Psalm 39

1 I said, “I will watch my ways, so that I don’t sin with my tongue.
I will keep my mouth with a bridle while the wicked is before me.”
2 I was mute with silence.
I held my peace, even from good.
My sorrow was stirred.
3 My heart was hot within me.
While I meditated, the fire burned:
I spoke with my tongue:
4 “Yahweh, show me my end,
what is the measure of my days.
Let me know how frail I am.
5 Behold, you have made my days handbreadths.
My lifetime is as nothing before you.
Surely every man stands as a breath.”

Selah.

6 “Surely every man walks like a shadow.
Surely they busy themselves in vain.
He heaps up, and doesn’t know who shall gather.
7 Now, Lord, what do I wait for?
My hope is in you.
8 Deliver me from all my transgressions.
Don’t make me the reproach of the foolish.
9 I was mute.
I didn’t open my mouth,
because you did it.
10 Remove your scourge away from me.
I am overcome by the blow of your hand.
11 When you rebuke and correct man for iniquity,
You consume his wealth like a moth.
Surely every man is but a breath.”

Selah.

12 “Hear my prayer, Yahweh, and give ear to my cry.
Don’t be silent at my tears.
For I am a stranger with you,
a foreigner, as all my fathers were.
13 Oh spare me, that I may recover strength,
before I go away, and exist no more.”

Psalm 39

For the music director, Jeduthun; a psalm of David.

1 I decided, “I will watch what I say
and make sure I do not sin with my tongue.
I will put a muzzle over my mouth
while in the presence of an evil man.”

2 I was stone silent;
I held back the urge to speak.
My frustration grew;

3 my anxiety intensified.
As I thought about it, I became impatient.
Finally I spoke these words:

4 “O Lord, help me understand my mortality
and the brevity of life!
Let me realize how quickly my life will pass!

5 Look, you make my days short-lived,
and my life span is nothing from your perspective.
Surely all people, even those who seem secure, are nothing but vapor.

6 Surely people go through life as mere ghosts.
Surely they accumulate worthless wealth
without knowing who will eventually haul it away.”

7 But now, O Lord, upon what am I relying?
You are my only hope!

8 Deliver me from all my sins of rebellion!
Do not make me the object of fools’ insults!

9 I am silent and cannot open my mouth
because of what you have done.

10 Please stop wounding me!
You have almost beaten me to death!

11 You severely discipline people for their sins;
like a moth you slowly devour their strength.
Surely all people are a mere vapor. (Selah)

12 Hear my prayer, O Lord!
Listen to my cry for help!
Do not ignore my sobbing!
For I am dependent on you, like one residing outside his native land;
I am at your mercy, just as all my ancestors were.

13 Turn your angry gaze away from me, so I can be happy
before I pass away.