Psalm 138–145

Psalm 138

Of David.

¹I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart;

before the “gods”^h I will singⁱ your praise.

²I will bow down toward your holy temple^j

and will praise your name^k

for your unfailing love and your faithfulness,^l

for you have so exalted your solemn decree

that it surpasses your fame.^m

³When I called,ⁿ you answered me;^o

you greatly emboldened^p me.

⁴May all the kings of the earth^q praise you, Lord,

when they hear what you have decreed.

⁵May they sing^r of the ways of the Lord,

for the glory of the Lord^s is great.

⁶Though the Lord is exalted, he looks kindly on the lowly;^t

though lofty, he sees them^u from afar.

⁷Though I walk^v in the midst of trouble,

you preserve my life.^w

You stretch out your hand^x against the anger of my foes;^y

with your right hand^z you save me.^a

⁸The Lord will vindicate^b me;

your love, Lord, endures forever^c—

do not abandon^d the works of your hands.^e

Psalm 139

For the director of music. Of David. A psalm.

¹You have searched me,^f Lord,

and you know^g me.

²You know when I sit and when I rise;^h

you perceive my thoughtsⁱ from afar.

³You discern my going out^j and my lying down;

you are familiar with all my ways.^k

⁴Before a word is on my tongue

you, Lord, know it completely.^l

⁵You hem me in^m behind and before,

and you lay your hand upon me.

⁶Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,ⁿ

too lofty^o for me to attain.

⁷Where can I go from your Spirit?

Where can I flee^p from your presence?

⁸If I go up to the heavens,^q you are there;

if I make my bed^r in the depths, you are there.

⁹If I rise on the wings of the dawn,

if I settle on the far side of the sea,

¹⁰even there your hand will guide me,^s

your right hand^t will hold me fast.

¹¹If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me

and the light become night around me,”

¹²even the darkness will not be dark^u to you;

the night will shine like the day,

for darkness is as light to you.

¹³For you created my inmost being;^v

you knit me together^w in my mother’s womb.^x

¹⁴I praise you^y because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

your works are wonderful,^z

I know that full well.

¹⁵My frame was not hidden from you

when I was made^a in the secret place,

when I was woven together^b in the depths of the earth.^c

¹⁶Your eyes saw my unformed body;

all the days ordained^d for me were written in your book

before one of them came to be.

¹⁷How precious to me are your thoughts,^ae God!^f

How vast is the sum of them!

¹⁸Were I to count them,^g

they would outnumber the grains of sand^h—

when I awake,ⁱ I am still with you.

¹⁹If only you, God, would slay the wicked!^j

Away from me,^k you who are bloodthirsty!^l

²⁰They speak of you with evil intent;

your adversaries^m misuse your name.ⁿ

²¹Do I not hate those^o who hate you, Lord,

and abhor^p those who are in rebellion against you?

²²I have nothing but hatred for them;

I count them my enemies.^q

²³Search me,^r God, and know my heart;^s

test me and know my anxious thoughts.

²⁴See if there is any offensive way^t in me,

and lead me^u in the way everlasting.

Psalm 140^a

For the director of music. A psalm of David.

¹Rescue me,^v Lord, from evildoers;

protect me from the violent,^w

²who devise evil plans^x in their hearts

and stir up war^y every day.

³They make their tongues as sharp as^z a serpent’s;

the poison of vipers^a is on their lips.^b

⁴Keep me safe,^b Lord, from the hands of the wicked;^c

protect me from the violent,

who devise ways to trip my feet.

⁵The arrogant have hidden a snare^d for me;

they have spread out the cords of their net^e

and have set traps^f for me along my path.

⁶I say to the Lord, “You are my God.”^g

Hear, Lord, my cry for mercy.^h

⁷Sovereign Lord,ⁱ my strong deliverer,

you shield my head in the day of battle.

⁸Do not grant the wicked^j their desires, Lord;

do not let their plans succeed.

⁹Those who surround me proudly rear their heads;

may the mischief of their lips engulf them.^k

¹⁰May burning coals fall on them;

may they be thrown into the fire,^l

into miry pits, never to rise.

¹¹May slanderers not be established in the land;

may disaster hunt down the violent.^m

¹²I know that the Lord secures justice for the poorⁿ

and upholds the cause^o of the needy.^p

¹³Surely the righteous will praise your name,^q

and the upright will live^r in your presence.^s

Psalm 141

A psalm of David.

¹I call to you, Lord, come quickly^t to me;

hear me^u when I call to you.

²May my prayer be set before you like incense;^v

may the lifting up of my hands^w be like the evening sacrifice.^x

³Set a guard over my mouth,^y Lord;

keep watch over the door of my lips.^z

⁴Do not let my heart^a be drawn to what is evil

so that I take part in wicked deeds^b

along with those who are evildoers;

do not let me eat their delicacies.^c

⁵Let a righteous man strike me—that is a kindness;

let him rebuke me^d—that is oil on my head.^e

My head will not refuse it,

for my prayer will still be against the deeds of evildoers.

⁶Their rulers will be thrown down from the cliffs,^f

and the wicked will learn that my words were well spoken.

⁷They will say, “As one plows^g and breaks up the earth,^h

so our bones have been scattered at the mouthⁱ of the grave.”

