Psalm 138–145

¹By David. I confess Thee, with all my heart, Before the gods I do praise Thee.

²I bow myself toward Thy holy temple, And I confess Thy name, For Thy kindness, and for Thy truth, For Thou hast made great Thy saying above all Thy name.

³In the day I called, when Thou dost answer me, Thou dost strengthen me in my soul with strength.

⁴O Jehovah, all kings of earth confess Thee, When they have heard the sayings of Thy mouth.

⁵And they sing in the ways of Jehovah, For great is the honour of Jehovah.

⁶For high is Jehovah, and the lowly He seeth, And the haughty from afar He knoweth.

⁷If I walk in the midst of distress Thou quickenest me, Against the anger of mine enemies Thou sendest forth Thy hand, And Thy right hand doth save me.

⁸Jehovah doth perfect for me, O Jehovah, Thy kindness is to the age, The works of Thy hands let not fall!

Psalm 139

¹To the Overseer.—A Psalm by David. Jehovah, Thou hast searched me, and knowest.

²Thou—Thou hast known my sitting down, And my rising up, Thou hast attended to my thoughts from afar.

³My path and my couch Thou hast fanned, And with all my ways hast been acquainted.

⁴For there is not a word in my tongue, Lo, O Jehovah, Thou hast known it all!

⁵Behind and before Thou hast besieged me, And Thou dost place on me Thy hand.

⁶Knowledge too wonderful for me, It hath been set on high, I am not able for it.

⁷Whither do I go from Thy Spirit? And whither from Thy face do I flee?

⁸If I ascend the heavens—there Thou art, And spread out a couch in Sheol, lo, Thee!

⁹I take the wings of morning, I dwell in the uttermost part of the sea,

¹⁰Also there Thy hand doth lead me, And Thy right hand doth hold me.

¹¹And I say, ‘Surely darkness bruiseth me, Then night is light to me.

¹²Also darkness hideth not from Thee, And night as day shineth, as is darkness so is light.

¹³For Thou—Thou hast possessed my reins, Thou dost cover me in my mother’s belly.

¹⁴I confess Thee, because that with wonders I have been distinguished. Wonderful are Thy works, And my soul is knowing it well.

¹⁵My substance was not hid from Thee, When I was made in secret, Curiously wrought in the lower part of earth.

¹⁶Mine unformed substance Thine eyes saw, And on Thy book all of them are written, The days they were formed—And not one among them.

¹⁷And to me how precious have been Thy thoughts, O God, how great hath been their sum!

¹⁸I recount them! than the sand they are more, I have waked, and I am still with Thee.

¹⁹Dost Thou slay, O God, the wicked? Then, men of blood, turn aside from me!

²⁰Who exchange Thee for wickedness, Lifted up to vanity are Thine enemies.

²¹Do not I hate, Jehovah, those hating Thee? And with Thy withstanders grieve myself?

²²With perfect hatred I have hated them, Enemies they have become to me.

²³Search me, O God, and know my heart, Try me, and know my thoughts,

²⁴And see if a grievous way be in me, And lead me in a way age-during!

Psalm 140

¹To the Overseer.—A Psalm of David. Deliver me, O Jehovah, from an evil man, From one of violence Thou keepest me.

²Who have devised evils in the heart, All the day they assemble for wars.

³They sharpened their tongue as a serpent, Poison of an adder is under their lips. Selah.

⁴Preserve me, Jehovah, from the hands of the wicked, From one of violence Thou keepest me, Who have devised to overthrow my steps.

⁵The proud hid a snare for me—and cords, They spread a net by the side of the path, Snares they have set for me. Selah.

⁶I have said to Jehovah, ‘My God art Thou, Hear, Jehovah, the voice of my supplications.’

⁷O Jehovah, my Lord, strength of my salvation, Thou hast covered my head in the day of armour.

⁸Grant not, O Jehovah, the desires of the wicked, His wicked device bring not forth, They are high. Selah.

⁹The chief of my surrounders, The perverseness of their lips covereth them.

¹⁰They cause to fall on themselves burning coals, Into fire He doth cast them, Into deep pits—they arise not.

¹¹A talkative man is not established in the earth, One of violence—evil hunteth to overflowing.

¹²I have known that Jehovah doth execute The judgment of the afflicted, The judgment of the needy.

¹³Only—the righteous give thanks to Thy name, The upright do dwell with Thy presence!

Psalm 141

¹A Psalm, by David. O Jehovah, I have called Thee, haste to me, Give ear to my voice when I call to Thee.

²My prayer is prepared—incense before Thee, The lifting up of my hands—the evening present.

³Set, O Jehovah, a watch for my mouth, Watch Thou over the door of my lips.

⁴Incline not my heart to an evil thing, To do habitually actions in wickedness, With men working iniquity, Yea, I eat not of their pleasant things.

⁵The righteous doth beat me in kindness. And doth reprove me, Oil of the head my head disalloweth not, For still my prayer is about their vexations.

⁶Their judges have been released by the sides of a rock, And they have heard my sayings, For they have been pleasant.

⁷As one tilling and ripping up in the land, Have our bones been scattered at the command of Saul.

