Psalms 138

Give Thanks to the Lord

Of David.

1 ^aI give you thanks, O Lord, with my whole heart;
before ^bthe gods I sing your praise;
2I bow down ^ctoward your ^dholy temple
and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness,
for you have exalted above all things
your name and your word. ▼

▼Or  you have exalted your word above all your name

3On the day I called, you answered me;
my strength of soul you increased. ▼

▼Hebrew you made me bold in my soul with strength

4 ^gAll the kings of the earth shall give you thanks, O Lord,
for they have heard the words of your mouth,
5and they shall sing of ^hthe ways of the Lord,
for great is the glory of the Lord.
6 ⁱFor though the Lord is high, he regards the lowly,
but the haughty he knows from afar.
7 ^jThough I walk in the midst of trouble,
you ^kpreserve my life;
you ^lstretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies,
and your ^mright hand delivers me.
8The Lord will ⁿfulfill his purpose for me;
^oyour steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever.
Do not forsake ^pthe work of your hands.

Psalms 139

Search Me, O God, and Know My Heart

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

1 O Lord, you have ^qsearched me and known me!
2You ^rknow when I sit down and when I rise up;
you ^sdiscern my thoughts from afar.
3You search out my path and my lying down
and are acquainted with all my ways.
4Even before a word is on my tongue,
behold, O Lord, ^tyou know it altogether.
5You ^uhem me in, behind and before,
and ^vlay your hand upon me.
6 ^wSuch knowledge is ^xtoo wonderful for me;
it is high; I cannot attain it.
7 ^yWhere shall I go from your Spirit?
Or where ^zshall I flee from your presence?
8 ^aaIf I ascend to heaven, you are there!
^abIf I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!
9If I take the wings of the morning
and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
10even there your hand shall ^aclead me,
and your right hand shall hold me.
11If I say, ^ad“Surely the darkness shall cover me,
and the light about me be night,”
12 ^aeeven the darkness is not dark to you;
the night is bright as the day,
for darkness is as light with you.
13 For you ^afformed my inward parts;
you ^agknitted me together in my mother’s womb.
14I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. ▼

▼Or  for I am fearfully set apart

^aiWonderful are your works;
my soul knows it very well.
15 ^ajMy frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
intricately woven in ^akthe depths of the earth.
16Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
in your ^albook were written, every one of them,
the days that were formed for me,
when as yet there was none of them.
17 How precious to me are your ^amthoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!
18 ^anIf I would count them, they are more than ^aothe sand.
I awake, and I am still with you.
19 Oh that you would ^apslay the wicked, O God!
O ^aqmen of blood, ^ardepart from me!
20They ^asspeak against you with malicious intent;
your enemies ^attake your name in vain. ▼

▼Hebrew lacks  your name

21 ^avDo I not hate those who hate you, O Lord?
And do I not ^awloathe those who ^axrise up against you?
22I hate them with complete hatred;
I count them my enemies.
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart!
^ayTry me and know my thoughts! ▼

▼Or cares

24And see if there be any grievous way in me,
and ^balead me in ^bbthe way everlasting! ▼

▼Or  in the ancient way (compare Jeremiah 6:16)

Psalms 140

Deliver Me, O Lord, from Evil Men

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

1 ^bdDeliver me, O Lord, from evil men;
preserve me from ^beviolent men,
2who plan evil things in their heart
and ^bfstir up wars continually.
3They make ^bgtheir tongue sharp as ^bha serpent’s,
and ^biunder their lips is the ^bjvenom of asps.  Selah
4 Guard me, O Lord, from the hands of the wicked;
preserve me from ^bkviolent men,
who have planned to trip up my feet.
5The arrogant have ^blhidden a trap for me,
and with cords they have spread ^bma net; ▼

▼Or they have spread cords as a net

beside the way they have set ^bosnares for me.  Selah
6 ^bpI say to the Lord, You are my God;
give ear to ^bqthe voice of my pleas for mercy, O Lord!
7O Lord, my Lord, ^brthe strength of my salvation,
you have covered my head in the day of battle.
8 ^bsGrant not, O Lord, the desires of the wicked;
do not further their ▼

▼Hebrew his

evil plot, or ^buthey will be exalted!  Selah
9 As for the head of those who surround me,
let ^bvthe mischief of their lips overwhelm them!
10Let ^bwburning coals fall upon them!
Let them be cast into fire,
into miry pits, no more to rise!
11Let not the slanderer be established in the land;
let evil hunt down the violent man speedily!
12 I know that the Lord will ^bxmaintain the cause of the afflicted,
and ^bywill execute justice for the needy.
13Surely ^bzthe righteous shall give thanks to your name;
^cathe upright shall dwell in your presence.

