Psalm 141-144
New King James Version
Prayer for Safekeeping from Wickedness
A Psalm of David.
141 Lord, I cry out to You;
Make haste to me!
Give ear to my voice when I cry out to You.
2 Let my prayer be set before You (A)as incense,
(B)The lifting up of my hands as (C)the evening sacrifice.
3 Set a guard, O Lord, over my (D)mouth;
Keep watch over the door of my lips.
4 Do not incline my heart to any evil thing,
To practice wicked works
With men who work iniquity;
(E)And do not let me eat of their delicacies.
5 (F)Let the righteous strike me;
It shall be a kindness.
And let him rebuke me;
It shall be as excellent oil;
Let my head not refuse it.
For still my prayer is against the deeds of the wicked.
6 Their judges are overthrown by the sides of the [a]cliff,
And they hear my words, for they are sweet.
7 Our bones are scattered at the mouth of the grave,
As when one plows and breaks up the earth.
8 But (G)my eyes are upon You, O God the Lord;
In You I take refuge;
[b]Do not leave my soul destitute.
9 Keep me from (H)the snares they have laid for me,
And from the traps of the workers of iniquity.
10 (I)Let the wicked fall into their own nets,
While I escape safely.
A Plea for Relief from Persecutors
A (J)Contemplation[c] of David. A Prayer (K)when he was in the cave.
142 I cry out to the Lord with my voice;
With my voice to the Lord I make my supplication.
2 I pour out my complaint before Him;
I declare before Him my trouble.
3 When my spirit [d]was (L)overwhelmed within me,
Then You knew my path.
In the way in which I walk
They have secretly (M)set a snare for me.
4 Look on my right hand and see,
For there is no one who acknowledges me;
Refuge has failed me;
No one cares for my soul.
5 I cried out to You, O Lord:
I said, “You are my refuge,
My portion in the land of the living.
6 [e]Attend to my cry,
For I am brought very low;
Deliver me from my persecutors,
For they are stronger than I.
7 Bring my soul out of prison,
That I may (N)praise Your name;
The righteous shall surround me,
For You shall deal bountifully with me.”
An Earnest Appeal for Guidance and Deliverance
A Psalm of David.
143 Hear my prayer, O Lord,
Give ear to my supplications!
In Your faithfulness answer me,
And in Your righteousness.
2 Do not enter into judgment with Your servant,
(O)For in Your sight no one living is righteous.
3 For the enemy has persecuted my soul;
He has crushed my life to the ground;
He has made me dwell in [f]darkness,
Like those who have long been dead.
4 (P)Therefore my spirit is overwhelmed within me;
My heart within me is distressed.
5 (Q)I remember the days of old;
I meditate on all Your works;
I [g]muse on the work of Your hands.
6 I spread out my hands to You;
(R)My soul longs for You like a thirsty land. Selah
7 Answer me speedily, O Lord;
My spirit fails!
Do not hide Your face from me,
(S)Lest I [h]be like those who [i]go down into the pit.
8 Cause me to hear Your lovingkindness (T)in the morning,
For in You do I trust;
(U)Cause me to know the way in which I should walk,
For (V)I lift up my soul to You.
9 Deliver me, O Lord, from my enemies;
[j]In You I take shelter.
10 (W)Teach me to do Your will,
For You are my God;
(X)Your Spirit is good.
Lead me in (Y)the land of uprightness.
11 (Z)Revive me, O Lord, for Your name’s sake!
For Your righteousness’ sake bring my soul out of trouble.
12 In Your mercy (AA)cut[k] off my enemies,
And destroy all those who afflict my soul;
For I am Your servant.
A Song to the Lord Who Preserves and Prospers His People
A Psalm of David.
144 Blessed be the Lord my Rock,
(AB)Who trains my hands for war,
And my fingers for battle—
2 My lovingkindness and my fortress,
My high tower and my deliverer,
My shield and the One in whom I take refuge,
Who subdues [l]my people under me.
3 (AC)Lord, what is man, that You take knowledge of him?
Or the son of man, that You are mindful of him?
4 (AD)Man is like a breath;
(AE)His days are like a passing shadow.
5 (AF)Bow down Your heavens, O Lord, and come down;
(AG)Touch the mountains, and they shall smoke.
6 (AH)Flash forth lightning and scatter them;
Shoot out Your arrows and destroy them.
7 Stretch out Your hand from above;
Rescue me and deliver me out of great waters,
From the hand of foreigners,
8 Whose mouth (AI)speaks [m]lying words,
And whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood.
9 I will (AJ)sing a new song to You, O God;
On a harp of ten strings I will sing praises to You,
10 The One who gives [n]salvation to kings,
(AK)Who delivers David His servant
From the deadly sword.
11 Rescue me and deliver me from the hand of foreigners,
Whose mouth speaks lying words,
And whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood—
12 That our sons may be (AL)as plants grown up in their youth;
That our daughters may be as [o]pillars,
Sculptured in palace style;
13 That our barns may be full,
Supplying all kinds of produce;
That our sheep may bring forth thousands
And ten thousands in our fields;
14 That our oxen may be well laden;
That there be no [p]breaking in or going out;
That there be no outcry in our streets.
15 (AM)Happy are the people who are in such a state;
Happy are the people whose God is the Lord!
Footnotes
- Psalm 141:6 rock
- Psalm 141:8 Lit. Do not make my soul bare
- Psalm 142:1 Heb. Maschil
- Psalm 142:3 Lit. fainted
- Psalm 142:6 Give heed
- Psalm 143:3 dark places
- Psalm 143:5 ponder
- Psalm 143:7 become
- Psalm 143:7 Die
- Psalm 143:9 LXX, Vg. To You I flee
- Psalm 143:12 put an end to
- Psalm 144:2 So with MT, LXX, Vg.; Syr., Tg. the peoples (cf. 18:47)
- Psalm 144:8 empty or worthless
- Psalm 144:10 deliverance
- Psalm 144:12 corner pillars
- Psalm 144:14 Lit. breach
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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