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Psalm 38-39
New King James Version
Psalm 38-39
New King James Version
Prayer in Time of Chastening
A Psalm of David. (A)To bring to remembrance.
38 O Lord, do not (B)rebuke me in Your wrath,
Nor chasten me in Your hot displeasure!
2 For Your arrows pierce me deeply,
And Your hand presses me down.
3 There is no soundness in my flesh
Because of Your anger,
Nor any health in my bones
Because of my sin.
4 For my iniquities have gone over my head;
Like a heavy burden they are too heavy for me.
5 My wounds are foul and festering
Because of my foolishness.
6 I am [a]troubled, I am bowed down greatly;
I go mourning all the day long.
7 For my loins are full of inflammation,
And there is no soundness in my flesh.
8 I am feeble and severely broken;
I groan because of the turmoil of my heart.
9 Lord, all my desire is before You;
And my sighing is not hidden from You.
10 My heart pants, my strength fails me;
As for the light of my eyes, it also has gone from me.
11 My loved ones and my friends (C)stand aloof from my plague,
And my relatives stand afar off.
12 Those also who seek my life lay snares for me;
Those who seek my hurt speak of destruction,
And plan deception all the day long.
13 But I, like a deaf man, do not hear;
And I am like a mute who does not open his mouth.
14 Thus I am like a man who does not hear,
And in whose mouth is no response.
15 For [b]in You, O Lord, (D)I hope;
You will [c]hear, O Lord my God.
16 For I said, “Hear me, lest they rejoice over me,
Lest, when my foot slips, they exalt themselves against me.”
17 (E)For I am ready to fall,
And my sorrow is continually before me.
18 For I will (F)declare my iniquity;
I will be (G)in [d]anguish over my sin.
19 But my enemies are vigorous, and they are strong;
And those who hate me wrongfully have multiplied.
20 Those also (H)who render evil for good,
They are my adversaries, because I follow what is good.
21 Do not forsake me, O Lord;
O my God, (I)be not far from me!
22 Make haste to help me,
O Lord, my salvation!
Prayer for Wisdom and Forgiveness
To the Chief Musician. To Jeduthun. A Psalm of David.
39 I said, “I will guard my ways,
Lest I sin with my (J)tongue;
I will restrain my mouth with a muzzle,
While the wicked are before me.”
2 (K)I was mute with silence,
I held my peace even from good;
And my sorrow was stirred up.
3 My heart was hot within me;
While I was [e]musing, the fire burned.
Then I spoke with my tongue:
4 “Lord, (L)make me to know my end,
And what is the measure of my days,
That I may know how frail I am.
5 Indeed, You have made my days as handbreadths,
And my age is as nothing before You;
Certainly every man at his best state is but (M)vapor. Selah
6 Surely every man walks about like a shadow;
Surely they [f]busy themselves in vain;
He heaps up riches,
And does not know who will gather them.
7 “And now, Lord, what do I wait for?
My (N)hope is in You.
8 Deliver me from all my transgressions;
Do not make me (O)the reproach of the foolish.
9 (P)I was mute, I did not open my mouth,
Because it was (Q)You who did it.
10 (R)Remove Your plague from me;
I am consumed by the blow of Your hand.
11 When with rebukes You correct man for iniquity,
You make his beauty (S)melt away like a moth;
Surely every man is vapor. Selah
12 “Hear my prayer, O Lord,
And give ear to my cry;
Do not be silent at my tears;
For I am a stranger with You,
A sojourner, (T)as all my fathers were.
13 (U)Remove Your gaze from me, that I may regain strength,
Before I go away and (V)am no more.”
Footnotes
- Psalm 38:6 Lit. bent down
- Psalm 38:15 I wait for You, O Lord
- Psalm 38:15 answer
- Psalm 38:18 anxiety
- Psalm 39:3 meditating
- Psalm 39:6 make an uproar for nothing
Psalm 38-39
New International Version
Psalm 38-39
New International Version
Psalm 38[a]
A psalm of David. A petition.
