Psalm 139:1–143:12
1 O Lord, athou hast searched me, and known me.
2 Thou knowest bcmy downsitting and cdmine uprising,
eThou understandest my fthought afar off.
3 eThou ||compassest my path and my lying down,
And art gacquainted with all my ways.
4 For there is not a word in my tongue,
But, lo, O Lord, hthou knowest it altogether.
5 Thou hast ibeset me behind and before,
And klaid thine hand upon me.
6 Such lknowledge is mtoo wonderful for me;
It is high, I cannot attain unto it.
7 nWhither shall I go from thy spirit?
Or whither oshall I flee from thy presence?
8 pIf I ascend up into heaven, thou art there:
qIf I rmake my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.
9 If I take sthe wings of the morning,
And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;
10 Even there shall thy hand tlead me,
And thy right hand shall hold me.
11 If I say, uSurely the darkness shall cover me;
Even the night shall be light about me.
12 Yea, uthe darkness †hideth not from thee;
But the night shineth as the day:
†The darkness and the light are both alike to thee.
13 For thou hast vpossessed my reins:
Thou hast wcovered me in my mother’s womb.
14 I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made:
xMarvellous are thy works;
And that my soul knoweth †right well.
15 yMy ||substance was not hid from thee,
When I was made in secret,
And zcuriously wrought in athe lowest parts of the earth.
16 yThine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect;
And in thy book †all my members were written,
||Which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.
17 bHow precious also are cthy thoughts unto me, O God!
How great is dthe sum of them!
18 If I eshould count them, they are more in number than fthe sand:
When I awake, I am still with thee.
19 gSurely thou wilt hslay the wicked, O God:
iDepart from me therefore, kye bloody men.
20 For they lspeak against thee wickedly,
And thine menemies take nthy name in vain.
21 oDo not I hate them, O Lord, that hate thee?
And am not I pgrieved with qthose that rise up against thee?
22 I hate them with perfect hatred:
I count them mine enemies.
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart:
rTry me, and know my sthoughts:
24 And see if there be any †wicked tway in me,
And ulead me in the tway xeverlasting.
*To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David.
1 aDeliver me, O Lord, bfrom the evil man:
bPreserve me from the †violent man;
2 Which imagine mischiefs in their heart;
Continually are they cgathered together for war.
3 dThey have sharpened their tongues like ea serpent;
fAdders’ epoison is gunder their lips. Selah.
4 Keep me, O Lord, from the hands of the wicked;
bPreserve me from the violent man;
Who have purposed to hoverthrow my goings.
5 The proud have ihid ka snare for me, and lcords;
They have spread a mnet by the wayside;
They have set ngins for me. Selah.
6 I nnsaid unto the Lord, Thou art my God:
Hear othe voice of my supplications, O Lord.
7 O God the Lord, pthe strength of my salvation,
Thou hast qcovered my head in the day of rbattle.
8 Grant not, O Lord, sthe desires of the wicked:
Further not his wicked device;
||tLest they exalt themselves. Selah.
9 As for the head of those that compass me about,
uLet the mischief of their own lips cover them.
10 Let burning coals wfall upon them:
Let them be cast into the fire;
Into deep pits, that they rise not up again.
11 Let not †||an evil speaker be established in the earth:
Evil shall hunt the violent man to overthrow him.
12 I know that the Lord will xmaintain the cause of the afflicted,
13 Surely zthe righteous shall give thanks unto thy name:
The upright shall dwell in thy presence.
1 Lord, I cry unto thee: aMake haste unto me;
Give ear unto my voice, when I cry unto thee.
2 Let bmy prayer be †set forth before thee as bincense;
And cthe lifting up of my hands as dthe evening sacrifice.
3 Set ea watch, O Lord, before my mouth;
eKeep the door of my lips.
4 fIncline not my heart to any evil thing,
To practise wicked works with men that gwork iniquity:
And hlet me not eat of their dainties.
5 i||Let the righteous smite me; it shall be a kindness:
And let him reprove me; it shall be an kexcellent oil,
Which shall not break my head:
For yet my prayer also shall be in their calamities.
6 When ltheir judges are overthrown in stony places,
lThey shall hear my words; for they are sweet.
7 mOur bones are scattered nat the grave’s mouth,
As when one cutteth and cleaveth wood upon the earth.
8 But omine eyes are unto thee, O God the Lord:
pIn thee is my trust; †leave not my soul destitute.
9 Keep me from qthe snares which they have laid for me,
And the rgins of gthe workers of iniquity.
10 Let the wicked sfall into their own nets,
Whilst that I withal †escape.
||Maschil of David; A Prayer *when he was in the cave.
1 aI cried unto the Lord with my voice;
With my voice unto the Lord did I bmake my supplication.
2 I cpoured out my dcomplaint before him;
I shewed before him my trouble.
3 When emy spirit was overwhelmed within me,
Then thou knewest my path.
In the way wherein I walked
Have they fprivily laid a snare for me.
4 g||I looked on my hright hand, and beheld,
But there was no man that would iknow me:
Refuge †failed me;
†No man cared for my soul.
And mmy portion nin the land of the living.
6 oAttend unto my cry;
pFor I am brought very low:
Deliver me from my persecutors;
qFor they are stronger than I.
7 rBring my soul out of prison,
That I may praise thy name:
The righteous shall compass me about;
For thou shalt sdeal bountifully with me.
aGive ear to my supplications:
bIn thy faithfulness answer me, and bin thy righteousness.
2 And center not into judgment with thy servant:
For din thy sight shall no man living be justified.
3 For the enemy hath persecuted my soul;
He hath smitten my life down to the ground;
He hath made me to dwell ein darkness, as those that have been long dead.
4 Therefore fis my spirit overwhelmed within me;
My heart within me gis desolate.
5 hI remember ithe days of old;
I meditate on all thy jkworks;
I muse on kthe work of thy hands.
6 lI stretch forth my hands unto thee:
mMy soul nthirsteth after thee, oas a thirsty land. Selah.
7 pHear me speedily, O Lord: qmy spirit faileth:
s||Lest I be like unto them that go down into the pit.
8 Cause me to hear thy lovingkindness tin the morning;
For uin thee do I trust:
wCause me to know the way wherein I should walk;
For xI lift up my soul unto thee.
9 yDeliver me, O Lord, from mine enemies:
I †flee unto thee to hide me.
10 zTeach me to do athy will; for thou art my God:
bThy spirit is good; clead me into dthe land of uprightness.
11 eQuicken me, O Lord, ffor thy name’s sake:
For thy righteousness’ sake gbring my soul out of trouble.
12 And of thy mercy hcut off mine enemies,
And destroy all them that afflict my soul:
For iI am thy servant.