with brief introductory comments
(Commentary in preparation and will be posted shortly)
Psalm 141
Against the attractions of evil
Yahweh, I am calling, hurry to me,
listen to my voice when I call to you.
May my prayer be like incense in your presence,
my uplifted hands like the evening sacrifice.
Yahweh, mount a guard over my mouth,
a guard at the door of my lips.
Check any impulse to speak evil,
to share the foul deeds of evil-doers.
I shall not sample their delights!
May the upright correct me with a friend's rebuke;
but the wicked shall never anoint my head with oil,
for that would make me party to their crimes.
To you, Yahweh, I turn my eyes,
in you I take refuge, do not leave me unprotected.
Save me from the traps that are set for me,
the snares of evil-doers.
Psalm 142
Prayer in persecution
To Yahweh I cry out with my plea.
To Yahweh I cry out with entreaty.
I pour out my worry in his presence,
in his presence I unfold my troubles.
However faint my spirit;
you are watching over my path.
On the road I have to travel
they have hidden a trap for me.
Look on my right and see –
there is no one who recognises me.
All refuge is denied me,
no one cares whether I live or die.
I cry out to you, Yahweh,
I affirm, 'You are my refuge,
my share in the land of the living!'
Listen to my calling,
for I am miserably weak.
Rescue me from my persecutors,
for they are too strong for me.
Lead me out of prison
that I may praise your name.
The upright gather round me
because of your generosity to me.
Psalm 143
A humble entreaty
Yahweh, hear my prayer,
listen to my pleading;
in your constancy answer me,
in your saving justice;
do not put your servant on trial,
for no one living can be found guiltless at your tribunal.
An enemy is in deadly pursuit,
crushing me into the ground,
forcing me to live in darkness,
like those long dead.
My spirit is faint,
and within me my heart is numb with fear.
I recall the days of old,
reflecting on all your deeds,
I ponder the works of your hands.
I stretch out my hands to you,
my heart like a land thirsty for you.
Answer me quickly, Yahweh,
my spirit is worn out;
do not turn away your face from me,
or I shall be like those who sink into oblivion.
Let dawn bring news of your faithful love,
for I place my trust in you;
show me the road I must travel
for you to relieve my heart.
Rescue me from my enemies, Yahweh,
since in you I find protection.
Teach me to do your will,
for you are my God.
May your generous spirit
lead me on even ground.
Yahweh, for the sake of your name,
in your saving justice give me life,
rescue me from distress.
Psalm 144
Hymn for war and victory
Blessed be Yahweh, my rock,
who trains my hands for war
and my fingers for battle,
my faithful love, my bastion,
my citadel, my Saviour;
I shelter behind him, my shield,
he makes the peoples submit to me.
Yahweh, what is a human being for you to notice,
a child of Adam for you to think about?
Human life, a mere puff of wind,
days as fleeting as a shadow.
Yahweh, part the heavens and come down,
touch the mountains, make them smoke.
Scatter them with continuous lightning-flashes,
rout them with a volley of your arrows.
Stretch down your hand from above,
save me, rescue me from deep waters,
from the clutches of foreigners,
whose every word is worthless,
whose right hand is raised in perjury.
God, I sing to you a new song,
I play to you on the ten-stringed lyre,
for you give kings their victories,
you rescue your servant David.
From the sword of evil
save me, rescue me from the clutches of foreigners
whose every word is worthless,
whose right hand testifies to falsehood.
May our sons be like plants
growing tall from their earliest days,
our daughters like pillars
carved fit for a palace,
our barns filled to overflowing
with every kind of crop,
the sheep in our pastures be numbered
in thousands and tens of thousands,
our cattle well fed,
free of raids and pillage,
free of outcry in our streets.
How blessed the nation of whom this is true,
blessed the nation whose God is Yahweh!
Psalm 145
Praise to Yahweh the King
I shall praise you to the heights, God my King,
I shall bless your name for ever and ever.
Day after day I shall bless you,
I shall praise your name for ever and ever.
Great is Yahweh and worthy of all praise,
his greatness beyond all reckoning.
Each age will praise your deeds to the next,
proclaiming your mighty works.
Your renown is the splendour of your glory,
I will ponder the story of your wonders.
They will speak of your awesome power,
and I shall recount your greatness.
They will bring out the memory of your great generosity,
and joyfully acclaim your saving justice.
Yahweh is tenderness and pity,
slow to anger, full of faithful love.
Yahweh is generous to all,
his tenderness embraces all his creatures.
All your creatures shall thank you, Yahweh,
and your faithful shall bless you.
They shall speak of the glory of your kingship
and tell of your might,
making known your mighty deeds to the children of Adam,
the glory and majesty of your kingship.
Your kingship is a kingship for ever,
your reign lasts from age to age.
