Psalm 143–145

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 is an everlasting kingdom,

and thy dominion endures throughout all generations.

The Lord is faithful in all his words,

and gracious in all his deeds.

¹⁴The Lord upholds all who are falling,

and raises up all who are bowed down.

¹⁵The eyes of all look to thee,

and thou givest them their food in due season.

¹⁶Thou openest thy hand,

thou satisfiest the desire of every living thing.

¹⁷The Lord is just in all his ways,

and kind in all his doings.

¹⁸The Lord is near to all who call upon him,

to all who call upon him in truth.

¹⁹He fulfils the desire of all who fear him,

he also hears their cry, and saves them.

²⁰The Lord preserves all who love him;

but all the wicked he will destroy.

²¹My mouth will speak the praise of the Lord,

and let all flesh bless his holy name for ever and ever.