Psalm 38
New American Standard Bible
Prayer of a Suffering Penitent.
A Psalm of David, for a memorial.
38 Lord, (A)do not rebuke me in Your wrath,
And do not punish me in Your burning anger.
2 For Your (B)arrows have sunk deep into me,
And (C)Your hand has pressed down on me.
3 There is (D)no healthy part in my flesh (E)because of Your indignation;
There is no health (F)in my bones because of my sin.
4 For my (G)guilty deeds have gone over my head;
Like a heavy burden they weigh too much for me.
5 My [a]wounds grow foul and fester
Because of (H)my foolishness.
6 I am bent over and (I)greatly bowed down;
I (J)go in mourning all day long.
7 For my [b]sides are filled with (K)burning,
And there is (L)no healthy part in my flesh.
8 I feel (M)faint and [c]badly crushed;
I [d](N)groan because of the [e]agitation of my heart.
9 Lord, all (O)my desire is [f]before You;
And my (P)sighing is not hidden from You.
10 My heart throbs, (Q)my strength fails me;
And the (R)light of my eyes, even [g]that [h]has gone from me.
11 My [i](S)loved ones and my friends stand aloof from my plague;
And my kinsmen (T)stand far away.
12 Those who (U)seek my life (V)lay snares for me;
And those who (W)seek to injure me have [j]threatened destruction,
And they (X)plot deception all day long.
13 But I, like a person who is deaf, do not hear;
And I am like a (Y)person who cannot speak, who does not open his mouth.
14 Yes, I am like a person who does not hear,
And in whose mouth are no arguments.
15 For (Z)I wait for You, Lord;
You (AA)will answer, Lord my God.
16 For I said, “May they not rejoice over me,
Who, when my foot slips, (AB)would exalt themselves over me.”
17 For I am (AC)ready to fall,
And (AD)my [k]sorrow is continually before me.
18 For I (AE)admit my guilt;
I am full of (AF)anxiety because of my sin.
19 But my (AG)enemies are vigorous and [l]strong,
And those who wrongfully (AH)hate me are many.
20 And those who (AI)repay evil for good,
They (AJ)become my enemies, because I follow what is good.
21 Do not abandon me, Lord;
My God, (AK)do not be far from me!
22 (AL)Hurry to help me,
Lord, (AM)my salvation!
Footnotes
- Psalm 38:5 Or stripes
- Psalm 38:7 Lit loins
- Psalm 38:8 Or greatly
- Psalm 38:8 Lit roar
- Psalm 38:8 Lit growling
- Psalm 38:9 Or known to You
- Psalm 38:10 Lit they have
- Psalm 38:10 Lit is not with me
- Psalm 38:11 Or lovers
- Psalm 38:12 Lit spoken
- Psalm 38:17 Lit pain
- Psalm 38:19 Or numerous
Psalm 38
Wycliffe Bible
38 The psalm of David, to bethink on the sabbath. Lord, reprove thou not me in thy strong vengeance; neither chastise thou me in thine ire. (The song of David, to remember the sabbath. Lord, rebuke thou me not in thy fury; nor chastise thou me in thy anger.)
2 For thine arrows be fixed in me; and thou hast made steadfast thine hand on me.
3 None health is in my flesh from the face of thine ire; no peace is to my bones from the face of my sins. (There is no health in my flesh, because of thy anger; there is no peace for my bones, because of my sins.)
4 For my wickednesses be gone over mine head; as an heavy burden, those be made heavy on me (like a heavy weight, they be made heavy upon me).
5 Mine healed wounds were rotten, and be broken; from the face of mine unwisdom. (My wounds became rotten, and broken; because of my folly, or my foolishness.)
6 I am made a wretch, and I am bowed down till into the end; all day I entered sorrowful. (I am made a wretch, and I am bent down to the ground; I go about in sorrow all day long.)
7 For my loins be filled with scornings; and health is not in my flesh. (For my loins be filled with sickness; and there is no health in my flesh.)
8 I am tormented, and made low full greatly (I am tormented, and brought down so very low); I roared for the wailing of mine heart.
9 Lord, all my desire is before thee; and my wailing is not hid from thee.
10 Mine heart is troubled in me, my virtue forsook me; and the light of mine eyes, and it is not with me. (My heart is troubled within me, my strength deserted me; and the light in my eyes, it hath also left me.)
11 My friends and my neighbours nighed; and stood (over) against me. And they that were beside me stood afar; (My friends and my neighbours stand far away from me; because of my sickness, or my sores. And even my family members stand far away from me;)
12 and they did violence, that sought my life. And they that sought evils to me, spake vanities; and thought guiles all day. (and they who sought my life, did violence to me. Yea, they who sought evil for me, spoke empty gossip; and they thought up lies and slander about me, all day long.)
13 But I, as a deaf man, heard not; and as a dumb man not opening his mouth. (But I, like a deaf man, did not listen to them; and like a dumb man, I did not open my mouth.)
14 And I am made as a man not hearing; and not having reprovings in his mouth. (And I am made like a deaf man; yea, one not speaking any rebuke, or reply.)
15 For, Lord, I hoped in thee (For, Lord, I trusted in thee); my Lord God, thou shalt hear me.
16 For I said, (Hear me,) Lest any time mine enemies have joy on me; and the while my feet be moved/and while my feet were moved, they spake great things on me. (For I said, Hear me, lest any time my enemies have joy over me; for when my feet slipped, or stumbled, they spoke many things against me.)
17 For I am ready to beatings; and my sorrow is ever[more] in my sight. (For I am about to fall; and my sorrow is before me forevermore.)
18 For I shall tell my wickedness; and I shall think for my sin. (For I shall tell out my wickedness; and I am afraid, when I think of my sin.)
19 But mine enemies live, and they be confirmed on me; and they be multiplied, that hate me wickedly. (But my enemies live, and they be strong against me; yea, there be many who wickedly hate me.)
20 They that yield evils for goods, backbited me; for I followed goodness. (Those who give back evil in return for good, backbite me; because I do what is right, or good.)
21 My Lord God, forsake thou not me (do not thou desert me); go thou not away from me.
22 Lord God of mine health; behold thou into mine help. (Lord God of my salvation, or of my deliverance, hasten thou to help me.)
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
2001 by Terence P. Noble