Psalm 131

New American Standard Bible

Childlike Trust in the Lord.

A Song of Ascents, of David.

131 Lord, my heart is not ^(A)proud, nor my eyes ^(B)arrogant;
Nor do I ^[a]involve myself in ^(C)great matters,
Or in things ^(D)too ^[b]difficult for me.
²I have certainly ^(E)soothed and quieted my soul;
Like a weaned ^(F)child resting ^[c]against his mother,
My soul ^[d]within me is like a weaned child.
³Israel, ^(G)wait for the Lord
^(H)From this time on and forever.

Footnotes

Psalm 131:1 Lit go after, walk
Psalm 131:1 Or marvelous
Psalm 131:2 Or upon
Psalm 131:2 Or upon

Psalm 138

New American Standard Bible

Thanksgiving for the Lord’s Favor.

A Psalm of David.

138 ^(A)I will give You thanks with all my heart;
I will sing Your praises before the ^(B)gods.
²I will bow down ^(C)toward Your holy temple
And ^(D)give thanks to Your name for Your mercy and Your ^[a]truth;
For You have ^(E)made Your ^[b]word great ^[c]according to all Your name.
³On the day I ^(F)called, You answered me;
You made me bold with ^(G)strength in my soul.

⁴^(H)All the kings of the earth will give thanks to You, Lord,
When they have heard the words of Your mouth.
⁵And they will ^(I)sing of the ways of the Lord,
For ^(J)great is the glory of the Lord.
⁶For ^(K)the Lord is exalted,
Yet He ^(L)looks after the lowly,
But He knows the ^(M)haughty from afar.

⁷Though I ^(N)walk in the midst of trouble, You will ^[d]^(O)revive me;
You will ^(P)reach out with Your hand against the wrath of my enemies,
And Your right hand will ^(Q)save me.
⁸The Lord will ^(R)accomplish what concerns me;
Your ^(S)faithfulness, Lord, is everlasting;
^(T)Do not abandon the ^(U)works of Your hands.

Footnotes

Psalm 138:2 Or faithfulness
Psalm 138:2 Or promise
Psalm 138:2 Or together with
Psalm 138:7 Or keep me alive

Psalm 139

New American Standard Bible

God’s Omnipresence and Omniscience.

For the music director. A Psalm of David.

139 Lord, You have ^(A)searched me and known me.
²You ^(B)know ^[a]when I sit down and ^[b]when I get up;
You ^(C)understand my thought from far away.
³You ^[c]^(D)scrutinize my ^[d]path and my lying down,
And are acquainted with all my ways.
⁴^[e]Even before there is a word on my tongue,
Behold, Lord, You ^(E)know it all.
⁵You have ^(F)encircled me behind and in front,
And ^(G)placed Your hand upon me.
⁶Such ^(H)knowledge is ^(I)too wonderful for me;
It is too high, I cannot comprehend it.

⁷^(J)Where can I go from Your Spirit?
Or where can I flee from Your presence?
⁸^(K)If I ascend to heaven, You are there;
If I make my bed in ^[f]Sheol, behold, ^(L)You are there.
⁹If I take up the wings of the dawn,
If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea,
¹⁰Even there Your hand will ^(M)lead me,
And Your right hand will take hold of me.
¹¹If I say, “Surely the ^(N)darkness will ^[g]overwhelm me,
And the light around me will be night,”
¹²Even ^(O)darkness is not dark ^[h]to You,
And the night is as bright as the day.
^(P)Darkness and light are alike to You.

¹³For You ^(Q)created my innermost parts;
You ^(R)wove me in my mother’s womb.
¹⁴I will give thanks to You, because ^[i]I am awesomely and wonderfully made;
^(S)Wonderful are Your works,
And my soul knows it very well.
¹⁵My ^[j]^(T)frame was not hidden from You
When I was made in secret,
And skillfully formed in the ^(U)depths of the earth;
¹⁶Your ^(V)eyes have seen my formless substance;
And in ^(W)Your book were written
All the ^(X)days that were ordained for me,
When as yet there was not one of them.

