Psalm 142-144
Christian Standard Bible
Psalm 142
A Cry of Distress
A Maskil of David. When he was in the cave.(A) A prayer.
1 I cry aloud to the Lord;(B)
I plead aloud to the Lord for mercy.(C)
2 I pour out my complaint before him;
I reveal my trouble to him.(D)
3 Although my spirit is weak within me,
you know my way.(E)
Along this path I travel
they have hidden a trap for me.(F)
4 Look to the right and see:[a]
no one stands up for me;
there is no refuge for me;
no one cares about me.(G)
5 I cry to you, Lord;
I say, “You are my shelter,
my portion in the land of the living.”(H)
6 Listen to my cry,
for I am very weak.(I)
Rescue me from those who pursue me,
for they are too strong for me.(J)
7 Free me from prison
so that I can praise your name.
The righteous will gather around me
because you deal generously with me.(K)
Psalm 143
A Cry for Help
A psalm of David.
1 Lord, hear my prayer.
In your faithfulness listen to my plea,
and in your righteousness answer me.(L)
2 Do not bring your servant into judgment,(M)
for no one alive is righteous in your sight.(N)
3 For the enemy has pursued me,
crushing me to the ground,
making me live in darkness
like those long dead.(O)
4 My spirit is weak within me;
my heart is overcome with dismay.(P)
5 I remember the days of old;
I meditate on all you have done;
I reflect on the work of your hands.(Q)
6 I spread out my hands to you;
I am like parched land before you.(R)Selah
7 Answer me quickly, Lord;
my spirit fails.(S)
Don’t hide your face from me,
or I will be like those
going down to the Pit.(T)
8 Let me experience
your faithful love in the morning,
for I trust in you.(U)
Reveal to me the way I should go
because I appeal to you.(V)
9 Rescue me from my enemies, Lord;
I come to you for protection.[b](W)
10 Teach me to do your will,
for you are my God.(X)
May your gracious Spirit
lead me on level ground.(Y)
11 For your name’s sake, Lord,
let me live.
In your righteousness deliver me from trouble,(Z)
12 and in your faithful love destroy my enemies.
Wipe out all those who attack me,
for I am your servant.(AA)
Psalm 144
A King’s Prayer
Of David.
1 Blessed be the Lord, my rock(AB)
who trains my hands for battle
and my fingers for warfare.(AC)
2 He is my faithful love and my fortress,
my stronghold and my deliverer.
He is my shield,(AD) and I take refuge in him;(AE)
he subdues my people[c] under me.(AF)
3 Lord, what is a human that you care for him,
a son of man[d] that you think of him?(AG)
4 A human is like a breath;
his days are like a passing shadow.(AH)
5 Lord, part your heavens and come down.(AI)
Touch the mountains, and they will smoke.(AJ)
6 Flash your lightning and scatter the foe;[e]
shoot your arrows and rout them.(AK)
7 Reach down[f] from on high;(AL)
rescue me from deep water, and set me free
from the grasp of foreigners(AM)
8 whose mouths speak lies,
whose right hands are deceptive.(AN)
9 God, I will sing a new song to you;
I will play on a ten-stringed harp for you(AO)—
10 the one who gives victory to kings,
who frees his servant David
from the deadly sword.(AP)
11 Set me free and rescue me
from foreigners(AQ)
whose mouths speak lies,
whose right hands are deceptive.(AR)
12 Then our sons will be like plants
nurtured in their youth,
our daughters, like corner pillars
that are carved in the palace style.(AS)
13 Our storehouses will be full,
supplying all kinds of produce;(AT)
our flocks will increase by thousands
and tens of thousands in our open fields.(AU)
14 Our cattle will be well fed.[g]
There will be no breach in the walls,
no going into captivity,[h]
and no cry of lament in our public squares.(AV)
15 Happy are the people with such blessings.
Happy are the people whose God is the Lord.(AW)
Footnotes
- 142:4 DSS, LXX, Syr, Vg, Tg read I look to the right and I see
- 143:9 One Hb ms, LXX; some Hb mss read I cover myself to you
- 144:2 Some Hb mss, DSS, Aq, Syr, Tg, Jer read subdues peoples; 2Sm 22:48; Ps 18:47
- 144:3 Or a mere mortal
- 144:6 Lit scatter them
- 144:7 Lit down your hands
- 144:14 Or will bear heavy loads, or will be pregnant
- 144:14 Or be no plague, no miscarriage
The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.
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