Psalm 143-145
New King James Version
An Earnest Appeal for Guidance and Deliverance
A Psalm of David.
143 Hear my prayer, O Lord,
Give ear to my supplications!
In Your faithfulness answer me,
And in Your righteousness.
2 Do not enter into judgment with Your servant,
(A)For in Your sight no one living is righteous.
3 For the enemy has persecuted my soul;
He has crushed my life to the ground;
He has made me dwell in [a]darkness,
Like those who have long been dead.
4 (B)Therefore my spirit is overwhelmed within me;
My heart within me is distressed.
5 (C)I remember the days of old;
I meditate on all Your works;
I [b]muse on the work of Your hands.
6 I spread out my hands to You;
(D)My soul longs for You like a thirsty land. Selah
7 Answer me speedily, O Lord;
My spirit fails!
Do not hide Your face from me,
(E)Lest I [c]be like those who [d]go down into the pit.
8 Cause me to hear Your lovingkindness (F)in the morning,
For in You do I trust;
(G)Cause me to know the way in which I should walk,
For (H)I lift up my soul to You.
9 Deliver me, O Lord, from my enemies;
[e]In You I take shelter.
10 (I)Teach me to do Your will,
For You are my God;
(J)Your Spirit is good.
Lead me in (K)the land of uprightness.
11 (L)Revive me, O Lord, for Your name’s sake!
For Your righteousness’ sake bring my soul out of trouble.
12 In Your mercy (M)cut[f] off my enemies,
And destroy all those who afflict my soul;
For I am Your servant.
A Song to the Lord Who Preserves and Prospers His People
A Psalm of David.
144 Blessed be the Lord my Rock,
(N)Who trains my hands for war,
And my fingers for battle—
2 My lovingkindness and my fortress,
My high tower and my deliverer,
My shield and the One in whom I take refuge,
Who subdues [g]my people under me.
3 (O)Lord, what is man, that You take knowledge of him?
Or the son of man, that You are mindful of him?
4 (P)Man is like a breath;
(Q)His days are like a passing shadow.
5 (R)Bow down Your heavens, O Lord, and come down;
(S)Touch the mountains, and they shall smoke.
6 (T)Flash forth lightning and scatter them;
Shoot out Your arrows and destroy them.
7 Stretch out Your hand from above;
Rescue me and deliver me out of great waters,
From the hand of foreigners,
8 Whose mouth (U)speaks [h]lying words,
And whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood.
9 I will (V)sing a new song to You, O God;
On a harp of ten strings I will sing praises to You,
10 The One who gives [i]salvation to kings,
(W)Who delivers David His servant
From the deadly sword.
11 Rescue me and deliver me from the hand of foreigners,
Whose mouth speaks lying words,
And whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood—
12 That our sons may be (X)as plants grown up in their youth;
That our daughters may be as [j]pillars,
Sculptured in palace style;
13 That our barns may be full,
Supplying all kinds of produce;
That our sheep may bring forth thousands
And ten thousands in our fields;
14 That our oxen may be well laden;
That there be no [k]breaking in or going out;
That there be no outcry in our streets.
15 (Y)Happy are the people who are in such a state;
Happy are the people whose God is the Lord!
A Song of God’s Majesty and Love
(Z)A Praise of David.
145 I will [l]extol You, my God, O King;
And I will bless Your name forever and ever.
2 Every day I will bless You,
And I will praise Your name forever and ever.
3 (AA)Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised;
And (AB)His greatness is [m]unsearchable.
4 (AC)One generation shall praise Your works to another,
And shall declare Your mighty acts.
5 [n]I will meditate on the glorious splendor of Your majesty,
And [o]on Your wondrous works.
6 Men shall speak of the might of Your awesome acts,
And I will declare Your greatness.
7 They shall [p]utter the memory of Your great goodness,
And shall sing of Your righteousness.
8 (AD)The Lord is gracious and full of compassion,
Slow to anger and great in mercy.
9 (AE)The Lord is good to all,
And His tender mercies are over all His works.
10 (AF)All Your works shall praise You, O Lord,
And Your saints shall bless You.
11 They shall speak of the glory of Your kingdom,
And talk of Your power,
12 To make known to the sons of men His mighty acts,
And the glorious majesty of His kingdom.
13 (AG)Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
And Your dominion endures throughout all [q]generations.
14 The Lord upholds all who fall,
And (AH)raises up all who are bowed down.
15 (AI)The eyes of all look expectantly to You,
And (AJ)You give them their food in due season.
16 You open Your hand
(AK)And satisfy the desire of every living thing.
17 The Lord is righteous in all His ways,
Gracious in all His works.
18 (AL)The Lord is near to all who call upon Him,
To all who call upon Him (AM)in truth.
19 He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him;
He also will hear their cry and save them.
20 (AN)The Lord preserves all who love Him,
But all the wicked He will destroy.
21 My mouth shall speak the praise of the Lord,
And all flesh shall bless His holy name
Forever and ever.
Footnotes
- Psalm 143:3 dark places
- Psalm 143:5 ponder
- Psalm 143:7 become
- Psalm 143:7 Die
- Psalm 143:9 LXX, Vg. To You I flee
- Psalm 143:12 put an end to
- Psalm 144:2 So with MT, LXX, Vg.; Syr., Tg. the peoples (cf. 18:47)
- Psalm 144:8 empty or worthless
- Psalm 144:10 deliverance
- Psalm 144:12 corner pillars
- Psalm 144:14 Lit. breach
- Psalm 145:1 praise
- Psalm 145:3 Beyond our understanding
- Psalm 145:5 So with MT, Tg.; DSS, LXX, Syr., Vg. They
- Psalm 145:5 Lit. on the words of Your wondrous works
- Psalm 145:7 eagerly utter, lit. bubble forth
- Psalm 145:13 So with MT, Tg.; DSS, LXX, Syr., Vg. add The Lord is faithful in all His words, And holy in all His works
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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