Psalm 138–145

PSALM 138

A Psalm of David.

¹I give thee thanks, O Lord, with my whole heart;

before the gods I sing thy praise;

²I bow down toward thy holy temple

and give thanks to thy name for thy steadfast love and thy faithfulness;

for thou hast exalted above everything

thy name and thy word.

³On the day I called, thou didst answer me,

my strength of soul thou didst increase.

⁴All the kings of the earth shall praise thee, O Lord,

for they have heard the words of thy mouth;

⁵and they shall sing of the ways of the Lord,

for great is the glory of the Lord.

⁶For though the Lord is high, he regards the lowly;

but the haughty he knows from afar.

⁷Though I walk in the midst of trouble,

thou dost preserve my life;

thou dost stretch out thy hand against the wrath of my enemies,

and thy right hand delivers me.

⁸The Lord will fulfil his purpose for me;

thy steadfast love, O Lord, endures for ever.

Do not forsake the work of thy hands.

PSALM 139

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

¹O Lord, thou hast searched me and known me!

²Thou knowest when I sit down and when I rise up;

thou discernest my thoughts from afar.

³Thou searchest out my path and my lying down,

and art acquainted with all my ways.

⁴Even before a word is on my tongue,

lo, O Lord, thou knowest it altogether.

⁵Thou dost beset me behind and before,

and layest thy hand upon me.

⁶Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;

it is high, I cannot attain it.

⁷Whither shall I go from thy Spirit?

Or whither shall I flee from thy presence?

⁸If I ascend to heaven, thou art there!

If I make my bed in Sheol, thou art there!

⁹If I take the wings of the morning

and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,

¹⁰even there thy hand shall lead me,

and thy right hand shall hold me.

¹¹If I say, “Let only darkness cover me,

and the light about me be night,”

¹²even the darkness is not dark to thee,

the night is bright as the day;

for darkness is as light with thee.

¹³For thou didst form my inward parts,

thou didst knit me together in my mother’s womb.

¹⁴I praise thee, for thou art fearful and wonderful.

Wonderful are thy works!

Thou knowest me right well;

¹⁵my frame was not hidden from thee,

when I was being made in secret,

intricately wrought in the depths of the earth.

¹⁶Thy eyes beheld my unformed substance;

in thy book were written, every one of them,

the days that were formed for me,

when as yet there was none of them.

¹⁷How precious to me are thy thoughts, O God!

How vast is the sum of them!

¹⁸If I would count them, they are more than the sand.

When I awake, I am still with thee.

¹⁹O that thou wouldst slay the wicked, O God,

and that men of blood would depart from me,

²⁰men who maliciously defy thee,

who lift themselves up against thee for evil!

²¹Do I not hate them that hate thee, O Lord?

And do I not loathe them that rise up against thee?

²²I hate them with perfect hatred;

I count them my enemies.

²³Search me, O God, and know my heart!

Try me and know my thoughts!

²⁴And see if there be any wicked way in me,

and lead me in the way everlasting!

PSALM 140

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

¹Deliver me, O Lord, from evil men;

preserve me from violent men,

²who plan evil things in their heart,

and stir up wars continually.

³They make their tongue sharp as a serpent’s,

and under their lips is the poison of vipers. [Selah]

⁴Guard me, O Lord, from the hands of the wicked;

preserve me from violent men,

who have planned to trip up my feet.

⁵Arrogant men have hidden a trap for me,

and with cords they have spread a net,

by the wayside they have set snares for me. [Selah]

⁶I say to the Lord, Thou art my God;

give ear to the voice of my supplications, O Lord!

⁷O Lord, my Lord, my strong deliverer,

thou hast covered my head in the day of battle.

⁸Grant not, O Lord, the desires of the wicked;

do not further his evil plot! [Selah]

⁹Those who surround me lift up their head,

let the mischief of their lips overwhelm them!

¹⁰Let burning coals fall upon them!

Let them be cast into pits, no more to rise!

¹¹Let not the slanderer be established in the land;

let evil hunt down the violent man speedily!

¹²I know that the Lord maintains the cause of the afflicted,

and executes justice for the needy.

¹³Surely the righteous shall give thanks to thy name;

the upright shall dwell in thy presence.

PSALM 141

A Psalm of David.

¹I call upon thee, O Lord; make haste to me!

Give ear to my voice, when I call to thee!

²Let my prayer be counted as incense before thee,

and the lifting up of my hands as an evening sacrifice!

³Set a guard over my mouth, O Lord,

keep watch over the door of my lips!

⁴Incline not my heart to any evil,

to busy myself with wicked deeds

in company with men who work iniquity;

and let me not eat of their dainties!

⁵Let a good man strike or rebuke me in kindness,

but let the oil of the wicked never anoint my head;

for my prayer is continually against their wicked deeds.

⁶When they are given over to those who shall condemn them,

then they shall learn that the word of the Lord is true.

