Psalm 139
1599 Geneva Bible
139 1 David cleanseth his heart from all hypocrisy, showeth that there is nothing so hid, which God seeth not. 13 Which he confirmeth by the creation of man. 14 After declaring his zeal and fear of God, he professeth to be enemy to all them that contemn God.
To him that excelleth. A Psalm of David.
1 O Lord, thou hast tried me, and known me.
2 Thou knowest my [a]sitting and my rising: thou understandest my thought afar off.
3 Thou [b]compassest my paths, and my lying down, and art accustomed to all my ways.
4 For there is not a word in my [c]tongue, but lo, thou knowest it wholly, O Lord.
5 Thou holdest me strait behind and before, and layest thine [d]hand upon me.
6 Thy knowledge is too wonderful for me: it is so high that I cannot attain unto it.
7 Whither shall I go from thy [e]Spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?
8 If I ascend into heaven, thou art there: if I lie down in hell, thou art there.
9 Let me take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea:
10 Yet thither shall thine hand [f]lead me, and thy right hand hold me.
11 If I say, Yet the darkness shall hide me, even the night shall be [g]light about me.
12 Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee: but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and light are both alike.
13 For thou hast [h]possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb.
14 I will praise thee, for I am [i]fearfully and wondrously made: marvelous are thy works, and my soul knoweth it well.
15 My bones are not hid from thee, though I was made in a secret place, and fashioned [j]beneath in the earth.
16 Thine eyes did see me, when I was without form: [k]for in thy book were all things written, which in continuance were fashioned, when there was none of them before.
17 How [l]dear therefore are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them!
18 If I should count them, they are more than the sand: when I awake, [m]I am still with thee.
19 Oh that thou wouldest [slay], O God, the wicked and bloody men, to whom I say, Depart ye from me:
20 Which speak wickedly of thee, and being thine enemies are lifted up in vain.
21 Do not I [n]hate them, O Lord, that hate thee? and do not I earnestly contend with those that rise up against thee?
22 I hate them with an unfeigned hatred, as they were mine utter enemies.
23 Try me, O God, and know mine heart: prove me and know my thoughts,
24 And consider if there be any [o]way of wickedness in me, and lead me in the [p]way forever.
Footnotes
- Psalm 139:2 He confesseth that neither our actions, thoughts, or any part of our life can be hid from God, though he seem to be far off.
- Psalm 139:3 So that they are evidently known to thee.
- Psalm 139:4 Thou knowest my meaning before I speak.
- Psalm 139:5 Thou so guidest me with thine hand, that I can turn no way, but where thou appointest me.
- Psalm 139:7 From thy power and knowledge?
- Psalm 139:10 Thy power doth so fast hold me, that I can escape by no means from thee.
- Psalm 139:11 Though darkness be an hindrance to man’s sight, yet it serveth thine eyes as well as the light.
- Psalm 139:13 Thou hast made me in all parts, and therefore must needs know me.
- Psalm 139:14 Considering thy wonderful work in forming me, I cannot but praise thee and fear thy mighty power.
- Psalm 139:15 That is, in my mother’s womb: which he compareth to the inward parts of the earth.
- Psalm 139:16 Seeing that thou didst know me before I was composed of either flesh or bone, much more now must thou know me when thou hast fashioned me.
- Psalm 139:17 How ought we to esteem the excellent declaration of thy wisdom in the creation of man?
- Psalm 139:18 I continually see new occasions to meditate in thy wisdom, and to praise thee.
- Psalm 139:21 He teacheth us boldly to contemn all the hatred of the wicked, and friendship of the world, when they would let us to serve God sincerely.
- Psalm 139:24 Or any heinous way or rebellious: meaning, that though he were subject to sin, yet he was not given to wickedness, and to provoke God by rebellion.
- Psalm 139:24 That is, continue thy favor towards me to the end.
Psalm 139
Tree of Life Version
How Precious Your Thoughts!
Psalm 139
1 For the music director: a psalm of David.
Adonai, You searched me and know me.
2 Whenever I sit down or stand up, You know it.
You discern my thinking from afar.
3 You observe my journeying and my resting
and You are familiar with all my ways.
4 Even before a word is on my tongue,
behold, Adonai, You know all about it.
5 You hemmed me in behind and before,
and laid Your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too lofty for me to attain.
7 Where can I go from Your Ruach?
Where can I flee from Your presence?
8 If I go up to heaven, You are there,
and if I make my bed in Sheol,
look, You are there too.
9 If I take the wings of the dawn
and settle on the other side of the sea,
10 even there Your hand will lead me,
and Your right hand will lay hold of me.
11 If I say: “Surely darkness covers me,
night keeps light at a distance from me,”
12 even darkness is not dark for You,
and night is as bright as day—
darkness and light are alike.
13 For You have created my conscience.
You knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 I praise You, for I am awesomely, wonderfully made!
Wonderful are Your works—
and my soul knows that very well.
15 My frame was 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 me when I was unformed,
and in Your book were written the days that were formed—
when not one of them had come to be.
17 How precious are Your thoughts, O God!
How great is the sum of them!
18 Were I to count them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand!
When I awake, I am still with You.
19 If only You would slay the wicked, O God!
Away from me, you bloody men!
20 For they speak about You with wicked intent.
Your enemies reproach You in vain.
21 Do I not hate those who hate You, Adonai?
Do I not loathe those who rise against You?
22 I hate them with total hatred—
I consider them my enemies.
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart.
Examine me, and know my anxious thoughts,
24 and see if there be any offensive way within me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.
Geneva Bible, 1599 Edition. Published by Tolle Lege Press. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations in articles, reviews, and broadcasts.
Tree of Life (TLV) Translation of the Bible. Copyright © 2015 by The Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society.