1 Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger
or discipline me in your wrath.(A)
2 Your arrows(B) have pierced me,
and your hand has come down on me.
3 Because of your wrath there is no health(C) in my body;
there is no soundness in my bones(D) because of my sin.
4 My guilt has overwhelmed(E) me
like a burden too heavy to bear.(F)
5 My wounds(G) fester and are loathsome(H)
because of my sinful folly.(I)
6 I am bowed down(J) and brought very low;
all day long I go about mourning.(K)
7 My back is filled with searing pain;(L)
there is no health(M) in my body.
8 I am feeble and utterly crushed;(N)
I groan(O) in anguish of heart.(P)
9 All my longings(Q) lie open before you, Lord;
my sighing(R) is not hidden from you.
10 My heart pounds,(S) my strength fails(T) me;
even the light has gone from my eyes.(U)
11 My friends and companions avoid me because of my wounds;(V)
my neighbors stay far away.
12 Those who want to kill me set their traps,(W)
those who would harm me talk of my ruin;(X)
all day long they scheme and lie.(Y)
13 I am like the deaf, who cannot hear,(Z)
like the mute, who cannot speak;
14 I have become like one who does not hear,
whose mouth can offer no reply.
15 Lord, I wait(AA) for you;
you will answer,(AB) Lord my God.
16 For I said, “Do not let them gloat(AC)
or exalt themselves over me when my feet slip.”(AD)
17 For I am about to fall,(AE)
and my pain(AF) is ever with me.
18 I confess my iniquity;(AG)
I am troubled by my sin.
19 Many have become my enemies(AH) without cause[b];
those who hate me(AI) without reason(AJ) are numerous.
20 Those who repay my good with evil(AK)
lodge accusations(AL) against me,
though I seek only to do what is good.
21 Lord, do not forsake me;(AM)
do not be far(AN) from me, my God.
22 Come quickly(AO) to help me,(AP)
my Lord and my Savior.(AQ)
Psalm 39[c]
For the director of music. For Jeduthun. A psalm of David.
1 I said, “I will watch my ways(AR)
and keep my tongue from sin;(AS)
I will put a muzzle on my mouth(AT)
while in the presence of the wicked.”
2 So I remained utterly silent,(AU)
not even saying anything good.
But my anguish(AV) increased;
3 my heart grew hot(AW) within me.
While I meditated,(AX) the fire(AY) burned;
then I spoke with my tongue:
4 “Show me, Lord, my life’s end
and the number of my days;(AZ)
let me know how fleeting(BA) my life is.(BB)
5 You have made my days(BC) a mere handbreadth;
the span of my years is as nothing before you.
Everyone is but a breath,(BD)
even those who seem secure.[d]
6 “Surely everyone goes around(BE) like a mere phantom;(BF)
in vain they rush about,(BG) heaping up wealth(BH)
without knowing whose it will finally be.(BI)
7 “But now, Lord, what do I look for?
My hope is in you.(BJ)
8 Save me(BK) from all my transgressions;(BL)
do not make me the scorn(BM) of fools.
9 I was silent;(BN) I would not open my mouth,(BO)
for you are the one who has done this.(BP)
10 Remove your scourge from me;
I am overcome by the blow(BQ) of your hand.(BR)
11 When you rebuke(BS) and discipline(BT) anyone for their sin,
you consume(BU) their wealth like a moth(BV)—
surely everyone is but a breath.(BW)
Footnotes
- Psalm 38:1 In Hebrew texts 38:1-22 is numbered 38:2-23.
- Psalm 38:19 One Dead Sea Scrolls manuscript; Masoretic Text my vigorous enemies
- Psalm 39:1 In Hebrew texts 39:1-13 is numbered 39:2-14.
- Psalm 39:5 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here and at the end of verse 11.
New King James Version (NKJV) 
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.