⁸But my eyes are fixed^j on you, Sovereign Lord;

in you I take refuge^k—do not give me over to death.

⁹Keep me safe^l from the traps set by evildoers,^m

from the snaresⁿ they have laid for me.

¹⁰Let the wicked fall^o into their own nets,

while I pass by in safety.^p

Psalm 142^a

A maskil^b of David. When he was in the cave.^q A prayer.

¹I cry aloud^r to the Lord;

I lift up my voice to the Lord for mercy.^s

²I pour out before him my complaint;^t

before him I tell my trouble.^u

³When my spirit grows faint^v within me,

it is you who watch over my way.

In the path where I walk

people have hidden a snare for me.

⁴Look and see, there is no one at my right hand;

no one is concerned for me.

I have no refuge;^w

no one cares^x for my life.

⁵I cry to you, Lord;

I say, “You are my refuge,^y

my portion^z in the land of the living.”^a

⁶Listen to my cry,^b

for I am in desperate need;^c

rescue me^d from those who pursue me,

for they are too strong^e for me.

⁷Set me free from my prison,^f

that I may praise your name.^g

Then the righteous will gather about me

because of your goodness to me.^h

Psalm 143

A psalm of David.

¹Lord, hear my prayer,ⁱ

listen to my cry for mercy;^j

in your faithfulness^k and righteousness^l

come to my relief.

²Do not bring your servant into judgment,

for no one living is righteous^m before you.

³The enemy pursues me,

he crushes me to the ground;

he makes me dwell in the darknessⁿ

like those long dead.^o

⁴So my spirit grows faint within me;

my heart within me is dismayed.^p

⁵I remember^q the days of long ago;

I meditate^r on all your works

and consider what your hands have done.

⁶I spread out my hands^s to you;

I thirst for you like a parched land.^a

⁷Answer me quickly,^t Lord;

my spirit fails.^u

Do not hide your face^v from me

or I will be like those who go down to the pit.

⁸Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love,^w

for I have put my trust in you.

Show me the way^x I should go,

for to you I entrust my life.^y

⁹Rescue me^z from my enemies,^a Lord,

for I hide myself in you.

¹⁰Teach me^b to do your will,

for you are my God;^c

may your good Spirit

lead^d me on level ground.^e

¹¹For your name’s sake,^f Lord, preserve my life;^g

in your righteousness,^h bring me out of trouble.

¹²In your unfailing love, silence my enemies;ⁱ

destroy all my foes,^j

for I am your servant.^k

Psalm 144

Of David.

¹Praise be to the Lord my Rock,^l

who trains my hands for war,

my fingers for battle.

²He is my loving God and my fortress,^m

my strongholdⁿ and my deliverer,

my shield,^o in whom I take refuge,

who subdues peoples^ap under me.

³Lord, what are human beings^q that you care for them,

mere mortals that you think of them?

⁴They are like a breath;^r

their days are like a fleeting shadow.^s

⁵Part your heavens,^t Lord, and come down;^u

touch the mountains, so that they smoke.^v

⁶Send forth lightning^w and scatter^x the enemy;

shoot your arrows^y and rout them.

⁷Reach down your hand from on high;^z

deliver me and rescue me^a

from the mighty waters,^b

from the hands of foreigners^c

⁸whose mouths are full of lies,^d

whose right hands^e are deceitful.^f

⁹I will sing a new song^g to you, my God;

on the ten-stringed lyre^h I will make music to you,

¹⁰to the One who gives victory to kings,ⁱ

who delivers his servant David.^j

From the deadly sword^{k 11}deliver me;

rescue me^l from the hands of foreigners^m

whose mouths are full of lies,ⁿ

whose right hands are deceitful.^o

¹²Then our sons in their youth

will be like well-nurtured plants,^p

and our daughters will be like pillars^q

carved to adorn a palace.

¹³Our barns will be filled^r

with every kind of provision.

Our sheep will increase by thousands,

by tens of thousands in our fields;

¹⁴our oxen^s will draw heavy loads.^b

There will be no breaching of walls,^t

no going into captivity,

no cry of distress in our streets.^u

¹⁵Blessed is the people^v of whom this is true;

blessed is the people whose God is the Lord.

Psalm 145^a

A psalm of praise. Of David.

¹I will exalt you,^w my God the King;^x

I will praise your name^y for ever and ever.

²Every day I will praise^z you

and extol your name^a for ever and ever.

³Great^b is the Lord and most worthy of praise;^c

his greatness no one can fathom.^d

⁴One generation^e commends your works to another;

they tell^f of your mighty acts.^g

⁵They speak of the glorious splendor^h of your majesty—

and I will meditate on your wonderful works.^bi

⁶They tell^j of the power of your awesome works—^k

and I will proclaim^l your great deeds.^m

⁷They celebrate your abundant goodnessⁿ

and joyfully sing^o of your righteousness.^p

⁸The Lord is gracious and compassionate,^q

slow to anger and rich in love.^r

⁹The Lord is good^s to all;

he has compassion^t on all he has made.

¹⁰All your works praise you,^u Lord;

your faithful people extol^v you.^w

¹¹They tell of the glory of your kingdom^x

and speak of your might,^y

¹²so that all people may know of your mighty acts^z

and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.^a

¹³Your kingdom is an…