Psalms 141

Give Ear to My Voice

A Psalm of David.

1 O Lord, I call upon you; ^cbhasten to me!
Give ear to my voice when I call to you!
2Let ^ccmy prayer be counted as incense before you,
and ^cdthe lifting up of my hands as ^cethe evening sacrifice!
3 ^cfSet a guard, O Lord, over my mouth;
^cgkeep watch over the door of my lips!
4 ^chDo not let my heart incline to any evil,
to busy myself with wicked deeds
in company with men who ^ciwork iniquity,
and ^cjlet me not eat of their delicacies!
5 ^ckLet a righteous man strike me—it is a kindness;
let him rebuke me—it is oil for my head;
let my head not refuse it.
Yet ^clmy prayer is continually against their evil deeds.
6When their judges are ^cmthrown over the cliff, ▼

▼Or  When their judges fall into the hands of the Rock

then they shall hear my words, for they are pleasant.
7As when one plows and breaks up the earth,
so shall our bones ^cobe scattered at the mouth of Sheol. ▼

▼The meaning of the Hebrew in verses 6, 7 is uncertain

8 But ^cqmy eyes are toward you, O God, my Lord;
^crin you I seek refuge; leave me not defenseless! ▼

▼Hebrew  refuge; do not pour out my life!

9Keep me from ^ctthe trap that they have laid for me
and from the snares of evildoers!
10Let the wicked ^cufall into their own nets,
while I pass by safely.

Psalms 142

You Are My Refuge

A Maskil ▼

▼Probably a musical or liturgical term

of David, when he was in ^cwthe cave. A Prayer.

1 With my voice I ^cxcry out to the Lord;
with my voice I ^cyplead for mercy to the Lord.
2I ^czpour out my complaint before him;
I tell my trouble before him.
3 When my spirit ^dafaints within me,
you know my way!
In the path where I walk
they have ^dbhidden a trap for me.
4 ^dcLook to the ^ddright and see:
^dethere is none who takes notice of me;
^dfno refuge remains to me;
no one cares for my soul.
5 I cry to you, O Lord;
I say, “You are my ^dgrefuge,
my ^dhportion in ^dithe land of the living.”
6 ^djAttend to my cry,
for ^dkI am brought very low!
Deliver me from my persecutors,
^dlfor they are too strong for me!
7 ^dmBring me out of prison,
that I may give thanks to your name!
The righteous will surround me,
for you will ^dndeal bountifully with me.

Psalms 143

My Soul Thirsts for You

A Psalm of David.

1 Hear my prayer, O Lord;
^dogive ear to my pleas for mercy!
In your ^dpfaithfulness answer me, in your ^dqrighteousness!
2 ^drEnter not into judgment with your servant,
for no one living is righteous ^dsbefore you.
3 For the enemy has pursued my soul;
^dthe has crushed my life to the ground;
^duhe has made me sit in darkness like those long dead.
4Therefore my spirit ^dvfaints within me;
my heart within me is appalled.
5 ^dwI remember the days of old;
^dxI meditate on all that you have done;
I ponder the work of your hands.
6 ^dyI stretch out my hands to you;
^dzmy soul thirsts for you like ^eaa parched land.  Selah
7 ^ebAnswer me quickly, O Lord!
^ecMy spirit fails!
^edHide not your face from me,
^eelest I be like those who go down to the pit.
8 ^efLet me hear in the morning of your steadfast love,
for in you I ^egtrust.
^ehMake me know the way I should go,
^eifor to you I lift up my soul.
9 ^ejDeliver me from my enemies, O Lord!
I have fled to you for refuge. ▼

▼One Hebrew manuscript, Septuagint; most Hebrew manuscripts To you I have covered

10 ^elTeach me to do your will,
for you are my God!
^emLet your good Spirit ^enlead me
on ^eolevel ground!
11 ^epFor your name’s sake, O Lord, ^eqpreserve my life!
In your righteousness ^erbring my soul out of trouble!
12And in your steadfast love you will ^escut off my enemies,
and you will destroy all the adversaries of my soul,
for I am your ^etservant.

