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.
Currently Selected:
Psalms 139: MP1650
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
maintained by the British and Foreign Bible Society
Psalms 139
139
The All-Knowing, Ever-Present God
For the choir director. A Davidic psalm.
1Lord, You have searched me and known me. # Ps 17:3; 44:21; Jr 12:3
2You know when I sit down and when I stand up;
You understand my thoughts from far away. # 2Kg 19:27; Is 66:18; Mt 9:4
3You observe my travels and my rest;
You are aware of all my ways. # Jb 14:16; 31:4
4Before a word is on my tongue,
You know all about it, Lord. # Heb 4:13
5You have encircled me;
You have placed Your hand on me. # Jb 9:33; Ps 125:2
6This extraordinary knowledge is beyond me.
It is lofty; I am unable to reach it. # Jb 42:3; Rm 11:33
7Where can I go to escape Your Spirit?
Where can I flee from Your presence? # Jr 23:24
8If I go up to heaven, You are there; # Am 9:2-4
if I make my bed in Sheol, You are there. # Jb 26:6; Is 14:11
9If I live at the eastern horizon
or settle at the western limits, # Lit I take up the wings of the dawn; I dwell at the end of the sea
10even there Your hand will lead me;
Your right hand will hold on to me. # Ps 23:2-3
11If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me,
and the light around me will be night” # Jb 22:13-14 —
12even the darkness is not dark to You.
The night shines like the day;
darkness and light are alike to You. # Jb 34:22; Dn 2:22
13For it was You who created my inward parts; # Lit my kidneys
You knit me together in my mother’s womb. # Jb 10:11; Ps 119:73
14I will praise You
because I have been remarkably and wonderfully made. # DSS, some LXX mss, Syr, Jer read because You are remarkable and wonderful # Hb obscure
Your works are wonderful,
and I know this very well. # Ps 40:5
15My bones were not hidden from You
when I was made in secret,
when I was formed in the depths of the earth. # Jb 10:8-10; Ps 63:9; Ec 11:5
16Your eyes saw me when I was formless;
all my days were written in Your book and planned
before a single one of them began. # Jb 14:5
17God, how difficult # Or precious Your thoughts are
for me to comprehend;
how vast their sum is!
18If I counted them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand; # Ps 40:5; 92:5
when I wake up, # Some Hb mss read I come to an end I am still with You. # Ps 3:5
19God, if only You would kill the wicked —
you bloodthirsty men, stay away from me # Ps 5:6; 6:8; Is 11:4 —
20who invoke You deceitfully.
Your enemies swear by You falsely. # Ex 20:7; Jd 15
21Lord, don’t I hate those who hate You,
and detest those who rebel against You?
22I hate them with extreme hatred;
I consider them my enemies. # Ps 26:5; 31:16
23Search me, God, and know my heart;
test me and know my concerns. # Jb 31:6; Ps 26:2
24See if there is any offensive # Or idolatrous way in me;
lead me in the everlasting way. # Ps 16:11
Currently Selected:
:
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
© 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee. All rights reserved.