Psalm 71

God loves old folks

Don’t let the bad guys get me

1LORD, I depend on you when I need protection.
Please don’t ever disappoint me.
2Out of the goodness of who you are
Rescue me. Save me.
Please hear me and help me.
3Become a rock shelter when I need protection.
A safehouse I can run to over and over.
Give the order to save me.
You are my shelter and my safehouse.
4God, please rescue me from these evil people.
Don’t let the ruthless people get their hands on me.
5I’m trusting you, Lord God.
I’ve been trusting you since I was a kid.
6I’ve depended on you all my life.
Since that first breath outside my mother’s body,
I’ve had you there to support me.
7Many say I’m remarkable. [1]
I credit you for that since you’re my protector.
8Kind words about you keep popping out of my mouth.
All day long I talk about how wonderful you are.
9Don’t kick me out of your circle in my old age.
Don’t leave me behind when my strength fails.

They’re ganging up on me

10Enemies are trash-talking me.
They’re ganging up on me.
11They’re saying, “God has dumped him.
Now’s the time to snatch him
Because there’s no one left to save him.”
12God, don’t wander off.
Come running to help me, God.
13I want to see those trying to hurt me
dishonored and destroyed.
Clothe them in shame,
Make them wear their shame.

I’ll keep thanking God

14As for me, I’ll keep waiting for you,
And I’ll praise you all the more.
15I’ll talk about your goodness,
Speak every day of how you’ve saved us.
But you’ve done so much to help us
There’s more than I can tell.
16I’m thanking you, LORD God
For the incredible things you’ve done.
I’m talking about your goodness.
It’s yours, and yours alone.
17Since I was a kid, you’ve been my teacher.
I can’t stop talking about wonders you’ve done.
18God, don’t ignore me when I’m old and gray.
Give me strength to tell this generation of your power.
19Your goodness stretches from here to high heaven.
You are remarkable and have done remarkable things.
God, you’ve got no competition or peer.
20You’ve steered many painful troubles my way.
When I’m down and out, lift me up again.
When I’m flat in the dirt, get me back on my feet.
21Make me better than ever.
Come and comfort me.
22I’ve got a harp and I’m going to use it.
I’m singing to you, my God.
It’s a small harp, [2] but I’m singing to you
Holy One of Israel.

Read my happy lips

23These lips are happy lips
As I sing my songs to you.
Every part of me rejoices
As I sing of when you saved me.
24All day I’ll talk about your goodness.
You took those people trying to hurt me
And made them pay for it with shame.

Footnotes

Intro Notes for Psalms

Intro Notes for Book 2 of 5 in Psalms

171:7

“Remarkable” can go either way: remarkably good or remarkably bad. We need a word like that, since scholars are left guessing what word to plug in here. Some translations go upbeat: “I have become a marvel” (New American Standard Version); “an example for many” (The Jewish Study Bible, Tanakh Translation). Others aren’t so positive: “I have been a portent to many” (English Standard Version). “Many people think of me as something evil” (Contemporary English Version). So maybe for the time being, a word that rides the fence deserves a saddle.

271:22

It’s a lyre.