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Psalterium Catholicum offers praying the Psalms, practicing Lectio Divina, and exploring faithful Catholic resources for daily devotion.

Psalm 142 The Psalter Psalm 144

PSALMVS CXLIII

Domine, exaudi orationem meam

Penitential Psalm · Penitential · Book V

Pray this Psalm · Lectio Divina

1Of understanding for David. A prayer when he was in the cave. [1 Kings

2I cried to the Lord with my voice: with my voice I made supplication to the Lord.

3In his sight I pour out my prayer, and before him I declare my trouble:

4When my spirit failed me, then thou newest my paths.

5I looked on my right hand, and beheld, and there was no one that would know me. Flight hath failed me: and there is no one that hath regard to my soul.

6I cried to thee, O Lord: I said: Thou art my hope, my portion in the land of the living.

7Attend to my supplication: for I am brought very low. Deliver me from my persecutors; for they are stronger than I.

8Bring my soul out of prison, that I may praise thy name: the just wait for me, until thou reward me.

Douay-Rheims · Challoner Revision

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Wisdom of the Church

Psalm 143, traditionally attributed to King David in its superscription, is categorized as the final of the seven Penitential Psalms. Historically, the composition reflects the existential angst of the late Davidic or post-exilic period, capturing a moment of profound national or personal distress where the psalmist implores divine intervention against enemies. Within the structure of the Psalter, it occupies the fifth book (Psalms 107–150), serving as a bridge between the historical petitions of the exilic period and the final doxological crescendo of the Hallel psalms. The imagery of the soul thirsting like a parched land echoes the motifs of Israel’s wilderness wanderings, rooting the prayer in the communal memory of covenantal dependence. In Second Temple worship, this psalm functioned as a liturgical lament, providing a template for communal repentance and petition when the people felt the weight of divine judgment. Its placement at the end of the collection of Davidic petitions highlights the Psalter's movement toward the definitive hope of Messianic restoration, grounding the specific historical trials of the sufferer in the broader context of Israel’s covenantal relationship with YHWH.