A hunted man prays inside a cave as pursuers pass and friends approach along a sunlit path

Psalm 142

World English Bible
Chapter overview
Psalm 142 pours an honest complaint from isolation, danger, and apparent abandonment. With no human refuge visible, the cave prayer names God as portion and anticipates release into a grateful community.
IsolationRefugeComplaintRescue

About Psalms: book summary and outline →

1I cry with my voice to the LORD. With my voice, I ask the LORD for mercy.
2I pour out my complaint before him. I tell him my troubles.
3When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, you knew my route. On the path in which I walk, they have hidden a snare for me.
4Look on my right, and see; for there is no one who is concerned for me. Refuge has fled from me. No one cares for my soul.
5I cried to you, LORD. I said, “You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living.”
6Listen to my cry, for I am in desperate need. Deliver me from my persecutors, for they are too strong for me.
7Bring my soul out of prison, that I may give thanks to your name. The righteous will surround me, for you will be good to me.

Verses to memorize from Psalm 142

  • Psalm 142:4-5Look on my right, and see; for there is no one who is concerned for me.…

World English Bible — Public Domain. Where these translations come from.