Psalm 38-40
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.
2 For Your (B)arrows have sunk deep into me,
And (C)Your hand has pressed down on me.
3 There 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.
4 For my (G)guilty deeds have gone over my head;
Like a heavy burden they weigh too much for me.
5 My [a]wounds grow foul and fester
Because of (H)my foolishness.
6 I am bent over and (I)greatly bowed down;
I (J)go in mourning all day long.
7 For my [b]sides are filled with (K)burning,
And there is (L)no healthy part in my flesh.
8 I feel (M)faint and [c]badly crushed;
I [d](N)groan because of the [e]agitation of my heart.
9 Lord, all (O)my desire is [f]before You;
And my (P)sighing is not hidden from You.
10 My heart throbs, (Q)my strength fails me;
And the (R)light of my eyes, even [g]that [h]has gone from me.
11 My [i](S)loved ones and my friends stand aloof from my plague;
And my kinsmen (T)stand far away.
12 Those 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.
13 But 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.
14 Yes, I am like a person who does not hear,
And in whose mouth are no arguments.
15 For (Z)I wait for You, Lord;
You (AA)will answer, Lord my God.
16 For I said, “May they not rejoice over me,
Who, when my foot slips, (AB)would exalt themselves over me.”
17 For I am (AC)ready to fall,
And (AD)my [k]sorrow is continually before me.
18 For I (AE)admit my guilt;
I am full of (AF)anxiety because of my sin.
19 But my (AG)enemies are vigorous and [l]strong,
And those who wrongfully (AH)hate me are many.
20 And those who (AI)repay evil for good,
They (AJ)become my enemies, because I follow what is good.
21 Do not abandon me, Lord;
My God, (AK)do not be far from me!
22 (AL)Hurry to help me,
Lord, (AM)my salvation!
The Futility of Life.
For the music director, for [m]Jeduthun. A Psalm of David.
39 I said, “I will (AN)keep watch over my ways
So that I (AO)do not sin with my tongue;
I will keep watch over (AP)my mouth as with a muzzle
While the wicked are in my presence.”
2 I was (AQ)mute [n]and silent,
I [o]refused to say even something good,
And my pain was stirred up.
3 My (AR)heart was hot within me,
While I was musing the fire burned;
Then I spoke with my tongue:
4 “Lord, let me know (AS)my end,
And what is the extent of my days;
Let me know how (AT)transient I am.
5 Behold, You have made (AU)my days like [p]hand widths,
And my (AV)lifetime as nothing in Your sight;
Certainly all mankind standing is [q]a mere (AW)breath. Selah
6 Certainly every person (AX)walks around as [r]a fleeting shadow;
They certainly make an (AY)uproar for nothing;
He (AZ)amasses riches and does not know who will gather them.
7 “And now, Lord, for what do I wait?
My (BA)hope is in You.
8 (BB)Save me from all my wrongdoings;
Do not make me an object of (BC)reproach for the foolish.
9 I have become (BD)mute, I do not open my mouth,
Because it is (BE)You who have done it.
10 (BF)Remove Your plague from me;
Because of (BG)the opposition of Your hand I am [s]perishing.
11 With (BH)rebukes You punish a person for wrongdoing;
You (BI)consume like a moth what is precious to him;
Certainly (BJ)all mankind is mere breath! Selah
12 “(BK)Hear my prayer, Lord, and listen to my cry for help;
Do not be silent (BL)to my tears;
For I am (BM)a stranger with You,
(BN)One who lives abroad, like all my fathers.
13 (BO)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 (BP)waited [t]patiently for the Lord;
And He reached down to me and (BQ)heard my cry.
2 He brought me up out of the (BR)pit of [u]destruction, out of the mud;
And (BS)He set my feet on a rock, (BT)making my footsteps firm.
3 He put a (BU)new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God;
Many will (BV)see and fear
And will trust in the Lord.
4 How (BW)blessed is the man who has made the Lord his trust,
And (BX)has not turned to the [v]proud, nor to those who (BY)become involved in falsehood.
5 Many, Lord my God, are (BZ)the wonders which You have done,
And Your (CA)thoughts toward us;
There is no one to compare with You.
If I would declare and speak of them,
They (CB)would be too numerous to count.
6 (CC)You have not desired [w]sacrifice and meal offering;
You have [x]opened my ears;
You have not required burnt offering and sin offering.
7 Then I said, “Behold, I have come;
It is [y]written of me in the scroll of the book.
8 (CD)I delight to do Your will, my God;
(CE)Your Law is within my [z]heart.”
9 I have (CF)proclaimed good news of righteousness in the great congregation;
Behold, I will (CG)not restrain my lips,
Lord, (CH)You know.
10 I have (CI)not hidden Your righteousness within my heart;
I have (CJ)spoken of Your faithfulness and Your salvation;
I have not concealed Your mercy and Your truth from the great congregation.
11 You, Lord, will not withhold Your compassion from me;
[aa]Your (CK)mercy and Your truth will continually watch over me.
12 For evils beyond number have (CL)surrounded me;
My (CM)guilty deeds have overtaken me, so that I am not able to see;
They are (CN)more numerous than the hairs of my head,
And my (CO)heart has [ab]failed me.
13 (CP)Be pleased, Lord, to rescue me;
(CQ)Hurry, Lord, to help me.
14 May those be (CR)ashamed and humiliated together
Who (CS)seek my [ac]life to destroy it;
May those be turned back and dishonored
Who delight [ad]in my hurt.
15 May those (CT)be [ae]appalled because of their shame
Who (CU)say to me, “Aha, aha!”
16 (CV)May all who seek You rejoice and be glad in You;
May those who love Your salvation continually (CW)say,
“The Lord be exalted!”
17 But (CX)I am afflicted and needy;
(CY)May the Lord be mindful of me.
You are my help and my savior;
Do not delay, my God.
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 Title 1 Chr 16:41
- Psalm 39:2 Lit with silence
- Psalm 39:2 Lit was silent from good
- Psalm 39:5 I.e., short
- Psalm 39:5 Or altogether breath
- Psalm 39:6 Lit an image
- Psalm 39:10 Or wasting away
- Psalm 40:1 Or intently
- Psalm 40:2 Lit wasteland; i.e., the underworld
- Psalm 40:4 Or enemies
- Psalm 40:6 I.e., blood sacrifice
- Psalm 40:6 Lit dug; or possibly pierced
- Psalm 40:7 Or prescribed for
- Psalm 40:8 Lit inner being
- Psalm 40:11 Or May...preserve
- Psalm 40:12 Lit forsaken
- Psalm 40:14 Or soul
- Psalm 40:14 Or to injure me
- Psalm 40:15 Or desolated
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