141  O Lord, I call upon you; ^ghasten to me!

Give ear to my voice when I call to you!

2  Let my ^hprayer be counted as incense before you,

and the lifting up of my hands as ⁱthe evening sacrifice!

3  ^jSet a guard, O Lord, over my mouth;

^kkeep watch over the door of my lips!

4  Do not let my heart incline to any evil,

to busy myself with wicked deeds

in company with men who work iniquity,

and let me not eat of their delicacies!

5  ^lLet 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 my prayer is continually against their evil deeds.

6  When their judges are thrown over the cliff,¹

then they shall hear my words, for they are pleasant.

7  As when one plows and breaks up the earth,

so shall our bones be scattered at the mouth of Sheol.²

8  But my eyes are toward you, O God, my Lord;

in you I seek refuge; leave me not defenseless!³

9  Keep me from the trap that they have laid for me

and from the snares of evildoers!

10  Let the wicked fall into their own ^mnets,

while I pass by safely.

142  ^pWith my voice I cry out to the Lord;

with my voice I ^qplead for mercy to the Lord.

2  I ^rpour out my complaint before him;

I tell my trouble before him.

3  When ^smy spirit faints within me,

you know my way!

In the path where I walk

they have hidden a trap for me.

4  Look to the right and see:

there is none who takes notice of me;

^tno refuge remains to me;

no one cares for my soul.

5  I cry to you, O Lord;

I say, “You are my refuge,

^umy portion in the land of the living.”

6  ^vAttend to my cry,

for I am brought very low!

^wDeliver me from my persecutors,

for they are too strong for me!

7  ^xBring me out of prison,

that I may give thanks to your name!

The righteous will surround me,

for you will deal bountifully with me.

143  ^yHear my prayer, O Lord;

give ear to my pleas for mercy!

In your faithfulness answer me, in your righteousness!

2  ^zEnter not into judgment with your servant,

for ^ano one living is righteous before you.

3  For the enemy has pursued my soul;

he has crushed my life to the ground;

^bhe has made me sit in darkness like those long dead.

4  Therefore ^cmy spirit faints within me;

my heart within me is appalled.

5  I remember the ^ddays of old;

I meditate on all that you have done;

I ponder the work of your hands.

6  I stretch out my hands to you;

^emy soul thirsts for you like a parched land. Selah

7  Answer me ^fquickly, O Lord!

My spirit fails!

Hide not your face from me,

lest I be like those who go down to the pit.

8  Let me hear ^gin the morning of your steadfast love,

for in you I trust.

^hMake me know the way I should go,

for ⁱto you I lift up my soul.

9  ^jDeliver me from my enemies, O Lord!

I have fled to you for refuge.¹

10  Teach me to do your will,

for you are my God!

Let ^kyour good Spirit ^llead me

on level ground!

11  ^mFor your name’s sake, O Lord, preserve my life!

ⁿIn your righteousness bring my soul out of trouble!

12  And in your steadfast love you will ^ocut off my enemies,

and you will destroy all the adversaries of my soul,

for I am your servant.

144  Blessed be the Lord, my rock,

who ^ptrains my hands for war,

and my fingers for battle;

2  he is my steadfast love and my fortress,

my stronghold and my deliverer,

my shield and he in whom I take refuge,

who ^qsubdues peoples¹ under me.

3  O Lord, ^rwhat is man that you regard him,

or the son of man that you think of him?

4  Man is like a ^sbreath;

his days are like a passing ^tshadow.

5  ^uBow your heavens, O Lord, and come down!

^vTouch the mountains so that they smoke!

6  Flash forth the lightning and scatter them;

send out your ^warrows and rout them!

7  Stretch out your hand from on high;

rescue me and ^xdeliver me from the many waters,

from the hand of foreigners,

8  whose mouths speak lies

and whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood.

9  I will sing a new song to you, O God;

upon a ten-stringed harp ^yI will play to you,

10  who gives ^zvictory to kings,

who rescues David his servant from the cruel sword.

11  Rescue me and deliver me

from the hand of foreigners,

whose mouths speak lies

and whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood.

12  May ^aour sons in their youth

be like plants full grown,

our daughters like corner pillars

cut for the structure of a palace;

13  ^bmay our granaries be full,

providing all kinds of produce;

may our sheep bring forth thousands

and ten thousands in our fields;

14  may our cattle be heavy with young,

suffering no mishap or failure in bearing;²

may there be no cry of distress in our streets!

15  ^cBlessed are the people to whom such blessings fall!

^dBlessed are the people whose God is the Lord!

145  ^eI will extol you, my God and King,

and bless your name forever and ever.

2  Every day I will bless you

and praise your name forever and ever.

3  ^fGreat is the Lord, and greatly to be praised,

and his greatness is ^gunsearchable.

4  One generation shall commend your works to another,

and shall declare your mighty acts.

5  On the glorious splendor of your majesty,

and ^hon your wondrous works, I will ⁱmeditate.

6  They shall speak of the might of your awesome deeds,

and I will declare your greatness.

7  They shall ^jpour forth the fame of your abundant goodness

and shall sing aloud of your righteousness.

8  The Lord is ^kgracious and merciful,

slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

9  The Lord is good to all,

and his mercy is over all that he has made.

10  ^lAll your works shall give thanks to you, O Lord,

and all your saints shall bless you!

11  They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom

and tell of your power,

12  to ^mmake known to the children of man your² mighty deeds,

and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.

13  Your kingdom is an ⁿeverlasting kingdom,

and your dominion endures throughout all generations.

[The Lord is faithful in all his words

and kind in all his works.³]

14  The Lord upholds all who are falling

and ^oraises up all who are bowed down.

15  The eyes of all look to you,

and you ^pgive them their food in due season.

16  You ^qopen your hand;

you satisfy the desire of every living thing.

17  The Lord is righteous in all his ways

and kind in all his works.

18  The Lord is ^rnear to all who call on him,

to all who call on him in truth.

19  He fulfills the desire of those who fear him;

he also hears their cry and saves them.

20  The Lord ^spreserves all who love him,

but all the wicked he will destroy.

21  My mouth will speak the praise of the Lord,

and ^tlet all flesh ^ubless his holy name forever and ever.