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This is a special song that David wrote.

He prayed this when he was in the cave.[a]

Please help me, Lord!

142 I am calling to the Lord to help me.
    I ask him to be kind to me.
I tell him about all my problems.
    I tell him about all my troubles.
When I do not feel brave,
    you are still my guide, Lord.
In the path where I walk,
    my enemies have prepared a trap to catch me.

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Footnotes

  1. 142:0 David wrote this song in a cave. It is a prayer that David prayed when his enemies were trying to catch him. He does not say who these enemies were. There are two stories about David hiding in a cave. See 1 Samuel 22 and 1 Samuel 24.

Psalm 142[a]

A maskil[b] of David. When he was in the cave.(A) A prayer.

I cry aloud(B) to the Lord;
    I lift up my voice to the Lord for mercy.(C)
I pour out before him my complaint;(D)
    before him I tell my trouble.(E)

When my spirit grows faint(F) within me,
    it is you who watch over my way.
In the path where I walk
    people have hidden a snare for me.

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Footnotes

  1. Psalm 142:1 In Hebrew texts 142:1-7 is numbered 142:2-8.
  2. Psalm 142:1 Title: Probably a literary or musical term