Psalm 143–145

Psalm 143

A psalm of David.

¹Hear my prayer, O Lord;

listen to my plea!

Answer me because you are faithful and righteous.

²Don’t put your servant on trial,

for no one is innocent before you.

³My enemy has chased me.

He has knocked me to the ground

and forces me to live in darkness like those in the grave.

⁴I am losing all hope;

I am paralyzed with fear.

⁵I remember the days of old.

I ponder all your great works

and think about what you have done.

⁶I lift my hands to you in prayer.

I thirst for you as parched land thirsts for rain.

Interlude

⁷Come quickly, Lord, and answer me,

for my depression deepens.

Don’t turn away from me,

or I will die.

⁸Let me hear of your unfailing love each morning,

for I am trusting you.

Show me where to walk,

for I give myself to you.

⁹Rescue me from my enemies, Lord;

I run to you to hide me.

¹⁰Teach me to do your will,

for you are my God.

May your gracious Spirit lead me forward

on a firm footing.

¹¹For the glory of your name, O Lord, preserve my life.

Because of your faithfulness, bring me out of this distress.

¹²In your unfailing love, silence all my enemies

and destroy all my foes,

for I am your servant.

Psalm 144

A psalm of David.

¹Praise the Lord, who is my rock.

He trains my hands for war

and gives my fingers skill for battle.

²He is my loving ally and my fortress,

my tower of safety, my rescuer.

He is my shield, and I take refuge in him.

He makes the nations submit to me.

³O Lord, what are human beings that you should notice them,

mere mortals that you should think about them?

⁴For they are like a breath of air;

their days are like a passing shadow.

⁵Open the heavens, Lord, and come down.

Touch the mountains so they billow smoke.

⁶Hurl your lightning bolts and scatter your enemies!

Shoot your arrows and confuse them!

⁷Reach down from heaven and rescue me;

rescue me from deep waters,

from the power of my enemies.

⁸Their mouths are full of lies;

they swear to tell the truth, but they lie instead.

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

I will sing your praises with a ten-stringed harp.

¹⁰For you grant victory to kings!

You rescued your servant David from the fatal sword.

¹¹Save me!

Rescue me from the power of my enemies.

Their mouths are full of lies;

they swear to tell the truth, but they lie instead.

¹²May our sons flourish in their youth

like well-nurtured plants.

May our daughters be like graceful pillars,

carved to beautify a palace.

¹³May our barns be filled

with crops of every kind.

May the flocks in our fields multiply by the thousands,

even tens of thousands,

¹⁴and may our oxen be loaded down with produce.

May there be no enemy breaking through our walls,

no going into captivity,

no cries of alarm in our town squares.

¹⁵Yes, joyful are those who live like this!

Joyful indeed are those whose God is the Lord.

Psalm 145

A psalm of praise of David.

¹I will exalt you, my God and King,

and praise your name forever and ever.

²I will praise you every day;

yes, I will praise you forever.

³Great is the Lord! He is most worthy of praise!

No one can measure his greatness.

⁴Let each generation tell its children of your mighty acts;

let them proclaim your power.

⁵I will meditate on your majestic, glorious splendor

and your wonderful miracles.

⁶Your awe-inspiring deeds will be on every tongue;

I will proclaim your greatness.

⁷Everyone will share the story of your wonderful goodness;

they will sing with joy about your righteousness.

⁸The Lord is merciful and compassionate,

slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.

⁹The Lord is good to everyone.

He showers compassion on all his creation.

¹⁰All of your works will thank you, Lord,

and your faithful followers will praise you.

¹¹They will speak of the glory of your kingdom;

they will give examples of your power.

¹²They will tell about your mighty deeds

and about the majesty and glory of your reign.

¹³For your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom.

You rule throughout all generations.

The Lord always keeps his promises;

he is gracious in all he does.

¹⁴The Lord helps the fallen

and lifts those bent beneath their loads.

¹⁵The eyes of all look to you in hope;

you give them their food as they need it.

¹⁶When you open your hand,

you satisfy the hunger and thirst of every living thing.

¹⁷The Lord is righteous in everything he does;

he is filled with kindness.

¹⁸The Lord is close to all who call on him,

yes, to all who call on him in truth.

¹⁹He grants the desires of those who fear him;

he hears their cries for help and rescues them.

²⁰The Lord protects all those who love him,

but he destroys the wicked.

²¹I will praise the Lord,

and may everyone on earth bless his holy name

forever and ever.