Psalms 142:1-150:6 A contemplation by David, when he was in the cave. A Prayer. I cry with my voice to Yahweh. With my voice, I ask Yahweh for mercy.

WEB⁽ⁱ⁾ ¹ A contemplation by David, when he was in the cave. A Prayer. I cry with my voice to Yahweh. With my voice, I ask Yahweh for mercy. ² I pour out my complaint before him. I tell him my troubles. ³ When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, you knew my route. On the path in which I walk, they have hidden a snare for me. ⁴ Look on my right, and see; for there is no one who is concerned for me. Refuge has fled from me. No one cares for my soul. ⁵ I cried to you, Yahweh. I said, “You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living.” ⁶ Listen to my cry, for I am in desperate need. Deliver me from my persecutors, for they are too strong for me. ⁷ Bring my soul out of prison, that I may give thanks to your name. The righteous will surround me, for you will be good to me. ¹⁴³ ¹ A Psalm by David. Hear my prayer, Yahweh. Listen to my petitions. In your faithfulness and righteousness, relieve me. ² Don’t enter into judgment with your servant, for in your sight no man living is righteous. ³ For the enemy pursues my soul. He has struck my life down to the ground. He has made me live in dark places, as those who have been long dead. ⁴ Therefore my spirit is overwhelmed within me. My heart within me is desolate. ⁵ I remember the days of old. I meditate on all your doings. I contemplate the work of your hands. ⁶ I spread out my hands to you. My soul thirsts for you, like a parched land. Selah. ⁷ Hurry to answer me, Yahweh. My spirit fails. Don’t hide your face from me, so that I don’t become like those who go down into the pit. ⁸ Cause me to hear your loving kindness in the morning, for I trust in you. Cause me to know the way in which I should walk, for I lift up my soul to you. ⁹ Deliver me, Yahweh, from my enemies. I flee to you to hide me. ¹⁰ Teach me to do your will, for you are my God. Your Spirit is good. Lead me in the land of uprightness. ¹¹ Revive me, Yahweh, for your name’s sake. In your righteousness, bring my soul out of trouble. ¹² In your loving kindness, cut off my enemies, and destroy all those who afflict my soul, For I am your servant. ¹⁴⁴ ¹ By David. Blessed be Yahweh, my rock, who teaches my hands to war, and my fingers to battle: ² my loving kindness, my fortress, my high tower, my deliverer, my shield, and he in whom I take refuge, who subdues my people under me. ³ Yahweh, what is man, that you care for him? Or the son of man, that you think of him? ⁴ Man is like a breath. His days are like a shadow that passes away. ⁵ Part your heavens, Yahweh, and come down. Touch the mountains, and they will smoke. ⁶ Throw out lightning, and scatter them. Send out your arrows, and rout them. ⁷ Stretch out your hand from above, rescue me, and deliver me out of great waters, out of the hands of foreigners, ⁸ whose mouths speak deceit, whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood. ⁹ I will sing a new song to you, God. On a ten-stringed lyre, I will sing praises to you. ¹⁰ You are he who gives salvation to kings, who rescues David, his servant, from the deadly sword. ¹¹ Rescue me, and deliver me out of the hands of foreigners, whose mouths speak deceit, whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood. ¹² Then our sons will be like well-nurtured plants, our daughters like pillars carved to adorn a palace. ¹³ Our barns are full, filled with all kinds of provision. Our sheep produce thousands and ten thousands in our fields. ¹⁴ Our oxen will pull heavy loads. There is no breaking in, and no going away, and no outcry in our streets. ¹⁵ Happy are the people who are in such a situation. Happy are the people whose God is Yahweh. ¹⁴⁵ ¹ A praise psalm by David. I will exalt you, my God, the King. I will praise your name forever and ever. ² Every day I will praise you. I will extol your name forever and ever. ³ Great is Yahweh, and greatly to be praised! His greatness is unsearchable. ⁴ One generation will commend your works to another, and will declare your mighty acts. ⁵ I will meditate on the glorious majesty of your honor, on your wondrous works. ⁶ Men will speak of the might of your awesome acts. I will declare your greatness. ⁷ They will utter the memory of your great goodness, and will sing of your righteousness. ⁸ Yahweh is gracious, merciful, slow to anger, and of great loving kindness. ⁹ Yahweh is good to all. His tender mercies are over all his works. ¹⁰ All your works will give thanks to you, Yahweh. Your saints will extol you. ¹¹ They will speak of the glory of your kingdom, and talk about your power, ¹² to make known to the sons of men his mighty acts, the glory of the majesty of his kingdom. ¹³ Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom. Your dominion endures throughout all generations. Yahweh is faithful in all his words, and loving in all his deeds. ¹⁴ Yahweh upholds all who fall, and raises up all those who are bowed down. ¹⁵ The eyes of all wait for you. You give them their food in due season. ¹⁶ You open your hand, and satisfy the desire of every living thing. ¹⁷ Yahweh