Psalm 143-144

English Standard Version

My Soul Thirsts for You

A Psalm of David.

143 Hear my prayer, O Lord;
    ^(A)give ear to my pleas for mercy!
    In your ^(B)faithfulness answer me, in your ^(C)righteousness!
²^(D)Enter not into judgment with your servant,
    for no one living is righteous ^(E)before you.

³For 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.
⁴Therefore 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!
¹²And 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.

My Rock and My Fortress

Of David.

144 Blessed be the Lord, my ^(AF)rock,
    ^(AG)who trains my hands for war,
    and my fingers for battle;
²he is my ^(AH)steadfast love and my ^(AI)fortress,
    my ^(AJ)stronghold and my deliverer,
my ^(AK)shield and he in whom I take refuge,
    who ^(AL)subdues peoples^[b] under me.

³O 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,
⁸whose mouths speak ^(AY)lies
    and whose right hand is ^(AZ)a right hand of falsehood.

⁹I will sing ^(BA)a new song to you, O God;
    upon ^(BB)a ten-stringed harp I will play to you,
¹⁰who gives victory to kings,
    who ^(BC)rescues David his servant from the cruel sword.
¹¹Rescue 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.

¹²May 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;
¹⁴may 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!

Footnotes

Psalm 143:9 One Hebrew manuscript, Septuagint; most Hebrew manuscripts To you I have covered
Psalm 144:2 Many Hebrew manuscripts, Dead Sea Scroll, Jerome, Syriac, Aquila; most Hebrew manuscripts subdues my people
Psalm 144:14 Hebrew with no breaking in or going out