Psalm 138-150

New American Standard Bible

Thanksgiving for the Lord’s Favor.

A Psalm of David.

138 ^(A)I will give You thanks with all my heart;
I will sing Your praises before the ^(B)gods.
²I will bow down ^(C)toward Your holy temple
And ^(D)give thanks to Your name for Your mercy and Your ^[a]truth;
For You have ^(E)made Your ^[b]word great ^[c]according to all Your name.
³On the day I ^(F)called, You answered me;
You made me bold with ^(G)strength in my soul.

⁴^(H)All the kings of the earth will give thanks to You, Lord,
When they have heard the words of Your mouth.
⁵And they will ^(I)sing of the ways of the Lord,
For ^(J)great is the glory of the Lord.
⁶For ^(K)the Lord is exalted,
Yet He ^(L)looks after the lowly,
But He knows the ^(M)haughty from afar.

⁷Though I ^(N)walk in the midst of trouble, You will ^[d]^(O)revive me;
You will ^(P)reach out with Your hand against the wrath of my enemies,
And Your right hand will ^(Q)save me.
⁸The Lord will ^(R)accomplish what concerns me;
Your ^(S)faithfulness, Lord, is everlasting;
^(T)Do not abandon the ^(U)works of Your hands.

God’s Omnipresence and Omniscience.

For the music director. A Psalm of David.

139 Lord, You have ^(V)searched me and known me.
²You ^(W)know ^[e]when I sit down and ^[f]when I get up;
You ^(X)understand my thought from far away.
³You ^[g]^(Y)scrutinize my ^[h]path and my lying down,
And are acquainted with all my ways.
⁴^[i]Even before there is a word on my tongue,
Behold, Lord, You ^(Z)know it all.
⁵You have ^(AA)encircled me behind and in front,
And ^(AB)placed Your hand upon me.
⁶Such ^(AC)knowledge is ^(AD)too wonderful for me;
It is too high, I cannot comprehend it.

⁷^(AE)Where can I go from Your Spirit?
Or where can I flee from Your presence?
⁸^(AF)If I ascend to heaven, You are there;
If I make my bed in ^[j]Sheol, behold, ^(AG)You are there.
⁹If I take up the wings of the dawn,
If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea,
¹⁰Even there Your hand will ^(AH)lead me,
And Your right hand will take hold of me.
¹¹If I say, “Surely the ^(AI)darkness will ^[k]overwhelm me,
And the light around me will be night,”
¹²Even ^(AJ)darkness is not dark ^[l]to You,
And the night is as bright as the day.
^(AK)Darkness and light are alike to You.

¹³For You ^(AL)created my innermost parts;
You ^(AM)wove me in my mother’s womb.
¹⁴I will give thanks to You, because ^[m]I am awesomely and wonderfully made;
^(AN)Wonderful are Your works,
And my soul knows it very well.
¹⁵My ^[n]^(AO)frame was not hidden from You
When I was made in secret,
And skillfully formed in the ^(AP)depths of the earth;
¹⁶Your ^(AQ)eyes have seen my formless substance;
And in ^(AR)Your book were written
All the ^(AS)days that were ordained for me,
When as yet there was not one of them.

¹⁷How precious also are Your ^(AT)thoughts for me, God!
How vast is the sum of them!
¹⁸Were I to count them, they would ^(AU)outnumber the sand.
When ^(AV)I awake, I am still with You.

¹⁹If only You would ^(AW)put the wicked to death, God;
^(AX)Leave me, ^(AY)you men of bloodshed.
²⁰For they ^(AZ)speak ^[o]against You wickedly,
And Your enemies ^[p]^(BA)take Your name in vain.
²¹Do I not ^(BB)hate those who hate You, Lord?
And do I not ^(BC)loathe those who rise up against You?
²²I hate them with the utmost hatred;
They have become my enemies.

²³^(BD)Search me, God, and know my heart;
^(BE)Put me to the test and know my anxious thoughts;
²⁴And see if there is any ^[q]^(BF)hurtful way in me,
And ^(BG)lead me in the ^(BH)everlasting way.

Prayer for Protection against the Wicked.

For the music director. A Psalm of David.

