Tehillim 141-145

Orthodox Jewish Bible

141 (Mizmor of Dovid) Hashem, I cry unto Thee; make haste unto me; give ear unto my voice, when I cry unto Thee.

² Let my tefillah be set forth before Thee like ketoret; and the lifting up of my hands as the minchat erev.

³ Be shomer, Hashem, over my mouth; guard the door of my lips.

⁴ Let not my lev incline to any evil thing, to practice wicked works with men that work iniquity; and let me not eat of their dainties.

⁵ Let the tzaddik strike me; it shall be chesed; and let him reprove me; it shall be shemen, which my rosh shall not refuse; for still shall my tefillah be against their evil deeds.

⁶ Their shofetim are overthrown in stony places; they hear my words; for they are pleasant.

⁷ Atzameinu (our bones) are scattered at the mouth of Sheol, as when one cutteth and cleaveth wood upon ha’aretz.

⁸ But mine eyes are unto Thee, Hashem Adonoi; in Thee do I take refuge; leave not my nefesh defenseless.

⁹ Keep me from the pach (snare, trap) which they have laid for me, and the traps of the workers of iniquity.

¹⁰ Let the resha’im fall into their own nets, while I escape safely.

142 (Mashkil of Dovid; A tefillah when he was in the me’arah) I cried out unto Hashem with my voice; with my voice unto Hashem did I make my techinnah (supplication).

^2 (3) I poured out my complaint before Him; I showed before Him my tzoros.

^3 (4) When my ruach became faint within me, then Thou had da’as of my path. In the way wherein I walked have they laid a pach (snare, hidden trap) for me.

^4 (5) I looked on my right, and behold, there was no man that would know me; refuge failed me; no man cared for my nefesh.

^5 (6) I cried unto Thee, Hashem; I said, Thou art my refuge and my chelek (portion) in the Eretz HaChayyim.

^6 (7) Attend unto my cry; for I am brought very low; save me from my persecutors; for they are stronger than I.

^7 (8) Release my nefesh from prison, to praise Shemecha (Thy Name); the tzaddikim shall gather about me; for Thou shalt deal bountifully with me.

143 (Mizmor of Dovid) Hear my tefillah, Hashem, give ear to my techinot (supplications); in Thy emunah answer me, and in Thy tzedakah.

² And enter not into mishpat with Thy eved; for in Thy sight shall no man living be yitzadak (justified).

³ For the oyev (enemy) hath persecuted my nefesh; he hath struck down my life to the ground; he hath made me to dwell in places of choshech (darkness), like metei olam (those long dead).

⁴ Therefore is my ruach become faint within me; my lev within me is desolate.

⁵ I remember yamim mikedem (days of old), I meditate on all Thy works; I muse on the ma’aseh (work) of Thy hands.

⁶ I stretch forth my hands unto Thee; my nefesh thirsteth after Thee, like an eretz ayefah (a parched, thirsty land). Selah.

⁷ Hear me speedily, Hashem; my ruach faileth; hide not Thy face from me, lest I be like those that go down into the bor (pit).

⁸ Cause me to hear Thy chesed in the boker; for in Thee do I trust; cause me to know the Derech wherein I should walk; for I lift up my nefesh unto Thee.

⁹ Save me, Hashem, from mine oyevim (enemies); I flee unto Thee to hide me.

¹⁰ Teach me to do Retzonecha (Thy will); for Thou art Elohai; may Thy Ruach Tov lead me on level ground.

¹¹ Revive me, Hashem, l’ma’an (for the sake of) Thy Shem (Name); in Thy tzedakah bring my nefesh out of tzoros.

¹² And in Thy chesed silence mine enemies, and destroy all them that oppress my nefesh; for I am Thy eved.

144 (Mizmor of Dovid). Baruch Hashem my Tzur (rock) which teacheth my hands for war, and my fingers for milchamah (battle);

² My Chesed, and my Metzudah (Fortress); my Stronghold, and my Deliverer; my Mogen, and He in Whom I take refuge; Who subdueth my people under me.