Yahweh is trustworthy in all his words,
and upright in all his deeds.
Yahweh supports all who stumble,
lifts up those who are bowed down.
All look to you in hope
and you feed them with the food of the season.
And, with generous hand,
you satisfy the desires of every living creature.
Upright in all that he does,
Yahweh acts only in faithful love.
He is close to all who call upon him,
all who call on him from the heart.
1He fulfils the desires of all who fear him,
he hears their cry and he saves them.
Yahweh guards all who love him,
but all the wicked he destroys.
My mouth shall always praise Yahweh,
let every creature bless his holy name
for ever and ever.
Psalm 146
Hymn to the God of help
Alleluia!
Praise Yahweh, my soul!
I will praise Yahweh all my life,
I will make music to my God as long as I live.
Do not put your trust in princes,
in any child of Adam, who has no power to save.
When his spirit goes forth he returns to the earth,
on that very day all his plans come to nothing.
How blessed are those who have Jacob's God to help them,
their hope is in Yahweh their God,
who made heaven and earth,
the sea and all that is in them.
He keeps faith for ever,
gives justice to the oppressed,
gives food to the hungry;
Yahweh sets prisoners free.
Yahweh gives sight to the blind,
lifts up those who are bowed down.
Yahweh protects the stranger,
he sustains the orphan and the widow.
Yahweh loves the upright,
but he frustrates the wicked.
Yahweh reigns for ever,
your God, Zion, from age to age.
Psalm 147
Hymn to the All-Powerful
Alleluia!
Praise Yahweh -- it is good to sing psalms
to our God -- how pleasant to praise him.
Yahweh, Builder of Jerusalem!
He gathers together the exiles of Israel,
healing the broken-hearted
and binding up their wounds;
he counts out the number of the stars,
and gives each one of them a name.
Our Lord is great, all-powerful,
his wisdom beyond all telling.
Yahweh sustains the poor,
and humbles the wicked to the ground.
Sing to Yahweh in thanksgiving,
play the harp for our God.
He veils the sky with clouds,
and provides the earth with rain,
makes grass grow on the hills
and plants for people to use,
gives fodder to cattle
and to young ravens when they cry.
He takes no delight in the power of horses,
no pleasure in human sturdiness;
his pleasure is in those who fear him,
in those who hope in his faithful love.
Praise Yahweh, Jerusalem,
Zion, praise your God.
For he gives strength to the bars of your gates,
he blesses your children within you,
he maintains the peace of your frontiers,
gives you your fill of finest wheat.
He sends his word to the earth,
his command runs quickly,
he spreads the snow like flax,
strews hoarfrost like ashes,
he sends ice-crystals like breadcrumbs,
and who can withstand that cold?
When he sends his word it thaws them,
when he makes his wind blow, the waters are unstopped.
He reveals his word to Jacob,
his statutes and judgements to Israel.
For no other nation has he done this,
no other has known his judgements.
Psalm 148
Cosmic hymn of praise
Alleluia!
Praise Yahweh from the heavens,
praise him in the heights.
Praise him, all his angels,
praise him, all his host!
Praise him, sun and moon,
praise him, all shining stars,
praise him, highest heavens,
praise him, waters above the heavens.
Let them praise the name of Yahweh
at whose command they were made;
he established them for ever and ever
by an unchanging decree.
Praise Yahweh from the earth,
sea-monsters and all the depths,
fire and hail, snow and mist,
storm-winds that obey his word,
mountains and every hill,
orchards and every cedar,
wild animals and all cattle,
reptiles and winged birds,
kings of the earth and all nations,
princes and all judges on earth,
young men and girls,
old people and children together.
Let them praise the name of Yahweh,
for his name alone is sublime,
his splendour transcends earth and heaven.
For he heightens the strength of his people,
to the praise of all his faithful,
the children of Israel,
the people close to him.
Psalm 149
Song of triumph
Alleluia!
Sing a new song to Yahweh:
his praise in the assembly of the faithful!
Israel shall rejoice in its Maker,
the children of Zion delight in their king;
they shall dance in praise of his name,
play to him on tambourines and harp!
For Yahweh loves his people,
he will crown the humble with salvation.
The faithful exult in glory,
shout for joy as they worship him,
praising God to the heights with their voices,
to the honour of all his faithful.
Psalm 150
Final chorus of praise
Alleluia!
Praise God in his holy place,
praise him in the heavenly vault of his power,
praise him for his mighty deeds,
praise him for all his greatness.
Praise him with fanfare of trumpet,
praise him with harp and lyre,
praise him with tambourines and dancing,
praise him with strings and pipes,
praise him with the clamour of cymbals,
praise him with triumphant cymbals,
Let everything that breathes praise Yahweh.
Alleluia!