Psalm 143-146

English Standard Version

³ For the enemy has pursued my soul;
    ^(F)he has crushed my life to the ground;
    ^(G)he has made me sit in darkness like those long dead.
⁴ Therefore my spirit ^(H)faints within me;
    my heart within me is appalled.

^5 (I)I remember the days of old;
    ^(J)I meditate on all that you have done;
    I ponder the work of your hands.
^6 (K)I stretch out my hands to you;
    ^(L)my soul thirsts for you like ^(M)a parched land. Selah

^7 (N)Answer me quickly, O Lord!
    ^(O)My spirit fails!
^(P)Hide not your face from me,
    ^(Q)lest I be like those who go down to the pit.
^8 (R)Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love,
    for in you I ^(S)trust.
^(T)Make me know the way I should go,
    ^(U)for to you I lift up my soul.

^9 (V)Deliver me from my enemies, O Lord!
    I have fled to you for refuge.^[a]
10 (W)Teach me to do your will,
    for you are my God!
^(X)Let your good Spirit ^(Y)lead me
    on ^(Z)level ground!

^11 (AA)For your name's sake, O Lord, ^(AB)preserve my life!
    In your righteousness ^(AC)bring my soul out of trouble!
¹² And in your steadfast love you will ^(AD)cut off my enemies,
    and you will destroy all the adversaries of my soul,
    for I am your ^(AE)servant.

³ O Lord, ^(AM)what is man that you ^(AN)regard him,
    or the son of man that you think of him?
^4 (AO)Man is like a breath;
    his days are like ^(AP)a passing ^(AQ)shadow.

^5 (AR)Bow your heavens, O Lord, and come down!
    ^(AS)Touch the mountains so that they smoke!
^6 (AT)Flash forth the lightning and scatter them;
    ^(AU)send out your arrows and rout them!
^7 (AV)Stretch out your hand from on high;
    ^(AW)rescue me and deliver me from the many waters,
    from the hand ^(AX)of foreigners,
⁸ whose mouths speak ^(AY)lies
    and whose right hand is ^(AZ)a right hand of falsehood.

⁹ I will sing ^(BA)a new song to you, O God;
    upon ^(BB)a ten-stringed harp I will play to you,
¹⁰ who gives victory to kings,
    who ^(BC)rescues David his servant from the cruel sword.
¹¹ Rescue me and deliver me
    from the hand ^(BD)of foreigners,
whose mouths speak ^(BE)lies
    and whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood.

¹² May our sons in their youth
    be like ^(BF)plants full grown,
our daughters like ^(BG)corner pillars
    cut for the structure of a palace;
^13 (BH)may our granaries be full,
    ^(BI)providing all kinds of produce;
may our sheep bring forth thousands
    and ten thousands in our fields;
¹⁴ may our cattle be heavy with young,
    suffering no mishap or failure in bearing;^[c]
may there be no ^(BJ)cry of distress in our streets!
^15 (BK)Blessed are the people to whom such blessings fall!
    ^(BL)Blessed are the people whose God is the Lord!

^4 (BR)One generation shall commend your works to another,
    and shall declare your mighty acts.
⁵ On ^(BS)the glorious splendor of your majesty,
    and on your wondrous works, I will meditate.
⁶ They shall speak of ^(BT)the might of your awesome deeds,
    and I will declare your greatness.
⁷ They shall pour forth the fame of your ^(BU)abundant goodness
    and shall sing aloud of your righteousness.

⁸ The Lord is ^(BV)gracious and merciful,
    slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
⁹ The Lord is ^(BW)good to all,
    and his mercy is over all that he has made.

^10 (BX)All your works shall give thanks to you, O Lord,
    and all your ^(BY)saints shall bless you!
¹¹ They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom
    and tell of your power,
¹² to ^(BZ)make known to the children of man your^{[e] (CA)}mighty deeds,
    and ^(CB)the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
^13 (CC)Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
    and your dominion endures throughout all generations.

[The Lord is faithful in all his words
    and kind in all his works.]^[f]
14 The Lord ^(CD)upholds all who are falling
    and ^(CE)raises up all who are bowed down.
¹⁵ The eyes of all ^(CF)look to you,
    and you give them their food in due season.
¹⁶ You ^(CG)open your hand;
    you ^(CH)satisfy the desire of every living thing.
¹⁷ The Lord is ^(CI)righteous in all his ways
    and ^(CJ)kind in all his works.
¹⁸ The Lord is ^(CK)near to all who call on him,
    to all who call on him ^(CL)in truth.
¹⁹ He ^(CM)fulfills the desire of those who fear him;
    he also ^(CN)hears their cry and saves them.
²⁰ The Lord ^(CO)preserves all who love him,
    but all the wicked he will destroy.

²¹ My mouth will speak the praise of the Lord,
    and ^(CP)let all flesh bless his holy name forever and ever.

^3 (CT)Put not your trust in princes,
    ^(CU)in a son of man, in whom there is ^(CV)no salvation.
⁴ When ^(CW)his breath departs, he returns to the earth;
    on that very day his plans perish.

^5 (CX)Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,
    whose ^(CY)hope is in the Lord his God,
^6 (CZ)who made heaven and earth,
    the sea, and all that is in them,
^(DA)who keeps faith forever;
^{7     (DB)}who executes justice for the oppressed,
    ^(DC)who gives food to the hungry.

^(DD)The Lord sets the prisoners free;
^{8     (DE)}the Lord opens the eyes of the blind.
^(DF)The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down;
    ^(DG)the Lord loves the righteous.
^9 (DH)The Lord watches over the sojourners;
    ^(DI)he upholds the widow and the fatherless,
    but ^(DJ)the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.

^10 (DK)The Lord will reign forever,
    your God, O Zion, to all generations.
^(DL)Praise the Lord!