From the cave David lifts his voice to the LORD, pouring out complaint and distress before him because his spirit is faint and the path ahead is trapped. He looks for human refuge and finds none, so he confesses the LORD alone as his refuge and portion in the land of the living, then asks to be brought out of prison so that the righteous may gather around him when God deals bountifully with him.
Psalm 142 follows Psalm 141 by narrowing the prayer even further into isolation. The previous psalm asks for guarded speech and escape from snares; this one speaks from a place where no human being notices or cares, so it fits Book V as a prayer that strips away every secondary support until the LORD alone remains as refuge, portion, deliverer, and the source of restored public praise.
A continuous BSB reading flow. Turn on the guide when you want authored orientation; leave it off when you simply want the text.
A1 Maskil of David, when he was in the cave. A prayer. 2I pour out my complaint before Him; 3Although my spirit grows faint within me,
4Look to my right and see; 5I cry to You, O LORD: “You are my refuge,
6Listen to my cry, 7Free my soul from prison,
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