Psalms 139

1 TO THE OVERSEER. A PSALM OF DAVID. YHWH, You have searched me, and know.

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

2 You have known my sitting down, And my rising up, You have attended to my thoughts from afar.

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 You have fanned my path and my lying down, And have been 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, Behold, O YHWH, You have known it all!

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

5 You have besieged me behind and before, And You place Your hand on me.

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

6 Knowledge too wonderful for me, It has been set on high, I am not able for it.

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

7 To where do I go from Your Spirit? And to where do I flee from Your face?

(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 the heavens—You [are] there, And spread out a bed in Sheol, behold, You! (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 I take the wings of morning, I dwell in the uttermost part 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 Also there Your hand leads me, And Your right hand holds me.

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

11 And I say, “Surely darkness bruises me,” Then night [is] light to me.

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

12 Also darkness does not hide from You, And night shines as day, As [is] darkness so [is] light.

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 You have possessed my reins, You cover me in my mother’s belly.

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 confess You, because I have been fearfully distinguished. Your works [are] wonderful, And my soul is knowing [it] 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 substance was not hid from You, When I was made in secret, Curiously worked in the lower part of earth.

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

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.

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 And how precious Your thoughts have been to me, O God, how great has been their sum!

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 recount them! They are more than the sand, I have awoken, and I am still with You.

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 Do You slay, O God, the wicked? Then, men of blood, turn aside from me!

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 Who exchange You for wickedness, Your enemies [are] lifted up to vanity.

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

21 Do I not hate, YHWH, those hating You? And grieve myself with Your withstanders?

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

22 I have hated them [with] perfect hatred, They have become enemies to me.

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 a grievous way be in me, And lead me in a perpetual way!

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.