Psalms 38

Prayer of a Suffering Penitent.

A Psalm of David, for a memorial.

1 Lord, ^ado not rebuke me in Your wrath,
And do not punish me in Your burning anger.
2 For Your ^barrows have sunk deep into me,
And ^cYour hand has pressed down on me.
3 There is ^dno healthy part in my flesh ^ebecause of Your indignation;
There is no health ^fin my bones because of my sin.
4 For my ^gguilty deeds have gone over my head;
Like a heavy burden they weigh too much for me.
5 My ▼

▼Or stripes

wounds grow foul and fester
Because of ⁱmy foolishness.
6 I am bent over and ^jgreatly bowed down;
I ^kgo in mourning all day long.
7 For my ▼

▼Lit loins

sides are filled with ^mburning,
And there is ⁿno healthy part in my flesh.
8 I feel ^ofaint and ▼

▼Or greatly

badly crushed;
I ▼

▼Lit roar

, ^rgroan because of the ▼

▼Lit growling

agitation of my heart.

9 Lord, all ^tmy desire is ▼

▼Or known to You

before You;
And my ^vsighing is not hidden from You.
10 My heart throbs, ^wmy strength fails me;
And the ^xlight of my eyes, even ▼

▼Lit they have

that ▼

▼Lit is not with me

has gone from me.
11 My ▼

▼Or lovers

, ^abloved ones and my friends stand aloof from my plague;
And my kinsmen ^acstand far away.
12 Those who ^adseek my life ^aelay snares for me;
And those who ^afseek to injure me have ▼

▼Lit spoken

threatened destruction,
And they ^ahplot deception all day long.

13 But I, like a person who is deaf, do not hear;
And I am like a ^aiperson who cannot speak, who does not open his mouth.
14 Yes, I am like a person who does not hear,
And in whose mouth are no arguments.
15 For ^ajI wait for You, Lord;
You ^akwill answer, Lord my God.
16 For I said, “May they not rejoice over me,
Who, when my foot slips, ^alwould exalt themselves over me.”
17 For I am ^amready to fall,
And ^anmy ▼

▼Lit pain

sorrow is continually before me.
18 For I ^apadmit my guilt;
I am full of ^aqanxiety because of my sin.
19 But my ^arenemies are vigorous and ▼

▼Or numerous

strong,
And those who wrongfully ^athate me are many.
20 And those who ^aurepay evil for good,
They ^avbecome my enemies, because I follow what is good.
21 Do not abandon me, Lord;
My God, ^awdo not be far from me!
22 ^axHurry to help me,
Lord, ^aymy salvation!