Psalm 143–145

A Prayer for Rescue from Enemies

143A psalm of David.^a

¹O Yahweh, hear my prayer;

listen to my supplications.

In your faithfulness answer me,

and in your righteousness.

²And do not enter into judgment with your servant,

because no one alive is righteous before you.

³For the enemy has pursued my soul;

he has crushed my life to the ground.

He has made me dwell in dark places

like those long dead.

⁴And so my spirit grows faint within me;

my heart within^b me is desolate.

⁵I remember the days of long ago;

I meditate on all your doings.^c

I muse on the labor of your hands.

⁶I stretch out my hands to you;

my soul longs for you like a dry land. Selah

⁷Quickly answer me, O Yahweh;

my spirit fails.

Do not hide your face from me,

or I will become

like those descending to the pit.

⁸Cause me to hear your loyal love in the morning,

for I trust you.

Cause me to know the way that I should go,

for I lift up my soul to you.

⁹Deliver me from my enemies, O Yahweh.

I take refuge in you.^d

¹⁰Teach me to do your will, for you are my God;

your Spirit is good.

Lead me onto level ground.

¹¹For your name’s sake, O Yahweh, preserve my life;

in your righteousness bring me^e out of trouble.

¹²And in your loyal love destroy my enemies,

and exterminate all the adversaries of my soul,

for I am your servant.

A Prayer for National Safety

144Of David.^a

¹Blessed be Yahweh, my rock,

the one who trains my hands for battle,

my fingers for war—

²my loyal love and my fortress,

my stronghold and my deliverer,

my shield, and one in whom I take refuge,

the one who subdues peoples^b under me.

³O Yahweh, what is humankind that you take knowledge of him,

or the son of man that you take thought of him?

⁴Humankind is like a breath,

his days like a passing shadow.

⁵O Yahweh, bow the heavens and come down;

touch the mountains so that they smoke.

⁶Flash forth lightning and scatter them;

dispatch your arrows and rout them.

⁷Stretch out your hands from on high;

Rescue me and deliver me from many waters,

from the hand of foreigners,

⁸whose mouth speaks falsely,

and their right hand is a false right hand.

⁹O God, I will sing a new song to you.

With a lyre of ten strings I will sing praise to you,

¹⁰who gives victory to kings,

who rescues David his servant

from the evil sword.

¹¹Rescue me and deliver me

from the hand of foreigners,

whose mouth speaks falsely,

and whose right hand is a false right hand,

¹²that our sons may be like plants,

full grown in their youth,

our daughters like corner pillars,

carved in the style of a palace,

¹³that our granaries may be full,

providing produce of all kinds,^c

that our sheep may produce by the thousands,

by the tens of thousands in our open fields,

¹⁴that our cattle may be pregnant;

that there be no breach in our walls,

and no going out in exile,

and no outcry in our plazas.

¹⁵Blessed are the people who have it thus.

Blessed are the people whose God is Yahweh.

A Song of God’s Majesty and Love

145A praise of David.^a

¹I will exalt you, my God, O king,

and I will bless^b your name forever and ever.

²Every day I will bless you

and praise your name forever and ever.

³Great is Yahweh, and very worthy of praise,

and his greatness is unsearchable.

⁴One generation will laud your works to another,

and will declare your mighty deeds.

⁵On the splendor of the glory of your majesty,

and on your wonderful deeds, I will meditate.

⁶And they will speak of the power of your awesome deeds,^c

and I will tell of your greatness.^d

⁷They will utter ^e the renown of your abundant goodness,

and they will proclaim with joy your righteousness.

⁸Yahweh is gracious and compassionate,

slow to anger^f and great in loyal love.

⁹Yahweh is good to all,

and his mercies are over all his works.

¹⁰All your works will praise you, O Yahweh,

and your faithful ones will bless^g you.

¹¹They will speak of the glory of your kingdom,

and talk of your power,

¹²to make known to the children of humankind his mighty deeds,

and the glory of the majesty of his kingdom.

¹³Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,

and your dominion endures throughout all generations.^h

¹⁴Yahweh upholds all who are falling,

and raises up all who are bowed down.

¹⁵The eyes of all look hopefully to you,

and you give them their food in due time,

¹⁶opening your hand,

and satisfying the desire of every living creature.

¹⁷Yahweh is righteous in all his ways,

and loyal in all his works.

¹⁸Yahweh is near to all who call on him,

to all who call on him in truth.

¹⁹He fulfills the desire of those who fear him;

he also hears their cry for help, and saves them.

²⁰Yahweh protects all those who love him,

but all the wicked he will exterminate.

²¹My mouth will speak the praise of Yahweh,

and all flesh will bless his holy name

forever and ever.