Psalm 140-150

New American Standard Bible

Prayer for Protection against the Wicked.

For the music director. A Psalm of David.

140 ^(A)Rescue me, Lord, from evil people;
Protect me from ^(B)violent men
²Who ^(C)devise evil things in their hearts;
They ^(D)continually stir up wars.
³They ^(E)sharpen their tongues like a snake;
^(F)The venom of a viper is under their lips. Selah

⁴^(G)Keep me, Lord, from the hands of the wicked;
^(H)Protect me from violent men
Who ^[a]intend to ^[b]^(I)trip up my feet.
⁵The proud have ^(J)hidden a trap for me, and snares;
They have spread a ^(K)net at the ^[c]wayside;
They have set ^(L)snares for me. Selah

⁶I ^(M)said to the Lord, “You are my God;
^(N)Listen, Lord, to the ^(O)sound of my pleadings.
⁷^[d]God the Lord, ^(P)the strength of my salvation,
You have ^(Q)covered my head on the day of ^[e]battle.
⁸Do not grant, Lord, the ^(R)desires of the wicked;
Do not bring about ^(S)his evil planning, so that they are not exalted. Selah

⁹“As for the head of those who surround me,
May the ^(T)harm of their lips cover them.
¹⁰May ^(U)burning coals fall upon them;
May they be ^(V)cast into the fire,
Into bottomless pits from which they ^(W)cannot rise.
¹¹May a ^[f]slanderer not endure on the earth;
^(X)May evil hunt a violent person ^[g]violently.”

¹²I know that the Lord will ^(Y)maintain the cause of the afflicted,
And ^(Z)justice for the poor.
¹³Certainly the ^(AA)righteous will give thanks to Your name;
The ^(AB)upright will dwell in Your presence.

An Evening Prayer for Sanctification and Protection.

A Psalm of David.

141 Lord, I call upon You; ^(AC)hurry to me!
^(AD)Listen to my voice when I call to You!
²May my prayer be ^[h]counted as ^(AE)incense before You;
The ^(AF)raising of my hands as the ^(AG)evening offering.
³Set a ^(AH)guard, Lord, ^[i]over my mouth;
Keep watch over the ^(AI)door of my lips.
⁴^(AJ)Do not incline my heart to any evil thing,
To practice deeds ^[j]of wickedness
With people who ^(AK)do wrong;
And ^(AL)may I not taste their delicacies.

⁵May the ^(AM)righteous strike me with mercy and discipline me;
It is ^(AN)oil for the head;
My head shall not refuse it,
For my prayer ^(AO)is still against their evil deeds.
⁶Their judges are ^(AP)thrown down by the sides of the rock,
And they hear my words, for they are pleasant.
⁷As when one ^(AQ)plows and breaks open the earth,
Our ^(AR)bones have been scattered at the ^(AS)mouth of ^[k]Sheol.

⁸For my ^(AT)eyes are toward You, ^[l]God, the Lord;
In You I ^(AU)take refuge; ^(AV)do not ^[m]leave me defenseless.
⁹Keep me from the ^[n]^(AW)jaws of the trap which they have set for me,
And from the ^(AX)snares of those who do wrong.
¹⁰May the wicked ^(AY)fall into their own nets,
While I pass by ^[o]^(AZ)safely.

Prayer for Help in Trouble.

^[p]Maskil of David, when he was ^[q]in the cave. A Prayer.

142 I ^(BA)cry out with my voice to the Lord;
With my voice I ^(BB)implore the Lord for compassion.
²I ^(BC)pour out my complaint before Him;
I declare my ^(BD)trouble before Him.
³When ^(BE)my spirit felt weak within me,
You knew my path.
In the way where I walk
They have ^(BF)hidden a trap for me.
⁴Look to the right and see;
For there is ^(BG)no one who regards me favorably;
^[r]There is no ^(BH)escape for me;
^(BI)No one cares for my soul.

⁵I cried out to You, Lord;
I said, “You are ^(BJ)my refuge,
My ^(BK)portion in the ^(BL)land of the living.
⁶^(BM)Give Your attention to my cry,
For I have been ^(BN)brought very low;
Rescue me from my persecutors,
For they are too ^(BO)strong for me.
⁷^(BP)Bring my soul out of prison,
So that I may give thanks to Your name;
The righteous will surround me,
For You will ^(BQ)look after me.”

Prayer for Help and Guidance.

A Psalm of David.

