Psalms 71:5-13

Context

71:5 For you give me confidence,¹ O Lord;

O Lord, I have trusted in you since I was young.²

71:6 I have leaned on you since birth;³

you pulled me⁴ from my mother’s womb.

I praise you continually.⁵

71:7 Many are appalled when they see me,⁶

but you are my secure shelter.

71:8 I praise you constantly

and speak of your splendor all day long.⁷

71:9 Do not reject me in my old age!⁸

When my strength fails, do not abandon me!

71:10 For my enemies talk about me;

those waiting for a chance to kill me plot my demise.⁹

71:11 They say,¹⁰ “God has abandoned him.

Run and seize him, for there is no one who will rescue him!”

71:12 O God, do not remain far away from me!

My God, hurry and help me!¹¹

71:13 May my accusers be humiliated and defeated!

May those who want to harm me¹² be covered with scorn and disgrace!

[71:5] ¹tn Heb “for you [are] my hope.”

[71:5] ²tn Heb “O Lord, my source of confidence from my youth.”

[71:6] ³tn Heb “from the womb.”

[71:6] ⁴tc The form in the MT is derived from גָזָה (gazah, “to cut off”), perhaps picturing God as the one who severed the psalmist’s umbilical cord. Many interpreters and translators prefer to emend the text to גֹחִי (gokhiy), from גוּח (gukh) or גִיח, (gikh, “pull out”; see Ps 22:9; cf. the present translation) or to עוּזִּי (’uzziy, “my strength”; cf. NEB “my protector since I left my mother’s womb”).

[71:6] ⁵tn Heb “in you [is] my praise continually.”

[71:7] ⁵tn Heb “like a sign [i.e., portent or bad omen] I am to many.”

[71:8] ⁷tn Heb “my mouth is filled [with] your praise, all the day [with] your splendor.”

[71:9] ⁹tn Heb “do not cast me away at the time of old age.”

[71:10] ¹¹tn Heb “those who watch for my life consult together.”

[71:11] ¹³tn Heb “saying.”

[71:12] ¹⁵tn Heb “hurry to my help.”

[71:13] ¹⁷tn Heb “those who seek my harm.”