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

Psalm 142

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

142 I cry out loud for help from the Lord.
    I beg out loud for mercy from the Lord.
I pour out my concerns before God;
    I announce my distress to him.
When my spirit is weak inside me, you still know my way.
    But they’ve hidden a trap for me in the path I’m taking.
Look right beside me: See?
    No one pays attention to me.
There’s no escape for me.
    No one cares about my life.

I cry to you, Lord, for help.
    “You are my refuge,” I say.
    “You are all I have in the land of the living.”
Pay close attention to my shouting,
    because I’ve been brought down so low!
Deliver me from my oppressors
    because they’re stronger than me.
Get me out of this prison
    so I can give thanks to your name.
Then the righteous will gather all around me
    because of your good deeds to me.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 142:1 Perhaps instruction

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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David gathers support

22 David left Gath and escaped to Adullam’s fortress.[a] When David’s siblings and all his extended family learned of this, they went to join him there. Everyone who was in trouble, in debt, or in desperate circumstances gathered around David, and he became their leader. Approximately four hundred men joined him.

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Samuel 22:1 Correction; cf 22:4-5; MT cave