143 Hear my prayer, Lord,
^(BR)Listen to my pleadings!
Answer me in Your ^(BS)faithfulness, in Your ^(BT)righteousness!
²And ^(BU)do not enter into judgment with Your servant,
For ^(BV)no person living is righteous in Your sight.
³For the enemy has persecuted my soul;
He has crushed my life ^(BW)to the ground;
He ^(BX)has made me dwell in dark places, like those who have long been dead.
⁴Therefore ^(BY)my spirit ^[s]feels weak within me;
My heart is ^[t]^(BZ)appalled within me.

⁵I ^(CA)remember the days of old;
I ^(CB)meditate on all Your accomplishments;
I ^(CC)reflect on the work of Your hands.
⁶I ^(CD)spread out my hands to You;
My ^(CE)soul longs for You, like a weary land. Selah

⁷^(CF)Answer me quickly, Lord, my ^(CG)spirit fails;
^(CH)Do not hide Your face from me,
Or I will be the same as ^(CI)those who go down to the pit.
⁸Let me hear Your ^(CJ)faithfulness ^(CK)in the morning,
For I trust ^(CL)in You;
Teach me the ^(CM)way in which I should walk;
For to You I ^(CN)lift up my soul.
⁹^(CO)Save me, Lord, from my enemies;
^[u]I take refuge in You.

¹⁰^(CP)Teach me to do Your will,
For You are my God;
Let ^(CQ)Your good Spirit ^(CR)lead me on level ^[v]ground.
¹¹^(CS)For the sake of Your name, Lord, ^(CT)revive me.
^(CU)In Your righteousness bring my soul out of trouble.
¹²And in Your faithfulness, ^[w]^(CV)destroy my enemies,
And ^(CW)eliminate all those who attack my soul,
For ^(CX)I am Your servant.

Prayer for Rescue and Prosperity.

A Psalm of David.

144 Blessed be the Lord, ^(CY)my rock,
Who ^(CZ)trains my hands for war,
And my fingers for battle;
²My faithfulness and ^(DA)my fortress,
My ^(DB)stronghold and my savior,
My ^(DC)shield and He in whom I take refuge,
Who ^(DD)subdues ^[x]my people under me.
³Lord, ^(DE)what is man, that You look after him?
Or a son of man, that You think of him?
⁴^(DF)Man is like the breath;
His ^(DG)days are like a passing shadow.

⁵^(DH)Bend down Your heavens, Lord, and ^(DI)come down;
^(DJ)Touch the mountains, that they may smoke.
⁶Flash forth ^(DK)lightning and scatter them;
Send out Your ^(DL)arrows and confuse them.
⁷Reach out with Your hand ^(DM)from on high;
Rescue me and ^(DN)save me from great waters,
From the hand of ^(DO)foreigners
⁸Whose mouths ^(DP)speak deceit,
And whose ^(DQ)right hand is a right hand of falsehood.

⁹God, I will sing a ^(DR)new song to You;
On a ^(DS)harp of ten strings I will sing praises to You,
¹⁰Who ^(DT)gives salvation to kings,
Who ^(DU)rescues His servant David from the evil sword.
¹¹Rescue me and save me from the hand of ^(DV)foreigners,
Whose mouth ^(DW)speaks deceit
And whose ^(DX)right hand is a right hand of falsehood.

¹²When our sons in their youth are like ^(DY)growing plants,
And our daughters like ^(DZ)corner pillars ^[y]fashioned for a palace,
¹³Our ^(EA)granaries are full, providing every kind of produce,
And our flocks deliver thousands and ten thousands in our ^[z]fields;
¹⁴May our ^(EB)cattle ^[aa]be bred
Without ^[ab]^(EC)mishap and without ^[ac]^(ED)loss,
May there be no ^(EE)outcry in our streets!
¹⁵Blessed are the people who are so situated;
^(EF)Blessed are the people whose God is the Lord!

The Lord Exalted for His Goodness.

A Psalm of Praise, of David.

145 I will ^(EG)exalt You, ^(EH)my God, the King,
And I will ^(EI)bless Your name forever and ever.
²Every day I will bless You,
And I will ^(EJ)praise Your name forever and ever.
³^(EK)Great is the Lord, and highly to be praised;
And His ^(EL)greatness is unsearchable.
⁴One ^(EM)generation will praise Your works to another,
And will declare Your mighty acts.
⁵On the ^(EN)glorious ^[ad]splendor of Your majesty
And ^(EO)on Your wonderful works, I will meditate.
⁶People will speak of the ^[ae]power of Your ^(EP)awesome acts,
And I will ^(EQ)tell of Your greatness.
⁷They will burst forth ^[af]in speaking of Your ^(ER)abundant goodness,
And will ^(ES)shout joyfully of Your righteousness.

