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My Soul Reaches for You

A Psalm of David.

143 O Yahweh, hear my prayer,
(A)Give ear to my supplications!
Answer me in Your (B)faithfulness, in Your (C)righteousness!
And (D)do not enter into judgment with Your slave,
For (E)no one living is righteous in Your sight.
For the enemy has pursued my soul;
He has crushed my life (F)to the ground;
He (G)has made me inhabit dark places, like those who have long been dead.
Therefore (H)my spirit was faint within me;
My heart was [a](I)appalled within me.

I (J)remember the days of old;
I (K)meditate on all You have done;
I (L)muse on the work of Your hands.
I (M)stretch out my hands to You;
My (N)soul reaches for You like a weary land. [b]Selah.

(O)Answer me quickly, O Yahweh, my (P)spirit wastes away;
(Q)Do not hide Your face from me,
Or I will become like (R)those who go down to the pit.
Cause me to hear Your (S)lovingkindness (T)in the morning;
For I trust (U)in You;
Cause me to know the (V)way in which I should walk;
For to You I (W)lift up my soul.
(X)Deliver me from my enemies, O Yahweh,
I have concealed myself in You.

10 (Y)Teach me to do Your will,
For You are my God;
Let (Z)Your good Spirit (AA)lead me on level [c]ground.
11 (AB)For the sake of Your name, O Yahweh, (AC)revive me.
(AD)In Your righteousness bring my soul out of distress.
12 And in Your lovingkindness, [d](AE)cut off my enemies
And cause all those who assail my soul to (AF)perish,
For (AG)I am Your slave.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 143:4 Or desolate
  2. Psalm 143:6 Selah may mean Pause, Crescendo, Musical Interlude
  3. Psalm 143:10 Lit land
  4. Psalm 143:12 Or silence

Psalm 143

A Cry for Help

A Davidic psalm.

Lord, hear my prayer.
In Your faithfulness listen to my plea,
and in Your righteousness answer me.(A)
Do not bring Your servant into judgment,(B)
for no one alive is righteous in Your sight.(C)

For the enemy has pursued me,
crushing me to the ground,
making me live in darkness
like those long dead.(D)
My spirit is weak within me;
my heart is overcome with dismay.(E)

I remember the days of old;
I meditate on all You have done;
I reflect on the work of Your hands.(F)
I spread out my hands to You;
I am like parched land before You.(G)Selah

Answer me quickly, Lord;
my spirit fails.(H)
Don’t hide Your face from me,
or I will be like those
going down to the Pit.(I)
Let me experience
Your faithful love in the morning,
for I trust in You.(J)
Reveal to me the way I should go
because I long for You.(K)
Rescue me from my enemies, Lord;
I come to You for protection.[a](L)
10 Teach me to do Your will,
for You are my God.(M)
May Your gracious Spirit
lead me on level ground.(N)

11 Because of Your name, Yahweh,
let me live.
In Your righteousness deliver me from trouble,(O)
12 and in Your faithful love destroy my enemies.
Wipe out all those who attack me,
for I am Your servant.(P)

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 143:9 One Hb ms, LXX; some Hb mss read I cover myself to You