¹⁷How precious also are Your ^(Y)thoughts for me, God!
How vast is the sum of them!
¹⁸Were I to count them, they would ^(Z)outnumber the sand.
When ^(AA)I awake, I am still with You.

¹⁹If only You would ^(AB)put the wicked to death, God;
^(AC)Leave me, ^(AD)you men of bloodshed.
²⁰For they ^(AE)speak ^[k]against You wickedly,
And Your enemies ^[l]^(AF)take Your name in vain.
²¹Do I not ^(AG)hate those who hate You, Lord?
And do I not ^(AH)loathe those who rise up against You?
²²I hate them with the utmost hatred;
They have become my enemies.

²³^(AI)Search me, God, and know my heart;
^(AJ)Put me to the test and know my anxious thoughts;
²⁴And see if there is any ^[m]^(AK)hurtful way in me,
And ^(AL)lead me in the ^(AM)everlasting way.

Footnotes

Psalm 139:2 Lit my sitting
Psalm 139:2 Lit my rising
Psalm 139:3 Lit winnow
Psalm 139:3 Or journeying
Psalm 139:4 Lit For there is not
Psalm 139:8 I.e., the netherworld
Psalm 139:11 Lit bruise; some commentators cover
Psalm 139:12 Lit from
Psalm 139:14 Some ancient versions You are fearfully wonderful
Psalm 139:15 Lit bones were
Psalm 139:20 Or of
Psalm 139:20 Some mss lift themselves up against You
Psalm 139:24 Lit way of pain

Psalm 143

New American Standard Bible

Prayer for Help and Guidance.

A Psalm of David.

143 Hear my prayer, Lord,
^(A)Listen to my pleadings!
Answer me in Your ^(B)faithfulness, in Your ^(C)righteousness!
²And ^(D)do not enter into judgment with Your servant,
For ^(E)no person living is righteous in Your sight.
³For the enemy has persecuted my soul;
He has crushed my life ^(F)to the ground;
He ^(G)has made me dwell in dark places, like those who have long been dead.
⁴Therefore ^(H)my spirit ^[a]feels weak within me;
My heart is ^[b]^(I)appalled within me.

⁵I ^(J)remember the days of old;
I ^(K)meditate on all Your accomplishments;
I ^(L)reflect on the work of Your hands.
⁶I ^(M)spread out my hands to You;
My ^(N)soul longs for You, like a weary land. Selah

⁷^(O)Answer me quickly, Lord, my ^(P)spirit fails;
^(Q)Do not hide Your face from me,
Or I will be the same as ^(R)those who go down to the pit.
⁸Let me hear Your ^(S)faithfulness ^(T)in the morning,
For I trust ^(U)in You;
Teach me the ^(V)way in which I should walk;
For to You I ^(W)lift up my soul.
⁹^(X)Save me, Lord, from my enemies;
^[c]I take refuge 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 ^[d]ground.
¹¹^(AB)For the sake of Your name, Lord, ^(AC)revive me.
^(AD)In Your righteousness bring my soul out of trouble.
¹²And in Your faithfulness, ^[e]^(AE)destroy my enemies,
And ^(AF)eliminate all those who attack my soul,
For ^(AG)I am Your servant.

Footnotes

Psalm 143:4 Or faints within
Psalm 143:4 Or desolate
Psalm 143:9 Lit To You have I hidden
Psalm 143:10 Lit land
Psalm 143:12 Or silence

Psalm 144

New American Standard Bible

Prayer for Rescue and Prosperity.

A Psalm of David.

144 Blessed be the Lord, ^(A)my rock,
Who ^(B)trains my hands for war,
And my fingers for battle;
²My faithfulness and ^(C)my fortress,
My ^(D)stronghold and my savior,
My ^(E)shield and He in whom I take refuge,
Who ^(F)subdues ^[a]my people under me.
³Lord, ^(G)what is man, that You look after him?
Or a son of man, that You think of him?
⁴^(H)Man is like the breath;
His ^(I)days are like a passing shadow.