⁸The Lord is ^(ET)gracious and compassionate;
Slow to anger and great in mercy.
⁹The Lord is ^(EU)good to all,
And His ^(EV)mercies are over all His works.
¹⁰^(EW)All Your works will give thanks to You, Lord,
And Your ^(EX)godly ones will bless You.
¹¹They will speak of the ^(EY)glory of Your kingdom,
And talk of Your might,
¹²To ^(EZ)make known to the sons of mankind ^[ag]Your mighty acts,
And the ^(FA)glory of the majesty of ^[ah]Your kingdom.
¹³Your kingdom is ^[ai]an ^(FB)everlasting kingdom,
And Your dominion endures throughout all generations.
^[aj]The Lord is faithful in His words,
And holy in all His works.

¹⁴The Lord ^(FC)supports all who fall,
And ^(FD)raises up all who are bowed down.
¹⁵The eyes of all ^[ak]look to You,
And You ^(FE)give them their food in due time.
¹⁶You ^(FF)open Your hand
And satisfy the desire of every living thing.

¹⁷The Lord is ^(FG)righteous in all His ways,
And kind in all His works.
¹⁸The Lord is ^(FH)near to all who call on Him,
To all who call on Him ^(FI)in truth.
¹⁹He will ^(FJ)fulfill the desire of those who fear Him;
He will also ^(FK)hear their cry for help and save them.
²⁰The Lord ^(FL)watches over all who love Him,
But He will destroy all the ^(FM)wicked.
²¹My ^(FN)mouth will speak the praise of the Lord,
And ^(FO)all flesh will ^(FP)bless His holy name forever and ever.

The Lord, an Abundant Helper.

146 ^[al]Praise ^[am]the Lord!
^(FQ)Praise the Lord, my soul!
²I will praise the Lord ^(FR)while I live;
I will ^(FS)sing praises to my God while I ^[an]have my being.
³^(FT)Do not trust in noblemen,
In ^[ao]mortal ^(FU)man, in whom there is ^(FV)no salvation.
⁴His ^(FW)spirit departs, he ^(FX)returns to ^[ap]the earth;
On that very day his ^(FY)plans perish.
⁵^(FZ)Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,
Whose ^(GA)hope is in the Lord his God,
⁶Who ^(GB)made heaven and earth,
The ^(GC)sea and everything that is in them;
Who ^(GD)keeps ^[aq]faith forever;
⁷Who ^(GE)executes justice for the oppressed;
Who ^(GF)gives food to the hungry.
The Lord ^(GG)frees the prisoners.

⁸The Lord ^(GH)opens the eyes of those who are blind;
The Lord ^(GI)raises up those who are bowed down;
The Lord ^(GJ)loves the righteous.
⁹The Lord ^(GK)watches over strangers;
He ^[ar]^(GL)supports the fatherless and the widow,
But He ^[as]thwarts ^(GM)the way of the wicked.
¹⁰The Lord will ^(GN)reign forever,
Your God, Zion, to all generations.
^[at]Praise ^[au]the Lord!

Praise for Jerusalem’s Restoration and Prosperity.

147 ^[av]Praise ^[aw]the Lord!
For ^(GO)it is good to sing praises to our God;
For ^[ax]it is pleasant and praise is ^[ay]^(GP)beautiful.
²The Lord ^(GQ)builds up Jerusalem;
He ^(GR)gathers the outcasts of Israel.
³He heals the ^(GS)brokenhearted
And ^(GT)binds up their ^[az]wounds.
⁴He ^(GU)counts the number of the stars;
He ^[ba]^(GV)gives names to all of them.
⁵^(GW)Great is our Lord and abundant in strength;
His ^(GX)understanding is ^[bb]infinite.
⁶The Lord ^[bc]^(GY)supports the afflicted;
He brings the wicked down to the ground.

⁷^(GZ)Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving;
Sing praises to our God on the lyre;
⁸It is He who ^(HA)covers the heavens with clouds,
Who ^(HB)provides rain for the earth,
Who ^(HC)makes grass sprout on the mountains.
⁹It is He who ^(HD)gives an animal its food,
And feeds ^(HE)young ravens that cry.
¹⁰He does not delight in ^[bd]the strength of the ^(HF)horse;
He ^(HG)does not take pleasure in the ^[be]legs of a man.
¹¹The Lord ^(HH)favors those who fear Him,
^(HI)Those who wait for His ^[bf]faithfulness.