140 ^(BI)Rescue me, Lord, from evil people;
Protect me from ^(BJ)violent men
²Who ^(BK)devise evil things in their hearts;
They ^(BL)continually stir up wars.
³They ^(BM)sharpen their tongues like a snake;
^(BN)The venom of a viper is under their lips. Selah

⁴^(BO)Keep me, Lord, from the hands of the wicked;
^(BP)Protect me from violent men
Who ^[r]intend to ^[s]^(BQ)trip up my feet.
⁵The proud have ^(BR)hidden a trap for me, and snares;
They have spread a ^(BS)net at the ^[t]wayside;
They have set ^(BT)snares for me. Selah

⁶I ^(BU)said to the Lord, “You are my God;
^(BV)Listen, Lord, to the ^(BW)sound of my pleadings.
⁷^[u]God the Lord, ^(BX)the strength of my salvation,
You have ^(BY)covered my head on the day of ^[v]battle.
⁸Do not grant, Lord, the ^(BZ)desires of the wicked;
Do not bring about ^(CA)his evil planning, so that they are not exalted. Selah

⁹“As for the head of those who surround me,
May the ^(CB)harm of their lips cover them.
¹⁰May ^(CC)burning coals fall upon them;
May they be ^(CD)cast into the fire,
Into bottomless pits from which they ^(CE)cannot rise.
¹¹May a ^[w]slanderer not endure on the earth;
^(CF)May evil hunt a violent person ^[x]violently.”

¹²I know that the Lord will ^(CG)maintain the cause of the afflicted,
And ^(CH)justice for the poor.
¹³Certainly the ^(CI)righteous will give thanks to Your name;
The ^(CJ)upright will dwell in Your presence.

An Evening Prayer for Sanctification and Protection.

A Psalm of David.

141 Lord, I call upon You; ^(CK)hurry to me!
^(CL)Listen to my voice when I call to You!
²May my prayer be ^[y]counted as ^(CM)incense before You;
The ^(CN)raising of my hands as the ^(CO)evening offering.
³Set a ^(CP)guard, Lord, ^[z]over my mouth;
Keep watch over the ^(CQ)door of my lips.
⁴^(CR)Do not incline my heart to any evil thing,
To practice deeds ^[aa]of wickedness
With people who ^(CS)do wrong;
And ^(CT)may I not taste their delicacies.

⁵May the ^(CU)righteous strike me with mercy and discipline me;
It is ^(CV)oil for the head;
My head shall not refuse it,
For my prayer ^(CW)is still against their evil deeds.
⁶Their judges are ^(CX)thrown down by the sides of the rock,
And they hear my words, for they are pleasant.
⁷As when one ^(CY)plows and breaks open the earth,
Our ^(CZ)bones have been scattered at the ^(DA)mouth of ^[ab]Sheol.

⁸For my ^(DB)eyes are toward You, ^[ac]God, the Lord;
In You I ^(DC)take refuge; ^(DD)do not ^[ad]leave me defenseless.
⁹Keep me from the ^[ae]^(DE)jaws of the trap which they have set for me,
And from the ^(DF)snares of those who do wrong.
¹⁰May the wicked ^(DG)fall into their own nets,
While I pass by ^[af]^(DH)safely.

Prayer for Help in Trouble.

^[ag]Maskil of David, when he was ^[ah]in the cave. A Prayer.

142 I ^(DI)cry out with my voice to the Lord;
With my voice I ^(DJ)implore the Lord for compassion.
²I ^(DK)pour out my complaint before Him;
I declare my ^(DL)trouble before Him.
³When ^(DM)my spirit felt weak within me,
You knew my path.
In the way where I walk
They have ^(DN)hidden a trap for me.
⁴Look to the right and see;
For there is ^(DO)no one who regards me favorably;
^[ai]There is no ^(DP)escape for me;
^(DQ)No one cares for my soul.

⁵I cried out to You, Lord;
I said, “You are ^(DR)my refuge,
My ^(DS)portion in the ^(DT)land of the living.
⁶^(DU)Give Your attention to my cry,
For I have been ^(DV)brought very low;
Rescue me from my persecutors,
For they are too ^(DW)strong for me.
⁷^(DX)Bring my soul out of prison,
So that I may give thanks to Your name;
The righteous will surround me,
For You will ^(DY)look after me.”

Prayer for Help and Guidance.

A Psalm of David.

143 Hear my prayer, Lord,
^(DZ)Listen to my pleadings!
Answer me in Your ^(EA)faithfulness, in Your ^(EB)righteousness!
²And ^(EC)do not enter into judgment with Your servant,
For ^(ED)no person living is righteous in Your sight.
³For the enemy has persecuted my soul;
He has crushed my life ^(EE)to the ground;
He ^(EF)has made me dwell in dark places, like those who have long been dead.
⁴Therefore ^(EG)my spirit ^[aj]feels weak within me;
My heart is ^[ak]^(EH)appalled within me.

⁵I ^(EI)remember the days of old;
I ^(EJ)meditate on all Your accomplishments;
I ^(EK)reflect on the work of Your hands.
⁶I ^(EL)spread out my hands to You;
My ^(EM)soul longs for You, like a weary land. Selah

⁷^(EN)Answer me quickly, Lord, my ^(EO)spirit fails;
^(EP)Do not hide Your face from me,
Or I will be the same as ^(EQ)those who go down to the pit.
⁸Let me hear Your ^(ER)faithfulness ^(ES)in the morning,
For I trust ^(ET)in You;
Teach me the ^(EU)way in which I should walk;
For to You I ^(EV)lift up my soul.
⁹^(EW)Save me, Lord, from my enemies;
^[al]I take refuge in You.

¹⁰^(EX)Teach me to do Your will,
For You are my God;
Let ^(EY)Your good Spirit ^(EZ)lead me on level ^[am]ground.
¹¹^(FA)For the sake of Your name, Lord, ^(FB)revive me.
^(FC)In Your righteousness bring my soul out of trouble.
¹²And in Your faithfulness, ^[an]^(FD)destroy my enemies,
And ^(FE)eliminate all those who attack my soul,
For ^(FF)I am Your servant.

Prayer for Rescue and Prosperity.

A Psalm of David.

144 Blessed be the Lord, ^(FG)my rock,
Who ^(FH)trains my hands for war,
And my fingers for battle;
²My faithfulness and ^(FI)my fortress,
My ^(FJ)stronghold and my savior,
My ^(FK)shield and He in whom I take refuge,
Who ^(FL)subdues ^[ao]my people under me.
³Lord, ^(FM)what is man, that You look after him?
Or a son of man, that You think of him?
⁴^(FN)Man is like the breath;
His ^(FO)days are like a passing shadow.

⁵^(FP)Bend down Your heavens, Lord, and ^(FQ)come down;
^(FR)Touch the mountains, that they may smoke.
⁶Flash forth ^(FS)lightning and scatter them;
Send out Your ^(FT)arrows and confuse them.
⁷Reach out with Your hand ^(FU)from on high;
Rescue me and ^(FV)save me from great waters,
From the hand of ^(FW)foreigners
⁸Whose mouths ^(FX)speak deceit,
And whose ^(FY)right hand is a right hand of falsehood.

⁹God, I will sing a ^(FZ)new song to You;
On a ^(GA)harp of ten strings I will sing praises to You,
¹⁰Who ^(GB)gives salvation to kings,
Who ^(GC)rescues His servant David from the evil sword.
¹¹Rescue me and save me from the hand of ^(GD)foreigners,
Whose mouth ^(GE)speaks deceit
And whose ^(GF)right hand is a right hand of falsehood.

¹²When our sons in their youth are like ^(GG)growing plants,
And our daughters like ^(GH)corner pillars ^[ap]fashioned for a palace,
¹³Our ^(GI)granaries are full, providing every kind of produce,
And our flocks deliver thousands and ten thousands in our ^[aq]fields;
¹⁴May our ^(GJ)cattle ^[ar]be bred
Without ^[as]^(GK)mishap and without ^[at]^(GL)loss,
May there be no ^(GM)outcry in our streets!
¹⁵Blessed are the people who are so situated;
^(GN)Blessed are the people whose God is the Lord!

The Lord Exalted for His Goodness.

A Psalm of Praise, of David.

145 I will ^(GO)exalt You, ^(GP)my God, the King,
And I will ^(GQ)bless Your name forever and ever.
²Every day I will bless You,
And I will ^(GR)praise Your name forever and ever.
³^(GS)Great is the Lord, and highly to be praised;
And His ^(GT)greatness is unsearchable.
⁴One ^(GU)generation will praise Your works to another,
And will declare Your mighty acts.
⁵On the ^(GV)glorious ^[au]splendor of Your majesty
And ^(GW)on Your wonderful works, I will meditate.
⁶People will speak of the ^[av]power of Your ^(GX)awesome acts,
And I will ^(GY)tell of Your greatness.
⁷They will burst forth ^[aw]in speaking of Your ^(GZ)abundant goodness,
And will ^(HA)shout joyfully of Your righteousness.

