Pastor Jeff O’ Neil

Psalm 71

¹O LORD, my hope and confidence
Is plac’d in thee alone;
Then let thy servant never be
Put to confusion.

²And let me, in thy righteousness,
From thee deliv’rance have;
Cause me escape, incline thine ear
Unto me, and me save.

³Be thou my dwellingrock, to which
I ever may resort:
Thou gav’st commandment me to save,
For thou ‘rt my rock and fort.

⁴Free me, my God, from wicked hands,
Hands cruel and unjust:
⁵For thou, O Lord GOD, art my hope,
And from my youth my trust.

⁶Thou from the womb didst hold me up;
Thou art the same that me
Out of my mother’s bowels took;
I ever will praise thee.

⁷To many I a wonder am;
But thou ‘rt my refuge strong.
⁸Fill’d let my mouth be with thy praise
And honour all day long.

⁹O do not cast me off, when as
Old age doth overtake me;
And when my strength decayed is,
Then do not thou forsake me.

¹⁰For those that are mine enemies
Against me speak with hate;
And they together counsel take
That for my soul lay wait.

¹¹They said, God leaves him; him pursue
And take: none will him save.
¹²Be thou not far from me, my God:
Thy speedy help I crave.

¹³Confound, consume them, that unto
My soul are enemies:
Cloth’d be they with reproach and shame
That do my hurt devise.

¹⁴But I with expectation
Will hope continually;
And yet with praises more and more
I will thee magnify.

¹⁵Thy justice and salvation
My mouth abroad shall show,
Ev’n all the day; for I thereof
The numbers do not know.

¹⁶And I will constantly go on
In strength of GOD the Lord;
And thine own righteousness, ev’n thine
Alone, I will record.

¹⁷For even from my youth, O God,
By thee I have been taught;
And hitherto I have declar’d
The wonders thou hast wrought.

¹⁸And now, Lord, leave me not, when I
Old and grayheaded grow:
Till to this age thy strength and pow’r
To all to come I show.

¹⁹And thy most perfect righteousness
O Lord, is very high,
Who hast so great things done: O God,
Who is like unto thee?

²⁰Thou, Lord, who great adversities,
And sore, to me didst show,
Shalt quicken, and bring me again
From depths of earth below.

²¹My greatness and my pow’r thou wilt
Increase, and far extend:
On ev’ry side against all grief
Thou wilt me comfort send.

²²Thee, ev’n thy truth, I’ll also praise,
My God, with psaltery:
Thou Holy One of Israel,
With harp I’ll sing to thee.

²³My lips shall much rejoice in thee,
When I thy praises sound;
My soul, which thou redeemed hast,
In joy shall much abound.

²⁴My tongue thy justice shall proclaim,
Continuing all day long;
For they confounded are, and sham’d,
That seek to do me wrong.