受苦者的呼求

大卫的诗,交给乐长耶杜顿。

39 我说:“我要谨言慎行,
免犯口舌之罪。
只要身边有恶人,
我就用嚼环勒住自己的口。”
然而,我默不作声,
连好话也不出口时,
内心就更加痛苦。
我心如火烧,越沉思越烦躁,
便开口呼求:
“耶和华啊,求你让我知道我人生的终点和寿数,
明白人生何其短暂。
你使我的生命转瞬即逝,
我的岁月在你眼中不到片刻。
人的生命不过是一丝气息,(细拉)
人生不过是幻影,
劳碌奔波却一场空,
积蓄财富却不知谁来享用。
主啊,如今我盼望什么呢?
你是我的盼望。
求你救我脱离一切过犯,
不要让愚昧人嘲笑我。
我默然不语,一言不发,
因为我受的责罚是出于你。
10 求你不要再惩罚我,
你的责打使我几乎丧命。
11 因为人犯罪,你管教他们,
使他们所爱的被吞噬,像被虫蛀。
世人不过是一丝气息。(细拉)

12 “耶和华啊,
求你垂听我的祷告,
倾听我的呼求,
别对我的眼泪视若无睹。
因为我在你面前只是客旅,
是寄居的,
正如我的祖先。
13 求你宽恕我,
好让我在离世之前能重展笑容。”

人生虚幻,主是唯一指望

大卫的诗,交给诗班长耶杜顿。

39 我曾说:“我要谨慎我的行为,

不让我的舌头犯罪;

恶人在我面前的时候,

我总要用罩子约束我的嘴。”

我静默不出声,

甚至连好话也不说(“甚至连好话也不说”或译:“我安静也得不到安慰”),

我的痛苦就更加剧烈。

我的心在我里面发热;

我默想的时候,心里火烧;

我就用舌头说话:

“耶和华啊!求你使我知道我的结局,

我的寿数有多少,

使我知道我的生命多么短促。

你使我的日子窄如手掌,

我的一生在你面前如同无有;

各人站得最稳的时候,也只不过是一口气。(细拉)

世人来来往往只是幻影,

他们忙乱也是虚空;

积聚财物,却不知道谁要来收取。

主啊!现在我还等候甚么呢?

我的指望在乎你。

求你救我脱离我的一切过犯,

不要使我遭受愚顽人的羞辱。

因为是你作了这事,

我就静默不开口。

10 求你除掉你降在我身上的灾祸;

因你手的责打,我就消灭。

11 你因人的罪孽,借着责罚管教他们,

叫他们所宝贵的消失,像被虫蛀蚀;

世人都不过是一口气。(细拉)

12 耶和华啊!求你垂听我的祷告,

留心听我的呼求;

我流泪,求你不要缄默;

因为我在你面前是客旅,

是寄居的,像我所有的祖先一样。

13 求你不要怒视我,

使我在去而不返之先,可以喜乐。”

The Brevity of Human Life

For the music director. For Jeduthun.[a] A psalm of David.[b]

39 I said, “I will guard my ways
that I may not sin[c] with my tongue.
I will keep a muzzle over my mouth
as long as the wicked are before me.”
I was mute with silence. I was silent even from saying good things,
and my pain was stirred up.
My heart grew hot inside me;
in my sighing a fire burned.
Then I spoke with my tongue,
“Let me know, O Yahweh, my end,
and what is the measure of my days.
Let me know how transient I am.”
Look, you have made my days mere handbreadths,
and my lifespan as nothing next to you.
Surely every person standing firm is complete vanity. Selah
Surely a man walks about as a mere shadow;[d]
surely in vain they bustle about.
He heaps up possessions but does not know who will gather them in.
And now, O Lord, for what do I wait?
My hope is for you.
From all my transgressions deliver me;
do not make me the taunt of the fool.
I am mute. I do not open my mouth,
for you, yourself, have done it.
10 Remove from me your affliction.
By the opposition of your hand I perish.
11 When with rebukes you chastise a man for sin,
you[e] consume[f] like a moth his delightful things.
Surely everyone is a mere vapor.[g] Selah
12 Hear my prayer, O Yahweh, and listen to my cry for help;
do not be deaf to my tears.
For I am an alien[h] with you,
a sojourner like all my ancestors.[i]
13 Look away from me that I may be cheerful,
before I depart and I am no more.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 39:1 One of David’s musicians (1 Chr 16:41)
  2. Psalm 39:1 The Hebrew Bible counts the superscription as the first verse of the psalm; the English verse number is reduced by one
  3. Psalm 39:1 Literally “from sinning”
  4. Psalm 39:6 Literally “image”
  5. Psalm 39:11 Hebrew “and/then you”
  6. Psalm 39:11 Literally “cause to melt”
  7. Psalm 39:11 The word translated “vanity” in vv. 6, 7
  8. Psalm 39:12 Or “stranger”
  9. Psalm 39:12 Or “fathers”