⁷As a rock which one cleaves and shatters on the land,

so shall their bones be strewn at the mouth of Sheol.

⁸But my eyes are toward thee, O Lord God;

in thee I seek refuge; leave me not defenseless!

⁹Keep me from the trap which they have laid for me,

and from the snares of evildoers!

¹⁰Let the wicked together fall into their own nets,

while I escape.

PSALM 142

A Maskil of David, when he was in the cave. A Prayer.

¹I cry with my voice to the Lord,

with my voice I make supplication to the Lord,

²I pour out my complaint before him,

I tell my trouble before him.

³When my spirit is faint,

thou knowest my way!

In the path where I walk

they have hidden a trap for me.

⁴I look to the right and watch,

but there is none who takes notice of me;

no refuge remains to me,

no man cares for me.

⁵I cry to thee, O Lord;

I say, Thou art my refuge,

my portion in the land of the living.

⁶Give heed to my cry;

for I am brought very low!

Deliver me from my persecutors;

for they are too strong for me!

⁷Bring me out of prison,

that I may give thanks to thy name!

The righteous will surround me;

for thou wilt deal bountifully with me.

PSALM 143

A Psalm of David.

¹Hear my prayer, O Lord;

give ear to my supplications!

In thy faithfulness answer me, in thy righteousness!

²Enter not into judgment with thy servant;

for no man living is righteous before thee.

³For the enemy has pursued me;

he has crushed my life to the ground;

he has made me sit in darkness like those long dead.

⁴Therefore my spirit faints within me;

my heart within me is appalled.

⁵I remember the days of old,

I meditate on all that thou hast done;

I muse on what thy hands have wrought.

⁶I stretch out my hands to thee;

my soul thirsts for thee like a parched land. [Selah]

⁷Make haste to answer me, O Lord!

My spirit fails!

Hide not thy face from me,

lest I be like those who go down to the Pit.

⁸Let me hear in the morning of thy steadfast love,

for in thee I put my trust.

Teach me the way I should go,

for to thee I lift up my soul.

⁹Deliver me, O Lord, from my enemies!

I have fled to thee for refuge!

¹⁰Teach me to do thy will,

for thou art my God!

Let thy good spirit lead me

on a level path!

¹¹For thy name’s sake, O Lord, preserve my life!

In thy righteousness bring me out of trouble!

¹²And in thy steadfast love cut off my enemies,

and destroy all my adversaries,

for I am thy servant.

PSALM 144

A Psalm of David.

¹Blessed be the Lord, my rock,

who trains my hands for war,

and my fingers for battle;

²my rock and my fortress,

my stronghold and my deliverer,

my shield and he in whom I take refuge,

who subdues the peoples under him.

³O Lord, what is man that thou dost regard him,

or the son of man that thou dost think of him?

⁴Man is like a breath,

his days are like a passing shadow.

⁵Bow thy heavens, O Lord, and come down!

Touch the mountains that they smoke!

⁶Flash forth the lightning and scatter them,

send out thy arrows and rout them!

⁷Stretch forth thy hand from on high,

rescue me and deliver me from the many waters,

from the hand of aliens,

⁸whose mouths speak lies,

and whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood.

⁹I will sing a new song to thee, O God;

upon a ten-stringed harp I will play to thee,

¹⁰who givest victory to kings,

who rescuest David thy servant.

¹¹Rescue me from the cruel sword,

and deliver me from the hand of aliens,

whose mouths speak lies,

and whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood.

¹²May our sons in their youth

be like plants full grown,

our daughters like corner pillars

cut for the structure of a palace;

¹³may our garners be full,

providing all manner of store;

may our sheep bring forth thousands

and ten thousands in our fields;

¹⁴may our cattle be heavy with young,

suffering no mischance or failure in bearing;

may there be no cry of distress in our streets!

¹⁵Happy the people to whom such blessings fall!

Happy the people whose God is the Lord!

PSALM 145

A Song of Praise. Of David.

¹I will extol thee, my God and King,

and bless thy name for ever and ever.

²Every day I will bless thee,

and praise thy name for ever and ever.

³Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised,

and his greatness is unsearchable.

⁴One generation shall laud thy works to another,

and shall declare thy mighty acts.

⁵On the glorious splendor of thy majesty,

and on thy wondrous works, I will meditate.

⁶Men shall proclaim the might of thy terrible acts,

and I will declare thy greatness.

⁷They shall pour forth the fame of thy abundant goodness,

and shall sing aloud of thy righteousness.

⁸The Lord is gracious and merciful,

slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

⁹The Lord is good to all,

and his compassion is over all that he has made.

¹⁰All thy works shall give thanks to thee, O Lord,

and all thy saints shall bless thee!

¹¹They shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom,

and tell of thy power,

¹²to make known to the sons of men thy mighty deeds,

and the glorious splendor of thy kingdom.

¹³Thy kingdom…