Psa 139 | NASB1995 | STEP | For the choir director. A Psalm of David. O Lord , You have searched me and known me .

Psalms 139

God’s Omnipresence and Omniscience.

For the choir director. A Psalm of David.

1 O Lord, You have ^asearched me and known me.
2 You ^bknow ^{▼▼ Lit my sitting}when I sit down and ^{▼▼ Lit my rising}when I rise up;
You ^eunderstand my thought from afar.
3 You ^{▼▼ Lit winnow
,} ^gscrutinize my ^{▼▼ Or journeying}path and my lying down,
And are intimately acquainted with all my ways.
4 ^{▼▼ Lit For there is not}Even before there is a word on my tongue,
Behold, O Lord, You ^jknow it all.
5 You have ^kenclosed me behind and before,
And ^llaid Your hand upon me.
6 Such ^mknowledge is ⁿtoo wonderful for me;
It is too high, I cannot attain to it.

7 ^oWhere can I go from Your Spirit?
Or where can I flee from Your presence?
8 ^pIf I ascend to heaven, You are there;
If I make my bed in ^{▼▼ I.e. the nether world}Sheol, behold, ^rYou are there.
9 If I take the wings of the dawn,
If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea,
10 Even there Your hand will ^slead me,
And Your right hand will lay hold of me.
11 If I say, “Surely the ^tdarkness will ^{▼▼ Lit bruise; some commentators read cover}overwhelm me,
And the light around me will be night,”
12 Even the ^vdarkness is not dark ^{▼▼ Lit from}to You,
And the night is as bright as the day.
^xDarkness and light are alike to You.

13 For You ^yformed my ^{▼▼ Lit kidneys}inward parts;
You ^aawove me in my mother’s womb.
14 I will give thanks to You, for ^{▼▼ Some ancient versions read You are fearfully wonderful}I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
^acWonderful are Your works,
And my soul knows it very well.
15 My ^{▼▼ Lit bones were
,} ^aeframe was not hidden from You,
When I was made in secret,
And skillfully wrought in the ^afdepths of the earth;
16 Your ^ageyes have seen my unformed substance;
And in ^ahYour book were all written
The ^aidays that were ordained for me,
When as yet there was not one of them.

17 How precious also are Your ^ajthoughts to me, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!
18 If I should count them, they would ^akoutnumber the sand.
When ^alI awake, I am still with You.

19 O that You would ^amslay the wicked, O God;
^anDepart from me, therefore, ^aomen of bloodshed.
20 For they ^apspeak ^{▼▼ Or of}against You wickedly,
And Your enemies ^{▼▼ Some mss read lift themselves up against You
,} ^astake Your name in vain.
21 Do I not ^athate those who hate You, O Lord?
And do I not ^auloathe those who rise up against You?
22 I hate them with the utmost hatred;
They have become my enemies.

23 ^avSearch me, O God, and know my heart;
^awTry me and know my anxious thoughts;
24 And see if there be any ^{▼▼ Lit way of pain
,} ^ayhurtful way in me,
And ^azlead me in the ^baeverlasting way.