Psalms 143

¹The title of the hundrid and thre and fourtithe salm. `A salm. Blessid be my Lord God, that techith myn hondis to werre; and my fyngris to batel.

²Mi merci, and my refuyt; my takere vp, and my delyuerer. Mi defender, and Y hopide in him; and thou makist suget my puple vnder me.

³Lord, what is a man, for thou hast maad knowun to him; ether the sone of man, for thou arettist him of sum valu?

⁴A man is maad lijk vanyte; hise daies passen as schadow.

⁵Lord, bowe doun thin heuenes, and come thou doun; touche thou hillis, and thei schulen make smoke.

⁶Leite thou schynyng, and thou schalt scatere hem; sende thou out thin arowis, and thou schalt disturble hem.

⁷Sende out thin hond fro an hiy, rauysche thou me out, and delyuere thou me fro many watris; and fro the hond of alien sones.

⁸The mouth of which spak vanite; and the riythond of hem is the riyt hond of wickidnesse.

⁹God, Y schal synge to thee a new song; I schal seie salm to thee in a sautre of ten stringis.

¹⁰Which yyuest heelthe to kingis; which ayen bouytist Dauid, thi seruaunt, fro the wickid swerd rauische thou out me.

¹¹And delyuere thou me fro `the hond of alien sones; the mouth of whiche spak vanyte, and the riythond of hem is the riyt hond of wickidnesse.

¹²Whose sones ben; as new plauntingis in her yongthe. The douytris of hem ben arayed; ourned about as the licnesse of the temple.

¹³The selers of hem ben fulle; bringinge out fro this vessel in to that. The scheep of hem ben with lambre, plenteuouse in her goingis out;

¹⁴her kien ben fatte. `No falling of wal is, nether passing ouere; nether cry is in the stretis of hem.

¹⁵Thei seiden, `The puple is blessid, that hath these thingis; blessid is the puple, whos Lord is the God of it.

Psalms 143

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

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

³For 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.

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

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

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

⁷Hear 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.

⁸Cause 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.

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

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

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

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