Psalm 139-150

Amplified Bible, Classic Edition

Psalm 139

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.

¹O Lord, you have searched me [thoroughly] and have known me.

²You know my downsitting and my uprising; You understand my thought afar off.^(A)

³You sift and search out my path and my lying down, and You are acquainted with all my ways.

⁴For there is not a word in my tongue [still unuttered], but, behold, O Lord, You know it altogether.^(B)

⁵You have beset me and shut me in—behind and before, and You have laid Your hand upon me.

⁶Your [infinite] knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high above me, I cannot reach it.

⁷Where could I go from Your Spirit? Or where could I flee from Your presence?

⁸If I ascend up into heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in Sheol (the place of the dead), behold, You are there.^(C)

⁹If I take the wings of the morning or dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,

¹⁰Even there shall Your hand lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me.

¹¹If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me and the night shall be [the only] light about me,

¹²Even the darkness hides nothing from You, but the night shines as the day; the darkness and the light are both alike to You.^(D)

¹³For You did form my inward parts; You did knit me together in my mother’s womb.

¹⁴I will confess and praise You for You are fearful and wonderful and for the awful wonder of my birth! Wonderful are Your works, and that my inner self knows right well.

¹⁵My frame was not hidden from You when I was being formed in secret [and] intricately and curiously wrought [as if embroidered with various colors] in the depths of the earth [a region of darkness and mystery].

¹⁶Your eyes saw my unformed substance, and in Your book all the days [of my life] were written before ever they took shape, when as yet there was none of them.

¹⁷How precious and weighty also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How vast is the sum of them!^(E)

¹⁸If I could count them, they would be more in number than the sand. When I awoke, [could I count to the end] I would still be with You.

¹⁹If You would [only] slay the wicked, O God, and the men of blood depart from me—^(F)

²⁰Who speak against You wickedly, Your enemies who take Your name in vain!^(G)

²¹Do I not hate them, O Lord, who hate You? And am I not grieved and do I not loathe those who rise up against You?

²²I hate them with perfect hatred; they have become my enemies.

²³Search me [thoroughly], O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts!

²⁴And see if there is any wicked or hurtful way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Psalm 140

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.

¹Deliver me, O Lord, from evil men; preserve me from violent men;

²They devise mischiefs in their heart; continually they gather together and stir up wars.

³They sharpen their tongues like a serpent’s; adders’ poison is under their lips. Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]!^(H)

⁴Keep me, O Lord, from the hands of the wicked; preserve me from the violent men who have purposed to thrust aside my steps.

⁵The proud have hidden a snare for me; they have spread cords as a net by the wayside, they have set traps for me. Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]!

⁶I said to the Lord, You are my God; give ear to the voice of my supplications, O Lord.

⁷O God the Lord, the Strength of my salvation, You have covered my head in the day of battle.

⁸Grant not, O Lord, the desires of the wicked; further not their wicked plot and device, lest they exalt themselves. Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]!

⁹Those who are fencing me in raise their heads; may the mischief of their own lips and the very things they desire for me come upon them.

¹⁰Let burning coals fall upon them; let them be cast into the fire, into floods of water or deep water pits, from which they shall not rise.

¹¹Let not a man of slanderous tongue be established in the earth; let evil hunt the violent man to overthrow him [let calamity follow his evildoings].

¹²I know and rest in confidence upon it that the Lord will maintain the cause of the afflicted, and will secure justice for the poor and needy [of His believing children].

¹³Surely the [uncompromisingly] righteous shall give thanks to Your name; the upright shall dwell in Your presence (before Your very face).

Psalm 141

A Psalm of David.

¹Lord, I call upon You; hasten to me. Give ear to my voice when I cry to You.

²Let my prayer be set forth as incense before You, the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.^(I)

³Set a guard, O Lord, before my mouth; keep watch at the door of my lips.

⁴Incline my heart not to submit or consent to any evil thing or to be occupied in deeds of wickedness with men who work iniquity; and let me not eat of their dainties.

⁵Let the righteous man smite and correct me—it is a kindness. Oil so choice let not my head refuse or discourage; for even in their evils or calamities shall my prayer continue.^(J)

⁶When their rulers are overthrown in stony places, [their followers] shall hear my words, that they are sweet (pleasant, mild, and just).

⁷The unburied bones [of slaughtered rulers] shall lie scattered at the mouth of Sheol, [as unregarded] as the lumps of soil behind the plowman when he breaks open the ground.^(K)

⁸But my eyes are toward You, O God the Lord; in You do I trust and take refuge; pour not out my life nor leave it destitute and bare.

⁹Keep me from the trap which they have laid for me, and the snares of evildoers.

¹⁰Let the wicked fall together into their own nets, while I pass over them and escape.

Psalm 142

A skillful song, or a didactic or reflective poem, of David; when he was in the cave. A Prayer.

¹I cry to the Lord with my voice; with my voice to the Lord do I make supplication.

²I pour out my complaint before Him; I tell before Him my trouble.

