Psalm 70-73

New International Version

² May those who want to take my life^(C)
    be put to shame and confusion;
may all who desire my ruin
    be turned back in disgrace.^(D)
3 May those who say to me, “Aha! Aha!”^(E)
    turn back because of their shame.
⁴ But may all who seek you^(F)
    rejoice and be glad^(G) in you;
may those who long for your saving help always say,
    “The Lord is great!”^(H)

⁵ But as for me, I am poor and needy;^(I)
    come quickly to me,^(J) O God.
You are my help^(K) and my deliverer;^(L)
    Lord, do not delay.^(M)

⁵ For you have been my hope,^(V) Sovereign Lord,
    my confidence^(W) since my youth.
⁶ From birth^(X) I have relied on you;
    you brought me forth from my mother’s womb.^(Y)
    I will ever praise^(Z) you.
⁷ I have become a sign^(AA) to many;
    you are my strong refuge.^(AB)
8 My mouth^(AC) is filled with your praise,
    declaring your splendor^(AD) all day long.

⁹ Do not cast^(AE) me away when I am old;^(AF)
    do not forsake^(AG) me when my strength is gone.
¹⁰ For my enemies^(AH) speak against me;
    those who wait to kill^(AI) me conspire^(AJ) together.
¹¹ They say, “God has forsaken^(AK) him;
    pursue him and seize him,
    for no one will rescue^(AL) him.”
¹² Do not be far^(AM) from me, my God;
    come quickly, God, to help^(AN) me.
¹³ May my accusers^(AO) perish in shame;^(AP)
    may those who want to harm me
    be covered with scorn and disgrace.^(AQ)

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

¹⁵ My mouth will tell^(AS) of your righteous deeds,^(AT)
    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,^(AU) Sovereign Lord;
    I will proclaim your righteous deeds, yours alone.
¹⁷ Since my youth, God, you have taught^(AV) me,
    and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds.^(AW)
18 Even when I am old and gray,^(AX)
    do not forsake me, my God,
till I declare your power^(AY) to the next generation,
    your mighty acts to all who are to come.^(AZ)

¹⁹ Your righteousness, God, reaches to the heavens,^(BA)
    you who have done great things.^(BB)
    Who is like you, God?^(BC)
20 Though you have made me see troubles,^(BD)
    many and bitter,
    you will restore^(BE) my life again;
from the depths of the earth^(BF)
    you will again bring me up.
²¹ You will increase my honor^(BG)
    and comfort^(BH) me once more.

²² I will praise you with the harp^(BI)
    for your faithfulness, my God;
I will sing praise to you with the lyre,^(BJ)
    Holy One of Israel.^(BK)
23 My lips will shout for joy^(BL)
    when I sing praise to you—
    I whom you have delivered.^(BM)
24 My tongue will tell of your righteous acts
    all day long,^(BN)
for those who wanted to harm me^(BO)
    have been put to shame and confusion.^(BP)

³ May the mountains bring prosperity to the people,
    the hills the fruit of righteousness.
⁴ May he defend the afflicted^(BS) among the people
    and save the children of the needy;^(BT)
    may he crush the oppressor.^(BU)
5 May he endure^[b](BV) as long as the sun,
    as long as the moon, through all generations.^(BW)
6 May he be like rain^(BX) falling on a mown field,
    like showers watering the earth.
⁷ In his days may the righteous flourish^(BY)
    and prosperity abound till the moon is no more.

⁸ May he rule from sea to sea
    and from the River^[c](BZ) to the ends of the earth.^(CA)
9 May the desert tribes bow before him
    and his enemies lick the dust.
¹⁰ May the kings of Tarshish^(CB) and of distant shores^(CC)
    bring tribute to him.
May the kings of Sheba^(CD) and Seba
    present him gifts.^(CE)
11 May all kings bow down^(CF) to him
    and all nations serve^(CG) him.

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

¹⁵ Long may he live!
    May gold from Sheba^(CK) be given him.
May people ever pray for him
    and bless him all day long.^(CL)
16 May grain^(CM) abound throughout the land;
    on the tops of the hills may it sway.
May the crops^(CN) flourish like Lebanon^(CO)
    and thrive^[d] like the grass of the field.^(CP)
17 May his name endure forever;^(CQ)
    may it continue as long as the sun.^(CR)

Then all nations will be blessed through him,^[e]
    and they will call him blessed.^(CS)

¹⁸ Praise be to the Lord God, the God of Israel,^(CT)
    who alone does marvelous deeds.^(CU)
19 Praise be to his glorious name^(CV) forever;
    may the whole earth be filled with his glory.^(CW)
Amen and Amen.^(CX)

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

² But as for me, my feet had almost slipped;^(DA)
    I had nearly lost my foothold.^(DB)
3 For I envied^(DC) the arrogant
    when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.^(DD)

⁴ They have no struggles;
    their bodies are healthy and strong.^[f]
5 They are free^(DE) from common human burdens;
    they are not plagued by human ills.
⁶ Therefore pride^(DF) is their necklace;^(DG)
    they clothe themselves with violence.^(DH)
7 From their callous hearts^(DI) comes iniquity^[g];
    their evil imaginations have no limits.
⁸ They scoff, and speak with malice;^(DJ)
    with arrogance^(DK) they threaten oppression.^(DL)
9 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.^[h]
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,^(DM) they go on amassing wealth.^(DN)

¹³ Surely in vain^(DO) I have kept my heart pure
    and have washed my hands in innocence.^(DP)
14 All day long I have been afflicted,^(DQ)
    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^(DR) all this,
    it troubled me deeply
¹⁷ till I entered the sanctuary^(DS) of God;
    then I understood their final destiny.^(DT)

¹⁸ Surely you place them on slippery ground;^(DU)
    you cast them down to ruin.^(DV)
19 How suddenly^(DW) are they destroyed,
    completely swept away^(DX) by terrors!
²⁰ They are like a dream^(DY) when one awakes;^(DZ)
    when you arise, Lord,
    you will despise them as fantasies.^(EA)

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

²³ Yet I am always with you;
    you hold me by my right hand.^(ED)
24 You guide^(EE) me with your counsel,^(EF)
    and afterward you will take me into glory.
²⁵ Whom have I in heaven but you?^(EG)
    And earth has nothing I desire besides you.^(EH)
26 My flesh and my heart^(EI) may fail,^(EJ)
    but God is the strength^(EK) of my heart
    and my portion^(EL) forever.

²⁷ Those who are far from you will perish;^(EM)
    you destroy all who are unfaithful^(EN) to you.
²⁸ But as for me, it is good to be near God.^(EO)
    I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge;^(EP)
    I will tell of all your deeds.^(EQ)