Psalm 38-40

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.
²For Your ^(B)arrows have sunk deep into me,
And ^(C)Your hand has pressed down on me.
³There 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.
⁴For my ^(G)guilty deeds have gone over my head;
Like a heavy burden they weigh too much for me.
⁵My ^[a]wounds grow foul and fester
Because of ^(H)my foolishness.
⁶I am bent over and ^(I)greatly bowed down;
I ^(J)go in mourning all day long.
⁷For my ^[b]sides are filled with ^(K)burning,
And there is ^(L)no healthy part in my flesh.
⁸I feel ^(M)faint and ^[c]badly crushed;
I ^[d]^(N)groan because of the ^[e]agitation of my heart.

⁹Lord, all ^(O)my desire is ^[f]before You;
And my ^(P)sighing is not hidden from You.
¹⁰My heart throbs, ^(Q)my strength fails me;
And the ^(R)light of my eyes, even ^[g]that ^[h]has gone from me.
¹¹My ^[i]^(S)loved ones and my friends stand aloof from my plague;
And my kinsmen ^(T)stand far away.
¹²Those 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.

¹³But 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.
¹⁴Yes, I am like a person who does not hear,
And in whose mouth are no arguments.
¹⁵For ^(Z)I wait for You, Lord;
You ^(AA)will answer, Lord my God.
¹⁶For I said, “May they not rejoice over me,
Who, when my foot slips, ^(AB)would exalt themselves over me.”
¹⁷For I am ^(AC)ready to fall,
And ^(AD)my ^[k]sorrow is continually before me.
¹⁸For I ^(AE)admit my guilt;
I am full of ^(AF)anxiety because of my sin.
¹⁹But my ^(AG)enemies are vigorous and ^[l]strong,
And those who wrongfully ^(AH)hate me are many.
²⁰And those who ^(AI)repay evil for good,
They ^(AJ)become my enemies, because I follow what is good.
²¹Do not abandon me, Lord;
My God, ^(AK)do not be far from me!
²²^(AL)Hurry to help me,
Lord, ^(AM)my salvation!

The Futility of Life.

For the music director, for ^[m]Jeduthun. A Psalm of David.

39 I said, “I will ^(AN)keep watch over my ways
So that I ^(AO)do not sin with my tongue;
I will keep watch over ^(AP)my mouth as with a muzzle
While the wicked are in my presence.”
²I was ^(AQ)mute ^[n]and silent,
I ^[o]refused to say even something good,
And my pain was stirred up.
³My ^(AR)heart was hot within me,
While I was musing the fire burned;
Then I spoke with my tongue:
⁴“Lord, let me know ^(AS)my end,
And what is the extent of my days;
Let me know how ^(AT)transient I am.
⁵Behold, You have made ^(AU)my days like ^[p]hand widths,
And my ^(AV)lifetime as nothing in Your sight;
Certainly all mankind standing is ^[q]a mere ^(AW)breath. Selah
⁶Certainly every person ^(AX)walks around as ^[r]a fleeting shadow;
They certainly make an ^(AY)uproar for nothing;
He ^(AZ)amasses riches and does not know who will gather them.

⁷“And now, Lord, for what do I wait?
My ^(BA)hope is in You.
⁸^(BB)Save me from all my wrongdoings;
Do not make me an object of ^(BC)reproach for the foolish.
⁹I have become ^(BD)mute, I do not open my mouth,
Because it is ^(BE)You who have done it.
¹⁰^(BF)Remove Your plague from me;
Because of ^(BG)the opposition of Your hand I am ^[s]perishing.
¹¹With ^(BH)rebukes You punish a person for wrongdoing;
You ^(BI)consume like a moth what is precious to him;
Certainly ^(BJ)all mankind is mere breath! Selah

¹²“^(BK)Hear my prayer, Lord, and listen to my cry for help;
Do not be silent ^(BL)to my tears;
For I am ^(BM)a stranger with You,
^(BN)One who lives abroad, like all my fathers.
¹³^(BO)Turn Your eyes away from me, that I may become cheerful again
Before I depart and am no more.”

God Sustains His Servant.

For the music director. A Psalm of David.

40 I ^(BP)waited ^[t]patiently for the Lord;
And He reached down to me and ^(BQ)heard my cry.
²He brought me up out of the ^(BR)pit of ^[u]destruction, out of the mud;
And ^(BS)He set my feet on a rock, ^(BT)making my footsteps firm.
³He put a ^(BU)new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God;
Many will ^(BV)see and fear
And will trust in the Lord.

⁴How ^(BW)blessed is the man who has made the Lord his trust,
And ^(BX)has not turned to the ^[v]proud, nor to those who ^(BY)become involved in falsehood.
⁵Many, Lord my God, are ^(BZ)the wonders which You have done,
And Your ^(CA)thoughts toward us;
There is no one to compare with You.
If I would declare and speak of them,
They ^(CB)would be too numerous to count.

⁶^(CC)You have not desired ^[w]sacrifice and meal offering;
You have ^[x]opened my ears;
You have not required burnt offering and sin offering.
⁷Then I said, “Behold, I have come;
It is ^[y]written of me in the scroll of the book.
⁸^(CD)I delight to do Your will, my God;
^(CE)Your Law is within my ^[z]heart.”

⁹I have ^(CF)proclaimed good news of righteousness in the great congregation;
Behold, I will ^(CG)not restrain my lips,
Lord, ^(CH)You know.
¹⁰I have ^(CI)not hidden Your righteousness within my heart;
I have ^(CJ)spoken of Your faithfulness and Your salvation;
I have not concealed Your mercy and Your truth from the great congregation.

¹¹You, Lord, will not withhold Your compassion from me;
^[aa]Your ^(CK)mercy and Your truth will continually watch over me.
¹²For evils beyond number have ^(CL)surrounded me;
My ^(CM)guilty deeds have overtaken me, so that I am not able to see;
They are ^(CN)more numerous than the hairs of my head,
And my ^(CO)heart has ^[ab]failed me.

¹³^(CP)Be pleased, Lord, to rescue me;
^(CQ)Hurry, Lord, to help me.
¹⁴May those be ^(CR)ashamed and humiliated together
Who ^(CS)seek my ^[ac]life to destroy it;
May those be turned back and dishonored
Who delight ^[ad]in my hurt.
¹⁵May those ^(CT)be ^[ae]appalled because of their shame
Who ^(CU)say to me, “Aha, aha!”
¹⁶^(CV)May all who seek You rejoice and be glad in You;
May those who love Your salvation continually ^(CW)say,
“The Lord be exalted!”
¹⁷But ^(CX)I am afflicted and needy;
^(CY)May the Lord be mindful of me.
You are my help and my savior;
Do not delay, my God.