Psalms 143

1Blessed be the Lord my God, who teacheth my hands to fight, and my fingers to war.

1 Let my prayer come to you, O Lord; give ear to my requests for your grace; keep faith with me, and give me an answer in your righteousness;

2My mercy, and my refuge: my support, and my deliverer: My protector, and I have hoped in him: who subdueth my people under me.

2Let not your servant come before you to be judged; for no man living is upright in your eyes.

3Lord, what is man, that thou art made known to him? or the son of man, that thou makest account of him?

3The evil man has gone after my soul; my life is crushed down to the earth: he has put me in the dark, like those who have long been dead.

4Man is like to vanity: his days pass away like a shadow.

4Because of this my spirit is overcome; and my heart is full of fear.

5Lord, bow down thy heavens and descend: touch the mountains, and they shall smoke.

5I keep in mind the early days of the past, giving thought to all your acts, even to the work of your hands.

6Send forth lightning, and thou shalt scatter them: shoot out thy arrows, and thou shalt trouble them.

6My hands are stretched out to you: my soul is turned to you, like a land in need of water. (Selah.)

7Put forth thy hand from on high, take me out, and deliver me from many waters: from the hand of strange children:

7Be quick in answering me, O Lord, for the strength of my spirit is gone: let me see your face, so that I may not be like those who go down into the underworld.

8Whose mouth hath spoken vanity: and their right hand is the right hand of iniquity.

8Let the story of your mercy come to me in the morning, for my hope is in you: give me knowledge of the way in which I am to go; for my soul is lifted up to you.

9To thee, O God, I will sing a new canticle: on the psaltery and an instrument of ten strings I will sing praises to thee.

9O Lord, take me out of the hands of my haters; my soul is waiting for you.

10Who givest salvation to kings: who hast redeemed thy servant David from the malicious sword:

10Give me teaching so that I may do your pleasure; for you are my God: let your good Spirit be my guide into the land of righteousness.

11Deliver me, And rescue me out of the hand of strange children; whose mouth hath spoken vanity: and their right hand is the right hand of iniquity:

11Give me life, O Lord, because of your name; in your righteousness take my soul out of trouble.

12Whose sons are as new plants in their youth: Their daughters decked out, adorned round about after the similitude of a temple:

12And in your mercy put an end to my haters, and send destruction on all those who are against my soul; for I am your servant.

13Their storehouses full, flowing out of this into that. Their sheep fruitful in young, abounding in their goings forth:

13(not in this translation)

14Their oxen fat. There is no breach of wall, nor passage, nor crying out in their streets.

14(not in this translation)

15They have called the people happy, that hath these things: but happy is that people whose God is the Lord.

15(not in this translation)