Chapter 143 Supplication unto the Lord

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.