⁸The Lord is ^(HB)gracious and compassionate;
Slow to anger and great in mercy.
⁹The Lord is ^(HC)good to all,
And His ^(HD)mercies are over all His works.
¹⁰^(HE)All Your works will give thanks to You, Lord,
And Your ^(HF)godly ones will bless You.
¹¹They will speak of the ^(HG)glory of Your kingdom,
And talk of Your might,
¹²To ^(HH)make known to the sons of mankind ^[ax]Your mighty acts,
And the ^(HI)glory of the majesty of ^[ay]Your kingdom.
¹³Your kingdom is ^[az]an ^(HJ)everlasting kingdom,
And Your dominion endures throughout all generations.
^[ba]The Lord is faithful in His words,
And holy in all His works.

¹⁴The Lord ^(HK)supports all who fall,
And ^(HL)raises up all who are bowed down.
¹⁵The eyes of all ^[bb]look to You,
And You ^(HM)give them their food in due time.
¹⁶You ^(HN)open Your hand
And satisfy the desire of every living thing.

¹⁷The Lord is ^(HO)righteous in all His ways,
And kind in all His works.
¹⁸The Lord is ^(HP)near to all who call on Him,
To all who call on Him ^(HQ)in truth.
¹⁹He will ^(HR)fulfill the desire of those who fear Him;
He will also ^(HS)hear their cry for help and save them.
²⁰The Lord ^(HT)watches over all who love Him,
But He will destroy all the ^(HU)wicked.
²¹My ^(HV)mouth will speak the praise of the Lord,
And ^(HW)all flesh will ^(HX)bless His holy name forever and ever.

The Lord, an Abundant Helper.

146 ^[bc]Praise ^[bd]the Lord!
^(HY)Praise the Lord, my soul!
²I will praise the Lord ^(HZ)while I live;
I will ^(IA)sing praises to my God while I ^[be]have my being.
³^(IB)Do not trust in noblemen,
In ^[bf]mortal ^(IC)man, in whom there is ^(ID)no salvation.
⁴His ^(IE)spirit departs, he ^(IF)returns to ^[bg]the earth;
On that very day his ^(IG)plans perish.
⁵^(IH)Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,
Whose ^(II)hope is in the Lord his God,
⁶Who ^(IJ)made heaven and earth,
The ^(IK)sea and everything that is in them;
Who ^(IL)keeps ^[bh]faith forever;
⁷Who ^(IM)executes justice for the oppressed;
Who ^(IN)gives food to the hungry.
The Lord ^(IO)frees the prisoners.

⁸The Lord ^(IP)opens the eyes of those who are blind;
The Lord ^(IQ)raises up those who are bowed down;
The Lord ^(IR)loves the righteous.
⁹The Lord ^(IS)watches over strangers;
He ^[bi]^(IT)supports the fatherless and the widow,
But He ^[bj]thwarts ^(IU)the way of the wicked.
¹⁰The Lord will ^(IV)reign forever,
Your God, Zion, to all generations.
^[bk]Praise ^[bl]the Lord!

Praise for Jerusalem’s Restoration and Prosperity.

147 ^[bm]Praise ^[bn]the Lord!
For ^(IW)it is good to sing praises to our God;
For ^[bo]it is pleasant and praise is ^[bp]^(IX)beautiful.
²The Lord ^(IY)builds up Jerusalem;
He ^(IZ)gathers the outcasts of Israel.
³He heals the ^(JA)brokenhearted
And ^(JB)binds up their ^[bq]wounds.
⁴He ^(JC)counts the number of the stars;
He ^[br]^(JD)gives names to all of them.
⁵^(JE)Great is our Lord and abundant in strength;
His ^(JF)understanding is ^[bs]infinite.
⁶The Lord ^[bt]^(JG)supports the afflicted;
He brings the wicked down to the ground.

⁷^(JH)Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving;
Sing praises to our God on the lyre;
⁸It is He who ^(JI)covers the heavens with clouds,
Who ^(JJ)provides rain for the earth,
Who ^(JK)makes grass sprout on the mountains.
⁹It is He who ^(JL)gives an animal its food,
And feeds ^(JM)young ravens that cry.
¹⁰He does not delight in ^[bu]the strength of the ^(JN)horse;
He ^(JO)does not take pleasure in the ^[bv]legs of a man.
¹¹The Lord ^(JP)favors those who fear Him,
^(JQ)Those who wait for His ^[bw]faithfulness.