³When my spirit was overwhelmed and fainted [throwing all its weight] upon me, then You knew my path. In the way where I walk they have hidden a snare for me.

⁴Look on the right hand [the point of attack] and see; for there is no man who knows me [to appear for me]. Refuge has failed me and I have no way to flee; no man cares for my life or my welfare.

⁵I cried to You, O Lord; I said, You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living.

⁶Attend to my loud cry, for I am brought very low; deliver me from my persecutors, for they are stronger than I.

⁷Bring my life out of prison, that I may confess, praise, and give thanks to Your name; the righteous will surround me and crown themselves because of me, for You will deal bountifully with me.

Psalm 143

A Psalm of David.

¹Hear my prayer, O Lord, give ear to my supplications! In Your faithfulness answer me, and in Your righteousness.

²And enter not into judgment with Your servant, for in Your sight no man living is [in himself] righteous or justified.^(L)

³For the enemy has pursued and persecuted my soul, he has crushed my life down to the ground; he has made me to dwell in dark places as those who have been long dead.

⁴Therefore is my spirit overwhelmed and faints within me [wrapped in gloom]; my heart within my bosom grows numb.

⁵I remember the days of old; I meditate on all Your doings; I ponder the work of Your hands.

⁶I spread forth my hands to You; my soul thirsts after You like a thirsty land [for water]. Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]!

⁷Answer me speedily, O Lord, for my spirit fails; hide not Your face from me, lest I become like those who go down into the pit (the grave).

⁸Cause me to hear Your loving-kindness in the morning, for on You do I lean and in You do I trust. Cause me to know the way wherein I should walk, for I lift up my inner self to You.

⁹Deliver me, O Lord, from my enemies; I flee to You to hide me.

¹⁰Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God; let Your good Spirit lead me into a level country and into the land of uprightness.

¹¹Save my life, O Lord, for Your name’s sake; in Your righteousness, bring my life out of trouble and free me from distress.

¹²And in your mercy and loving-kindness, cut off my enemies and destroy all those who afflict my inner self, for I am Your servant.

Psalm 144

[A Psalm] of David.

¹Blessed be the Lord, my Rock and my keen and firm Strength, Who teaches my hands to war and my fingers to fight—

²My Steadfast Love and my Fortress, my High Tower and my Deliverer, my Shield and He in Whom I trust and take refuge, Who subdues my people under me.

³Lord, what is man that You take notice of him? Or [the] son of man that You take account of him?^(M)

⁴Man is like vanity and a breath; his days are as a shadow that passes away.

⁵Bow Your heavens, O Lord, and come down; touch the mountains, and they shall smoke.

⁶Cast forth lightning and scatter [my enemies]; send out Your arrows and embarrass and frustrate them.

⁷Stretch forth Your hand from above; rescue me and deliver me out of great waters, from the hands of hostile aliens (tribes around us)

⁸Whose mouths speak deceit and whose right hands are right hands [raised in taking] fraudulent oaths.

⁹I will sing a new song to You, O God; upon a harp, an instrument of ten strings, will I offer praises to You.

¹⁰You are He Who gives salvation to kings, Who rescues David His servant from the hurtful sword [of evil].

¹¹Rescue me and deliver me out of the power of [hostile] alien [tribes] whose mouths speak deceit and whose right hands are right hands [raised in taking] fraudulent oaths.

¹²When our sons shall be as plants grown large in their youth and our daughters as sculptured corner pillars hewn like those of a palace;

¹³When our garners are full, affording all manner of store, and our sheep bring forth thousands and ten thousands in our pastures;

¹⁴When our oxen are well loaded; when there is no invasion [of hostile armies] and no going forth [against besiegers—when there is no murder or manslaughter] and no outcry in our streets;

¹⁵Happy and blessed are the people who are in such a case; yes, happy (blessed, fortunate, prosperous, to be envied) are the people whose God is the Lord!

Psalm 145

[A Psalm] of praise. Of David.

¹I will extol You, my God, O King; and I will bless Your name forever and ever [with grateful, affectionate praise].

²Every day [with its new reasons] will I bless You [affectionately and gratefully praise You]; yes, I will praise Your name forever and ever.

³Great is the Lord and highly to be praised; and His greatness is [so vast and deep as to be] unsearchable.^(N)

⁴One generation shall laud Your works to another and shall declare Your mighty acts.

⁵On the glorious splendor of Your majesty and on Your wondrous works I will meditate.

⁶Men shall speak of the might of Your tremendous and terrible acts, and I will declare Your greatness.

⁷They shall pour forth [like a fountain] the fame of Your great and abundant goodness and shall sing aloud of Your rightness and justice.

⁸The Lord is gracious and full of compassion, slow to anger and abounding in mercy and loving-kindness.

⁹The Lord is good to all, and His tender mercies are over all His works [the entirety of things created].

¹⁰All Your works shall praise You, O Lord, and Your loving ones shall bless You [affectionately and gratefully shall Your saints confess and praise You]!

