Psalm 143–145

A Prayer for Help^z

143 Lord, hear my prayer!

In your righteousness listen to my plea;

answer me in your faithfulness!

^2*Don’t put me, your servant, on trial;

no one is innocent in your sight.

³My enemies have hunted me down

and completely defeated me.

They have put me in a dark prison,

and I am like those who died long ago.

⁴So I am ready to give up;

I am in deep despair.

⁵I remember the days gone by;

I think about all that you have done,

I bring to mind all your deeds.

⁶I lift up my hands to you in prayer;

like dry ground my soul is thirsty for you.

⁷Answer me now, Lord!

I have lost all hope.

Don’t hide yourself from me,

or I will be among those who go down to the world of the dead.

⁸Remind me each morning of your constant love,

for I put my trust in you.

My prayers go up to you;

show me the way I should go.

⁹I go to you for protection, Lord;

rescue me from my enemies.

¹⁰You are my God;

teach me to do your will.

Be good to me, and guide me on a safe path.

¹¹Rescue me, Lord, as you have promised;

in your goodness save me from my troubles!

¹²Because of your love for me, kill my enemies

and destroy all my oppressors,

for I am your servant.

A King Thanks God for Victory^a

144 Praise the Lord, my protector!

He trains me for battle

and prepares me for war.

²He is my protector and defender,

my shelter and saviour,

in whom I trust for safety.

He subdues the nations under me.

^3*Lord, what are mortals, that you notice them;

mere mortals, that you pay attention to them?

⁴They are like a puff of wind;

their days are like a passing shadow.

⁵O Lord, tear the sky apart and come down;

touch the mountains, and they will pour out smoke.

⁶Send flashes of lightning and scatter your enemies;

shoot your arrows and send them running.

⁷Reach down from above,

pull me out of the deep water, and rescue me;

save me from the power of foreigners,

⁸who never tell the truth

and lie even under oath.

⁹I will sing you a new song, O God;

I will play the harp and sing to you.

¹⁰You give victory to kings

and rescue your servant David.

¹¹Save me from my cruel enemies;

rescue me from the power of foreigners,

who never tell the truth

and lie even under oath.

¹²May our sons in their youth

be like plants that grow up strong.

May our daughters be like stately pillars

which adorn the corners of a palace.

¹³May our barns be filled

with crops of every kind.

May the sheep in our fields

bear young by the tens of thousands.

¹⁴May our cattle reproduce plentifully

without miscarriage or loss.

May there be no cries of distress in our streets.

¹⁵Happy is the nation of whom this is true;

happy are the people whose God is the Lord!

A Hymn of Praise^b

145 I will proclaim your greatness, my God and king;

I will thank you for ever and ever.

²Every day I will thank you;

I will praise you for ever and ever.

³The Lord is great and is to be highly praised;

his greatness is beyond understanding.

⁴What you have done will be praised from one generation to the next;

they will proclaim your mighty acts.

⁵They will speak of your glory and majesty,

and I will meditate on your wonderful deeds.

⁶People will speak of your mighty deeds,

and I will proclaim your greatness.

⁷They will tell about all your goodness

and sing about your kindness.

⁸The Lord is loving and merciful,

slow to become angry and full of constant love.

⁹He is good to everyone

and has compassion on all he made.

¹⁰All your creatures, Lord, will praise you,

and all your people will give you thanks.

¹¹They will speak of the glory of your royal power

and tell of your might,

¹²so that everyone will know your mighty deeds

and the glorious majesty of your kingdom.

¹³Your rule is eternal,

and you are king for ever.

The Lord is faithful to his promises,

and he is merciful in all his acts.

¹⁴He helps those who are in trouble;

he lifts those who have fallen.

¹⁵All living things look hopefully to you,

and you give them food when they need it.

¹⁶You give them enough

and satisfy the needs of all.

¹⁷The Lord is righteous in all he does,

merciful in all his acts.

¹⁸He is near to those who call to him,

who call to him with sincerity.

¹⁹He supplies the needs of those who honour him;

he hears their cries and saves them.

²⁰He protects everyone who loves him,

but he will destroy the wicked.

²¹I will always praise the Lord;

let all his creatures praise his holy name for ever.