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Give Heed to My Cry

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

142 With my voice to Yahweh, I (A)cry aloud;
With my voice to Yahweh, I (B)make supplication.
I (C)pour out my complaint before Him;
I declare my (D)distress before Him.
When (E)my spirit [c]was faint within me,
You knew my path.
In the way where I walk
They have (F)hidden a trap for me.
Look to the right and see;
That there is (G)no one who regards me;
(H)A way of escape has been destroyed from me;
(I)No one cares for my soul.

I cried out to You, O Yahweh;
I said, “You are (J)my refuge,
My (K)portion in the (L)land of the living.
(M)Give heed to my cry of lamentation,
For I am (N)brought very low;
Deliver me from my persecutors,
For they are too (O)strong for me.
(P)Bring my soul out of prison,
To give thanks to Your name;
The righteous will encircle me,
For You will (Q)deal bountifully with me.”

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 142 Title Possibly Contemplative, Didactic, Skillful Psalm
  2. Psalm 142 Title 1 Sam 22:1; 24:3
  3. Psalm 142:3 Lit fainted

Psalm 142

A Cry of Distress

A Maskil of David. When he was in the cave.(A) A prayer.

I cry aloud to the Lord;(B)
I plead aloud to the Lord for mercy.(C)
I pour out my complaint before him;
I reveal my trouble to him.(D)
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)
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)

I cry to you, Lord;
I say, “You are my shelter,
my portion in the land of the living.”(H)
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)
Free me from prison
so that I can praise your name.
The righteous will gather around me
because you deal generously with me.(K)

Footnotes

  1. 142:4 DSS, LXX, Syr, Vg, Tg read I look to the right and I see

David at the Cave of Adullam

22 So David departed from there and (A)escaped to (B)the cave of Adullam; and his brothers and all his father’s household heard of it and went down there to him. Then everyone who was in distress, and everyone who [a]was in debt, and everyone who was bitter of soul, gathered to him; and he became a commander over them. Now there were (C)about four hundred men with him.

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Samuel 22:2 Lit had a creditor

Saul’s Increasing Paranoia

22 So David left Gath and took refuge in the cave of Adullam.(A) When David’s brothers and his father’s whole family heard, they went down and joined him there. In addition, every man who was desperate, in debt, or discontented rallied around him, and he became their leader. About four hundred men were with him.(B)

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