Psalm 142 is titled “A prayer when he was in the cave”: David, hunted and alone, cries out, “I cried to the Lord with my voice… I said: Thou art my hope, my portion in the land of the living.” St. Francis of Assisi prayed this psalm as he was dying. In the Douay-Rheims it is numbered Psalm 141. Below is the full Catholic text, what the psalm means, how the Church uses it, and a prayer.
Psalm 142 in the Douay-Rheims Bible
Of understanding for David. A prayer when he was in the cave.
I cried to the Lord with my voice: with my voice I made supplication to the Lord.
In his sight I pour out my prayer, and before him I declare my trouble:
When my spirit failed me, then thou knewest my paths. In this way wherein I walked, they have hidden a snare for me.
I 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.
I cried to thee, O Lord: I said: Thou art my hope, my portion in the land of the living.
Attend to my supplication: for I am brought very low. Deliver me from my persecutors; for they are stronger than I.
Bring my soul out of prison, that I may praise thy name: the just wait for me, until thou reward me.
Psalm 142 or Psalm 141?
The Douay-Rheims Bible follows the numbering of the Latin Vulgate and the Greek Septuagint, while most modern Bibles follow the Hebrew. So the Douay’s Psalm 141 is Psalm 142 in the New American Bible and other modern translations. In Latin the psalm begins Voce mea ad Dominum clamavi. See how many psalms are there?
The death of St. Francis
On the evening of October 3, 1226, St. Francis of Assisi, lying on the ground at the Portiuncula, began to pray this psalm aloud: Voce mea ad Dominum clamavi, “I cried to the Lord with my voice.” His early biographer Thomas of Celano records that he prayed it to the end, “Bring my soul out of prison, that I may praise thy name: the just wait for me, until thou reward me,” and then died. For Francis, death was the soul’s release from prison into the presence of God. See the Feast of St. Francis and prayers for the dying.
What the psalm means
- Pouring out the heart: “In his sight I pour out my prayer, and before him I declare my trouble.”
- Alone: “there is no one that hath regard to my soul.”
- God knows the way: “When my spirit failed me, then thou knewest my paths.”
- God is my portion: “Thou art my hope, my portion in the land of the living.”
- Freedom: “Bring my soul out of prison, that I may praise thy name.”
How the Church uses Psalm 142
- At Evening Prayer on Saturday of Week I, the first Vespers of Sunday. See Vespers.
- At the hour of death, following the example of St. Francis.
A prayer with Psalm 142
Written for this page:
With my voice I cry to you, Lord; before you I pour out my trouble.
When my spirit fails, you know my way.
You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living.
Bring my soul out of prison, that I may praise your name with all your saints. Amen.
Frequently asked questions
What psalm did St. Francis pray when he died?
Psalm 142 (141 in the Latin), “Voce mea ad Dominum clamavi,” according to Thomas of Celano.
What is Psalm 142 about?
David’s prayer when hiding in a cave, alone and pursued, trusting God as his refuge and portion.
More psalms and prayers
Texts and sources
- Scripture: Psalm 141 (142), Douay-Rheims Bible (Challoner), public domain.
- The prayer was written for this page.