⁸But to Thee, O Jehovah, my Lord, are mine eyes, In Thee I have trusted, Make not bare my soul.

⁹Keep me from the gin they laid for me, Even snares of workers of iniquity.

¹⁰The wicked fall in their nets together, till I pass over!

Psalm 142

¹An Instruction of David, a Prayer when he is in the cave. My voice is unto Jehovah, I cry, My voice is unto Jehovah, I entreat grace.

²I pour forth before Him my meditation, My distress before Him I declare.

³When my spirit hath been feeble in me, Then Thou hast known my path; In the way in which I walk, They have hid a snare for me.

⁴Looking on the right hand—and seeing, And I have none recognizing; Perished hath refuge from me, There is none inquiring for my soul.

⁵I have cried unto thee, O Jehovah, I have said, ‘Thou art my refuge, My portion in the land of the living.’

⁶Attend Thou unto my loud cry, For I have become very low, Deliver Thou me from my pursuers, For they have been stronger than I.

⁷Bring forth from prison my soul to confess Thy name, The righteous do compass me about, When Thou conferrest benefits upon me!

Psalm 143

¹A Psalm of David. O Jehovah, hear my prayer, Give ear unto my supplications, In Thy faithfulness answer me—in Thy righteousness.

²And enter not into judgment with Thy servant, For no one living is justified before Thee.

³For an enemy hath pursued my soul, He hath bruised to the earth my life, He hath caused me to dwell in dark places, As the dead of old.

⁴And my spirit in me is become feeble, Within me is my heart become desolate.

⁵I have remembered days of old, I have meditated on all Thine acts, On the work of Thy hand I muse.

⁶I have spread forth my hands unto Thee, My soul is as a weary land for Thee. Selah.

⁷Haste, answer me, O Jehovah, My spirit hath been consumed, Hide not Thou Thy face from me, Or I have been compared with those going down to the pit.

⁸Cause me to hear in the morning Thy kindness, For in Thee I have trusted, Cause me to know the way that I go, For unto Thee I have lifted up my soul.

⁹Deliver me from mine enemies, O Jehovah, Near Thee I am covered.

¹⁰Teach me to do Thy good pleasure, For Thou art my God—Thy Spirit is good, Lead me into a land of uprightness.

¹¹For Thy name’s sake O Jehovah, Thou dost quicken me, In Thy righteousness, Thou bringest out from distress my soul,

¹²And in Thy kindness cuttest off mine enemies, And hast destroyed all the adversaries of my soul, For I am Thy servant!

Psalm 144

¹By David. Blessed is Jehovah my rock, who is teaching My hands for war, my fingers for battle.

²My kind one, and my bulwark, My tower, and my deliverer, My shield, and in whom I have trusted, Who is subduing my people under me!

³Jehovah, what is man that Thou knowest him? Son of man, that Thou esteemest him?

⁴Man to vanity hath been like, His days are as a shadow passing by.

⁵Jehovah, incline Thy heavens and come down, Strike against mountains, and they smoke.

⁶Send forth lightning, and scatter them, Send forth Thine arrows, and trouble them,

⁷Send forth Thy hand from on high, Free me, and deliver me from many waters, From the hand of sons of a stranger,

⁸Because their mouth hath spoken vanity, And their right hand is a right hand of falsehood.

⁹O God, a new song I sing to Thee, On a psaltery of ten strings I sing praise to Thee.

¹⁰Who is giving deliverance to kings, Who is freeing David His servant from the sword of evil.

¹¹Free me, and deliver me From the hand of sons of a stranger, Because their mouth hath spoken vanity, And their right hand is a right hand of falsehood,

¹²Because our sons are as plants, Becoming great in their youth, Our daughters as hewn stones, Polished—the likeness of a palace,

¹³Our garners are full, bringing out from kind to kind, Our flocks are bringing forth thousands, Ten thousands in our out-places,

¹⁴Our oxen are carrying, there is no breach, And there is no outgoing, And there is no crying in our broad places.

¹⁵O the happiness of the people that is thus, O the happiness of the people whose God is Jehovah!

Psalm 145

¹Praise by David. I exalt Thee, my God, O king, And bless Thy name to the age and for ever.

²Every day do I bless Thee, And praise Thy name to the age and for ever.

³Great is Jehovah, and praised greatly, And of His greatness there is no searching.

⁴Generation to generation praiseth Thy works, And Thy mighty acts they declare.

⁵The honour—the glory of Thy majesty, And the matters of Thy wonders I declare.

⁶And the strength of Thy fearful acts they tell, And Thy greatness I recount.

⁷The memorial of the abundance of Thy goodness they send forth. And Thy righteousness they sing.

⁸Gracious and merciful is Jehovah, Slow to anger, and great in kindness.

⁹Good is Jehovah to all, And His mercies are over all His works.

¹⁰Confess Thee O Jehovah, do all Thy works, And Thy saints do bless Thee.

¹¹The honour of Thy kingdom they tell, And of Thy might they speak,

¹²To make known to sons of men His mighty acts, The honour of the majesty of His kingdom.

¹³Thy kingdom is a kingdom of all ages, And Thy dominion is in all generations.

¹⁴Jehovah is supporting all who are falling, And raising up all who are…