12 Hear my prayer, O Lord, and give ear unto my cry; hold not thy peace at my tears: for I am a stranger with thee, and a sojourner, as all my fathers were.

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12 Hear my prayer, O Lord, and give ear unto my cry;
hold not thy peace at my tears:
for I am a stranger with thee,
and a sojourner, as all my fathers were.

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12 “Hear my prayer, Lord,
and listen to my cry for help;
do not be silent at my tears.(A)
For I am a foreigner residing with You,
a temporary resident like all my fathers.(B)

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12 Hear my prayer, O Jehovah, and give ear unto my cry;
Hold not thy peace at my tears:
For I am a stranger with thee,
A sojourner, as all my fathers were.

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12 Hear my prayer, O Jehovah, And [to] my cry give ear, Unto my tear be not silent, For a sojourner I [am] with Thee, A settler like all my fathers.

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39 I said, I will take heed to my ways, that I sin not with my tongue: I will keep my mouth with a bridle, while the wicked is before me.

I was dumb with silence, I held my peace, even from good; and my sorrow was stirred.

My heart was hot within me, while I was musing the fire burned: then spake I with my tongue,

Lord, make me to know mine end, and the measure of my days, what it is: that I may know how frail I am.

Behold, thou hast made my days as an handbreadth; and mine age is as nothing before thee: verily every man at his best state is altogether vanity. Selah.

Surely every man walketh in a vain shew: surely they are disquieted in vain: he heapeth up riches, and knoweth not who shall gather them.

And now, Lord, what wait I for? my hope is in thee.

Deliver me from all my transgressions: make me not the reproach of the foolish.

I was dumb, I opened not my mouth; because thou didst it.

10 Remove thy stroke away from me: I am consumed by the blow of thine hand.

11 When thou with rebukes dost correct man for iniquity, thou makest his beauty to consume away like a moth: surely every man is vanity. Selah.

12 Hear my prayer, O Lord, and give ear unto my cry; hold not thy peace at my tears: for I am a stranger with thee, and a sojourner, as all my fathers were.

13 O spare me, that I may recover strength, before I go hence, and be no more.

Psalm 39

To the chief Musician, even to Jeduthun, A Psalm of David.

I said, I will take heed to my ways,
that I sin not with my tongue:
I will keep my mouth with a bridle,
while the wicked is before me.
I was dumb with silence,
I held my peace, even from good;
and my sorrow was stirred.
My heart was hot within me,
while I was musing the fire burned:
then spake I with my tongue,
Lord, make me to know mine end,
and the measure of my days, what it is;
that I may know how frail I am.
Behold, thou hast made my days as an handbreadth;
and mine age is as nothing before thee:
verily every man at his best state is altogether vanity. Selah.
Surely every man walketh in a vain shew:
surely they are disquieted in vain:
he heapeth up riches,
and knoweth not who shall gather them.

And now, Lord, what wait I for?
my hope is in thee.
Deliver me from all my transgressions:
make me not the reproach of the foolish.
I was dumb, I opened not my mouth;
because thou didst it.
10 Remove thy stroke away from me:
I am consumed by the blow of thine hand.
11 When thou with rebukes dost correct man for iniquity,
thou makest his beauty to consume away like a moth:
surely every man is vanity. Selah.

12 Hear my prayer, O Lord, and give ear unto my cry;
hold not thy peace at my tears:
for I am a stranger with thee,
and a sojourner, as all my fathers were.
13 O spare me, that I may recover strength,
before I go hence, and be no more.

Psalm 39

The Fleeting Nature of Life

For the choir director, for Jeduthun. A Davidic psalm.

I said, “I will guard my ways
so that I may not sin with my tongue;
I will guard my mouth with a muzzle
as long as the wicked are in my presence.”(A)
I was speechless and quiet;
I kept silent, even from speaking good,
and my pain intensified.(B)
My heart grew hot within me;
as I mused, a fire burned.(C)
I spoke with my tongue:
Lord, reveal to me the end of my life
and the number of my days.
Let me know how short-lived I am.(D)
You, indeed, have made my days short in length,
and my life span as nothing in Your sight.
Yes, every mortal man is only a vapor.(E)Selah

