Psalm 143
Prayer of a Penitent in Distress
1 A psalm of David.
O Lord, hear my prayer,
incline your ear to my supplications.
In your faithfulness respond to me
with your righteousness.
2 Do not subject your servant to your judgment,
for no one living is righteous before you.
3 An enemy has stalked me unrelentingly
and crushed me into the ground;
he has left me to live in darkness
like those long dead.
4 My spirit is faint within me,
and my heart has succumbed to fear.
5 I remember the days of old,
reflecting on all your actions
and meditating on the works of your hands.
6 I stretch out my hands to you;
my soul thirsts for you like a parched land. Selah
7 Answer me quickly, O Lord,
for my spirit grows faint.
Do not hide your face from me
or I will be like those who go down to the pit.
8 At dawn let me experience your kindness,
for in you I place my trust.
Show me the path I must walk,
for to you I lift up my soul.
9 Deliver me from my enemies, O Lord,
for in you I seek refuge.
10 Teach me to do your will,
for you are my God.
Let your gracious Spirit lead me
along a level path.
11 For your name’s sake, O Lord, preserve my life;
in your righteousness deliver me from distress.
12 In your kindness, destroy my enemies,
and annihilate all those who oppress me,
for I am your servant.
Footnotes
- Psalm 143:1
- Psalm 143:1
- Psalm 143:2
- Psalm 143:3
- Psalm 143:3
- Psalm 143:4
- Psalm 143:5
- Psalm 143:6
- Psalm 143:7
- Psalm 143:7
- Psalm 143:8
- Psalm 143:10
- Psalm 143:11
- Psalm 143:12
