Read Psalm 142 at Bible Gateway.
The paragraph divisions:
1 With my voice I cry unto the Lord; With my voice I make my supplication unto the Lord;
2 I pour out my complaint before Him; I declare before Him my trouble;
3a When my spirit is overwhelmed within me — You know my path –; {n}
3b In the way in which I walk they have secretly set a snare for me;
4a Look on my right hand and see, for there is no one who acknowledges me; {n}
4b Refuge has failed me; No one cares for my soul;
5a I have cried unto You, O Lord: {n}
5b I have said, “You are my refuge, My portion in the land of the living;
6a Attend unto my cry, For I am brought very low; {n}
6b Deliver me from my persecutors, For they are too strong for me;
7a Bring my soul out of prison, that I may give thanks unto Your name; {n}
7b The righteous shall surround me as You shall deal bountifully with me.” {p}
The patterns:
Psa 142:1-5a chiastic structure:
1a) Psa 142:1-2, With my voice I cry unto the Lord + pour out my complaint;
1b) Psa 142:3a, When my spirit is overwhelmed within me –;
1c) Psa 142:3b, You know my path –; {n}
central axis) Psa 142:3c, In the way in which I walk they have secretly set a snare for me;
2c) Psa 142:4a, Look on my right hand and see, for there is no one who acknowledges me; {n}
2b) Psa 142:4b, Refuge has failed me; no one cares for my soul;
2a) Psa 142:5a, I have cried unto You, O Lord: {n}
In the C pair, the contrast is between the LORD who knows the psalmist’s path, i.e., his ways, the kind of person he is and how he responds to life, and everyone else, who, because of the trouble the psalmist is in, chooses not to know him or acknowledge him. The sense is that they are abandoning a sinking ship, and he finds himself alone.
Psa 142:4-7 chiastic structure:
1a) Psa 142:4a, Look on my right hand and see, for there is no one who acknowledges me; {n}
1b) Psa 142:4b, Refuge has failed me; No one cares for my soul;
central axis) Psa 142:5a, I have cried unto You, O Lord: {n}
2b) Psa 142:5b-7a, The Lord my refuge who brings my soul out of prison:
1a) Psa 142:5b, I have said, “You are my refuge, My portion in the land of the living;
1b) Psa 142:6a, Attend unto my cry, For I am brought very low; {n}
2b) Psa 142:6b, Deliver me from my persecutors, For they are too strong for me;
2a) Psa 142:7a, Bring my soul out of prison, that I may give thanks unto Your name; {n}
2a) Psa 142:7b, The righteous shall surround me as You shall deal bountifully with me.” {p}
The second chiastic structure, which shares elements with the first one, opens with all having forsaken the psalmist, but closes with the righteous surrounding him, as the Lord begins to reverse his situation and work on his behalf. He can find no place of refuge, but realizes the Lord is his refuge and his portion, who will hear him, acknowledge him and deliver him. The central axis is the turning point for him: I have cried unto You, O Lord!
Both chiastic structures also repeat elements with each other.
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