Psalm 39-41

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.”

God Sustains His Servant.

For the music director. A Psalm of David.

40 I ^(AC)waited ^[h]patiently for the Lord;
And He reached down to me and ^(AD)heard my cry.
²He brought me up out of the ^(AE)pit of ^[i]destruction, out of the mud;
And ^(AF)He set my feet on a rock, ^(AG)making my footsteps firm.
³He put a ^(AH)new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God;
Many will ^(AI)see and fear
And will trust in the Lord.

⁴How ^(AJ)blessed is the man who has made the Lord his trust,
And ^(AK)has not turned to the ^[j]proud, nor to those who ^(AL)become involved in falsehood.
⁵Many, Lord my God, are ^(AM)the wonders which You have done,
And Your ^(AN)thoughts toward us;
There is no one to compare with You.
If I would declare and speak of them,
They ^(AO)would be too numerous to count.

⁶^(AP)You have not desired ^[k]sacrifice and meal offering;
You have ^[l]opened my ears;
You have not required burnt offering and sin offering.
⁷Then I said, “Behold, I have come;
It is ^[m]written of me in the scroll of the book.
⁸^(AQ)I delight to do Your will, my God;
^(AR)Your Law is within my ^[n]heart.”

⁹I have ^(AS)proclaimed good news of righteousness in the great congregation;
Behold, I will ^(AT)not restrain my lips,
Lord, ^(AU)You know.
¹⁰I have ^(AV)not hidden Your righteousness within my heart;
I have ^(AW)spoken of Your faithfulness and Your salvation;
I have not concealed Your mercy and Your truth from the great congregation.

¹¹You, Lord, will not withhold Your compassion from me;
^[o]Your ^(AX)mercy and Your truth will continually watch over me.
¹²For evils beyond number have ^(AY)surrounded me;
My ^(AZ)guilty deeds have overtaken me, so that I am not able to see;
They are ^(BA)more numerous than the hairs of my head,
And my ^(BB)heart has ^[p]failed me.

¹³^(BC)Be pleased, Lord, to rescue me;
^(BD)Hurry, Lord, to help me.
¹⁴May those be ^(BE)ashamed and humiliated together
Who ^(BF)seek my ^[q]life to destroy it;
May those be turned back and dishonored
Who delight ^[r]in my hurt.
¹⁵May those ^(BG)be ^[s]appalled because of their shame
Who ^(BH)say to me, “Aha, aha!”
¹⁶^(BI)May all who seek You rejoice and be glad in You;
May those who love Your salvation continually ^(BJ)say,
“The Lord be exalted!”
¹⁷But ^(BK)I am afflicted and needy;
^(BL)May the Lord be mindful of me.
You are my help and my savior;
Do not delay, my God.

The Psalmist in Sickness Complains of Enemies and False Friends.

For the music director. A Psalm of David.

41 Blessed is one who ^(BM)considers the ^[t]helpless;
The Lord will save him ^(BN)on a day of ^[u]trouble.
²The Lord will ^(BO)protect him and keep him alive,
And he will be called ^[v]^(BP)blessed upon the earth;
And ^(BQ)do not turn him over to the desire of his enemies.
³The Lord will sustain him upon his sickbed;
In his illness, You ^[w]restore him to health.

⁴As for me, I said, “Lord, be gracious to me;
^(BR)Heal my soul, for ^(BS)I have sinned against You.”
⁵My enemies ^(BT)speak evil against me,
“When will he die, and his name perish?”
⁶And ^[x]when he comes to see me, he ^(BU)speaks ^[y]empty words;
His heart gathers wickedness to itself;
When he goes outside, he tells it.
⁷All who hate me whisper together against me;
They ^(BV)plot my harm against me, saying,
⁸“A wicked thing is poured out ^[z]upon him,
So that when he lies down, he will ^(BW)not get up again.”
⁹Even my ^[aa]^(BX)close friend in whom I trusted,
Who ate my bread,
Has lifted up his heel against me.

¹⁰But You, Lord, be gracious to me and ^(BY)raise me up,
That I may repay them.
¹¹By this I know that ^(BZ)You are pleased with me,
Because ^(CA)my enemy does not shout in triumph over me.
¹²As for me, ^(CB)You uphold me in my integrity,
And You place me ^(CC)in Your presence forever.