Psalms 142

A lonely cry for help answered by trust in God alone.

Psalms 142 - My Refuge in the Land of the Living

Psalm 142 records a raw, personal complaint, poured out before God at a moment when "refuge failed me; no man cared for my soul." It follows the guarded, watchful prayer of Psalms 141 with an even more isolated cry for help.


A Maskil of David, when he was in the cave. A prayer. I cry aloud to the LORD; I lift my voice to the LORD for mercy.

I pour out my complaint before Him; I reveal my trouble to Him.

Although my spirit grows faint within me, You know my way. Along the path I travel they have hidden a snare for me.

Look to my right and see; no one attends to me. There is no refuge for me; no one cares for my soul.

I cry to You, O LORD: “You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living.”

Listen to my cry, for I am brought quite low. Rescue me from my pursuers, for they are too strong for me.

Free my soul from prison, that I may praise Your name. The righteous will gather around me because of Your goodness to me.

Despite the loneliness, the psalmist calls the LORD "my refuge and my portion in the land of the living" and asks to be brought "out of prison" to praise God's name, a trust in weakness echoed in <a href="/bible/bsb/romans/chapter-8/26">Romans 8:26</a>. Browse related chapters on the <a href="/bible/bsb/psalms">Psalms overview</a> or continue to <a href="/bible/bsb/psalms/chapter-143">Psalms 143</a>.