Psalms 143:1-12 King James Version (KJV)

¹ Hear my prayer, O LORD, give ear to my supplications: in thy faithfulness answer me, and in thy righteousness.

² And enter not into judgment with thy servant: for in thy sight shall no man living be justified.

³ For the enemy hath persecuted my soul; he hath smitten my life down to the ground; he hath made me to dwell in darkness, as those that have been long dead.

⁴ Therefore is my spirit overwhelmed within me; my heart within me is desolate.

⁵ I remember the days of old; I meditate on all thy works; I muse on the work of thy hands.

⁶ I stretch forth my hands unto thee: my soul thirsteth after thee, as a thirsty land. Selah.

⁷ Hear me speedily, O LORD: my spirit faileth: hide not thy face from me, lest I be like unto them that go down into the pit.

⁸ Cause me to hear thy lovingkindness in the morning; for in thee do I trust: cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto thee.

⁹ Deliver me, O LORD, from mine enemies: I flee unto thee to hide me.

¹⁰ Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my God: thy spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness.

¹¹ Quicken me, O LORD, for thy name's sake: for thy righteousness' sake bring my soul out of trouble.

¹² And of thy mercy cut off mine enemies, and destroy all them that afflict my soul: for I am thy servant.

Psalms 143:1-12 King James Version with Strong's Concordance (STRONG)

¹ [[A Psalm ^H4210 of David.]] ^H1732 Hear ^H8085 my prayer, ^H8605 O LORD, ^H3068 give ear ^H238 to my supplications: ^H8469 in thy faithfulness ^H530 answer ^H6030 me, and in thy righteousness. ^H6666

² And enter ^H935 not into judgment ^H4941 with thy servant: ^H5650 for in thy sight ^H6440 shall no man living ^H2416 be justified. ^H6663

³ For the enemy ^H341 hath persecuted ^H7291 my soul; ^H5315 he hath smitten ^H1792 my life ^H2416 down ^H1792 to the ground; ^H776 he hath made me to dwell ^H3427 in darkness, ^H4285 as those that have been long ^H5769 dead. ^H4191

⁴ Therefore is my spirit ^H7307 overwhelmed ^H5848 within me; my heart ^H3820 within ^H8432 me is desolate. ^H8074

⁵ I remember ^H2142 the days ^H3117 of old; ^H6924 I meditate ^H1897 on all thy works; ^H6467 I muse ^H7878 on the work ^H4639 of thy hands. ^H3027

⁶ I stretch forth ^H6566 my hands ^H3027 unto thee: my soul ^H5315 thirsteth after thee, as a thirsty ^H5889 land. ^H776 Selah. ^H5542

⁷ Hear ^H6030 me speedily, ^H4118 O LORD: ^H3068 my spirit ^H7307 faileth: ^H3615 hide ^H5641 not thy face ^H6440 from me, lest I be like ^H4911 unto them that go down ^H3381 into the pit. ^H953

⁸ Cause me to hear ^H8085 thy lovingkindness ^H2617 in the morning; ^H1242 for in thee do I trust: ^H982 cause me to know ^H3045 the way ^H1870 wherein ^H2098 I should walk; ^H3212 for I lift up ^H5375 my soul ^H5315 unto thee.

⁹ Deliver ^H5337 me, O LORD, ^H3068 from mine enemies: ^H341 I flee unto thee to hide ^H3680 me.

¹⁰ Teach ^H3925 me to do ^H6213 thy will; ^H7522 for thou art my God: ^H430 thy spirit ^H7307 is good; ^H2896 lead ^H5148 me into the land ^H776 of uprightness. ^H4334

¹¹ Quicken ^H2421 me, O LORD, ^H3068 for thy name's ^H8034 sake: for thy righteousness' ^H6666 sake bring ^H3318 my soul ^H5315 out of trouble. ^H6869

¹² And of thy mercy ^H2617 cut off ^H6789 mine enemies, ^H341 and destroy ^H6 all them that afflict ^H6887 my soul: ^H5315 for I am thy servant. ^H5650

Psalms 143:1-12 American Standard (ASV)

¹ Hear my prayer, O Jehovah; give ear to my supplications: In thy faithfulness answer me, `and' in thy righteousness.

² And enter not into judgment with thy servant; For in thy sight no man living is righteous.