¹¹They shall speak of the glory of Your kingdom and talk of Your power,

¹²To make known to the sons of men God’s mighty deeds and the glorious majesty of His kingdom.

¹³Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and Your dominion endures throughout all generations.

¹⁴The Lord upholds all those [of His own] who are falling and raises up all those who are bowed down.

¹⁵The eyes of all wait for You [looking, watching, and expecting] and You give them their food in due season.

¹⁶You open Your hand and satisfy every living thing with favor.

¹⁷The Lord is [rigidly] righteous in all His ways and gracious and merciful in all His works.

¹⁸The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him sincerely and in truth.

¹⁹He will fulfill the desires of those who reverently and worshipfully fear Him; He also will hear their cry and will save them.

²⁰The Lord preserves all those who love Him, but all the wicked will He destroy.

²¹My mouth shall speak the praise of the Lord; and let all flesh bless (affectionately and gratefully praise) His holy name forever and ever.

Psalm 146

¹Praise the Lord! (Hallelujah!) Praise the Lord, O my soul!

²While I live will I praise the Lord; I will sing praises to my God while I have any being.

³Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no help.

⁴When his breath leaves him, he returns to his earth; in that very day his [previous] thoughts, plans, and purposes perish.^(O)

⁵Happy (blessed, fortunate, enviable) is he who has the God of [special revelation to] Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God,^(P)

⁶Who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, Who keeps truth and is faithful forever,

⁷Who executes justice for the oppressed, Who gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets free the prisoners,

⁸The Lord opens the eyes of the blind, the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down, the Lord loves the [uncompromisingly] righteous (those upright in heart and in right standing with Him).^(Q)

⁹The Lord protects and preserves the strangers and temporary residents, He upholds the fatherless and the widow and sets them upright, but the way of the wicked He makes crooked (turns upside down and brings to ruin).

¹⁰The Lord shall reign forever, even Your God, O Zion, from generation to generation. Praise the Lord! (Hallelujah!)^(R)

Psalm 147

¹Praise the Lord! For it is good to sing praises to our God, for He is gracious and lovely; praise is becoming and appropriate.

²The Lord is building up Jerusalem; He is gathering together the exiles of Israel.

³He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds [curing their pains and their sorrows].^(S)

⁴He determines and counts the number of the stars; He calls them all by their names.

⁵Great is our Lord and of great power; His understanding is inexhaustible and boundless.

⁶The Lord lifts up the humble and downtrodden; He casts the wicked down to the ground.

⁷Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving; sing praises with the harp or the lyre to our God!—

⁸Who covers the heavens with clouds, Who prepares rain for the earth, Who makes grass to grow on the mountains.

⁹He gives to the beast his food, and to the young ravens that for which they cry.

¹⁰He delights not in the strength of the horse, nor does He take pleasure in the legs of a man.

¹¹The Lord takes pleasure in those who reverently and worshipfully fear Him, in those who hope in His mercy and loving-kindness.^(T)

¹²Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem! Praise your God, O Zion!

¹³For He has strengthened and made hard the bars of your gates, and He has blessed your children within you.

¹⁴He makes peace in your borders; He fills you with the finest of the wheat.

¹⁵He sends forth His commandment to the earth; His word runs very swiftly.

¹⁶He gives [to the earth] snow like [a blanket of] wool; He scatters the hoarfrost like ashes.

¹⁷He casts forth His ice like crumbs; who can stand before His cold?

¹⁸He sends out His word, and melts [ice and snow]; He causes His wind to blow, and the waters flow.

¹⁹He declares His word to Jacob, His statutes and His ordinances to Israel.^(U)

²⁰He has not dealt so with any [other] nation; they have not known (understood, appreciated, given heed to, and cherished) His ordinances. Praise the Lord! (Hallelujah!)^(V)

Psalm 148

¹Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord from the heavens, praise Him in the heights!

²Praise Him, all His angels, praise Him, all His hosts!

³Praise Him, sun and moon, praise Him, all you stars of light!

⁴Praise Him, you highest heavens and you waters above the heavens!

⁵Let them praise the name of the Lord, for He commanded and they were created.

⁶He also established them forever and ever; He made a decree which shall not pass away [He fixed their bounds which cannot be passed over].

⁷Praise the Lord from the earth, you sea monsters and all deeps!

⁸You lightning, hail, fog, and frost, you stormy wind fulfilling His orders!

⁹Mountains and all hills, fruitful trees and all cedars!

¹⁰Beasts and all cattle, creeping things and flying birds!

¹¹Kings of the earth and all peoples, princes and all rulers and judges of the earth!

¹²Both young men and maidens, old men and children!

¹³Let them praise and exalt the name of the Lord, for His name alone is exalted and supreme! His glory and majesty are above earth and heaven!

¹⁴He has lifted up a horn for His people [giving them power, prosperity, dignity, and preeminence], a song of praise for all His godly ones, for the people of Israel, who are near to Him. Praise the Lord! (Hallelujah!)^(W)