Beginning

A Prayer for Help

140 O Lord, take me away from sinful men. Keep me safe from men who want to hurt others. ² They make sinful plans in their hearts. They always start wars. ³ They make their tongues sharp like a snake’s. And the poison of a snake is under their lips.

⁴ O Lord, keep me from the hands of the sinful. Keep me safe from men who want to hurt others and have planned to trip my feet. ⁵ The proud have hidden a trap for me. With ropes they have spread a net. They have set traps for me beside the road. ⁶ I said to the Lord, “You are my God. Listen to the voice of my prayers, O Lord. ⁷ O God the Lord, the strength that saves me, You have covered my head in the day of battle. ⁸ O Lord, do not give the sinful what they want. Do not let their plans work, or they will be honored.

⁹ “As for those who gather around me, may the wrong-doing of their lips come upon their heads. ¹⁰ May burning coals fall upon them. May they be thrown into the fire, into deep holes, and rise no more. ¹¹ Do not let the man whose talking hurts people stand in the land. May trouble hurry to catch and destroy the man who wants to hurt others.”

¹² I know that the Lord will stand by those who suffer and do what is right for the poor. ¹³ For sure those who are right and good will give thanks to Your name. Those who are right will live with You.

An Evening Prayer

141 I call upon You, O Lord. Hurry to me! Hear my voice when I call to You! ² May my prayer be like special perfume before You. May the lifting up of my hands be like the evening gift given on the altar in worship. ³ O Lord, put a watch over my mouth. Keep watch over the door of my lips. ⁴ Do not let my heart turn to any sinful thing, to do wrong with men who sin. And do not let me eat their fine food.

⁵ Let those who are right with God punish me and speak strong words to me in kindness. It is oil upon my head. Do not let my head turn away from it. Yet my prayer is always against the sinful works of those who sin. ⁶ When their rulers are thrown down from high rocks, they will hear my words, for they are true. ⁷ Our bones have been spread around the mouth of the grave like the broken ground behind the plow.

⁸ For my eyes are toward You, O God the Lord. In You I have a safe place. Do not leave me without help. ⁹ Keep me from the trap they have set for me. Keep me from the nets of those who do wrong. ¹⁰ Let the sinful fall into their own nets, while I pass by and am safe.

A Prayer for Help

142 I cry with a loud voice to the Lord. I pray with my voice to the Lord. ² I talk and complain to Him. I tell Him all my trouble. ³ When my spirit had grown weak within me, You knew my path. They have hidden a trap for me in the way where I walk. ⁴ Look to the right and see. For there is no one who thinks about me. There is no place for me to go to be safe. No one cares about my soul.

⁵ I cried out to You, O Lord. I said, “You are my safe place, my share in the land of the living. ⁶ Listen to my cry, for I am brought down. Save me from those who make it hard for me. For they are too strong for me. ⁷ Bring my soul out of prison, so that I may give thanks to Your name. Those who are right and good will gather around me. For You will give much to me.”

A Prayer for Help

143 Hear my prayer, O Lord. Listen when I ask for help. Answer me because You are faithful and right. ² Do not find Your servant guilty, for no man living is right and good in Your eyes. ³ For the one who hates me has made it hard for my soul. He has crushed my life to the ground. He has made me live in dark places, like those who have been dead for a long time. ⁴ So my spirit grows weak within me. My heart within me is afraid.

⁵ I remember the days long ago. I think about all You have done. I think about the work of Your hands. ⁶ I put out my hands to You. My soul is thirsty for You like a dry land.

⁷ Hurry to answer me, O Lord! My spirit is becoming weak! Do not hide Your face from me, or I will become like those who go down to the grave. ⁸ Let me hear Your loving-kindness in the morning, for I trust in You. Teach me the way I should go for I lift up my soul to You. ⁹ O Lord, take me away from those who hate me. I run to You to be safe.

¹⁰ Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God. Let Your good Spirit lead me on a straight path. ¹¹ Give me new life, O Lord, because of Your name. Bring me out of trouble because You are right and good. ¹² In Your loving-kindness cut off those who hate me. Destroy all those who make it hard for my soul, for I am Your servant.

A Song of Thanks

144 Praise and thanks be to the Lord, my rock. He makes my hands ready for war, and my fingers for battle. ² He is my loving-kindness and my walls of strength, my strong place and the One Who sets me free, my safe-covering and the One in Whom I trust. He brings my people under my rule. ³ O Lord, what is man that You think of him, the son of man that You remember him? ⁴ Man is like a breath. His days are like a passing shadow. ⁵ O Lord, divide Your heavens and come down. Touch the mountains so they will smoke. ⁶ Send out lightning and divide them. Send out Your arrows and trouble them. ⁷ Put out Your hand from above. Take me out of trouble and away from the many waters, from the power of those from other lands. ⁸ Their mouths speak lies. And their right hand is a right hand that is false.

⁹ I will sing a new song to You, O God. I will sing praises to You on a harp of ten strings. ¹⁰ You save kings. You take Your servant David away from the sharp sword. ¹¹ Take me out of trouble and away from the power of those from other lands. Their mouths speak lies. And their right hand is a right hand that is false.

¹² May our young sons be like plants that are full-grown. And may our daughters be like the corner pieces of a great house. ¹³ May our store-houses be full of all kinds of food. And may our sheep grow by the thousands and ten thousands in our fields. ¹⁴ Let our cattle give birth without trouble and without loss. And may there be no cry of trouble in our streets. ¹⁵ Happy are the people who have all this. Yes, happy are the people whose God is the Lord!

A Song of Praise

145 I will praise You, my God and King. I will honor Your name forever and ever. ² I will honor You every day, and praise Your name forever and ever. ³ The Lord is great and our praise to Him should be great. He is too great for anyone to understand. ⁴ Families of this time will praise Your works to the families-to-come. They will tell about Your powerful acts. ⁵ I will think about the shining-greatness of Your power and about Your great works. ⁶ Men will speak of Your powerful acts that fill us with fear. And I will tell of Your greatness. ⁷ Many words will come from their mouths about how good You are. They will sing for joy about how right You are.

⁸ The Lord is full of loving-favor and pity, slow to anger and great in loving-kindness. ⁹ The Lord is good to all. And His loving-kindness is over all His works. ¹⁰ All Your works will give thanks to You, O Lord. And all those who belong to You will honor You. ¹¹ They will speak of the shining-greatness of Your holy nation, and talk of Your power. ¹² They will make Your powerful acts and the great power of Your holy nation known to the sons of men. ¹³ Your holy nation is a nation that lasts forever. And Your rule lasts for all time.

¹⁴ The Lord holds up all who fall. He raises up all who are brought down. ¹⁵ The eyes of all look to You. And You give them their food at the right time. ¹⁶ You open Your hand and fill the desire of every living thing.

¹⁷ The Lord is right and good in all His ways, and kind in all His works. ¹⁸ The Lord is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth. ¹⁹ He will fill the desire of those who fear Him. He will also hear their cry and will save them. ²⁰ The Lord takes care of all who love Him. But He will destroy all the sinful. ²¹ My mouth will speak the praise of the Lord. And all flesh will honor His holy name forever and ever.