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A Prayer for Deliverance from Pursuers

A maskil of David.

When he was in the cave. A prayer.[a]

142 I cry out with my voice to Yahweh;
I implore favor with my voice to Yahweh.
I pour out my complaint before him;
I declare my trouble before him.
When my spirit faints within me,
you know my way.
On the path where I walk,
they have hidden a trap for me;
look to my right and see.
There is no one looking out for me;
there is no escape for me;[b]
no one cares for my soul.[c]
I cry out to you, O Yahweh.
I say, “You are my refuge,
my portion in the land of the living.”
Attend to my cry,
for I am brought very low.
Deliver me from my pursuers,
for they are stronger than I.
Bring me[d] out of prison,
that I may give thanks to your name.
The righteous will encircle me,
because you will deal bountifully with me.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 142:1 The Hebrew Bible counts the superscription as the first verse of the psalm; the English verse number is reduced by one
  2. Psalm 142:4 Hebrew “a refuge has perished from me”
  3. Psalm 142:4 Or “life”
  4. Psalm 142:7 Hebrew “my soul”

Prayer for help in trouble.

Maschil of David, when he was in the cave; a Prayer.

142 I cry with my voice unto Jehovah;
With my voice unto Jehovah do I make supplication.
I pour out my complaint before him;
I show before him my trouble.
When my spirit [a]was overwhelmed within me,
Thou knewest my path.
In the way wherein I walk
Have they hidden a snare for me.
Look on my right hand, and see;
For there is no man that knoweth me:
Refuge hath failed me;
No man careth for my soul.
I cried unto thee, O Jehovah;
I said, Thou art my refuge,
My portion in the land of the living.
Attend unto my cry;
For I am brought very low:
Deliver me from my persecutors;
For they are stronger than I.
Bring my soul out of prison,
That I may give thanks unto thy name:
The righteous shall [b]compass me about;
For thou wilt deal bountifully with me.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 142:3 Or, fainted
  2. Psalm 142:7 Or, crown themselves because of me

Saul Takes Revenge on the Priests Who Helped David

22 David went from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam. When his brothers and all his father’s household[a] heard, they came down to him there. Every man in distress and every man who had a creditor and every embittered man gathered to him, and he became their commander.[b] Now there were about four hundred men with him.

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Samuel 22:1 Or “family”
  2. 1 Samuel 22:2 Literally “over them as commander”

22 David therefore departed thence, and escaped to the cave of Adullam: and when his brethren and all his father’s house heard it, they went down thither to him. And every one that was in distress, and every one that was in debt, and every one that was [a]discontented, gathered themselves unto him; and he became captain over them: and there were with him about four hundred men.

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Samuel 22:2 Hebrew bitter of soul.