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
The All-knowing and Ever-present God
1For the leader. A psalm of David.
I
Lord, you have probed me, you know me:
2you know when I sit and stand;#When I sit and stand: in all my physical movement.#2 Kgs 19:27; Jb 12:3.
you understand my thoughts from afar.
3You sift through my travels and my rest;
with all my ways you are familiar.
4Even before a word is on my tongue,
Lord, you know it all.
5Behind and before you encircle me
and rest your hand upon me.
6Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
far too lofty for me to reach.#Ps 131:1.
7Where can I go from your spirit?
From your presence, where can I flee?
8If I ascend to the heavens, you are there;
if I lie down in Sheol, there you are.#Jb 23:8–9; Jer 23:23–24.
9If I take the wings of dawn#Take the wings of dawn: go to the extremities of the east. Beyond the sea: uttermost bounds of the west; the sea is the Mediterranean.
and dwell beyond the sea,#Take the wings of dawn: go to the extremities of the east. Beyond the sea: uttermost bounds of the west; the sea is the Mediterranean.
10Even there your hand guides me,
your right hand holds me fast.
11If I say, “Surely darkness shall hide me,
and night shall be my light”#Night shall be my light: night to me is what day is to others.—
12Darkness is not dark for you,
and night shines as the day.
Darkness and light are but one.#Jb 12:22.
II
13You formed my inmost being;
you knit me in my mother’s womb.#Wis 7:1; Eccl 11:5; Jb 1:21.
14I praise you, because I am wonderfully made;
wonderful are your works!
My very self you know.
15My bones are not hidden from you,
When I was being made in secret,
fashioned in the depths of the earth.#The depths of the earth: figurative language for the womb, stressing the hidden and mysterious operations that occur there.
16Your eyes saw me unformed;
in your book all are written down;#Mal 3:16.
my days were shaped, before one came to be.
III
17How precious to me are your designs, O God;
how vast the sum of them!
18Were I to count them, they would outnumber the sands;
when I complete them, still you are with me.#Jb 11:7.
19When you would destroy the wicked, O God,
the bloodthirsty depart from me!#Jb 21:14.
20Your foes who conspire a plot against you
are exalted in vain.
IV
21Do I not hate, Lord, those who hate you?
Those who rise against you, do I not loathe?#Ps 119:158.
22With fierce hatred I hate them,
enemies I count as my own.
23Probe me, God, know my heart;
try me, know my thoughts.#Ps 17:3; 26:2.
24See if there is a wicked path in me;
lead me along an ancient path.#Lead me along an ancient path: the manner of living of our ancestors, who were faithful to God’s will, cf. Jer 6:16.
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Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc