Psalm 143-144

New International Version

Psalm 143

A psalm of David.

¹Lord, hear my prayer,^(A)
    listen to my cry for mercy;^(B)
in your faithfulness^(C) and righteousness^(D)
    come to my relief.
²Do not bring your servant into judgment,
    for no one living is righteous^(E) before you.
³The enemy pursues me,
    he crushes me to the ground;
he makes me dwell in the darkness^(F)
    like those long dead.^(G)
⁴So my spirit grows faint within me;
    my heart within me is dismayed.^(H)
⁵I remember^(I) the days of long ago;
    I meditate^(J) on all your works
    and consider what your hands have done.
⁶I spread out my hands^(K) to you;
    I thirst for you like a parched land.^[a]

⁷Answer me quickly,^(L) Lord;
    my spirit fails.^(M)
Do not hide your face^(N) from me
    or I will be like those who go down to the pit.
⁸Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love,^(O)
    for I have put my trust in you.
Show me the way^(P) I should go,
    for to you I entrust my life.^(Q)
⁹Rescue me^(R) from my enemies,^(S) Lord,
    for I hide myself in you.
¹⁰Teach me^(T) to do your will,
    for you are my God;^(U)
may your good Spirit
    lead^(V) me on level ground.^(W)

¹¹For your name’s sake,^(X) Lord, preserve my life;^(Y)
    in your righteousness,^(Z) bring me out of trouble.
¹²In your unfailing love, silence my enemies;^(AA)
    destroy all my foes,^(AB)
    for I am your servant.^(AC)

Psalm 144

Of David.

¹Praise be to the Lord my Rock,^(AD)
    who trains my hands for war,
    my fingers for battle.
²He is my loving God and my fortress,^(AE)
    my stronghold^(AF) and my deliverer,
my shield,^(AG) in whom I take refuge,
    who subdues peoples^[b]^(AH) under me.

³Lord, what are human beings^(AI) that you care for them,
mere mortals that you think of them?
⁴They are like a breath;^(AJ)
their days are like a fleeting shadow.^(AK)

⁵Part your heavens,^(AL) Lord, and come down;^(AM)
    touch the mountains, so that they smoke.^(AN)
⁶Send forth lightning^(AO) and scatter^(AP) the enemy;
    shoot your arrows^(AQ) and rout them.
⁷Reach down your hand from on high;^(AR)
    deliver me and rescue me^(AS)
from the mighty waters,^(AT)
    from the hands of foreigners^(AU)
⁸whose mouths are full of lies,^(AV)
    whose right hands^(AW) are deceitful.^(AX)

⁹I will sing a new song^(AY) to you, my God;
on the ten-stringed lyre^(AZ) I will make music to you,
¹⁰to the One who gives victory to kings,^(BA)
who delivers his servant David.^(BB)

From the deadly sword^(BC) ¹¹deliver me;
rescue me^(BD) from the hands of foreigners^(BE)
whose mouths are full of lies,^(BF)
whose right hands are deceitful.^(BG)

¹²Then our sons in their youth
    will be like well-nurtured plants,^(BH)
and our daughters will be like pillars^(BI)
    carved to adorn a palace.
¹³Our barns will be filled^(BJ)
    with every kind of provision.
Our sheep will increase by thousands,
    by tens of thousands in our fields;
¹⁴    our oxen^(BK) will draw heavy loads.^[c]
There will be no breaching of walls,^(BL)
    no going into captivity,
    no cry of distress in our streets.^(BM)
¹⁵Blessed is the people^(BN) of whom this is true;
    blessed is the people whose God is the Lord.

Footnotes

Psalm 143:6 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here.
Psalm 144:2 Many manuscripts of the Masoretic Text, Dead Sea Scrolls, Aquila, Jerome and Syriac; most manuscripts of the Masoretic Text subdues my people
Psalm 144:14 Or our chieftains will be firmly established