מִזְמוֹר לְדָוִד יְהוָה שְׁמַע תְּפִלָּתִי הַאֲזִינָה אֶל־תַּחֲנוּנַי בֶּאֱמֻנָתְךָ עֲנֵנִי בְּצִדְקָתֶךָ׃   143:1

Psal. 143:1   A psalm of David's:

                        Lord, hear my prayer, listen to my supplications;

                                 in Your faithfulness, in Your righteousness, answer me.

וְאַל־תָּבוֹא בְמִשְׁפָּט אֶת־עַבְדֶּךָ כִּי לֹא־יִצְדַּק לְפָנֶיךָ כָל־חָי׃   143:2

Psal. 143:2   And may You not enter into judgment with Your servant,

                                 for no one living can be righteous before You.

כִּי רָדַף אוֹיֵב נַפְשִׁי דִּכָּא לָאָרֶץ חַיָּתִי הוֹשִׁיבַנִי בְמַחֲשַׁכִּים כְּמֵתֵי עוֹלָם׃   143:3

Psal. 143:3   But the enemy pursues my soul,

                                 has shattered my life to the ground,

                        has made me abide in dark places like the dead of old,

וַתִּתְעַטֵּף עָלַי רוּחִי בְּתוֹכִי יִשְׁתּוֹמֵם לִבִּי׃   143:4

Psal. 143:4   that my spirit grows weak about me,

                                 my heart within me could be appalled.

זָכַרְתִּי יָמִים מִקֶּדֶם הָגִיתִי בְכָל־פָּעֳלֶךָ בְּמַעֲשֵׂה יָדֶיךָ אֲשׂוֹחֵחַ׃   143:5

Psal. 143:5   I remember days from of old;

                                 I meditated on all Your achievement;

                        I would muse on the work of Your "hands."

פֵּרַשְׂתִּי יָדַי אֵלֶיךָ נַפְשִׁי כְּאֶרֶץ־עֲיֵפָה לְךָ סֶלָה׃   143:6

Psal. 143:6   I stretch out my hands to You;

                                 my soul is like a land exhausted for You.             Selah.

One final exception to my theory on Selah!  See Psal. 3:3.  There are six of these all told.  The first two occur in Psal. 52 and 77, two are in Psal. 88 and 89, and the last two are in Psal. 140 and 143.

מַהֵר עֲנֵנִי יְהוָה כָּלְתָה רוּחִי אַל־תַּסְתֵּר פָּנֶיךָ מִמֶּנִּי וְנִמְשַׁלְתִּי עִם־יֹרְדֵי בוֹר׃   143:7

Psal. 143:7   Answer me quickly, Lord; my spirit fails.

                                 May You not hide Your presence from me,

                        that I could be compared with descenders of the pit.

הַשְׁמִיעֵנִי בַבֹּקֶר חַסְדֶּךָ כִּי־בְךָ בָטָחְתִּי הֹודִיעֵנִי דֶּרֶךְ־זוּ אֵלֵךְ כִּי־אֵלֶיךָ נָשָׂאתִי נַפְשִׁי׃   143:8

Psal. 143:8   Proclaim to me in the morning Your loving kindness,

                                 for in You I trust.

                        Declare to me the way that I should walk,

                                 for to You I lift up my soul.

הַצִּילֵנִי מֵאֹיְבַי יְהוָה אֵלֶיךָ כִסִּתִי׃   143:9

Psal. 143:9   Deliver me from my enemies, Lord;

                                 near You I hide.

לַמְּדֵנִי לַעֲשׂוֹת רְצוֹנֶךָ כִּי־אַתָּה אֱלוֹהָי רוּחֲךָ טוֹבָה תַּנְחֵנִי בְּאֶרֶץ מִישׁוֹר׃   143:10

Psal. 143:10   Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God.

                                 May Your good spirit lead me on level ground.

לְמַעַן־שִׁמְךָ יְהוָה תְּחַיֵּנִי בְּצִדְקָתְךָ תוֹצִיא מִצָּרָה נַפְשִׁי׃   143:11

Psal. 143:11   May You revive me for the sake of Your name, Lord.

                                 Extricate my soul from trouble with Your justice.

וּבְחַסְדְּךָ תַּצְמִית אֹיְבָי וְהַאֲבַדְתָּ כָּל־צֹרֲרֵי נַפְשִׁי כִּי אֲנִי עַבְדֶּךָ׃   143:12

Psal. 143:12   And with Your mercy may You put an end to my enemies

                                 and destroy all the distressers of my soul,

                          for I am Your servant.

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