¹²Praise the Lord, Jerusalem!
Praise your God, Zion!
¹³For He has strengthened the ^(HJ)bars of your gates;
He has ^(HK)blessed your sons among you.
¹⁴He ^(HL)makes ^[bg]peace in your borders;
He ^(HM)satisfies you with ^(HN)the ^[bh]finest of the wheat.
¹⁵He sends His ^(HO)command to the earth;
His ^(HP)word runs very swiftly.
¹⁶He ^[bi]showers ^(HQ)snow like wool;
He scatters the ^(HR)frost like ashes.
¹⁷He hurls His ^(HS)ice as fragments;
Who can stand before His ^(HT)cold?
¹⁸He ^(HU)sends His word and makes them melt;
He ^(HV)makes His wind blow, and the waters flow.
¹⁹He ^(HW)declares His words to Jacob,
His ^(HX)statutes and His judgments to Israel.
²⁰He ^(HY)has not dealt this way with any other nation;
And as for His judgments, ^[bj]they have ^(HZ)not known them.
^[bk]Praise ^[bl]the Lord!

The Whole Creation Invoked to Praise the Lord.

148 ^[bm]Praise ^[bn]the Lord!
Praise the Lord ^(IA)from the heavens;
Praise Him ^(IB)in the heights!
²Praise Him, ^(IC)all His angels;
Praise Him, ^(ID)all His heavenly armies!
³Praise Him, sun and moon;
Praise Him, all stars of light!
⁴Praise Him, ^[bo]^(IE)highest heavens,
And the ^(IF)waters that are above the heavens!
⁵They are to praise the name of the Lord,
For ^(IG)He commanded and they were created.
⁶He has also ^(IH)established them forever and ever;
He has made a ^(II)decree, and it will not pass away.

⁷Praise the Lord from the earth,
^(IJ)Sea monsters, and all the ocean ^(IK)depths;
⁸^(IL)Fire and hail, ^(IM)snow and ^(IN)clouds;
^(IO)Stormy wind, ^(IP)fulfilling His word;
⁹^(IQ)Mountains and all hills;
Fruit ^(IR)trees and all cedars;
¹⁰^(IS)Animals and all cattle;
^(IT)Crawling things and winged fowl;
¹¹^(IU)Kings of the earth and all peoples;
Rulers and all judges of the earth;
¹²Both young men and virgins;
Old men and children.

¹³They are to praise the name of the Lord,
For His ^(IV)name alone is exalted;
His ^(IW)majesty is above earth and heaven.
¹⁴And He has ^(IX)lifted up a horn for His people,
^(IY)Praise for all His godly ones,
For the sons of Israel, a people ^(IZ)near to Him.
^[bp]Praise ^[bq]the Lord!

Israel Invoked to Praise the Lord.

149 ^[br]Praise ^[bs]the Lord!
Sing a ^(JA)new song to the Lord,
And His praise ^(JB)in the congregation of the godly ones.
²Israel shall be joyful in ^(JC)his Maker;
The sons of Zion shall rejoice in their ^(JD)King.
³They shall praise His name with ^(JE)dancing;
They shall sing praises to Him with ^(JF)tambourine and lyre.
⁴For the Lord ^(JG)takes pleasure in His people;
He will ^(JH)glorify the lowly with salvation.

⁵The ^(JI)godly ones shall be jubilant in glory;
They shall ^(JJ)sing for joy on their beds.
⁶The ^(JK)high praises of God shall be in their ^[bt]mouths,
And a ^(JL)two-edged ^(JM)sword in their hands,
⁷To ^(JN)execute vengeance on the nations,
And punishment on the peoples,
⁸To bind their kings ^(JO)with chains,
And their ^(JP)dignitaries with shackles of iron,
⁹To ^(JQ)execute against them the judgment written.
This is an ^(JR)honor for all His godly ones.
^[bu]Praise ^[bv]the Lord!

A Psalm of Praise.

150 ^[bw]Praise ^[bx]the Lord!
Praise God in His ^(JS)sanctuary;
Praise Him in His mighty ^[by]^(JT)expanse.
²Praise Him for His ^(JU)mighty deeds;
Praise Him according to His excellent ^(JV)greatness.

³Praise Him with ^(JW)trumpet sound;
Praise Him with ^(JX)harp and lyre.
⁴Praise Him with ^(JY)tambourine and dancing;
Praise Him with ^(JZ)stringed instruments and ^(KA)flute.
⁵Praise Him with loud ^(KB)cymbals;
Praise Him with resounding cymbals.
⁶^(KC)Everything that has breath shall praise ^[bz]the Lord.
^[ca]Praise ^[cb]the Lord!