Psalms 142

0A maskil of David, when he was in the cave. A prayer.

You Are My Refuge

1With my voice I cry out to Yahweh; with my voice I plead for grace to Yahweh.

2I pour out before him my complaint; my distress before him I declare.

3When my spirit grows faint within me — you yourself know my path. In the way where I walk they have hidden a trap for me.

4Look to the right and see — there is no one who recognizes me; escape is lost to me; there is no one who seeks after my life.

5I cry out to you, Yahweh; I say, ‘You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living.’

6Give heed to my cry, for I am brought very low; deliver me from my pursuers, for they are too strong for me.

7Bring my life out from prison, that I may give thanks to your name. The righteous will surround me, for you will deal bountifully with me.

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Cross-references in this chapter

Where this passage connects across Scripture — each link typed and reasoned, part of the AIT Bible Nexus Chart.

You Are My Refuge

• allusion 1 Samuel 1:15 — Shared idiom of pouring out one's soul/complaint before Yahweh.
• allusion Psalms 62:8 — Shared imagery of pouring out one's heart/complaint before God.
• allusion Psalms 27:13 — Shared distinctive phrase 'the land of the living' expressing hope for deliverance and life.
• allusion Psalms 79:8 — Shared plea 'for I am brought very low' in a cry for deliverance.
• allusion Psalms 18:17 — Both plead for deliverance from enemies who are too strong for the psalmist.
• thematic Psalms 16:5 — Both call Yahweh the psalmist's portion, using the same distinctive covenantal metaphor.
• thematic Psalms 73:26 — Both declare God as the psalmist's portion in distress.