is righteous in all his ways, and gracious in all his works. ¹⁸ Yahweh is near to all those who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. ¹⁹ He will fulfill the desire of those who fear him. He also will hear their cry, and will save them. ²⁰ Yahweh preserves all those who love him, but he will destroy all the wicked. ²¹ My mouth will speak the praise of Yahweh. Let all flesh bless his holy name forever and ever. ¹⁴⁶ ¹ Praise Yah! Praise Yahweh, my soul. ² While I live, I will praise Yahweh. I will sing praises to my God as long as I exist. ³ Don’t put your trust in princes, in a son of man in whom there is no help. ⁴ His spirit departs, and he returns to the earth. In that very day, his thoughts perish. ⁵ Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in Yahweh, his God: ⁶ who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them; who keeps truth forever; ⁷ who executes justice for the oppressed; who gives food to the hungry. Yahweh frees the prisoners. ⁸ Yahweh opens the eyes of the blind. Yahweh raises up those who are bowed down. Yahweh loves the righteous. ⁹ Yahweh preserves the foreigners. He upholds the fatherless and widow, but he turns the way of the wicked upside down. ¹⁰ Yahweh will reign forever; your God, O Zion, to all generations. Praise Yah! ¹⁴⁷ ¹ Praise Yah, for it is good to sing praises to our God; for it is pleasant and fitting to praise him. ² Yahweh builds up Jerusalem. He gathers together the outcasts of Israel. ³ He heals the broken in heart, and binds up their wounds. ⁴ He counts the number of the stars. He calls them all by their names. ⁵ Great is our Lord, and mighty in power. His understanding is infinite. ⁶ Yahweh upholds the humble. He brings the wicked down to the ground. ⁷ Sing to Yahweh with thanksgiving. Sing praises on the harp to our God, ⁸ who covers the sky with clouds, who prepares rain for the earth, who makes grass grow on the mountains. ⁹ He provides food for the livestock, and for the young ravens when they call. ¹⁰ He doesn’t delight in the strength of the horse. He takes no pleasure in the legs of a man. ¹¹ Yahweh takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his loving kindness. ¹² Praise Yahweh, Jerusalem! Praise your God, Zion! ¹³ For he has strengthened the bars of your gates. He has blessed your children within you. ¹⁴ He makes peace in your borders. He fills you with the finest of the wheat. ¹⁵ He sends out his commandment to the earth. His word runs very swiftly. ¹⁶ He gives snow like wool, and scatters frost like ashes. ¹⁷ He hurls down his hail like pebbles. Who can stand before his cold? ¹⁸ He sends out his word, and melts them. He causes his wind to blow, and the waters flow. ¹⁹ He shows his word to Jacob, his statutes and his ordinances to Israel. ²⁰ He has not done this for just any nation. They don’t know his ordinances. Praise Yah! ¹⁴⁸ ¹ Praise Yah! Praise Yahweh from the heavens! Praise him in the heights! ² Praise him, all his angels! Praise him, all his army! ³ Praise him, sun and moon! Praise him, all you shining stars! ⁴ Praise him, you heavens of heavens, you waters that are above the heavens. ⁵ Let them praise Yahweh’s name, for he commanded, and they were created. ⁶ He has also established them forever and ever. He has made a decree which will not pass away. ⁷ Praise Yahweh from the earth, you great sea creatures, and all depths; ⁸ lightning and hail, snow and clouds; stormy wind, fulfilling his word; ⁹ mountains and all hills; fruit trees and all cedars; ¹⁰ wild animals and all livestock; small creatures and flying birds; ¹¹ kings of the earth and all peoples; princes and all judges of the earth; ¹² both young men and maidens; old men and children: ¹³ let them praise Yahweh’s name, for his name alone is exalted. His glory is above the earth and the heavens. ¹⁴ He has lifted up the horn of his people, the praise of all his saints, even of the children of Israel, a people near to him. Praise Yah! ¹⁴⁹ ¹ Praise Yahweh! Sing to Yahweh a new song, his praise in the assembly of the saints. ² Let Israel rejoice in him who made them. Let the children of Zion be joyful in their King. ³ Let them praise his name in the dance! Let them sing praises to him with tambourine and harp! ⁴ For Yahweh takes pleasure in his people. He crowns the humble with salvation. ⁵ Let the saints rejoice in honor. Let them sing for joy on their beds. ⁶ May the high praises of God be in their mouths, and a two-edged sword in their hand, ⁷ to execute vengeance on the nations, and punishments on the peoples; ⁸ to bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron; ⁹ to execute on them the written judgment. All his saints have this honor. Praise Yah! ¹⁵⁰ ¹ Praise Yah! Praise God in his sanctuary! Praise him in his heavens for his acts of power! ² Praise him for his mighty acts! Praise him according to his excellent greatness! ³ Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet! Praise him with harp and lyre! ⁴ Praise him with tambourine and dancing! Praise him with stringed instruments and flute! ⁵ Praise him with loud cymbals! Praise him with resounding cymbals! ⁶ Let everything that has breath praise Yah! Praise Yah!