Psalm 139
New King James Version
God’s Perfect Knowledge of Man
For the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.
139 O Lord, (A)You have searched me and known me.
2 (B)You know my sitting down and my rising up;
You (C)understand my thought afar off.
3 (D)You [a]comprehend my path and my lying down,
And are acquainted with all my ways.
4 For there is not a word on my tongue,
But behold, O Lord, (E)You know it altogether.
5 You have [b]hedged me behind and before,
And laid Your hand upon me.
6 (F)Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
It is high, I cannot attain it.
7 (G)Where can I go from Your Spirit?
Or where can I flee from Your presence?
8 (H)If I ascend into heaven, You are there;
(I)If I make my bed in [c]hell, behold, You are there.
9 If I take the wings of the morning,
And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
10 Even there Your hand shall lead me,
And Your right hand shall hold me.
11 If I say, “Surely the darkness shall [d]fall on me,”
Even the night shall be light about me;
12 Indeed, (J)the darkness [e]shall not hide from You,
But the night shines as the day;
The darkness and the light are both alike to You.
13 For You formed my inward parts;
You [f]covered me in my mother’s womb.
14 I will praise You, for [g]I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Marvelous are Your works,
And that my soul knows very well.
15 (K)My [h]frame was not hidden from You,
When I was made in secret,
And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed.
And in Your book they all were written,
The days fashioned for me,
When as yet there were none of them.
17 (L)How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God!
How great is the sum of them!
18 If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand;
When I awake, I am still with You.
19 Oh, that You would (M)slay the wicked, O God!
(N)Depart from me, therefore, you [i]bloodthirsty men.
20 For they (O)speak against You wickedly;
[j]Your enemies take Your name in vain.
21 (P)Do I not hate them, O Lord, who hate You?
And do I not loathe those who rise up against You?
22 I hate them with [k]perfect hatred;
I count them my enemies.
23 (Q)Search me, O God, and know my heart;
Try me, and know my anxieties;
24 And see if there is any wicked way in me,
And (R)lead me in the way everlasting.
Footnotes
- Psalm 139:3 Lit. winnow
- Psalm 139:5 enclosed
- Psalm 139:8 Or Sheol
- Psalm 139:11 Vg., Symmachus cover
- Psalm 139:12 Lit. is not dark
- Psalm 139:13 wove
- Psalm 139:14 So with MT, Tg.; LXX, Syr., Vg. You are fearfully wonderful
- Psalm 139:15 Lit. bones were
- Psalm 139:19 Lit. men of bloodshed
- Psalm 139:20 LXX, Vg. They take Your cities in vain
- Psalm 139:22 complete
Psalm 139
English Standard Version
Search Me, O God, and Know My Heart
To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.
139 O Lord, you have (A)searched me and known me!
2 You (B)know when I sit down and when I rise up;
you (C)discern my thoughts from afar.
3 You search out my path and my lying down
and are acquainted with all my ways.
4 Even before a word is on my tongue,
behold, O Lord, (D)you know it altogether.
5 You (E)hem me in, behind and before,
and (F)lay your hand upon me.
6 (G)Such knowledge is (H)too wonderful for me;
it is high; I cannot attain it.
7 (I)Where shall I go from your Spirit?
Or where (J)shall I flee from your presence?
8 (K)If I ascend to heaven, you are there!
(L)If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!
9 If I take the wings of the morning
and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
10 even there your hand shall (M)lead me,
and your right hand shall hold me.
11 If I say, (N)“Surely the darkness shall cover me,
and the light about me be night,”
12 (O)even the darkness is not dark to you;
the night is bright as the day,
for darkness is as light with you.
13 For you (P)formed my inward parts;
you (Q)knitted me together in my mother's womb.
14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.[a]
(R)Wonderful are your works;
my soul knows it very well.
15 (S)My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
intricately woven in (T)the depths of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
in your (U)book were written, every one of them,
the days that were formed for me,
when as yet there was none of them.
17 How precious to me are your (V)thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!
18 (W)If I would count them, they are more than (X)the sand.
I awake, and I am still with you.
19 Oh that you would (Y)slay the wicked, O God!
O (Z)men of blood, (AA)depart from me!
20 They (AB)speak against you with malicious intent;
your enemies (AC)take your name in vain.[b]
21 (AD)Do I not hate those who hate you, O Lord?
And do I not (AE)loathe those who (AF)rise up against you?
22 I hate them with complete hatred;
I count them my enemies.
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart!
(AG)Try me and know my thoughts![c]
24 And see if there be any grievous way in me,
and (AH)lead me in (AI)the way everlasting![d]
Footnotes
- Psalm 139:14 Or for I am fearfully set apart
- Psalm 139:20 Hebrew lacks your name
- Psalm 139:23 Or cares
- Psalm 139:24 Or in the ancient way (compare Jeremiah 6:16)
Psalm 139
Hoffnung für Alle
Herr, du durchschaust mich!
139 Ein Lied von David.
Herr, du durchschaust mich,
du kennst mich durch und durch.
2 Ob ich sitze oder stehe – du weißt es,
aus der Ferne erkennst du, was ich denke.
3 Ob ich gehe oder liege – du siehst mich,
mein ganzes Leben ist dir vertraut.
4 Schon bevor ich anfange zu reden,
weißt du, was ich sagen will.
5 Von allen Seiten umgibst du mich
und hältst deine schützende Hand über mir.
