Psalm 139

Search Me, O God, and Know My Heart

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

1  O Lord, you have searched me and known me!
2  You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
you discern my thoughts from afar.
3  You search out my path and my lying down
and are acquainted with all my ways.
4  Even before a word is on my tongue,
behold, O Lord, you know it altogether.
5  You hem me in, behind and before,
and lay your hand upon me.
6  Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
it is high; I cannot attain it.

7  Where shall I go from your Spirit?
Or where shall I flee from your presence?
8  If I ascend to heaven, you are there!
If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!
9  If I take the wings of the morning
and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
10  even there your hand shall lead me,
and your right hand shall hold me.
11  If I say, "Surely the darkness shall cover me,
and the light about me be night,"
12  even the darkness is not dark to you;
the night is bright as the day,
for darkness is as light with you.

13  For you formed my inward parts;
you knitted me together in my mother's womb.
14  I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.t
Wonderful are your works;
my soul knows it very well.
15  My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
16  Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
in your book were written, every one of them,
the days that were formed for me,
when as yet there was none of them.

17  How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!
18  If I would count them, they are more than the sand.
I awake, and I am still with you.

19  Oh that you would slay the wicked, O God!
O men of blood, depart from me!
20  They speak against you with malicious intent;
your enemies take your name in vain!t
21  Do I not hate those who hate you, O Lord?
And do I not loathe those who rise up against you?
22  I hate them with complete hatred;
I count them my enemies.

23  Search me, O God, and know my heart!
Try me and know my thoughts!t
24  And see if there be any grievous way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting!t

Psalms 139

The Lord is always near

1 You have looked deep
into my heart, Lord,
and you know-all about me.

2 You know when I am resting
or when I am working,
and from heaven
you discover my thoughts.

3 You notice everything I do
and everywhere I go.

4 Before I even speak a word,
you know what I will say,

5 and with your powerful arm
you protect me
from every side.

6 I can't understand all this!
Such wonderful knowledge
is far above me.

7 Where could I go to escape
from your Spirit
or from your sight?

8 If I were to climb up
to the highest heavens,
you would be there.
If I were to dig down
to the world of the dead
you would also be there.

9 Suppose I had wings
like the dawning day
and flew across the ocean.

10 Even then your powerful arm
would guide and protect me.

11 Or suppose I said, “I'll hide
in the dark until night comes
to cover me over.”

12 But you see in the dark
because daylight and dark
are all the same to you.

13 You are the one
who put me together
inside my mother's body,

14 and I praise you because of
the wonderful way
you created me.
Everything you do is marvellous!
Of this I have no doubt.

15 Nothing about me
is hidden from you!
I was secretly woven together
deep in the earth below,

16 but with your own eyes you saw
my body being formed.
Even before I was born,
you had written in your book
everything I would do.

17 Your thoughts are far beyond
my understanding,
much more than I
could ever imagine.

18 I try to count your thoughts,
but they outnumber the grains
of sand on the beach.
And when I awake,
I will find you nearby.

19 How I wish that you would kill
all cruel and heartless people
and protect me from them!

20 They are always rebelling
and speaking evil of you.t

21 You know I hate anyone
who hates you, Lord,
and refuses to obey.

22 They are my enemies too,
and I truly hate them.

23 Look deep into my heart, God,
and find out everything
I am thinking.

24 Don't let me follow evil ways,
but lead me in the way
that time has proved true.