³ Hashem, what is adam, that Thou takest knowledge of him! Or the ben enosh, that Thou takest account of him!

⁴ Adam is like hevel; his days are as a tzel that passeth away.

⁵ Part Thy heavens, Hashem, and come down; touch the harim, and they shall smoke.

⁶ Cast forth lightning, and scatter them; shoot Thine khitzim (arrows), and destroy them.

⁷ Send Thine Yad from above; rescue me, and deliver me out of mayim rabbim, from the yad Bnei Nekhar;

⁸ Whose mouth speaketh shav (lies), and their right hand is a right hand of sheker.

⁹ I will sing a shir chadash unto Thee, O Elohim; upon a nevel of ten strings will I make music unto Thee.

¹⁰ It is He that giveth Teshu’ah (deliverance, salvation) unto melachim; Who delivereth Dovid His eved from the cherev ra’ah.

¹¹ Rescue me, and save me from the yad Bnei Nekhar, whose mouth speaketh shav (lies) and their right hand is a right yad of sheker;

¹² In their youth, may baneinu (our sons) be like plants full grown; may benoteinu (our daughters) be like cornerstones, columns wrought for the Heikhal;

¹³ That our barns may be full, affording all manner of provision; that our tzon may bring forth thousands and ten thousands in our meadows;

¹⁴ That our oxen may be strong to labor; that there be no peretz (breach) nor golus; that there be no cry of anquish in our streets.

¹⁵ Ashrei are such people; Ashrei is the people that Hashem is Elohav.

145 (Tehillah of Dovid). [Alef} I will extol Thee, Elohai HaMelech; and I will bless Thy Shem l’olam va’ed .

² [Beis] Kol yom will I bless Thee; and I will praise Thy Shem l’olam va’ed.

³ [Gimel] Gadol is Hashem, and me’od to be praised; and His greatness is not cheker (searchable).

⁴ [Dalet] Dor l’dor (generation to generation) shall praise Thy ma’asim, and shall declare Thy gevurot (mighty acts).

⁵ [Heh] I will speak of the hadar kavod of Thy hod, and of Thy nifle’ot (wonderful works).

⁶ [Vav] And men shall speak of the power of Thy norot; and I will declare Thy greatness.

⁷ [Zayin] They shall utter the zekher (memory, recollection) of Thy rav tov and shall sing of Thy tzedakah.

⁸ [Chet] Channun (gracious) is Hashem, and full of compassion; erech apayim (slow to anger), and of great chesed.

⁹ [Tet] Tov is Hashem to all; and His rachamim is over all His ma’asim.

¹⁰ [Yod] All Thy ma’asim shall praise Thee, Hashem; and Thy chasidim shall bless Thee.

¹¹ [Khaf] They shall speak of the kavod of Thy Malchus, and tell of Thy gevurah;

¹² [Lamed] To make known to the Bnei HaAdam His gevurah, and the kavod hadar of His Malchus.

¹³ [Mem] Thy Malchus is a Malchus kol olamim, and Thy Memshelet for kol dor vador.

¹⁴ [Samekh] Hashem upholdeth all that fall, and raiseth up all those that are bowed down.

¹⁵ [Ayin] The eyes of all look to Thee; and Thou givest them their okhel (food) in its season.

¹⁶ [Peh] Thou openest Thine Yad, and satisfiest the ratzon of kol chai.

¹⁷ [Tzadi] Tzaddik is Hashem in all His drakhim, and chasid in all His ma’asim,

¹⁸ [Koph] Karov (near) is Hashem unto all them that call upon Him, to all that call upon Him in emes.

¹⁹ [Resh] He will fulfil the ratzon of them that fear Him; He also will hear their cry, and will save them.

²⁰ [Shin] Shomer is Hashem over all them that love Him; but kol haresha’im will He destroy.

²¹ [Tav] My mouth shall speak the tehillat Hashem; and let kol basar bless His Shem Kodesh l’olam va’ed. [T.N. See Messianic Psalms which include Ps 2, 22, 45, 72, 110, 47, 93, 96-99, 89 and which indicate Moshiach’s righteous character, experience, ideals, call, and reign.]