Psalms 139
1 TO THE OVERSEER. A PSALM OF DAVID. YHWH, You have searched me, and know.
“To the chief musician, by David, a psalm.” O Lord! thou hast searched me through, and thou knowest [me].
2 You have known my sitting down, And my rising up, You have attended to my thoughts from afar.
Thou indeed knowest my sitting down and my rising up, thou understandest my thinking while yet afar off.
3 You have fanned my path and my lying down, And have been acquainted [with] all my ways.
My walking and my lying down hast thou limited, and with all my ways art thou acquainted.
4 For there is not a word in my tongue, Behold, O YHWH, You have known it all!
For, while there is not a word on my tongue, lo, thou, O Lord, knowest it entirely.
5 You have besieged me behind and before, And You place Your hand on me.
Behind and before hast thou hedged me in, and thou placest upon me thy hand.
6 Knowledge too wonderful for me, It has been set on high, I am not able for it.
Too wonderful is such knowledge for me: it is too exalted, I cannot attain unto it.
7 To where do I go from Your Spirit? And to where do I flee from Your face?
Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee away from thy presence?
8 If I ascend the heavens—You [are] there, And spread out a bed in Sheol, behold, You! (Sheol h7585)
If I should ascend into heaven, thou art there; and if I should make my bed in the nether world, behold, thou art there. (Sheol h7585)
9 I take the wings of morning, I dwell in the uttermost part of the sea,
If I should lift up the wings of the morning-dawn, if I should dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea:
10 Also there Your hand leads me, And Your right hand holds me.
Even there would thy hand lead me, and thy right hand would seize hold of me.
11 And I say, “Surely darkness bruises me,” Then night [is] light to me.
If I said, Surely darkness shall enshroud me, and into night [be turned] the light about me:
12 Also darkness does not hide from You, And night shines as day, As [is] darkness so [is] light.
Yet even darkness can obscure nothing from thee; but the night will shine like the day; both the darkness and the light are alike [to thee].
13 For You have possessed my reins, You cover me in my mother’s belly.
For thou possessest my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother's womb.
14 I confess You, because I have been fearfully distinguished. Your works [are] wonderful, And my soul is knowing [it] well.
I will thank thee therefore, that I am [so] fearfully [and] wonderfully made: wonderful are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.
15 My substance was not hid from You, When I was made in secret, Curiously worked in the lower part of earth.
My being was not concealed from thee, when I was made in secret, when I was [so to say] embroidered in the lowest parts of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw my unformed substance, And all of them are written on Your scroll, The days they were formed—And not one among them.
My undeveloped substance did thy eyes see; and in thy book were all of them written down—the days which have been formed, while yet not one of them was here.
17 And how precious Your thoughts have been to me, O God, how great has been their sum!
And how precious are unto me thy thoughts, O God! how mightily great is their sum!
18 I recount them! They are more than the sand, I have awoken, and I am still with You.
Should I count them, they would be more numerous than the sand: I awake, and I am still with thee.
19 Do You slay, O God, the wicked? Then, men of blood, turn aside from me!
If thou wouldst but slay the wicked, O God! and ye men of blood, depart from me.
20 Who exchange You for wickedness, Your enemies [are] lifted up to vanity.
Who speak of thee for a wicked end, thy enemies, that bear [thy name] for a vain purpose.
21 Do I not hate, YHWH, those hating You? And grieve myself with Your withstanders?
Behold, those that hate thee I ever hate, O Lord; and for those that rise up against thee do I feel loathing.
22 I have hated them [with] perfect hatred, They have become enemies to me.
With the utmost hatred do I hate them: enemies are they become unto me.
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart, Try me, and know my thoughts,
Search me through, O God, and know my heart; probe me, and know my thoughts:
24 And see if a grievous way be in me, And lead me in a perpetual way!
And see if there be a way of perverseness in me, and lead me on the way of eternity.
