Psalms 39
39
(A psalm by David for Jeduthun, the music leader.)
A Prayer for Forgiveness
1I told myself, “I'll be careful
not to sin by what I say,
and I'll muzzle my mouth
when evil people are near.”
2I kept completely silent,
but it did no good,#39.2 but … good: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
and I hurt even worse.
3I felt a fire burning inside,
and the more I thought,
the more it burned,
until at last I said:
4“Please, Lord,
show me my future.
Will I soon be gone?
5You made my life short,
so brief that the time
means nothing to you.
“Human life is but a breath,
6and it disappears
like a shadow.
Our struggles are senseless;
we store up more and more,
without ever knowing
who will get it all.
7“What am I waiting for?
I depend on you, Lord!
8Save me from my sins.
Don't let fools sneer at me.
9You treated me like this,
and I kept silent,
not saying a word.
10“Won't you stop punishing me?
You have worn me down.
11You punish us severely
because of our sins.
Like a moth, you destroy
what we treasure most.
We are as frail as a breath.
12“Listen, Lord, to my prayer!
My eyes are flooded with tears,
as I pray to you.
I am merely a stranger
visiting in your home
as my ancestors did.
13Stop being angry with me
and let me smile again
before I am dead and gone.”
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Psalms 39: CEVDCI
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Contemporary English Version, Second Edition (CEV®)
© 2006 American Bible Society. All rights reserved.
Psalms 39
39
Psalm 39#In Hebrew texts 39:1-13 is numbered 39:2-14.
For the director of music. For Jeduthun. A psalm of David.
1I said, “I will watch my ways
and keep my tongue from sin;
I will put a muzzle on my mouth
while in the presence of the wicked.”
2So I remained utterly silent,
not even saying anything good.
But my anguish increased;
3my heart grew hot within me.
While I meditated, the fire burned;
then I spoke with my tongue:
4“Show me, Lord, my life’s end
and the number of my days;
let me know how fleeting my life is.
5You have made my days a mere handbreadth;
the span of my years is as nothing before you.
Everyone is but a breath,
even those who seem secure.#39:5 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here and at the end of verse 11.
6“Surely everyone goes around like a mere phantom;
in vain they rush about, heaping up wealth
without knowing whose it will finally be.
7“But now, Lord, what do I look for?
My hope is in you.
8Save me from all my transgressions;
do not make me the scorn of fools.
9I was silent; I would not open my mouth,
for you are the one who has done this.
10Remove your scourge from me;
I am overcome by the blow of your hand.
11When you rebuke and discipline anyone for their sin,
you consume their wealth like a moth—
surely everyone is but a breath.
12“Hear my prayer, Lord,
listen to my cry for help;
do not be deaf to my weeping.
I dwell with you as a foreigner,
a stranger, as all my ancestors were.
13Look away from me, that I may enjoy life again
before I depart and am no more.”
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