³ For the enemy hath persecuted my soul; He hath smitten my life down to the ground: He hath made me to dwell in dark places, as those that have been long dead.

⁴ Therefore is my spirit overwhelmed within me; My heart within me is desolate.

⁵ I remember the days of old; I meditate on all thy doings; I muse on the work of thy hands.

⁶ I spread forth my hands unto thee: My soul `thirsteth' after thee, as a weary land. Selah

⁷ Make haste to answer me, O Jehovah; my spirit faileth: Hide not thy face from me, Lest I become like them that go down into the pit.

⁸ Cause me to hear thy lovingkindness in the morning; For in thee do I trust: Cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; For I lift up my soul unto thee.

⁹ Deliver me, O Jehovah, from mine enemies: I flee unto thee to hide me.

¹⁰ Teach me to do thy will; For thou art my God: Thy Spirit is good; Lead me in the land of uprightness.

¹¹ Quicken me, O Jehovah, for thy name's sake: In thy righteousness bring my soul out of trouble.

¹² And in thy lovingkindness cut off mine enemies, And destroy all them that afflict my soul; For I am thy servant. Psalm 144 `A Psalm' of David.

Psalms 143:1-12 Young's Literal Translation (YLT)

¹ A Psalm of David. O Jehovah, hear my prayer, Give ear unto my supplications, In Thy faithfulness answer me -- in Thy righteousness.

² And enter not into judgment with Thy servant, For no one living is justified before Thee.

³ For an enemy hath pursued my soul, He hath bruised to the earth my life, He hath caused me to dwell in dark places, As the dead of old.

⁴ And my spirit in me is become feeble, Within me is my heart become desolate.

⁵ I have remembered days of old, I have meditated on all Thine acts, On the work of Thy hand I muse.

⁶ I have spread forth my hands unto Thee, My soul `is' as a weary land for Thee. Selah.

⁷ Haste, answer me, O Jehovah, My spirit hath been consumed, Hide not Thou Thy face from me, Or I have been compared with those going down `to' the pit.

⁸ Cause me to hear in the morning Thy kindness, For in Thee I have trusted, Cause me to know the way that I go, For unto Thee I have lifted up my soul.

⁹ Deliver me from mine enemies, O Jehovah, Near Thee I am covered.

¹⁰ Teach me to do Thy good pleasure, For Thou `art' my God -- Thy Spirit `is' good, Lead me into a land of uprightness.

¹¹ For Thy name's sake O Jehovah, Thou dost quicken me, In Thy righteousness, Thou bringest out from distress my soul,

¹² And in Thy kindness cuttest off mine enemies, And hast destroyed all the adversaries of my soul, For I `am' Thy servant!

Psalms 143:1-12 Darby English Bible (DARBY)

¹ {A Psalm of David.} Jehovah, hear my prayer; give ear to my supplications: in thy faithfulness answer me, in thy righteousness.

² And enter not into judgment with thy servant; for in thy sight no man living shall be justified.

³ For the enemy persecuteth my soul: he hath crushed my life down to the earth; he hath made me to dwell in dark places, as those that have been long dead.

⁴ And my spirit is overwhelmed within me; my heart within me is desolate.

⁵ I remember the days of old: I meditate on all thy doing; I muse on the work of thy hands.

⁶ I stretch forth my hands unto thee: my soul, as a parched land, [thirsteth] after thee. Selah.

⁷ Answer me speedily, O Jehovah; my spirit faileth: hide not thy face from me, or I shall be like unto them that go down into the pit.

⁸ Cause me to hear thy loving-kindness in the morning, for in thee do I confide; make me to know the way wherein I should walk, for unto thee do I lift up my soul.

⁹ Deliver me, O Jehovah, from mine enemies: unto thee do I flee for refuge.

¹⁰ Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my God: let thy good Spirit lead me in a plain country.

¹¹ Revive me, O Jehovah, for thy name's sake; in thy righteousness bring my soul out of trouble;

¹² And in thy loving-kindness cut off mine enemies, and destroy all them that oppress my soul: for I am thy servant.

Psalms 143:1-12 World English Bible (WEB)

¹ > 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 forth 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.

Psalms 143:1-12 Bible in Basic English (BBE)

¹ <A Psalm. Of David.> 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;

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

³ The 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.

