142 An Instruction of David, a Prayer when he is in the cave. My voice [is] unto Jehovah, I cry, My voice [is] unto Jehovah, I entreat grace.

² I pour forth before Him my meditation, My distress before Him I declare.

³ When my spirit hath been feeble in me, Then Thou hast known my path; In the way [in] which I walk, They have hid a snare for me.

⁴ Looking on the right hand -- and seeing, And I have none recognizing; Perished hath refuge from me, There is none inquiring for my soul.

⁵ I have cried unto thee, O Jehovah, I have said, `Thou [art] my refuge, My portion in the land of the living.'

⁶ Attend Thou unto my loud cry, For I have become very low, Deliver Thou me from my pursuers, For they have been stronger than I.

⁷ Bring forth from prison my soul to confess Thy name, The righteous do compass me about, When Thou conferrest benefits upon me!

143 A Psalm of David. O Jehovah, hear my prayer, Give ear unto my supplications, In Thy faithfulness answer me -- in Thy righteousness.

² And enter not into judgment with Thy servant, For no one living is justified before Thee.

³ For an enemy hath pursued my soul, He hath bruised to the earth my life, He hath caused me to dwell in dark places, As the dead of old.

⁴ And my spirit in me is become feeble, Within me is my heart become desolate.

⁵ I have remembered days of old, I have meditated on all Thine acts, On the work of Thy hand I muse.

⁶ I have spread forth my hands unto Thee, My soul [is] as a weary land for Thee. Selah.

⁷ Haste, answer me, O Jehovah, My spirit hath been consumed, Hide not Thou Thy face from me, Or I have been compared with those going down [to] the pit.

⁸ Cause me to hear in the morning Thy kindness, For in Thee I have trusted, Cause me to know the way that I go, For unto Thee I have lifted up my soul.

⁹ Deliver me from mine enemies, O Jehovah, Near Thee I am covered.

¹⁰ Teach me to do Thy good pleasure, For Thou [art] my God -- Thy Spirit [is] good, Lead me into a land of uprightness.

¹¹ For Thy name's sake O Jehovah, Thou dost quicken me, In Thy righteousness, Thou bringest out from distress my soul,

¹² And in Thy kindness cuttest off mine enemies, And hast destroyed all the adversaries of my soul, For I [am] Thy servant!

144 By David. Blessed [is] Jehovah my rock, who is teaching My hands for war, my fingers for battle.

² My kind one, and my bulwark, My tower, and my deliverer, My shield, and in whom I have trusted, Who is subduing my people under me!

³ Jehovah, what [is] man that Thou knowest him? Son of man, that Thou esteemest him?

⁴ Man to vanity hath been like, His days [are] as a shadow passing by.

⁵ Jehovah, incline Thy heavens and come down, Strike against mountains, and they smoke.

⁶ Send forth lightning, and scatter them, Send forth Thine arrows, and trouble them,

⁷ Send forth Thy hand from on high, Free me, and deliver me from many waters, From the hand of sons of a stranger,

⁸ Because their mouth hath spoken vanity, And their right hand [is] a right hand of falsehood.

⁹ O God, a new song I sing to Thee, On a psaltery of ten strings I sing praise to Thee.

¹⁰ Who is giving deliverance to kings, Who is freeing David His servant from the sword of evil.

¹¹ Free me, and deliver me From the hand of sons of a stranger, Because their mouth hath spoken vanity, And their right hand [is] a right hand of falsehood,

¹² Because our sons [are] as plants, Becoming great in their youth, Our daughters as hewn stones, Polished -- the likeness of a palace,

¹³ Our garners [are] full, bringing out from kind to kind, Our flocks are bringing forth thousands, Ten thousands in our out-places,

¹⁴ Our oxen are carrying, there is no breach, And there is no outgoing, And there is no crying in our broad places.

¹⁵ O the happiness of the people that is thus, O the happiness of the people whose God [is] Jehovah!