Psalm 139-142

New American Standard Bible

God’s Omnipresence and Omniscience.

For the music director. A Psalm of David.

139 Lord, You have ^(A)searched me and known me.
²You ^(B)know ^[a]when I sit down and ^[b]when I get up;
You ^(C)understand my thought from far away.
³You ^[c]^(D)scrutinize my ^[d]path and my lying down,
And are acquainted with all my ways.
⁴^[e]Even before there is a word on my tongue,
Behold, Lord, You ^(E)know it all.
⁵You have ^(F)encircled me behind and in front,
And ^(G)placed Your hand upon me.
⁶Such ^(H)knowledge is ^(I)too wonderful for me;
It is too high, I cannot comprehend it.

⁷^(J)Where can I go from Your Spirit?
Or where can I flee from Your presence?
⁸^(K)If I ascend to heaven, You are there;
If I make my bed in ^[f]Sheol, behold, ^(L)You are there.
⁹If I take up the wings of the dawn,
If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea,
¹⁰Even there Your hand will ^(M)lead me,
And Your right hand will take hold of me.
¹¹If I say, “Surely the ^(N)darkness will ^[g]overwhelm me,
And the light around me will be night,”
¹²Even ^(O)darkness is not dark ^[h]to You,
And the night is as bright as the day.
^(P)Darkness and light are alike to You.

¹³For You ^(Q)created my innermost parts;
You ^(R)wove me in my mother’s womb.
¹⁴I will give thanks to You, because ^[i]I am awesomely and wonderfully made;
^(S)Wonderful are Your works,
And my soul knows it very well.
¹⁵My ^[j]^(T)frame was not hidden from You
When I was made in secret,
And skillfully formed in the ^(U)depths of the earth;
¹⁶Your ^(V)eyes have seen my formless substance;
And in ^(W)Your book were written
All the ^(X)days that were ordained for me,
When as yet there was not one of them.

¹⁷How precious also are Your ^(Y)thoughts for me, God!
How vast is the sum of them!
¹⁸Were I to count them, they would ^(Z)outnumber the sand.
When ^(AA)I awake, I am still with You.

¹⁹If only You would ^(AB)put the wicked to death, God;
^(AC)Leave me, ^(AD)you men of bloodshed.
²⁰For they ^(AE)speak ^[k]against You wickedly,
And Your enemies ^[l]^(AF)take Your name in vain.
²¹Do I not ^(AG)hate those who hate You, Lord?
And do I not ^(AH)loathe those who rise up against You?
²²I hate them with the utmost hatred;
They have become my enemies.

²³^(AI)Search me, God, and know my heart;
^(AJ)Put me to the test and know my anxious thoughts;
²⁴And see if there is any ^[m]^(AK)hurtful way in me,
And ^(AL)lead me in the ^(AM)everlasting way.

Prayer for Protection against the Wicked.

For the music director. A Psalm of David.

140 ^(AN)Rescue me, Lord, from evil people;
Protect me from ^(AO)violent men
²Who ^(AP)devise evil things in their hearts;
They ^(AQ)continually stir up wars.
³They ^(AR)sharpen their tongues like a snake;
^(AS)The venom of a viper is under their lips. Selah

⁴^(AT)Keep me, Lord, from the hands of the wicked;
^(AU)Protect me from violent men
Who ^[n]intend to ^[o]^(AV)trip up my feet.
⁵The proud have ^(AW)hidden a trap for me, and snares;
They have spread a ^(AX)net at the ^[p]wayside;
They have set ^(AY)snares for me. Selah

⁶I ^(AZ)said to the Lord, “You are my God;
^(BA)Listen, Lord, to the ^(BB)sound of my pleadings.
⁷^[q]God the Lord, ^(BC)the strength of my salvation,
You have ^(BD)covered my head on the day of ^[r]battle.
⁸Do not grant, Lord, the ^(BE)desires of the wicked;
Do not bring about ^(BF)his evil planning, so that they are not exalted. Selah

⁹“As for the head of those who surround me,
May the ^(BG)harm of their lips cover them.
¹⁰May ^(BH)burning coals fall upon them;
May they be ^(BI)cast into the fire,
Into bottomless pits from which they ^(BJ)cannot rise.
¹¹May a ^[s]slanderer not endure on the earth;
^(BK)May evil hunt a violent person ^[t]violently.”

¹²I know that the Lord will ^(BL)maintain the cause of the afflicted,
And ^(BM)justice for the poor.
¹³Certainly the ^(BN)righteous will give thanks to Your name;
The ^(BO)upright will dwell in Your presence.

An Evening Prayer for Sanctification and Protection.

A Psalm of David.

141 Lord, I call upon You; ^(BP)hurry to me!
^(BQ)Listen to my voice when I call to You!
²May my prayer be ^[u]counted as ^(BR)incense before You;
The ^(BS)raising of my hands as the ^(BT)evening offering.
³Set a ^(BU)guard, Lord, ^[v]over my mouth;
Keep watch over the ^(BV)door of my lips.
⁴^(BW)Do not incline my heart to any evil thing,
To practice deeds ^[w]of wickedness
With people who ^(BX)do wrong;
And ^(BY)may I not taste their delicacies.

⁵May the ^(BZ)righteous strike me with mercy and discipline me;
It is ^(CA)oil for the head;
My head shall not refuse it,
For my prayer ^(CB)is still against their evil deeds.
⁶Their judges are ^(CC)thrown down by the sides of the rock,
And they hear my words, for they are pleasant.
⁷As when one ^(CD)plows and breaks open the earth,
Our ^(CE)bones have been scattered at the ^(CF)mouth of ^[x]Sheol.

⁸For my ^(CG)eyes are toward You, ^[y]God, the Lord;
In You I ^(CH)take refuge; ^(CI)do not ^[z]leave me defenseless.
⁹Keep me from the ^[aa]^(CJ)jaws of the trap which they have set for me,
And from the ^(CK)snares of those who do wrong.
¹⁰May the wicked ^(CL)fall into their own nets,
While I pass by ^[ab]^(CM)safely.

Prayer for Help in Trouble.

^[ac]Maskil of David, when he was ^[ad]in the cave. A Prayer.

142 I ^(CN)cry out with my voice to the Lord;
With my voice I ^(CO)implore the Lord for compassion.
²I ^(CP)pour out my complaint before Him;
I declare my ^(CQ)trouble before Him.
³When ^(CR)my spirit felt weak within me,
You knew my path.
In the way where I walk
They have ^(CS)hidden a trap for me.
⁴Look to the right and see;
For there is ^(CT)no one who regards me favorably;
^[ae]There is no ^(CU)escape for me;
^(CV)No one cares for my soul.

⁵I cried out to You, Lord;
I said, “You are ^(CW)my refuge,
My ^(CX)portion in the ^(CY)land of the living.
⁶^(CZ)Give Your attention to my cry,
For I have been ^(DA)brought very low;
Rescue me from my persecutors,
For they are too ^(DB)strong for me.
⁷^(DC)Bring my soul out of prison,
So that I may give thanks to Your name;
The righteous will surround me,
For You will ^(DD)look after me.”