Psalm 139
The All-Knowing, Ever-Present God
For the choir director. A Davidic psalm.
1 Lord, You have searched me and known me.
2 You know when I sit down and when I stand up;
You understand my thoughts from far away.
3 You observe my travels and my rest;
You are aware of all my ways.
4 Before a word is on my tongue,
You know all about it, Lord.
5 You have encircled me;
You have placed Your hand on me.
6 This extraordinary knowledge is beyond me.
It is lofty; I am unable to reach it.
Where can I flee from Your presence?
8 If I go up to heaven, You are there;
if I make my bed in Sheol, You are there.
9 If I live at the eastern horizon
or settle at the western limits,[a]
10 even there Your hand will lead me;
Your right hand will hold on to me.
11 If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me,
and the light around me will be night”—
12 even the darkness is not dark to You.
The night shines like the day;
darkness and light are alike to You.
You knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 I will praise You
because I have been remarkably and wonderfully made.[c][d]
Your works are wonderful,
and I know this very well.
15 My bones were not hidden from You
when I was made in secret,
when I was formed in the depths of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw me when I was formless;
all my days were written in Your book and planned
before a single one of them began.
for me to comprehend;
how vast their sum is!
18 If I counted them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand;
when I wake up,[f] I am still with You.
you bloodthirsty men, stay away from me—
20 who invoke You deceitfully.
Your enemies swear by You falsely.
21 Lord, don’t I hate those who hate You,
and detest those who rebel against You?
22 I hate them with extreme hatred;
I consider them my enemies.
test me and know my concerns.
24 See if there is any offensive[g] way in me;
lead me in the everlasting way.
Footnotes
- Psalm 139:9 Lit I take up the wings of the dawn; I dwell at the end of the sea
- Psalm 139:13 Lit my kidneys
- Psalm 139:14 DSS, some LXX mss, Syr, Jer read because You are remarkable and wonderful
- Psalm 139:14 Hb obscure
- Psalm 139:17 Or precious
- Psalm 139:18 Some Hb mss read I come to an end
- Psalm 139:24 Or idolatrous