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

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

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

⁷ Be 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.

⁸ Let 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.

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

¹⁰ Give 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.

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

¹² And 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.

Commentary on Psalms 143 Matthew Henry Commentary

John Gill Keil & Delitzsch Robert Jamieson: Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

Psalm 143

This psalm, as those before, is a prayer of David, and full of complaints of the great distress and danger he was in, probably when Saul persecuted him. He did not only pray in that affliction, but he prayed very much and very often, not the same over again, but new thoughts. In this psalm,

I. He complains of his troubles, through the oppression of his enemies (v. 3) and the weakness of his spirit under it, which was ready to sink notwithstanding the likely course he took to support himself (v. 4, 5).
II. He prays, and prays earnestly (v. 6),
- 1. That God would hear him (v. 1-7).
- 2. That he would not deal with him according to his sins (v. 2).
- 3. That he would not hide his face from him (v. 7), but manifest his favour to him (v. 8).
- 4. That he would guide and direct him in the way of his duty (v. 8, 10) and quicken him in it (v. 11).
- 5. That he would deliver him out of his troubles (v. 9, 11).
- 6. That he would in due time reckon with his persecutors (v. 12).

We may more easily accommodate this psalm to ourselves, in the singing of it, because most of the petitions in it are for spiritual blessings (which we all need at all times), mercy and grace.

A psalm of David.

Psa 143:1-6

Here,

I. David humbly begs to be heard (v. 1), not as if he questioned it, but he earnestly desired it, and was in care about it, for, having desired it, and was in care about it, for having directed his prayer, he looked up to see how it sped, Hab. 2:1. He is a suppliant to his God, and he begs that his requests may be granted: Hear my prayer; give ear to my supplications. He is an appellant against his persecutors, and he begs that his case may be brought to hearing and that God will give judgment upon it, in his faithfulness and righteousness, as the Judge of right and wrong. Or, "Answer my petitions in thy faithfulness, according to the promises thou hast made, which thou wilt be just to.' We have no righteousness of our own to plead, and therefore must plead God's righteousness, the word of promise which he has freely given us and caused us to hope in.
II. He humbly begs not to be proceeded against in strict justice, v. 2. He seems here, if not to correct, yet to explain, his plea (v. 1), Deliver me in thy righteousness; "I mean,' says he, "the righteous promises of the gospel, not the righteous threatenings of the law; if I be answered according to the righteousness of this broken covenant of innocency, I am quite undone;' and therefore,
- 1. His petition is, "Enter not into judgment with thy servant; do not deal with me in strict justice, as I deserve to be dealt with.' In this prayer we must own ourselves to be God's servants, bound to obey him, accountable to him, and solicitous to obtain his favour, and we must approve ourselves to him. We must acknowledge that in many instances we have offended him, and have come short of our duty to him, that he might justly enquire into our offences, and proceed against us for them according to law, and that, if he should do so, judgment would certainly go against us; we have nothing to move in arrest or mitigation of it, but execution would be taken out and awarded and then we should be ruined for ever. But we must encourage ourselves with a hope that there is mercy and forgiveness with God, and be earnest with him for the benefit of that mercy. "Enter not into judgment with thy servant, for thou hast already entered into judgment with thy Son, and laid upon him the iniquity of us all. Enter not into judgment with thy servant, for thy servant enters into judgment with himself;' and, if we will judge ourselves, we shall not be judged.
