises to You, and my inner being, which You have redeemed.

²⁴My tongue also shall talk of Your righteousness all the day long; for they are put to shame, for they are confounded, who seek and demand my hurt.

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or in everyday lingo...

Psalm 71 (The Message)

Psalm 71

^1-3 I run for dear life to God, I'll never live to regret it.
Do what you do so well:
get me out of this mess and up on my feet.
Put your ear to the ground and listen,
give me space for salvation.
Be a guest room where I can retreat;
you said your door was always open!
You're my salvation—my vast, granite fortress.

^4-7 My God, free me from the grip of Wicked,
from the clutch of Bad and Bully.
You keep me going when times are tough— my bedrock, God, since my childhood.
I've hung on you from the day of my birth,
the day you took me from the cradle;
I'll never run out of praise.
Many gasp in alarm when they see me,
but you take me in stride.

^8-11 Just as each day brims with your beauty, my mouth brims with praise. But don't turn me out to pasture when I'm old or put me on the shelf when I can't pull my weight.
My enemies are talking behind my back,
watching for their chance to knife me.
The gossip is: "God has abandoned him.
Pounce on him now; no one will help him."

^12-16 God, don't just watch from the sidelines.
Come on! Run to my side!
My accusers—make them lose face.
Those out to get me—make them look
Like idiots, while I stretch out, reaching for you,
and daily add praise to praise.
I'll write the book on your righteousness,
talk up your salvation the livelong day,
never run out of good things to write or say.
I come in the power of the Lord God, I post signs marking his right-of-way.

^17-24 You got me when I was an unformed youth, God, and taught me everything I know. Now I'm telling the world your wonders; I'll keep at it until I'm old and gray. God, don't walk off and leave me until I get out the news Of your strong right arm to this world, news of your power to the world yet to come, Your famous and righteous ways, O God.
God, you've done it all! Who is quite like you? You, who made me stare trouble in the face, Turn me around; Now let me look life in the face. I've been to the bottom; Bring me up, streaming with honors; turn to me, be tender to me,
And I'll take up the lute and thank you to the tune of your faithfulness, God.
I'll make music for you on a harp,
Holy One of Israel.
When I open up in song to you,
I let out lungsful of praise,
my rescued life a song.
All day long I'm chanting
about you and your righteous ways,
While those who tried to do me in
slink off looking ashamed.

Amen!