Psalms 139

1 O Jehovah, thou have searched me, and known.

Yahweh, you have examined me, and you know [everything about] me.

2 Thou know my sitting down and my rising up. Thou understand my thought afar off.

You know when I sit down and when I stand up. [Even though you are] far away from me, you know what I am thinking.

3 Thou search out my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways.

When I travel and when I lie down, you know everything that I do.

4 For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O Jehovah, thou know it altogether.

Yahweh, even before I say [MTY] anything, you know everything that I am going to say!

5 Thou have beset me behind and before, and laid thy hand upon me.

You protect me on all sides; you put your hand on me [to protect me with your power] [MTY].

6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me. It is high, I cannot attain to it.

I am not able to understand that you know [everything about me]. That is too great for me to really understand.

7 Where shall I go from thy Spirit? Or where shall I flee from thy presence?

(Where could I go to escape from your Spirit?/I could not go anywhere to escape from your Spirit.) [RHQ] (Where could I go to get away from you?/I could not go anywhere to get away from you.) [RHQ]

8 If I ascend up into heaven, thou are there. If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, thou are there. (Sheol h7585)

If I went up to heaven, you would be there. If I lay down in the place where the dead people are, you would be there. (Sheol h7585)

9 If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the outermost parts of the sea,

If I had wings and flew very far east [MTY], or if I flew west and made a place to live [on an island] in the ocean,

10 even there thy hand shall lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.

you would be there also, to lead me by your hand, and you would help me.

11 If I say, Surely the darkness shall overwhelm me, and the light around me shall be night,

I could request the darkness to hide me, or I could request the light around me to become darkness,

12 even the darkness hides not from thee, but the night shines as the day. The darkness and the light are both alike to thee.

but even [if that happened], the darkness would not be darkness for you! For you, the night is [as bright] as the daytime is, because for you, daylight and darkness are (not different/the same).

13 For thou formed my inward parts. Thou covered me in my mother's womb.

You created [all] the parts of my body; you put [the parts of] my body together when I was still in my mother’s womb.

14 I will give thanks to thee, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are thy works, and that my soul knows right well.

I praise you because you made my [body in a very] awesome and wonderful way. Everything that you do is amazing! I know that very well.

15 My frame was not hidden from thee, when I was made in secret, curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.

When my body was being formed, while it was being put together where no one else could see it, you saw it!

16 Thine eyes saw my unformed substance, and in thy book they were all written, even the days that were ordained, when as yet there was none of them.

You saw me before I was born. You wrote in your book the number of days that you had decided that I would live. You did that before any of those days had [even] started!

17 How precious also are thy thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them!

God, what you think about me is very precious (OR, is very hard to understand). There is a great number of things that you think about.

18 I count them; they are more in number than the sand. When I awake, I am still with thee.

If I could count them, [I would see that] they are more than the grains of sand [at the seashore]. And when I wake up, I am still with you [and I know that there are still more of your thoughts about me to count].

19 Surely thou will kill the wicked, O God. Depart from me therefore, ye bloodthirsty men.

God, I desire that you would kill all the wicked people! And I wish that violent [MTY] men would (leave/go away from) me.

20 For they speak against thee wickedly, and thine enemies take it in vain.

They say wicked/malicious things about you; they slander your name.

21 Do I not hate them, O Jehovah, who hate thee? And am I not grieved with those who rise up against thee?

Yahweh, I certainly [RHQ] hate those who hate you! And I despise [RHQ] those who rebel against you.

22 I hate them with perfect hatred. They have become my enemies.

I hate them completely, and I consider that they are my enemies.

23 Search me, O God, and know my heart. Try me, and know my thoughts,

God, search my inner being; find out what I am thinking!

24 and see if there is any wicked way in me. And lead me in the way everlasting.

Find out whether there is anything evil in my [inner being], and lead me along the road [that leads to my being with you] forever.