Psalm 39

1 I said, I will guard my ways, Lest I sin with my tongue;

Prayer for Wisdom and ForgivenessTo the Chief Musician. To Jeduthun. A Psalm of David. I will restrain my mouth with a muzzle, While the wicked are before me.

2 I was mute with silence, I held my peace even from good; And my sorrow was stirred up.3 My heart was hot within me; While I was musing, the fire burned. Then I spoke with my tongue:4 Lord, make me to know my end, And what is the measure of my days, That I may know how frail I am. 5 Indeed, You have made my days as handbreadths, And my age is as nothing before You; Certainly every man at his best state is but vapor. Selah6 Surely every man walks about like a shadow; Surely they busy themselves in vain; He heaps up riches, And does not know who will gather them.7 And now, Lord, what do I wait for? My hope is in You.8 Deliver me from all my transgressions; Do not make me the reproach of the foolish.9 I was mute, I did not open my mouth, Because it was You who did it. 10 Remove Your plague from me; I am consumed by the blow of Your hand.11 When with rebukes You correct man for iniquity, You make his beauty melt away like a moth; Surely every man is vapor. Selah12 Hear my prayer, O Lord, And give ear to my cry; Do not be silent at my tears; For I am a stranger with You, A sojourner, as all my fathers were. 13 Remove Your gaze from me, that I may regain strength, Before I go away and am no more.

PSALMS 39

A Prayer for Forgiveness

1 I told myself, “I'll be careful
not to sin by what I say,
and I'll muzzle my mouth
when evil people are near.”

2 I kept completely silent,
but it did no good, t
and I hurt even worse.

3 I 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?

5 You made my life short,
so brief that the time
means nothing to you.
“Human life is but a breath,

6 and 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!

8 Save me from my sins.
Don't let fools sneer at me.

9 You treated me like this,
and I kept silent,
not saying a word.

10 “Won't you stop punishing me?
You have worn me down.

11 You 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.

13 Stop being angry with me
and let me smile again
before I am dead and gone.”