- 2. His plea is, "In thy sight shall no man living be justified upon those terms, for no man can plead innocency nor any righteousness of his own, either that he has not sinned or that he does not deserve to die for his sins; nor that he has any satisfaction of his own to offer;' nay, if God contend with us, we are not able to answer him for one of a thousand, Job 9:3; 15:20. David, before he prays for the removal of his trouble, prays for the pardon of his sin, and depends upon mere mercy for it.
III. He complains of the prevalency of his enemies against him (v. 3): "Saul, that great enemy, has persecuted my soul, sought my life, with a restless malice, and has carried the persecution so far that he has already smitten it down to the ground. Though I am not yet under ground, I am struck to the ground, and that is next door to it; he has forced me to dwell in darkness, not only in dark caves, but in dark thoughts and apprehensions, in the clouds of melancholy, as helpless and hopeless as those that have been long dead. Lord, let me find mercy with thee, for I find no mercy with men. They condemn me; but, Lord, do not thou condemn me. Am not I an object of thy compassion, fit to be appeared for; and is not my enemy an object of thy displeasure, fit to be appeared against?'
IV. He bemoans the oppression of his mind, occasioned by his outward troubles (v. 4): Therefore is my spirit overpowered and overwhelmed within me, and I am almost plunged in despair; when without are fightings within are fears, and those fears greater tyrants and oppressors than Saul himself and not so easily out-run. It is sometimes the lot of the best men to have their spirits for a time almost overwhelmed and their hearts desolate, and doubtless it is their infirmity. David was not only a great saint, but a great soldier, and yet even he was sometimes ready to faint in a day of adversity. Howl, fir-trees, if the cedars be shaken.
V. He applies himself to the use of proper means for the relief of his troubled spirit. He had no force to muster up against the oppression of the enemy, but, if he can keep possession of nothing else, he will do what he can to keep possession of his own soul and to preserve his inward peace. In order to this,
- 1. He looks back, and remembers the days of old (v. 5), God's former appearances for his afflicted people and for him in particular. It has been often a relief to the people of God in their straits to think of the wonders which their fathers told them of, Ps. 77:5, 11.
- 2. He looks round, and takes notice of the works of God in the visible creation, and the providential government of the world: I meditate on all thy works. Many see them, but do not see the footsteps of God's wisdom, power, and goodness in them, and do not receive the benefit they might by them because they do not meditate upon them; they do not dwell on that copious curious subject, but soon quit it, as if they had exhausted it, when they have scarcely touched upon it. I muse on, or (as some read it) I discourse of, the operation of thy hands, how great, how good, it is! The more we consider the power of God the less we shall fear the face or force of man, Isa. 51:12, 13.
- 3. He looks up with earnest desires towards God and his favour (v. 6): "I stretch forth my hands unto thee, as one begging an alms, and big with expectation to receive something great, standing ready to lay hold on it and bid it welcome. My soul thirsteth after thee; it is to thee (so the word is), entire for thee, intent on thee; it is as a thirsty land, which, being parched with excessive heat, gapes for rain; so do I need, so do I crave, the support and refreshment of divine consolations under my afflictions, and nothing else will relieve me.' This is the best course we can take when our spirits are overwhelmed; and justly do those sink under their load who will not take such a ready way as this to ease themselves.

