Psalms 139

1 For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. O LORD, You have searched me and known me.

To him that excelleth. A Psalme of David. O Lord, thou hast tried me and knowen me.

2 You know when I sit and when I rise; You understand my thoughts from afar.

Thou knowest my sitting and my rising: thou vnderstandest my thought afarre off.

3 You search out my path and my lying down; You are aware of all my ways.

Thou compassest my pathes, and my lying downe, and art accustomed to all my wayes.

4 Even before a word is on my tongue, You know all about it, O LORD.

For there is not a word in my tongue, but loe, thou knowest it wholy, O Lord.

5 You hem me in behind and before; You have laid Your hand upon me.

Thou holdest mee straite behinde and before, and layest thine hand vpon me.

6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.

Thy knowledge is too wonderfull for mee: it is so high that I cannot attaine vnto it.

7 Where can I go to escape Your Spirit? Where can I flee from Your presence?

Whither shall I goe from thy Spirite? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?

8 If I ascend to the heavens, You are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, You are there. (Sheol h7585)

If I ascende into heauen, thou art there: if I lye downe in hell, thou art there. (Sheol h7585)

9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle by the farthest sea,

Let mee take the winges of the morning, and dwell in the vttermost parts of the sea:

10 even there Your hand will guide me; Your right hand will hold me fast.

Yet thither shall thine hand leade me, and thy right hand holde me.

11 If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me, and the light become night around me”—

If I say, Yet the darkenes shall hide me, euen the night shalbe light about me.

12 even the darkness is not dark to You, but the night shines like the day, for darkness is as light to You.

Yea, the darkenes hideth not from thee: but the night shineth as the day: the darkenes and light are both alike.

13 For You formed my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother’s womb.

For thou hast possessed my reines: thou hast couered me in my mothers wombe.

14 I praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Marvelous are Your works, and I know this very well.

I will praise thee, for I am fearefully and wonderously made: marueilous are thy workes, and my soule knoweth it well.

15 My frame was not hidden from You when I was made in secret, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.

My bones are not hid from thee, though I was made in a secret place, and facioned beneath in the earth.

16 Your eyes saw my unformed body; all my days were written in Your book and ordained for me before one of them came to be.

Thine eyes did see me, when I was without forme: for in thy booke were all things written, which in continuance were facioned, when there was none of them before.

17 How precious to me are Your thoughts, O God, how vast is their sum!

Howe deare therefore are thy thoughtes vnto me, O God! how great is ye summe of them!

18 If I were to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand; and when I awake, I am still with You.

If I should count them, they are moe then the sand: when I wake, I am still with thee.

19 O God, that You would slay the wicked— away from me, you bloodthirsty men—

Oh that thou wouldest slay, O God, the wicked and bloody men, to whom I say, Depart ye from mee:

20 who speak of You deceitfully; Your enemies take Your name in vain.

Which speake wickedly of thee, and being thine enemies are lifted vp in vaine.

21 Do I not hate those who hate You, O LORD, and detest those who rise against You?

Doe not I hate them, O Lord, that hate thee? and doe not I earnestly contend with those that rise vp against thee?

22 I hate them with perfect hatred; I count them as my enemies.

I hate them with an vnfained hatred, as they were mine vtter enemies.

23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my concerns.

Try mee, O God, and knowe mine heart: prooue me and know my thoughtes,

24 See if there is any offensive way in me; lead me in the way everlasting.

And consider if there be any way of wickednes in me, and leade me in the way for euer.