Psalms 144

My Rock and My Fortress

Of David.

1 Blessed be the Lord, my ^eurock,
^evwho trains my hands for war,
and my fingers for battle;
2he is my ^ewsteadfast love and my ^exfortress,
my ^eystronghold and my deliverer,
my ^ezshield and he in whom I take refuge,
who ^fasubdues peoples ▼

▼Many Hebrew manuscripts, Dead Sea Scroll, Jerome, Syriac, Aquila; most Hebrew manuscripts  subdues my people

under me.
3 O Lord, ^fcwhat is man that you ^fdregard him,
or the son of man that you think of him?
4 ^feMan is like a breath;
his days are like ^ffa passing ^fgshadow.
5 ^fhBow your heavens, O Lord, and come down!
^fiTouch the mountains so that they smoke!
6 ^fjFlash forth the lightning and scatter them;
^fksend out your arrows and rout them!
7 ^flStretch out your hand from on high;
^fmrescue me and deliver me from the many waters,
from the hand ^fnof foreigners,
8whose mouths speak ^folies
and whose right hand is ^fpa right hand of falsehood.
9 I will sing ^fqa new song to you, O God;
upon ^fra ten-stringed harp I will play to you,
10who gives victory to kings,
who ^fsrescues David his servant from the cruel sword.
11Rescue me and deliver me
from the hand ^ftof foreigners,
whose mouths speak ^fulies
and whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood.
12 May our sons in their youth
be like ^fvplants full grown,
our daughters like ^fwcorner pillars
cut for the structure of a palace;
13 ^fxmay our granaries be full,
^fyproviding all kinds of produce;
may our sheep bring forth thousands
and ten thousands in our fields;
14may our cattle be heavy with young,
suffering no mishap or failure in bearing; ▼

▼Hebrew with no breaking in or going out

may there be no ^gacry of distress in our streets!
15 ^gbBlessed are the people to whom such blessings fall!
^gcBlessed are the people whose God is the Lord!

Psalms 145

Great Is the Lord

▼

▼This psalm is an acrostic poem, each verse beginning with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet

A Song of Praise. Of David.

1 ^geI will extol you, my God and ^gfKing,
and bless your name forever and ever.
2Every day I will bless you
^ggand praise your name forever and ever.
3 ^ghGreat is the Lord, and greatly to be praised,
and his ^gigreatness is unsearchable.
4 ^gjOne generation shall commend your works to another,
and shall declare your mighty acts.
5On ^gkthe glorious splendor of your majesty,
and on your wondrous works, I will meditate.
6They shall speak of ^glthe might of your awesome deeds,
and I will declare your greatness.
7They shall pour forth the fame of your ^gmabundant goodness
and shall sing aloud of your righteousness.
8 The Lord is ^gngracious and merciful,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
9The Lord is ^gogood to all,
and his mercy is over all that he has made.
10 ^gpAll your works shall give thanks to you, O Lord,
and all your ^gqsaints shall bless you!
11They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom
and tell of your power,
12to ^grmake known to the children of man your ▼

▼Hebrew his; also next line

^gtmighty deeds,
and ^guthe glorious splendor of your kingdom.
13 ^gvYour kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
and your dominion endures throughout all generations.
[The Lord is faithful in all his words
and kind in all his works.] ▼

▼These two lines are supplied by one Hebrew manuscript, Septuagint, Syriac (compare Dead Sea Scroll)

14The Lord ^gxupholds all who are falling
and ^gyraises up all who are bowed down.
15The eyes of all ^gzlook to you,
and you give them their food in due season.
16You ^haopen your hand;
you ^hbsatisfy the desire of every living thing.
17The Lord is ^hcrighteous in all his ways
and ^hdkind in all his works.
18The Lord is ^henear to all who call on him,
to all who call on him ^hfin truth.
19He ^hgfulfills the desire of those who fear him;
he also ^hhhears their cry and saves them.
20The Lord ^hipreserves all who love him,
but all the wicked he will destroy.
21 My mouth will speak the praise of the Lord,
and ^hjlet all flesh bless his holy name forever and ever.