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Psalm 142[a]

A Prayer in Time of Trouble

A maskil of David, when he was in the cave.[b] A prayer.

With my own voice I cry to the Lord;
    with my own voice I beseech the Lord.
Before him I pour out my complaint,
    tell of my distress in front of him.

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Footnotes

  1. Psalm 142 In this lament imploring God for help (Ps 142:2–4), the psalmist tells how enemies have set a trap (Ps 142:4–5), and prays for rescue (Ps 142:6–8). The speaker feels utterly alone (Ps 142:5), exhausted (Ps 142:7), and may even be imprisoned (Ps 142:7). Prison is possibly a metaphor for general distress. The last two verses are the vow of praise, made after receiving an assurance of divine help (Ps 142:7).
  2. 142:1 In the cave: cf. 1 Sm 22:1; 24:1–3; Ps 57:1.