Psalms 143 (DBY)

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Chapter Text

143:1 {A Psalm of David.} Jehovah, hear my prayer; give ear to my supplications: in thy faithfulness answer me, in thy righteousness.

143:2 And enter not into judgment with thy servant; for in thy sight no man living shall be justified.

143:3 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.

143:4 And my spirit is overwhelmed within me; my heart within me is desolate.

143:5 I remember the days of old: I meditate on all thy doing; I muse on the work of thy hands.

143:6 I stretch forth my hands unto thee: my soul, as a parched land, [thirsteth] after thee. Selah.

143:7 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.

143:8 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.

143:9 Deliver me, O Jehovah, from mine enemies: unto thee do I flee for refuge.

143:10 Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my God: let thy good Spirit lead me in a plain country.

143:11 Revive me, O Jehovah, for thy name's sake; in thy righteousness bring my soul out of trouble;

143:12 And in thy loving-kindness cut off mine enemies, and destroy all them that oppress my soul: for I am thy servant.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "justified", "Spirit", "faith", "psalm", "david", "jehovah", "hear", and "prayer". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "justified" and "Spirit", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The local DBY text gives this verse as the immediate unit, so "justified" and "Spirit" carries the first interpretive weight. In Psalms context, the local focus is worship, trust, the LORD's kingship, and covenant mercy.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "justified" and "Spirit" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.