Psalms 38

1 A Melody of David. To bring to Remembrance. O Yahweh, do not, in thine anger, correct me, nor, in thy wrath, chastise me;

Yahweh, when you are angry [with me], do not rebuke/scold me and punish me!

2 For, thine arrows, have sunk down into me, and thy hand, presseth heavily upon me.

[Now it is as though] you have shot your arrows at me and wounded me; you have struck me and knocked me down.

3 There is no soundness in my flesh, By reason of thine indignation, There is no peace in my bones, By reason of my sin;

Because you have been angry with me, I am suffering great pain. Because of my sin, my whole body is diseased.

4 For, mine iniquities, have passed over my head, Like a heavy burden, they are too heavy for me:

All my sins are [like a flood] that covers my head; they are like a load that is very heavy, with the result that I cannot carry it.

5 My wounds are of bad odour—they have festered, by reason of my folly:

Because I have done foolish things, I have sores that have become worse, and they stink.

6 I am bent, I am bowed down very low. All the day, have I gloomily walked;

[Sometimes] I am bent over, and [sometimes] I lie prostrate; I am sad/cry all day.

7 For, my loins, are filled with inflammation, and there is no soundness in my flesh:

My body is burning with fever, and I am very ill.

8 I am benumbed and crushed exceedingly, —I have cried aloud because of the groaning of my heart.

I am completely exhausted, and I have no strength. I am very distressed, and I groan with pain.

9 O My Lord! before thee, is all my longing, and, my sighing, from thee, hath not been hid:

Yahweh, you know that I desire [to be healed]; you hear me while I am groaning.

10 My heart, fluttereth, my strength hath forsaken me, and, as for the light of mine eyes, even they, are not with me:

My heat is pounding heavily, and all my strength is gone. I am no longer able to see well.

11 My lovers, and my friends, from before my stroke, stand aloof, —and, my near ones, far away, do stand:

My friends and neighbors stay away from me because of my sores; even my own family stays away from me.

12 Yea they who are seeking my life, have laid snares, and they who are asking my harm, have threatened engulfing ruin, And, deceitful things—all day long, do they mutter.

And those who want to kill me set traps to catch me; those who want to harm me discuss ways to get rid of me; they plot against me all day.

13 But, I, as one deaf, will not hear, —and as one dumb, who will not open his mouth:

Now I act like I’m deaf, and do not listen [to what they say]. I act like I cannot talk, so I say nothing [to reply to them].

14 Thus have I become as a man who cannot hear, in whose mouth are no arguments:

I act like a man who does not answer [when people talk to him], because he cannot hear anything.

15 Because, for thee, O Yahweh, have I waited, Thou, wilt answer, O Adonay, my God!

But Yahweh, I trust in you. My Lord God, you will answer me.

16 For I said, Lest they rejoice over me! When my feet were tottering, against me, have they magnified themselves:

I said to you, “Do not cause [me to die, with the result that] my enemies will rejoice! Do not cause me to stumble, with the result that they will be very happy!”

17 For, I, to halt, am ready, and, my pain, is before me continually;

I say that because I am about to fall down, and I constantly have pain.

18 For, mine iniquity, will I declare, I shall be anxious because of my sin;

I confess the wrong things that I have done; I am [very] sorry for the sins that I have committed.

19 And, my foes, are alive—have become strong, —and multiplied are they who hate me for false cause:

My enemies are healthy and strong; there are many people who hate me for no reason.

20 Even they who are repaying evil for good, accuse me because I pursue the good.

Those who do evil things to me in return for my doing good things to them oppose me because I try to do what is right.

21 Do not forsake me, O Yahweh, My God! be not far from me:

Yahweh, do not abandon me! My God, do not stay far from me!

22 Make haste to help me, My Lord, my deliverance!

Lord, you are the one who saves/rescues me; Quickly [come and] help me!