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Psalm 142
New American Bible (Revised Edition)

Psalm 142[a]

A Prayer in Time of Trouble

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

2 With my own voice I cry to the Lord;
    with my own voice I beseech the Lord.
3 Before him I pour out my complaint,
    tell of my distress in front of him.
4 When my spirit is faint within me,(A)
    you know my path.(B)
As I go along this path,
    they have hidden a trap for me.(C)
5 I look to my right hand to see(D)
    that there is no one willing to acknowledge me.
My escape has perished;
    no one cares for me.
6 I cry out to you, Lord,
    I say, You are my refuge,(E)
    my portion in the land of the living.(F)
7 Listen to my cry for help,
    for I am brought very low.(G)
Rescue me from my pursuers,
    for they are too strong for me.
8 Lead my soul from prison,
    that I may give thanks to your name.
Then the righteous shall gather around me[c]
    because you have been good to me.

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.
  3. 142:8 Then the righteous shall gather around me: in the Temple, when the psalmist offers a thanksgiving sacrifice.
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Psalm 142
New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition

Psalm 142

Prayer for Deliverance from Persecutors

A Maskil of David. When he was in the cave. A Prayer.

1 With my voice I cry to the Lord;
    with my voice I make supplication to the Lord.
2 I pour out my complaint before him;
    I tell my trouble before him.
3 When my spirit is faint,
    you know my way.

In the path where I walk
    they have hidden a trap for me.
4 Look on my right hand and see—
    there is no one who takes notice of me;
no refuge remains to me;
    no one cares for me.

5 I cry to you, O Lord;
    I say, “You are my refuge,
    my portion in the land of the living.”
6 Give heed to my cry,
    for I am brought very low.

Save me from my persecutors,
    for they are too strong for me.
7 Bring me out of prison,
    so that I may give thanks to your name.
The righteous will surround me,
    for you will deal bountifully with me.

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Psalm 142
Good News Translation

(A)A Prayer for Help[a]

142 I call to the Lord for help;
    I plead with him.
2 I bring him all my complaints;
    I tell him all my troubles.
3 When I am ready to give up,
    he knows what I should do.
In the path where I walk,
    my enemies have hidden a trap for me.
4 When I look beside me,
    I see that there is no one to help me,
    no one to protect me.
No one cares for me.

5 Lord, I cry to you for help;
    you, Lord, are my protector;
    you are all I want in this life.
6 Listen to my cry for help,
    for I am sunk in despair.
Save me from my enemies;
    they are too strong for me.
7 Set me free from my distress;[b]
    then in the assembly of your people I will praise you
    because of your goodness to me.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 142:1 HEBREW TITLE: A poem by David, when he was in the cave; a prayer.
  2. Psalm 142:7 distress; or prison.
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Psalm 142
New American Standard Bible

Prayer for Help in Trouble.

[a]Maskil of David, when he was [b]in the cave. A Prayer.

142 I (A)cry out with my voice to the Lord;
With my voice I (B)implore the Lord for compassion.
2 I (C)pour out my complaint before Him;
I declare my (D)trouble before Him.
3 When (E)my spirit felt weak within me,
You knew my path.
In the way where I walk
They have (F)hidden a trap for me.
4 Look to the right and see;
For there is (G)no one who regards me favorably;
[c]There is no (H)escape for me;
(I)No one cares for my soul.

5 I cried out to You, Lord;
I said, “You are (J)my refuge,
My (K)portion in the (L)land of the living.
6 (M)Give Your attention to my cry,
For I have been (N)brought very low;
Rescue me from my persecutors,
For they are too (O)strong for me.
7 (P)Bring my soul out of prison,
So that I may give thanks to Your name;
The righteous will surround me,
For You will (Q)look after me.”

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 142 Title Possibly Contemplative; or Didactic; or Skillful Psalm
  2. Psalm 142 Title 1 Sam 22:1; 24:3
  3. Psalm 142:4 Lit Escape has perished from me
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Psalm 142
New International Version

Psalm 142[a]

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

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

3 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.
4 Look and see, there is no one at my right hand;
    no one is concerned for me.
I have no refuge;(G)
    no one cares(H) for my life.

5 I cry to you, Lord;
    I say, “You are my refuge,(I)
    my portion(J) in the land of the living.”(K)

6 Listen to my cry,(L)
    for I am in desperate need;(M)
rescue me(N) from those who pursue me,
    for they are too strong(O) for me.
7 Set me free from my prison,(P)
    that I may praise your name.(Q)
Then the righteous will gather about me
    because of your goodness to me.(R)

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
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New American Bible (Revised Edition) (NABRE)

Scripture texts, prefaces, introductions, footnotes and cross references used in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

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