Old/New Testament
Psalm 143[a]
Prayer of a Penitent in Distress
1 [b]A psalm of David.
O Lord, hear my prayer,
incline your ear to my supplications.
In your faithfulness respond to me
with your righteousness.
2 Do not subject your servant to your judgment,
for no one living is righteous before you.[c]
3 [d]An enemy has stalked me unrelentingly
and crushed me into the ground;
he has left me to live in darkness[e]
like those long dead.
4 My spirit is faint within me,
and my heart[f] has succumbed to fear.
5 I remember the days of old,
reflecting on all your actions
and meditating on the works of your hands.[g]
6 I stretch out my hands[h] to you;
my soul thirsts for you like a parched land. Selah
7 [i]Answer me quickly, O Lord,
for my spirit grows faint.
Do not hide your face from me
or I will be like those who go down to the pit.[j]
8 At dawn[k] let me experience your kindness,
for in you I place my trust.
Show me the path I must walk,
for to you I lift up my soul.
9 Deliver me from my enemies, O Lord,
for in you I seek refuge.
10 Teach me to do your will,
for you are my God.[l]
Let your gracious Spirit lead me
along a level path.
11 For your name’s sake,[m] O Lord, preserve my life;
in your righteousness deliver me from distress.
12 In your kindness, destroy my enemies,
and annihilate all those who oppress me,
for I am your servant.[n]
Psalm 144[o]
Prayer for Victory and Peace
1 [p]Of David.
Blessed be the Lord,[q] my Rock,
who trains my hands for war
and my fingers for battle.
2 You are my safeguard[r] and my fortress,
my stronghold and my deliverer,
my shield in whom I take refuge,
the one who subdues nations under me.
3 O Lord, what is man that you care for him,
or the son of man that you think of him?[s]
4 Man is nothing more than a breath;
his days are like a fleeting shadow.[t]
5 [u]Part the heavens, O Lord, and descend;
touch the mountains so that they smoke.[v]
6 Flash forth lightning bolts and scatter my foes;
rout them with your arrows.[w]
7 Reach forth your hand[x] from on high;
deliver me and rescue me
from the mighty waters
and from the power of foreign foes
8 whose mouths utter lies[y]
and whose right hands are raised to swear to untruths.
9 [z]I will sing a new song to you, my God;
on a ten-stringed lyre I will play music for you.[aa]
10 You grant victory to kings
and deliverance to your servant David from the cruel sword.[ab]
11 Deliver me and rescue me
from the hands of foreign foes
whose mouths utter lies
and whose right hands are raised to swear to untruths.[ac]
12 [ad]May our sons in their youth
be like carefully nurtured plants,
and may our daughters be like pillars
designed to adorn a palace.[ae]
13 May our barns be filled
with every kind of crop.
May our sheep increase by thousands,
by tens of thousands in our fields,[af]
14 and may our cattle be well fed.[ag]
May there be no breach in our walls,
no going into exile,
no cries of distress in our streets.
15 Blessed are the people for whom this is true;
blessed[ah] are the people whose God is the Lord.
Psalm 145[ai]
Praise of the Divine Majesty
1 [aj]Praise. Of David.
I will extol you, my God and King;
I will bless your name[ak] forever and ever.
2 Every day I will bless you
and praise your name forever and ever.[al]
3 [am]Great is the Lord and worthy of the highest praise;
no one can even begin to comprehend his greatness.[an]
4 Each generation will praise your works[ao] to the next
and proclaim your mighty deeds.
5 People will proclaim the glorious splendor of your majesty,
and I will meditate on your wonderful works.
6 They will speak of the power of your awesome deeds,
and I will relate your greatness.
7 They will celebrate your abundant goodness
and sing joyfully of your saving justice.
8 [ap]The Lord is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger and abounding in kindness.[aq]
9 The Lord is good to all,
showing compassion to every creature.
10 All your creatures praise you,[ar] O Lord,
and all your saints bless you.
11 They relate the glory of your kingdom
and tell of all your power.[as]
12 They make known to all people your mighty deeds
and the glorious majesty of your kingdom.
13 Your kingdom will last forever,
and your dominion will endure throughout all generations.[at]
[au]The Lord is faithful in all his promises
and kind[av] in all his deeds.
14 The Lord supports all those who are falling
and raises up all who are bowed down.[aw]
15 The eyes of all look hopefully to you,
and you give them their food at the right time.
16 You open your hand
and satisfy the needs of every living creature.[ax]
17 [ay]The Lord is righteous in all his ways
and merciful in everything he does.[az]
18 The Lord is near to all who call out to him,
to all who call out to him sincerely.[ba]
19 He satisfies the desires of all who fear him;
he hears their cry and saves them.[bb]
20 The Lord watches over all who love him,
but he will completely destroy all the wicked.[bc]
21 May my mouth declare the praise of the Lord,
and may every creature[bd] bless his holy name
forever and ever.
21 In the Law[a] it is written,
“By people speaking strange tongues
and by the lips of foreigners
I will speak to this people,
and even so they will not listen to me,
says the Lord.”
22 Clearly, then, tongues are intended as a sign not for believers but for unbelievers, while prophecy is designed not for unbelievers but for believers.
23 Therefore, if the whole Church has assembled and everyone is speaking in tongues, would not any uninstructed person or any unbeliever on entering conclude that you are all out of your minds? 24 However, if everyone is prophesying and an unbeliever or uninstructed person should enter, he would be reproved by all and judged by all, 25 and the secrets of his heart would be revealed. Then he would fall down and worship God, declaring, “God is truly in your midst.”
26 Let Everything Be Done Properly and in an Orderly Fashion. And so, what then should be done, brethren? When you assemble, each of you should bring a psalm or some lesson or a revelation, or speak in a tongue, or offer an interpretation. Everything should be done with the goal in mind of building up. 27 If any of you speak in a tongue, let only two or at most three come forward, one at a time, and someone must interpret. 28 If no one is available to interpret, let those who speak in tongues be silent in the church and speak only to themselves and to God.
29 As for the prophets, let two or three speak, and let the rest weigh their words. 30 Should a revelation be made to someone else who is sitting there, let the one who is speaking stop. 31 You can all prophesy, but one at a time, so that all may receive instruction and encouragement. 32 Indeed, the spirits of the prophets are subject to their prophets’ control, 33 for God is not a God of disorder but of peace.
As in all the Churches of the saints, 34 [b]women are to keep silent at the assemblies. For they are not permitted to speak, since the Law asserts that they are to be subordinate. 35 If there is anything they wish to know, they should ask their husbands at home. It is improper for them to speak in the church.
36 Did the word of God originate with you? Or are you the only ones to whom it has come? 37 Anyone who claims to be a prophet or to have spiritual powers must recognize that what I am writing to you is a commandment of the Lord. 38 Anyone who does not acknowledge this should be ignored.
39 Therefore, brethren, be eager to prophesy and do not forbid speaking in tongues. 40 But ensure that everything is done properly and in an orderly fashion.
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