Psalms 70; Psalms 71; Psalms 72; Psalms 73

1 Come quickly to rescue me, O God! Come quickly to help me, O LORD!

2 Let those who seek my life be confused and put to shame. Let those who want my downfall be turned back and disgraced.

3 Let those who say, "Aha! Aha!" be turned back because of their own shame.

4 Let all who seek you rejoice and be glad because of you. Let those who love your salvation continually say, "God is great!"

5 But I am oppressed and needy. O God, come to me quickly. You are my help and my savior. O LORD, do not delay!

1 I have taken refuge in you, O LORD. Never let me be put to shame.

2 Rescue me and free me because of your righteousness. Turn your ear toward me, and save me.

3 Be a rock on which I may live, a place where I may always go. You gave the order to save me! Indeed, you are my rock and my fortress.

4 My God, free me from the hands of a wicked person, from the grasp of one who is cruel and unjust.

5 You are my hope, O Almighty LORD. You have been my confidence ever since I was young.

6 I depended on you before I was born. You took me from my mother's womb. My songs of praise constantly speak about you.

7 I have become an example to many people, but you are my strong refuge.

8 My mouth is filled with your praise, with your glory all day long.

9 Do not reject me when I am old or abandon me when I lose my strength.

10 My enemies talk about me. They watch me as they plot to take my life.

11 They say, "God has abandoned him. Pursue him and grab him because there is no one to rescue him."

12 O God, do not be so distant from me. O my God, come quickly to help me.

13 Let those who accuse me come to a shameful end. Let those who want my downfall be covered with disgrace and humiliation.

14 But I will always have hope. I will praise you more and more.

15 My mouth will tell about your righteousness, about your salvation all day long. Even then, it is more than I can understand.

16 I will come with the mighty deeds of the Almighty LORD. I will praise your righteousness, yours alone.

17 O God, you have taught me ever since I was young, and I still talk about the miracles you have done.

18 Even when I am old and gray, do not abandon me, O God. Let me live to tell the people of this age what your strength has accomplished, to tell about your power to all who will come.

19 Your righteousness reaches to the heavens, O God. You have done great things. O God, who is like you?

20 You have made me endure many terrible troubles. You restore me to life again. You bring me back from the depths of the earth.

21 You comfort me and make me greater than ever.

22 Because of your faithfulness, O my God, even I will give thanks to you as I play on a lyre. I will make music with a harp to praise you, O Holy One of Israel.

23 My lips will sing with joy when I make music to praise you. My soul, which you have rescued, also will sing joyfully.

24 My tongue will tell about your righteousness all day long, because those who wanted my downfall have been disgraced and put to shame.

1 O God, give the king your justice and the king's son your righteousness

2 so that he may judge your people with righteousness and your oppressed [people] with justice.

3 May the mountains bring peace to the people and the hills bring righteousness.

4 May he grant justice to the people who are oppressed. May he save the children of needy people and crush their oppressor.

5 May they fear you as long as the sun and moon [shine]-- throughout every generation.

6 May he be like rain that falls on [freshly] cut grass, like showers that water the land.

7 May righteous people blossom in his day. May there be unlimited peace until the moon no longer [shines].

8 May he rule from sea to sea, from the Euphrates River to the ends of the earth.

9 May the people of the desert kneel in front of him. May his enemies lick the dust.

10 May the kings from Tarshish and the islands bring presents. May the kings from Sheba and Seba bring gifts.

11 May all kings worship him. May all nations serve him.

12 He will rescue the needy person who cries for help and the oppressed person who has no one's help.

13 He will have pity on the poor and needy and will save the lives of the needy.

14 He will rescue them from oppression and violence. Their blood will be precious in his sight.

15 May he live long. May the gold from Sheba be given to him. May [the people] pray for him continually. May [they] praise him all day long.

16 May there be plenty of grain in the land. May it wave [in the breeze] on the mountaintops, its fruit like [the treetops of] Lebanon. May those from the city flourish like the grass on the ground.

17 May his name endure forever. May his name continue as long as the sun [shines]. May all nations be blessed through him and call him blessed.

18 Thank the LORD God, the God of Israel, who alone does miracles.

19 Thanks be to his glorious name forever. May the whole earth be filled with his glory. Amen and amen!

20 The prayers by David, son of Jesse, end here.

1 God is truly good to Israel, to those whose lives are pure.

2 But my feet had almost stumbled. They had almost slipped

3 because I was envious of arrogant people when I saw the prosperity that wicked people enjoy.

4 They suffer no pain. Their bodies are healthy.

5 They have no drudgery in their lives like ordinary people. They are not plagued [with problems] like others.

6 That is why they wear arrogance like a necklace and acts of violence like clothing.

7 Their eyes peer out from their fat faces, and their imaginations run wild.

8 They ridicule. They speak maliciously. They speak arrogantly about oppression.

9 They verbally attack heaven, and they order people around on earth.

10 That is why God's people turn to wickedness and swallow their words.

11 Then wicked people ask, "What does God know?" "Does the Most High know anything?"

12 Look how wicked they are! They never have a worry. They grow more and more wealthy.

13 I've received no reward for keeping my life pure and washing my hands of any blame.

14 I'm plagued [with problems] all day long, and every morning my punishment [begins again].

15 If I had said, "I will continue to talk like that," I would have betrayed God's people.

16 But when I tried to understand this, it was too difficult for me.

17 Only when I came into God's holy place did I [finally] understand what would happen to them.

18 You put them in slippery places and make them fall into ruin.

19 They are suddenly destroyed. They are completely swept away by terror!

20 As [someone] gets rid of a dream when he wakes up, so you, O Lord, get rid of the thought of them when you wake up.

21 When my heart was filled with bitterness and my mind was seized [with envy],

22 I was stupid, and I did not understand. I was like a dumb animal in your presence.

23 Yet, I am always with you. You hold on to my right hand.

24 With your advice you guide me, and in the end you will take me to glory.

25 As long as I have you, I don't need anyone else in heaven or on earth.

26 My body and mind may waste away, but God remains the foundation of my life and my inheritance forever.

27 Without a doubt, those who are far from you will die. You destroy all who are unfaithful to you.

28 Being united with God is my highest good. I have made the Almighty LORD my refuge so that I may report everything that he has done.