Psalm 38
Prayer of a Sinner in Great Peril
1 A psalm of David. For remembrance.
2 O Lord, do not punish me in your anger
or chastise me in your wrath.
3 For your arrows have pierced me deeply,
and your hand has come down upon me.
4 No portion of my body has been unscathed
as a result of your anger;
my bones have become weak
as a result of my sins.
5 My iniquities tower far above my head;
they are a burden too heavy to bear.
6 My wounds are fetid and fester
because of my folly.
7 I am bowed down and bent over,
as I spend each day in sorrow.
8 My loins are filled with searing pain;
no part of my body is unafflicted.
9 I am numb and completely crushed,
and I groan in anguish of heart.
10 O Lord, all my longing is known to you,
and my sighs are not hidden from you.
11 My heart throbs, and my strength is spent;
even the light has faded from my eyes.
12 My friends and companions stay away from my affliction,
and my neighbors keep their distance.
13 Those who seek my life set traps;
those who wish me harm threaten violence
and plot treachery all day long.
14 But I am like a man who cannot hear,
like one who cannot open his mouth.
15 I am like one who hears nothing
and has no answer to offer.
16 I place my hope in you, O Lord;
you, O Lord, my God, will answer for me.
17 For I prayed, “Never let them gloat over me
or exult should my foot slip.”
18 I am at the point of exhaustion,
and my grief is with me constantly.
19 I acknowledge my iniquity,
and I sincerely grieve for my sin.
20 Numerous and strong are my enemies without cause;
many are those who hate me without good reason.
21 Those who repay my good deeds with evil
oppose me because I follow a path of righteousness.
22 Do not abandon me, O Lord;
my God, do not remain far from me.
23 Come quickly to my aid,
O Lord, my Savior.
Footnotes
- Psalm 38:1
- Psalm 38:1
- Psalm 38:3
- Psalm 38:4
- Psalm 38:5
- Psalm 38:8
- Psalm 38:9
- Psalm 38:13
- Psalm 38:14
- Psalm 38:20
- Psalm 38:20