¹²Praise the Lord, Jerusalem!
Praise your God, Zion!
¹³For He has strengthened the ^(JR)bars of your gates;
He has ^(JS)blessed your sons among you.
¹⁴He ^(JT)makes ^[bx]peace in your borders;
He ^(JU)satisfies you with ^(JV)the ^[by]finest of the wheat.
¹⁵He sends His ^(JW)command to the earth;
His ^(JX)word runs very swiftly.
¹⁶He ^[bz]showers ^(JY)snow like wool;
He scatters the ^(JZ)frost like ashes.
¹⁷He hurls His ^(KA)ice as fragments;
Who can stand before His ^(KB)cold?
¹⁸He ^(KC)sends His word and makes them melt;
He ^(KD)makes His wind blow, and the waters flow.
¹⁹He ^(KE)declares His words to Jacob,
His ^(KF)statutes and His judgments to Israel.
²⁰He ^(KG)has not dealt this way with any other nation;
And as for His judgments, ^[ca]they have ^(KH)not known them.
^[cb]Praise ^[cc]the Lord!

The Whole Creation Invoked to Praise the Lord.

148 ^[cd]Praise ^[ce]the Lord!
Praise the Lord ^(KI)from the heavens;
Praise Him ^(KJ)in the heights!
²Praise Him, ^(KK)all His angels;
Praise Him, ^(KL)all His heavenly armies!
³Praise Him, sun and moon;
Praise Him, all stars of light!
⁴Praise Him, ^[cf]^(KM)highest heavens,
And the ^(KN)waters that are above the heavens!
⁵They are to praise the name of the Lord,
For ^(KO)He commanded and they were created.
⁶He has also ^(KP)established them forever and ever;
He has made a ^(KQ)decree, and it will not pass away.

⁷Praise the Lord from the earth,
^(KR)Sea monsters, and all the ocean ^(KS)depths;
⁸^(KT)Fire and hail, ^(KU)snow and ^(KV)clouds;
^(KW)Stormy wind, ^(KX)fulfilling His word;
⁹^(KY)Mountains and all hills;
Fruit ^(KZ)trees and all cedars;
¹⁰^(LA)Animals and all cattle;
^(LB)Crawling things and winged fowl;
¹¹^(LC)Kings of the earth and all peoples;
Rulers and all judges of the earth;
¹²Both young men and virgins;
Old men and children.

¹³They are to praise the name of the Lord,
For His ^(LD)name alone is exalted;
His ^(LE)majesty is above earth and heaven.
¹⁴And He has ^(LF)lifted up a horn for His people,
^(LG)Praise for all His godly ones,
For the sons of Israel, a people ^(LH)near to Him.
^[cg]Praise ^[ch]the Lord!

Israel Invoked to Praise the Lord.

149 ^[ci]Praise ^[cj]the Lord!
Sing a ^(LI)new song to the Lord,
And His praise ^(LJ)in the congregation of the godly ones.
²Israel shall be joyful in ^(LK)his Maker;
The sons of Zion shall rejoice in their ^(LL)King.
³They shall praise His name with ^(LM)dancing;
They shall sing praises to Him with ^(LN)tambourine and lyre.
⁴For the Lord ^(LO)takes pleasure in His people;
He will ^(LP)glorify the lowly with salvation.

⁵The ^(LQ)godly ones shall be jubilant in glory;
They shall ^(LR)sing for joy on their beds.
⁶The ^(LS)high praises of God shall be in their ^[ck]mouths,
And a ^(LT)two-edged ^(LU)sword in their hands,
⁷To ^(LV)execute vengeance on the nations,
And punishment on the peoples,
⁸To bind their kings ^(LW)with chains,
And their ^(LX)dignitaries with shackles of iron,
⁹To ^(LY)execute against them the judgment written.
This is an ^(LZ)honor for all His godly ones.
^[cl]Praise ^[cm]the Lord!

A Psalm of Praise.

150 ^[cn]Praise ^[co]the Lord!
Praise God in His ^(MA)sanctuary;
Praise Him in His mighty ^[cp]^(MB)expanse.
²Praise Him for His ^(MC)mighty deeds;
Praise Him according to His excellent ^(MD)greatness.

³Praise Him with ^(ME)trumpet sound;
Praise Him with ^(MF)harp and lyre.
⁴Praise Him with ^(MG)tambourine and dancing;
Praise Him with ^(MH)stringed instruments and ^(MI)flute.
⁵Praise Him with loud ^(MJ)cymbals;
Praise Him with resounding cymbals.
⁶^(MK)Everything that has breath shall praise ^[cq]the Lord.
^[cr]Praise ^[cs]the Lord!