6 Dass du mich so genau kennst, übersteigt meinen Verstand;
es ist mir zu hoch, ich kann es nicht begreifen!
7 Wie könnte ich mich dir entziehen;
wohin könnte ich fliehen, ohne dass du mich siehst?
8 Stiege ich in den Himmel hinauf – du bist da!
Wollte ich mich im Totenreich verbergen – auch dort bist du!
9 Eilte ich dorthin, wo die Sonne aufgeht,
oder versteckte ich mich im äußersten Westen, wo sie untergeht,[a]
10 dann würdest du auch dort mich führen
und nicht mehr loslassen.
11 Wünschte ich mir: »Völlige Dunkelheit soll mich umhüllen,
das Licht um mich her soll zur Nacht werden!« –
12 für dich ist auch das Dunkel nicht finster;
die Nacht scheint so hell wie der Tag
und die Finsternis so strahlend wie das Licht.
13 Du hast mich mit meinem Innersten geschaffen,
im Leib meiner Mutter hast du mich gebildet.
14 Herr, ich danke dir dafür,
dass du mich so wunderbar und einzigartig gemacht hast!
Großartig ist alles, was du geschaffen hast –
das erkenne ich!
15 Schon als ich im Verborgenen Gestalt annahm,
unsichtbar noch, kunstvoll gebildet im Leib meiner Mutter[b],
da war ich dir dennoch nicht verborgen.
16 Als ich gerade erst entstand,
hast du mich schon gesehen.
Alle Tage meines Lebens hast du in dein Buch geschrieben –
noch bevor einer von ihnen begann!
17 Wie überwältigend sind deine Gedanken für mich, o Gott,
es sind so unfassbar viele!
18 Sie sind zahlreicher als der Sand am Meer;
wollte ich sie alle zählen, ich käme nie zum Ende[c]!
19 Mein Gott! Wie sehr wünsche ich,
dass du alle tötest, die sich dir widersetzen!
Ihr Mörder, an euren Händen klebt Blut!
Mit euch will ich nichts zu tun haben!
20 Herr, wenn diese Leute von dir reden,
dann tun sie es in böser Absicht,
sie missbrauchen deinen Namen.
21 Herr, wie hasse ich alle, die dich hassen!
Wie verabscheue ich alle, die dich bekämpfen!
22 Deine Feinde sind auch meine Feinde.
Mein Hass auf sie ist grenzenlos!
23 Durchforsche mich, o Gott, und sieh mir ins Herz,
prüfe meine Gedanken und Gefühle!
24 Sieh, ob ich in Gefahr bin, dir untreu zu werden,
und wenn ja: Hol mich zurück auf den Weg,
den du uns für immer gewiesen hast![d]
Footnotes
- 139,9 Wörtlich: Erhöbe ich die Flügel des Morgenrots, ließe ich mich nieder am äußersten Ende des Meeres.
- 139,15 Wörtlich: in den Tiefen der Erde. – Hier wahrscheinlich als Bezeichnung für den Mutterleib.
- 139,18 So nach einigen alten Handschriften. Der hebräische Text lautet: ich erwache und bin noch bei dir.
- 139,24 Wörtlich: Sieh, ob ich auf dem Weg der Mühsal bin, und leite mich auf dem ewigen Weg!
Psalm 139
Evangelical Heritage Version
Psalm 139
God’s Attributes—Too Wonderful for Me!
Heading
For the choir director. By David. A psalm.
God Is All-Knowing
1 Lord, you have investigated me,
and you know.
2 You know when I sit down and when I get up.
You understand my thoughts from far off.
3 You keep track of when I travel and when I stay,[a]
and you are familiar with all my ways.
4 Before there is a word on my tongue,
you, Lord, already know it completely.
5 You put a fence behind me and in front of me,
and you have placed your hand on me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me.
It is too high—I cannot grasp it.
God Is Present Everywhere
7 Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your Presence?[b]
8 If I go up to heaven, you are there.
If I make my bed in hell—there you are!
9 I rise on the wings of dawn.
I settle on the far side of the sea.
10 Even there your hand guides me,
and your right hand holds on to me.
11 And if I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me
and the light will become night around me,”
12 then even the darkness will not be too dark for you.
The night will be as light as the day.
Darkness and light are the same to you.
God Is Powerful and Good
13 For you created my inner organs.[c]
You wove me together in my mother’s womb.
14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Your works are wonderful,
and my soul knows that very well.
15 My bones were not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place,
when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw my unfinished body.
In your book all of them were written.
Days were determined, before any of them existed.
17 Your thoughts to me are so precious, O God!
How great is the sum of them!
18 If I would count them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand.
I awake, and I am still with you.
God Is Holy
19 If only you would slay the wicked, O God,
so that bloody men would depart from me,
20 men who speak against you maliciously.
Your adversaries misuse your name.
21 Do I not hate those who hate you, O Lord,
and detest those who rise up against you?
22 I absolutely hate them. To me they are enemies.
23 Investigate me, God, and know my heart.
Test me and know my troubled thoughts.
24 See if there is any way in me that causes pain,
and lead me in the way everlasting.
Footnotes
- Psalm 139:3 Literally you winnow my path and my crouching down
- Psalm 139:7 Or presence. Presence can be a name for God or for the second person of the Trinity.
- Psalm 139:13 Literally kidneys. The kidneys were thought of as a center of emotion.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
Hoffnung für Alle® (Hope for All) Copyright © 1983, 1996, 2002 by Biblica, Inc.®
The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.