Psalm 138

The Lord’s Goodness to the Faithful

A Psalm of David.

1 I will praise You with my whole heart;

aBefore the gods I will sing praises to You.

2 bI will worship ctoward Your holy temple,

And praise Your name

For Your lovingkindness and Your truth;

For You have dmagnified Your word above all Your name.

3 In the day when I cried out, You answered me,

And made me bold with strength in my soul.

4 eAll the kings of the earth shall praise You, O Lord,

When they hear the words of Your mouth.

5 Yes, they shall sing of the ways of the Lord,

For great is the glory of the Lord.

6 fThough the Lord is on high,

Yet gHe regards the lowly;

But the proud He knows from afar.

7 hThough I walk in the midst of trouble, You will revive me;

You will stretch out Your hand

Against the wrath of my enemies,

And Your right hand will save me.

8 iThe Lord will 1perfect that which concerns me;

Your mercy, O Lord, endures forever;

jDo not forsake the works of Your hands.

Psalm 139

God’s Perfect Knowledge of Man

For the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.

1 O Lord, aYou have searched me and known me.

2 bYou know my sitting down and my rising up;

You cunderstand my thought afar off.

3 dYou 1comprehend my path and my lying down,

And are acquainted with all my ways.

4 For there is not a word on my tongue,

But behold, O Lord, eYou know it altogether.

5 You have 2hedged me behind and before,

And laid Your hand upon me.

6 fSuch knowledge is too wonderful for me;

It is high, I cannot attain it.

7 gWhere can I go from Your Spirit?

Or where can I flee from Your presence?

8 hIf I ascend into heaven, You are there;

iIf I make my bed in 3hell, behold, 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 4fall on me,”

Even the night shall be light about me;

12 Indeed, jthe darkness 5shall not hide from You,

But the night shines as the day;

The darkness and the light are both alike to You.

13 For You formed my inward parts;

You 6covered me in my mother’s womb.

14 I will praise You, for 7I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

Marvelous are Your works,

And that my soul knows very well.

15 kMy 8frame was not hidden from You,

When I was made in secret,

And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.

16 Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed.

And in Your book they all were written,

The days fashioned for me,

When as yet there were none of them.

17 lHow precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God!

How great is the sum of them!

18 If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand;

When I awake, I am still with You.

19 Oh, that You would mslay the wicked, O God!

nDepart from me, therefore, you 9bloodthirsty men.

20 For they ospeak against You wickedly;

1Your enemies take Your name in vain.

21 pDo I not hate them, O Lord, who hate You?

And do I not loathe those who rise up against You?

22 I hate them with 2perfect hatred;

I count them my enemies.

23 qSearch me, O God, and know my heart;

Try me, and know my anxieties;

24 And see if there is any wicked way in me,

And rlead me in the way everlasting.

Psalm 140

Prayer for Deliverance from Evil Men

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.

1 Deliver me, O Lord, from evil men;

Preserve me from violent men,

2 Who plan evil things in their hearts;

aThey continually gather together for war.

3 They sharpen their tongues like a serpent;

The bpoison of asps is under their lips.

Selah

4 cKeep me, O Lord, from the hands of the wicked;

Preserve me from violent men,

Who have purposed to make my steps stumble.

5 The proud have hidden a dsnare for me, and cords;

They have spread a net by the wayside;

They have set traps for me.

Selah

6 I said to the Lord: “You are my God;

Hear the voice of my supplications, O Lord.

7 O God the Lord, the strength of my salvation,

You have 1covered my head in the day of battle.

8 Do not grant, O Lord, the desires of the wicked;

Do not further his wicked scheme,

eLest they be exalted.

Selah

9 “As for the head of those who surround me,

Let the evil of their lips cover them;

10 fLet burning coals fall upon them;

Let them be cast into the fire,

Into deep pits, that they rise not up again.

11 Let not a slanderer be established in the earth;

Let evil hunt the violent man to overthrow him.”

12 I know that the Lord will gmaintain

The cause of the afflicted,

And justice for the poor.

13 Surely the righteous shall give thanks to Your name;

The upright shall dwell in Your presence.