Psalms 139

God’s Omnipresence and Omniscience.

For the music director. A Psalm of David.

1 Lord, You have ^asearched me and known me.
2 You ^bknow ▼

▼Lit my sitting

when I sit down and ▼

▼Lit my rising

when I get up;
You ^eunderstand my thought from far away.
3 You ▼

▼Lit winnow

, ^gscrutinize my ▼

▼Or journeying

path and my lying down,
And are acquainted with all my ways.
4 ▼

▼Lit For there is not

Even before there is a word on my tongue,
Behold, Lord, You ^jknow it all.
5 You have ^kencircled me behind and in front,
And ^lplaced Your hand upon me.
6 Such ^mknowledge is ⁿtoo wonderful for me;
It is too high, I cannot comprehend 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 netherworld

Sheol, behold, ^rYou are there.
9 If I take up 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 take hold of me.
11 If I say, “Surely the ^tdarkness will ▼

▼Lit bruise; some commentators cover

overwhelm me,
And the light around me will be night,”
12 Even ^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 ^ycreated my innermost parts;
You ^zwove me in my mother’s womb.
14 I will give thanks to You, because ▼

▼Some ancient versions You are fearfully wonderful

I am awesomely and wonderfully made;
^abWonderful are Your works,
And my soul knows it very well.
15 My ▼

▼Lit bones were

, ^adframe was not hidden from You
When I was made in secret,
And skillfully formed in the ^aedepths of the earth;
16 Your ^afeyes have seen my formless substance;
And in ^agYour book were written
All the ^ahdays that were ordained for me,
When as yet there was not one of them.

17 How precious also are Your ^aithoughts for me, God!
How vast is the sum of them!
18 Were I to count them, they would ^ajoutnumber the sand.
When ^akI awake, I am still with You.

19 If only You would ^alput the wicked to death, God;
^amLeave me, ^anyou men of bloodshed.
20 For they ^aospeak ▼

▼Or of

against You wickedly,
And Your enemies ▼

▼Some mss lift themselves up against You

, ^artake Your name in vain.
21 Do I not ^ashate those who hate You, Lord?
And do I not ^atloathe those who rise up against You?
22 I hate them with the utmost hatred;
They have become my enemies.

23 ^auSearch me, God, and know my heart;
^avPut me to the test and know my anxious thoughts;
24 And see if there is any ▼

▼Lit way of pain

, ^axhurtful way in me,
And ^aylead me in the ^azeverlasting way.