⁵^(J)Bend down Your heavens, Lord, and ^(K)come down;
^(L)Touch the mountains, that they may smoke.
⁶Flash forth ^(M)lightning and scatter them;
Send out Your ^(N)arrows and confuse them.
⁷Reach out with Your hand ^(O)from on high;
Rescue me and ^(P)save me from great waters,
From the hand of ^(Q)foreigners
⁸Whose mouths ^(R)speak deceit,
And whose ^(S)right hand is a right hand of falsehood.

⁹God, I will sing a ^(T)new song to You;
On a ^(U)harp of ten strings I will sing praises to You,
¹⁰Who ^(V)gives salvation to kings,
Who ^(W)rescues His servant David from the evil sword.
¹¹Rescue me and save me from the hand of ^(X)foreigners,
Whose mouth ^(Y)speaks deceit
And whose ^(Z)right hand is a right hand of falsehood.

¹²When our sons in their youth are like ^(AA)growing plants,
And our daughters like ^(AB)corner pillars ^[b]fashioned for a palace,
¹³Our ^(AC)granaries are full, providing every kind of produce,
And our flocks deliver thousands and ten thousands in our ^[c]fields;
¹⁴May our ^(AD)cattle ^[d]be bred
Without ^[e]^(AE)mishap and without ^[f]^(AF)loss,
May there be no ^(AG)outcry in our streets!
¹⁵Blessed are the people who are so situated;
^(AH)Blessed are the people whose God is the Lord!

Footnotes

Psalm 144:2 Another reading is peoples
Psalm 144:12 Lit cut after the pattern of
Psalm 144:13 Lit outside
Psalm 144:14 Lit be laden
Psalm 144:14 Lit breach
Psalm 144:14 Lit going out; i.e., miscarriage

Psalm 145

New American Standard Bible

The Lord Exalted for His Goodness.

A Psalm of Praise, of David.

145 I will ^(A)exalt You, ^(B)my God, the King,
And I will ^(C)bless Your name forever and ever.
²Every day I will bless You,
And I will ^(D)praise Your name forever and ever.
³^(E)Great is the Lord, and highly to be praised;
And His ^(F)greatness is unsearchable.
⁴One ^(G)generation will praise Your works to another,
And will declare Your mighty acts.
⁵On the ^(H)glorious ^[a]splendor of Your majesty
And ^(I)on Your wonderful works, I will meditate.
⁶People will speak of the ^[b]power of Your ^(J)awesome acts,
And I will ^(K)tell of Your greatness.
⁷They will burst forth ^[c]in speaking of Your ^(L)abundant goodness,
And will ^(M)shout joyfully of Your righteousness.

⁸The Lord is ^(N)gracious and compassionate;
Slow to anger and great in mercy.
⁹The Lord is ^(O)good to all,
And His ^(P)mercies are over all His works.
¹⁰^(Q)All Your works will give thanks to You, Lord,
And Your ^(R)godly ones will bless You.
¹¹They will speak of the ^(S)glory of Your kingdom,
And talk of Your might,
¹²To ^(T)make known to the sons of mankind ^[d]Your mighty acts,
And the ^(U)glory of the majesty of ^[e]Your kingdom.
¹³Your kingdom is ^[f]an ^(V)everlasting kingdom,
And Your dominion endures throughout all generations.
^[g]The Lord is faithful in His words,
And holy in all His works.

¹⁴The Lord ^(W)supports all who fall,
And ^(X)raises up all who are bowed down.
¹⁵The eyes of all ^[h]look to You,
And You ^(Y)give them their food in due time.
¹⁶You ^(Z)open Your hand
And satisfy the desire of every living thing.

¹⁷The Lord is ^(AA)righteous in all His ways,
And kind in all His works.
¹⁸The Lord is ^(AB)near to all who call on Him,
To all who call on Him ^(AC)in truth.
¹⁹He will ^(AD)fulfill the desire of those who fear Him;
He will also ^(AE)hear their cry for help and save them.
²⁰The Lord ^(AF)watches over all who love Him,
But He will destroy all the ^(AG)wicked.
²¹My ^(AH)mouth will speak the praise of the Lord,
And ^(AI)all flesh will ^(AJ)bless His holy name forever and ever.