Psalm 38

New American Standard Bible

Prayer of a Suffering Penitent.

A Psalm of David, for a memorial.

38 Lord, ^(A)do not rebuke me in Your wrath,
And do not punish me in Your burning anger.
²For Your ^(B)arrows have sunk deep into me,
And ^(C)Your hand has pressed down on me.
³There is ^(D)no healthy part in my flesh ^(E)because of Your indignation;
There is no health ^(F)in my bones because of my sin.
⁴For my ^(G)guilty deeds have gone over my head;
Like a heavy burden they weigh too much for me.
⁵My ^[a]wounds grow foul and fester
Because of ^(H)my foolishness.
⁶I am bent over and ^(I)greatly bowed down;
I ^(J)go in mourning all day long.
⁷For my ^[b]sides are filled with ^(K)burning,
And there is ^(L)no healthy part in my flesh.
⁸I feel ^(M)faint and ^[c]badly crushed;
I ^[d]^(N)groan because of the ^[e]agitation of my heart.

⁹Lord, all ^(O)my desire is ^[f]before You;
And my ^(P)sighing is not hidden from You.
¹⁰My heart throbs, ^(Q)my strength fails me;
And the ^(R)light of my eyes, even ^[g]that ^[h]has gone from me.
¹¹My ^[i]^(S)loved ones and my friends stand aloof from my plague;
And my kinsmen ^(T)stand far away.
¹²Those who ^(U)seek my life ^(V)lay snares for me;
And those who ^(W)seek to injure me have ^[j]threatened destruction,
And they ^(X)plot deception all day long.

¹³But I, like a person who is deaf, do not hear;
And I am like a ^(Y)person who cannot speak, who does not open his mouth.
¹⁴Yes, I am like a person who does not hear,
And in whose mouth are no arguments.
¹⁵For ^(Z)I wait for You, Lord;
You ^(AA)will answer, Lord my God.
¹⁶For I said, “May they not rejoice over me,
Who, when my foot slips, ^(AB)would exalt themselves over me.”
¹⁷For I am ^(AC)ready to fall,
And ^(AD)my ^[k]sorrow is continually before me.
¹⁸For I ^(AE)admit my guilt;
I am full of ^(AF)anxiety because of my sin.
¹⁹But my ^(AG)enemies are vigorous and ^[l]strong,
And those who wrongfully ^(AH)hate me are many.
²⁰And those who ^(AI)repay evil for good,
They ^(AJ)become my enemies, because I follow what is good.
²¹Do not abandon me, Lord;
My God, ^(AK)do not be far from me!
²²^(AL)Hurry to help me,
Lord, ^(AM)my salvation!

Footnotes

Psalm 38:5 Or stripes
Psalm 38:7 Lit loins
Psalm 38:8 Or greatly
Psalm 38:8 Lit roar
Psalm 38:8 Lit growling
Psalm 38:9 Or known to You
Psalm 38:10 Lit they have
Psalm 38:10 Lit is not with me
Psalm 38:11 Or lovers
Psalm 38:12 Lit spoken
Psalm 38:17 Lit pain
Psalm 38:19 Or numerous

Psalm 39

New American Standard Bible

The Futility of Life.

For the music director, for ^[a]Jeduthun. A Psalm of David.

39 I said, “I will ^(A)keep watch over my ways
So that I ^(B)do not sin with my tongue;
I will keep watch over ^(C)my mouth as with a muzzle
While the wicked are in my presence.”
²I was ^(D)mute ^[b]and silent,
I ^[c]refused to say even something good,
And my pain was stirred up.
³My ^(E)heart was hot within me,
While I was musing the fire burned;
Then I spoke with my tongue:
⁴“Lord, let me know ^(F)my end,
And what is the extent of my days;
Let me know how ^(G)transient I am.
⁵Behold, You have made ^(H)my days like ^[d]hand widths,
And my ^(I)lifetime as nothing in Your sight;
Certainly all mankind standing is ^[e]a mere ^(J)breath. Selah
⁶Certainly every person ^(K)walks around as ^[f]a fleeting shadow;
They certainly make an ^(L)uproar for nothing;
He ^(M)amasses riches and does not know who will gather them.

⁷“And now, Lord, for what do I wait?
My ^(N)hope is in You.
⁸^(O)Save me from all my wrongdoings;
Do not make me an object of ^(P)reproach for the foolish.
⁹I have become ^(Q)mute, I do not open my mouth,
Because it is ^(R)You who have done it.
¹⁰^(S)Remove Your plague from me;
Because of ^(T)the opposition of Your hand I am ^[g]perishing.
¹¹With ^(U)rebukes You punish a person for wrongdoing;
You ^(V)consume like a moth what is precious to him;
Certainly ^(W)all mankind is mere breath! Selah

¹²“^(X)Hear my prayer, Lord, and listen to my cry for help;
Do not be silent ^(Y)to my tears;
For I am ^(Z)a stranger with You,
^(AA)One who lives abroad, like all my fathers.
¹³^(AB)Turn Your eyes away from me, that I may become cheerful again
Before I depart and am no more.”