Psalms 139
139
PSALM 139
Common Meter: 8,6,8,6
To the chief Musician,
A Psalm of David.
1O Lord, thou hast me search'd and known.
2Thou know'st my sitting down,
And rising up; yea, all my thoughts
afar to thee are known.
3My footsteps, and my lying down,
thou compassest always;
Thou also most entirely art
acquaint with all my ways.
4For in my tongue, before I speak,
not any word can be,
But altogether, lo, O Lord,
it is well known to thee.
5Behind, before, thou hast beset,
and laid on me thine hand.
6Such knowledge is too strange for me,
too high to understand.
7From thy Sp'rit whither shall I go?
or from thy presence fly?
8Ascend I heav'n, lo, thou art there;
there, if in hell I lie.
9Take I the morning wings, and dwell
in utmost parts of sea;
10Ev'n there, Lord, shall thy hand me lead,
thy right hand hold shall me.
11If I do say that darkness shall
me cover from thy sight,
Then surely shall the very night
about me be as light.
12Yea, darkness hideth not from thee,
but night doth shine as day:
To thee the darkness and the light
are both alike alway.
13For thou possessed hast my reins,
and thou hast cover'd me,
When I within my mother's womb
inclosed was by thee.
14Thee will I praise; for fearfully
and strangely made I am;
Thy works are marv'llous, and right well
my soul doth know the same.
15My substance was not hid from thee,
when as in secret I
Was made; and in earth's lowest parts
was wrought most curiously.
16Thine eyes my substance did behold,
yet being unperfect;
And in the volume of thy book
my members all were writ;
Which after in continuance
were fashion'd ev'ry one,
When as they yet all shapeless were,
and of them there was none.
17How precious also are thy thoughts,
O gracious God, to me!
And in their sum how passing great
and numberless they be!
18If I should count them, than the sand
they more in number be:
What time soever I awake,
I ever am with thee.
19Thou, Lord, wilt sure the wicked slay:
hence from me bloody men.
20Thy foes against thee loudly speak,
and take thy name in vain.
21Do not I hate all those, O Lord,
that hatred bear to thee?
With those that up against thee rise
can I but grieved be?
22With perfect hatred them I hate,
my foes I them do hold.
23Search me, O God, and know my heart,
try me, my thoughts unfold:
24And see if any wicked way
there be at all in me;
And in thine everlasting way
to me a leader be.
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maintained by the British and Foreign Bible Society
Psalms 139
139
Psalm 139
For the music leader. Of David. A song.
1 LORD, you have examined me.
You know me.
2You know when I sit down and when I stand up.
Even from far away, you comprehend my plans.
3You study my traveling and resting.
You are thoroughly familiar with all my ways.
4There isn’t a word on my tongue, LORD,
that you don’t already know completely.
5You surround me—front and back.
You put your hand on me.
6That kind of knowledge is too much for me;
it’s so high above me that I can’t reach it.
7Where could I go to get away from your spirit?
Where could I go to escape your presence?
8If I went up to heaven, you would be there.
If I went down to the grave,#139.8 Heb Sheol you would be there too!
9If I could fly on the wings of dawn,
stopping to rest only on the far side of the ocean—
10even there your hand would guide me;
even there your strong hand would hold me tight!
11If I said, “The darkness will definitely hide me;
the light will become night around me,”
12even then the darkness isn’t too dark for you!
Nighttime would shine bright as day,
because darkness is the same as light to you!
13You are the one who created my innermost parts;
you knit me together while I was still in my mother’s womb.
14I give thanks to you that I was marvelously set apart.
Your works are wonderful—I know that very well.
15My bones weren’t hidden from you
when I was being put together in a secret place,
when I was being woven together in the deep parts of the earth.
16Your eyes saw my embryo,
and on your scroll every day was written that was being formed for me,#139.16 Correction; Heb lacks for me.
before any one of them had yet happened.#139.16 Heb uncertain
17God, your plans are incomprehensible to me!
Their total number is countless!
18If I tried to count them—they outnumber grains of sand!
If I came to the very end—I’d still be with you.#139.18 Correction
19If only, God, you would kill the wicked!
If only murderers would get away from me—
20the people who talk about you, but only for wicked schemes;
the people who are your enemies,
who use your name as if it were of no significance.#139.20 Heb lacks your name.
21Don’t I hate everyone who hates you?
Don’t I despise those who attack you?
22Yes, I hate them—through and through!
They’ve become my enemies too.
23Examine me, God! Look at my heart!
Put me to the test! Know my anxious thoughts!
24Look to see if there is any idolatrous way#139.24 Correction; cf Tg; LXX, Syr, Vulg painful or wicked or hurtful way in me,
then lead me on the eternal path!
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