Psa 143:7-12

David here tells us what he said when he stretched forth his hands unto God; he begins not only as one in earnest, but as one in haste: "Hear me speedily, and defer no longer, for my spirit faileth. I am just ready to faint; reach the cordial-quickly, quickly, or I am gone.' It was not a haste of unbelief, but of vehement desire and holy love. Make haste, O God! to help me. Three things David here prays for:-

I. The manifestations of God's favour towards him, that God would be well pleased with him and let him know that he was so; this he prefers before any good, Ps. 4:6.
- 1. He dreads God's frowns: "Lord, hide not thy face from me; Lord, be not angry with me, do not turn from me, as we do from one we are displeased with; Lord, let me not be left under the apprehensions of thy anger or in doubt concerning thy favour; if I have thy favour, let it not be hidden from me.' Those that have the truth of grace cannot but desire the evidence of it. He pleads the wretchedness of his case if God withdrew from him: "Lord, let me not lie under thy wrath, for then I am like those that go down to the pit, that is, down to the grave (I am a dead man, weak, and pale, and ghastly; thy frowns are worse than death), or down to hell, the bottomless pit.' Even those who through grace are delivered from going down to the pit may sometimes, when the terrors of the Almighty set themselves in array against them, look like those who are going to the pit. Disconsolate saints have sometimes cried out of the wrath of God, as if they had been damned sinners, Job 6:4; Ps. 88:6.
- 2. He entreats God's favour (v. 8): Cause me to hear thy lovingkindness in the morning. He cannot but think that God has a kindness for him, that he has some kind things to say to him, some good words and comfortable words; but the present hurry of his affairs, and tumult of his spirits, drowned those pleasing whispers; and therefore he begs, "Lord, do not only speak kindly to me, but cause me to hear it, to hear joy and gladness,' Ps. 51:8. God speaks to us by his word and by his providence, and in both we should desire and endeavour to hear his lovingkindness (Ps. 107:43), that we may set that always before us: "Cause me to hear it in the morning, every morning; let my waking thoughts be of God's lovingkindness, that the sweet relish of that may abide upon my spirits all the day long.' His plea is, "For in thee do I trust, and in thee only; I look not for comfort in any other.' God's goodness is commonly wrought for those who trust in him (Ps. 31:8), who by faith draw it out.
II. The operations of God's grace in him. Those he is as earnest for as for the tokens of God's favour to him, and so should we be. He prays,
- 1. That he might be enlightened with the knowledge of God's will; and this is the first work of the Spirit, in order to his other works, for God deals with men as men, as reasonable creatures. Here are three petitions to this effect:-
  - (1.) Cause me to know the way wherein I should walk. Sometimes those that are much in care to walk right are in doubt, and in the dark, which is the right way. Let them come boldly to the throne of grace, and beg of God, by his word, and Spirit, and providence, to show them the way, and prevent their missing it. A good man does not ask what is the way in which he must walk, or in which is the most pleasant walking, but what is the right way, the way in which he should walk. He pleads, "I lift up my soul unto thee, to be moulded and fashioned according to thy will.' He did not only importunately, but impartially, desire to know his duty; and those that do so shall be taught.
  - (2.) "Teach me to do thy will, not only show me what thy will is, but teach me how to do it, how to turn my hand dexterously to my duty.' It is the desire and endeavour of all God's faithful servants to know and to do his will, and to stand complete in it. He pleads, "Thou art my God, and therefore my oracle, by whom I may expect to be advised-my God, and therefore my ruler, whose will I desire to do.' If we do in sincerity take God for our God, we may depend upon him to teach us to do his will, as a master does his servant.
  - (3.) Lead me into the land of uprightness, into the communion of saints, that pleasant land of the upright, or into a settled course of holy living, which will lead to heaven, that land of uprightness where holiness will be in perfection, and he that is holy shall be holy still. We should desire to be led, and kept safe, to heaven, not only because it is a land of blessedness, but because it is a land of uprightness; it is the perfection of grace. We cannot find the way that will bring us to that land unless God show us, nor go in that way unless he take us by the hand and lead us, as we lead those that are weak, or lame, or timorous, or dim-sighted; so necessary is the grace of God, not only to put us into the good way, but to keep us and carry us on in it. The plea is, "Thy Spirit is good, and able to make me good,' good and willing to help those that are at a loss. Those that have the Lord for their God have his Spirit for their guide; and it is both their character and their privilege that they are led by the Spirit.
- 2. He prays that he might be enlivened to do his will (v. 11): "Quicken me, O Lord!-quicken my devotions, that they may be lively; quicken me to my duty, and quicken me in it; and this for thy name's sake.' The best saints often find themselves dull, and dead, and slow, and therefore pray to God to quicken them.
III. The appearance of God's providence for him,
- 1. That God would, in his own way and time, give him rest from his troubles (v. 9): "Deliver me, O Lord! from my enemies, that they may not have their will against me; for I flee unto thee to hide me; I trust to thee to defend me in my trouble, and therefore to rescue me out of it.' Preservations are pledges of salvation, and those shall find God their hiding-place who by faith make him such. He explains himself (v. 11): "For thy righteousness-sake, bring my soul out of trouble, for thy promise-sake, nay, for thy mercy-sake' (for some by righteousness understand kindness and goodness); "do not only deliver me from my outward trouble, but from the trouble of my soul, the trouble that threatens to overwhelm my spirit. Whatever trouble I am in, Lord, let not my heart be troubled,' Jn. 14:1.
- 2. That he would reckon with those that were the instruments of his trouble (v. 12): "Of thy mercy to me cut off my enemies, that I may be no longer in fear of them; and destroy all those, whoever they be, how numerous, how powerful, soever, who afflict my soul, and create vexation to that; for I am thy servant, and am resolved to continue such, and therefore may expect to be owned and protected in thy service.' This prayer is a prophecy of the utter destruction of all the impenitent enemies of Jesus Christ and his kingdom, who will not have him to reign over them, who grieve his Spirit, and afflict his soul, by afflicting his people, in whose afflictions he is afflicted.

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