Psalm 39
Legacy Standard Bible
Yahweh, Make Me Know My End
For the choir director. For [a]Jeduthun. A Psalm of David.
39 I said, “I will (A)keep watch over my ways
That I (B)may not sin with my tongue;
I will keep watch over (C)my mouth as with a muzzle
While the wicked are in my presence.”
2 I was (D)mute with silence,
I even kept silent from speaking good,
And my anguish grew worse.
3 My (E)heart was hot within me,
While I meditated the fire was burning;
Then I spoke with my tongue:
4 “Yahweh, cause me to know (F)my end
And what is the extent of my days;
Let me know how (G)transient I am.
5 Behold, You have made (H)my days as [b]handbreadths,
And my (I)lifetime as nothing before You;
Surely every man, even standing firm, is [c]altogether (J)vanity. [d]Selah.
6 Surely every man (K)walks about as [e]a shadow;
Surely they make an (L)uproar in vain;
He (M)piles up riches and does not know who will gather them.
7 “And now, Lord, what do I hope in?
My (N)expectation is in You.
8 (O)Deliver me from all my transgressions;
Make me not the (P)reproach of the wicked fool.
9 I have become (Q)mute, I do not open my mouth,
Because it is (R)You who have done it.
10 (S)Remove Your plague from me;
Because of (T)the opposition of Your hand I am wasting away.
11 With (U)reproofs You chasten a man for iniquity;
You (V)consume as a moth what is precious to him;
Surely (W)every man is vanity. Selah.
12 “(X)Hear my prayer, O Yahweh, and give ear to my cry for help;
Do not be silent (Y)at my tears;
For I am (Z)a sojourner with You,
A (AA)foreign resident like all my fathers.
13 (AB)Turn Your gaze away from me, that I may [f]smile again
Before I go and am no more.”
Footnotes
- Psalm 39 Title 1 Chr 16:41
- Psalm 39:5 A handbreadth was approx. 3 in. or 7.6 cm
- Psalm 39:5 Or mere breath
- Psalm 39:5 Selah may mean Pause, Crescendo, Musical Interlude
- Psalm 39:6 Lit an image
- Psalm 39:13 Or become cheerful
Psalm 39
American Standard Version
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.
2 I was dumb with silence, I held my peace, [c]even from good;
And my sorrow was stirred.
3 My heart was hot within me;
While I was musing the fire burned;
Then spake I with my tongue:
4 Jehovah, make me to know mine end,
And the measure of my days, what it is;
Let me know how frail I am.
5 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
6 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.
7 And now, Lord, what wait I for?
My hope is in thee.
8 Deliver me from all my transgressions:
Make me not the reproach of the foolish.
9 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
- Psalm 39:1 62:title; 77:title; 1 Chr. 16:41; 25:1.
- Psalm 39:1 Hebrew a bridle (or muzzle) for my mouth.
- Psalm 39:2 Or, and had no comfort. Hebrew away from good.
- Psalm 39:5 Hebrew standing firm.
- Psalm 39:5 Hebrew a breath.
- Psalm 39:6 Or, as a shadow
- Psalm 39:6 Or, for vanity
- Psalm 39:10 Hebrew conflict.
- Psalm 39:11 Or, consumest like a moth his delights
- Psalm 39:11 Hebrew a breath.
- Psalm 39:13 Or, look away from me
- Psalm 39:13 Hebrew brighten up.
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