Psalm 139-141
Holman Christian Standard Bible
Psalm 139
The All-Knowing, Ever-Present God
For the choir director. A Davidic psalm.
1 Lord, You have searched me and known me.(A)
2 You know when I sit down and when I stand up;
You understand my thoughts from far away.(B)
3 You observe my travels and my rest;
You are aware of all my ways.(C)
4 Before a word is on my tongue,
You know all about it, Lord.(D)
5 You have encircled me;
You have placed Your hand on me.(E)
6 This extraordinary knowledge is beyond me.
It is lofty; I am unable to reach it.(F)
7 Where can I go to escape Your Spirit?
Where can I flee from Your presence?(G)
8 If I go up to heaven, You are there;(H)
if I make my bed in Sheol, You are there.(I)
9 If I live at the eastern horizon
or settle at the western limits,[a]
10 even there Your hand will lead me;
Your right hand will hold on to me.(J)
11 If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me,
and the light around me will be night”(K)—
12 even the darkness is not dark to You.
The night shines like the day;
darkness and light are alike to You.(L)
13 For it was You who created my inward parts;[b]
You knit me together in my mother’s womb.(M)
14 I will praise You
because I have been remarkably and wonderfully made.[c][d]
Your works are wonderful,
and I know this very well.(N)
15 My bones were not hidden from You
when I was made in secret,
when I was formed in the depths of the earth.(O)
16 Your eyes saw me when I was formless;
all my days were written in Your book and planned
before a single one of them began.(P)
17 God, how difficult[e] Your thoughts are
for me to comprehend;
how vast their sum is!
18 If I counted them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand;(Q)
when I wake up,[f] I am still with You.(R)
19 God, if only You would kill the wicked—
you bloodthirsty men, stay away from me(S)—
20 who invoke You deceitfully.
Your enemies swear by You falsely.(T)
21 Lord, don’t I hate those who hate You,
and detest those who rebel against You?
22 I hate them with extreme hatred;
I consider them my enemies.(U)
23 Search me, God, and know my heart;
test me and know my concerns.(V)
24 See if there is any offensive[g] way in me;
lead me in the everlasting way.(W)
Psalm 140
Prayer for Rescue
For the choir director. A Davidic psalm.
1 Rescue me, Lord, from evil men.
Keep me safe from violent men(X)
2 who plan evil in their hearts.
They stir up wars all day long.(Y)
3 They make their tongues
as sharp as a snake’s bite;
viper’s venom is under their lips.(Z)
4 Protect me, Lord,
from the clutches of the wicked.(AA)
Keep me safe from violent men
who plan to make me stumble.[h](AB)
5 The proud hide a trap with ropes for me;
they spread a net along the path
and set snares for me.(AC)
6 I say to the Lord, “You are my God.”
Listen, Lord, to my cry for help.(AD)
7 Lord God, my strong Savior,
You shield my head on the day of battle.(AE)
8 Lord, do not grant the desires of the wicked;
do not let them achieve their goals.
Otherwise, they will become proud.(AF)
9 When those who surround me rise up,[i]
may the trouble their lips cause overwhelm them.(AG)
10 Let hot coals fall on them.
Let them be thrown into the fire,
into the abyss, never again to rise.(AH)
11 Do not let a slanderer stay in the land.
Let evil relentlessly[j] hunt down a violent man.(AI)
12 I[k] know that the Lord upholds
the just cause of the poor,
justice for the needy.(AJ)
13 Surely the righteous will praise Your name;
the upright will live in Your presence.(AK)
Psalm 141
Protection from Sin and Sinners
A Davidic psalm.
1 Lord, I call on You; hurry to help me.
Listen to my voice when I call on You.(AL)
2 May my prayer be set before You as incense,(AM)
the raising of my hands as the evening offering.(AN)
3 Lord, set up a guard for my mouth;
keep watch at the door of my lips.(AO)
4 Do not let my heart turn to any evil thing
or perform wicked acts
with men who commit sin.
Do not let me feast on their delicacies.(AP)
5 Let the righteous one strike me—
it is an act of faithful love;
let him rebuke me—
it is oil for my head;
let me[l] not refuse it.(AQ)
Even now my prayer is against
the evil acts of the wicked.[m](AR)
6 When their rulers[n] will be thrown off
the sides of a cliff,
the people[o] will listen to my words,
for they are pleasing.(AS)
7 As when one plows and breaks up the soil,
turning up rocks,
so our[p] bones have been scattered
at the mouth of Sheol.(AT)
8 But my eyes look to You, Lord God.
I seek refuge in You; do not let me die.[q](AU)
9 Protect me from[r] the trap they have set for me,
and from the snares of evildoers.(AV)
10 Let the wicked fall into their own nets,
while I pass by safely.(AW)
Footnotes
- Psalm 139:9 Lit I take up the wings of the dawn; I dwell at the end of the sea
- Psalm 139:13 Lit my kidneys
- Psalm 139:14 DSS, some LXX mss, Syr, Jer read because You are remarkable and wonderful
- Psalm 139:14 Hb obscure
- Psalm 139:17 Or precious
- Psalm 139:18 Some Hb mss read I come to an end
- Psalm 139:24 Or idolatrous
- Psalm 140:4 Lit to trip up my steps
- Psalm 140:9 Lit Head of those who surround me
- Psalm 140:11 Hb obscure
- Psalm 140:12 Alt Hb tradition reads You
- Psalm 141:5 Lit my head
- Psalm 141:5 Lit of them
- Psalm 141:6 Or judges
- Psalm 141:6 Lit cliff, and they
- Psalm 141:7 DSS reads my; some LXX mss, Syr read their
- Psalm 141:8 Or not pour out my life
- Psalm 141:9 Lit from the hands of
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