“Certainly, man walks about like a mere shadow.
Indeed, they frantically rush around in vain,
gathering possessions
without knowing who will get them.(F)
Now, Lord, what do I wait for?
My hope is in You.(G)
Deliver me from all my transgressions;
do not make me the taunt of fools.(H)
I am speechless; I do not open my mouth
because of what You have done.(I)
10 Remove Your torment from me;
I fade away because of the force of Your hand.(J)
11 You discipline a man with punishment for sin,
consuming like a moth what is precious to him;(K)
every man is only a vapor.(L)Selah

12 “Hear my prayer, Lord,
and listen to my cry for help;
do not be silent at my tears.(M)
For I am a foreigner residing with You,
a temporary resident like all my fathers.(N)
13 Turn Your angry gaze from me
so that I may be cheered up
before I die and am gone.”(O)

The vanity of life.

For the Chief Musician, for [a]Jeduthun. A Psalm of David.

39 I said, I will take heed to my ways,
That I sin not with my tongue:
I will keep [b]my mouth with a bridle,
While the wicked is before me.
I was dumb with silence, I held my peace, [c]even from good;
And my sorrow was stirred.
My heart was hot within me;
While I was musing the fire burned;
Then spake I with my tongue:
Jehovah, make me to know mine end,
And the measure of my days, what it is;
Let me know how frail I am.
Behold, thou hast made my days as handbreadths;
And my life-time is as nothing before thee:
Surely every man [d]at his best estate is altogether [e]vanity. Selah
Surely every man walketh [f]in a vain show;
Surely they are disquieted [g]in vain:
He heapeth up riches, and knoweth not who shall gather them.
And now, Lord, what wait I for?
My hope is in thee.
Deliver me from all my transgressions:
Make me not the reproach of the foolish.
I was dumb, I opened not my mouth;
Because thou didst it.
10 Remove thy stroke away from me:
I am consumed by the [h]blow of thy hand.
11 When thou with rebukes dost correct man for iniquity,
Thou [i]makest his beauty to consume away like a moth:
Surely every man is [j]vanity. Selah
12 Hear my prayer, O Jehovah, and give ear unto my cry;
Hold not thy peace at my tears:
For I am a stranger with thee,
A sojourner, as all my fathers were.
13 Oh [k]spare me, that I may [l]recover strength,
Before I go hence, and be no more.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 39:1 62:title; 77:title; 1 Chr. 16:41; 25:1.
  2. Psalm 39:1 Hebrew a bridle (or muzzle) for my mouth.
  3. Psalm 39:2 Or, and had no comfort. Hebrew away from good.
  4. Psalm 39:5 Hebrew standing firm.
  5. Psalm 39:5 Hebrew a breath.
  6. Psalm 39:6 Or, as a shadow
  7. Psalm 39:6 Or, for vanity
  8. Psalm 39:10 Hebrew conflict.
  9. Psalm 39:11 Or, consumest like a moth his delights
  10. Psalm 39:11 Hebrew a breath.
  11. Psalm 39:13 Or, look away from me
  12. Psalm 39:13 Hebrew brighten up.

39 To the Overseer, to Jeduthun. -- A Psalm of David. I have said, `I observe my ways, Against sinning with my tongue, I keep for my mouth a curb, while the wicked [is] before me.'

I was dumb [with] silence, I kept silent from good, and my pain is excited.

Hot [is] my heart within me, In my meditating doth the fire burn, I have spoken with my tongue.

`Cause me to know, O Jehovah, mine end, And the measure of my days -- what it [is],' I know how frail I [am].

Lo, handbreadths Thou hast made my days, And mine age [is] as nothing before Thee, Only, all vanity [is] every man set up. Selah.

Only, in an image doth each walk habitually, Only, [in] vain, they are disquieted, He heapeth up and knoweth not who gathereth them.

And, now, what have I expected? O Lord, my hope -- it [is] of Thee.

From all my transgressions deliver me, A reproach of the fool make me not.

I have been dumb, I open not my mouth, Because Thou -- Thou hast done [it].

10 Turn aside from off me Thy stroke, From the striving of Thy hand I have been consumed.

11 With reproofs against iniquity, Thou hast corrected man, And dost waste as a moth his desirableness, Only, vanity [is] every man. Selah.

12 Hear my prayer, O Jehovah, And [to] my cry give ear, Unto my tear be not silent, For a sojourner I [am] with Thee, A settler like all my fathers.

13 Look from me, and I brighten up before I go and am not!