Chapter
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150
Verse
1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Psalm chapter 142

English Standard Version

1With my voice I cry out to the Lord; with my voice I plead for mercy to the Lord. 2I pour out my complaint before him; I tell my trouble before him. 3When my 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; no refuge remains to me; no one cares for my soul. 5I cry to you, O Lord; I say, "You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living." 6 Attend to my cry, for I am brought very low! Deliver me from my persecutors, for they are too strong for me! 7 Bring me out of prison, that I may give thanks to your name! The righteous will surround me, for you will deal bountifully with me.
New International Version

1A maskil of David. When he was in the cave. A prayer. I cry aloud to the Lord; I lift up my voice to the Lord for mercy.
2I pour out before him my complaint; before him I tell my trouble. 3When my spirit grows faint within me, it is you who watch over my way. In the path where I walk people have hidden a snare for me.
4Look and see, there is no one at my right hand; no one is concerned for me. I have no refuge; no one cares for my life.
5I cry to you, Lord; I say, "You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living." 6Listen to my cry, for I am in desperate need; rescue me from those who pursue me, for they are too strong for me. 7Set me free from my prison, that I may praise your name. Then the righteous will gather about me because of your goodness to me.
New American Standard Bible

1I cry out with my voice to the Lord; With my voice I implore the Lord for compassion. 2I pour out my complaint before Him; I declare my trouble before Him. 3When my spirit felt weak within me, You knew my path. In the way where I walk They have hidden a trap for me. 4Look to the right and see; For there is no one who regards me favorably; There is no escape for me; No one cares for my soul. 5I cried out to You, Lord; I said, 'You are my refuge, My portion in the land of the living. 6Give Your attention to my cry, For I have been brought very low; Rescue me from my persecutors, For they are too strong for me. 7Bring my soul out of prison, So that I may give thanks to Your name; The righteous will surround me, For You will look after me.'
Christian Standard Bible

1A Maskil of David. When he was in the cave. A prayer. I cry aloud to the Lord; I plead aloud to the Lord for mercy. 2I pour out my complaint before him; I reveal my trouble to him. 3Although my spirit is weak within me, you know my way. Along this path I travel they have hidden a trap for me.
4Look to the right and see: no one stands up for me; there is no refuge for me; no one cares about me. 5I cry to you, Lord; I say, "You are my shelter, my portion in the land of the living." 6Listen to my cry, for I am very weak. Rescue me from those who pursue me, for they are too strong for me. 7Free me from prison so that I can praise your name. The righteous will gather around me because you deal generously with me.
New Living Translation

1 I cry out to the Lord; I plead for the Lord’s mercy. 2I pour out my complaints before him and tell him all my troubles. 3When I am overwhelmed, you alone know the way I should turn. Wherever I go, my enemies have set traps for me. 4I look for someone to come and help me, but no one gives me a passing thought! No one will help me; no one cares a bit what happens to me. 5Then I pray to you, O Lord. I say, 'You are my place of refuge. You are all I really want in life. 6Hear my cry, for I am very low. Rescue me from my persecutors, for they are too strong for me. 7Bring me out of prison so I can thank you. The godly will crowd around me, for you are good to me.'
King James Version

1Maschil of David; A Prayer when he was in the cave. I cried unto the Lord with my voice; with my voice unto the Lord did I make my supplication.
2I poured out my complaint before him; I shewed before him my trouble.
3When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, then thou knewest my path. In the way wherein I walked have they privily laid a snare for me.
4I looked on my right hand, and beheld, but there was no man that would know me: refuge failed me; no man cared for my soul.
5I cried unto thee, O Lord: I said, Thou art my refuge and my portion in the land of the living.
6Attend unto my cry; for I am brought very low: deliver me from my persecutors; for they are stronger than I.
7Bring my soul out of prison, that I may praise thy name: the righteous shall compass me about; for thou shalt deal bountifully with me.
New King James Version

1{A Contemplation of David. A Prayer when he was in the cave.} I cry out to the Lord with my voice; With my voice to the Lord I make my supplication. 2I pour out my complaint before Him; I declare before Him my trouble. 3When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, Then You knew my path. In the way in which I walk They have secretly set a snare for me. 4Look on my right hand and see, For there is no one who acknowledges me; Refuge has failed me; No one cares for my soul. 5I cried out to You, O Lord: I said, “You are my refuge, My portion in the land of the living. 6Attend to my cry, For I am brought very low; Deliver me from my persecutors, For they are stronger than I. 7Bring my soul out of prison, That I may praise Your name; The righteous shall surround me, For You shall deal bountifully with me.”

What does Psalm chapter 142 mean?

This psalm is labeled as a maskil (Psalm 32:1; 42:1; 44:1; 45:1; 52:1; 53:1; 54:1; 55:1; 74:1; 78:1; 88:1; 89:1), which seems to refer to a style of music. David's name is attached to the text, as well as a reference to "the cave." This may mean the cave of Adullam, where David escaped from King Saul's jealous rage (1 Samuel 22:1). It may also refer to the moment when Saul unknowingly cornered David in a cave where he hid with his men (1 Samuel 24:2–3). Psalm 57 is a less-optimistic expression of similar ideas.

David begins by expressing his earnest request. His early words emphasize how he brings this appeal to the Lord. David "cries out," "pleads," "pours out," and "tells" God about this situation. David feels spiritually weak because of his enemies' schemes. He has no ally there to aid him, and he feels friendless in this situation (Psalm 141:1–4).

In response to these dangers, David asks the Lord for rescue. David cannot defeat these enemies on his own—his only escape from feeling trapped by death is an appeal to God. Despite the danger, David seems confident that he will eventually elude these enemies and find himself among godly friends once again. His plan is to praise the Lord when this happens (Psalm 141:5–7).
Expand
Expand
Expand
What is the Gospel?
Download the app:
BibleRef.com is part of Got Questions Ministries

For answers to your Bible questions, please visit