Psalms 38

¹Unto the end, for Idithun himself, a canticle of David.

²I said: I will take heed to my ways: that I sin not with my tongue. I have set a guard to my mouth, when the sinner stood against me.

³I was dumb, and was humbled, and kept silence from good things: and my sorrow was renewed.

⁴My heart grew hot within me: and in my meditation a fire shall flame out.

⁵I spoke with my tongue: O Lord, make me know my end. And what is the number of my days: that I may know what is wanting to me.

⁶Behold thou hast made my days measurable. and my substance is as nothing before thee. And indeed all things are vanity: every man living.

⁷Surely man passeth as an image: yea, and he is disquieted in vain. He storeth up: and he knoweth not for whom he shall gather these things.

⁸And now what is my hope? is it not the Lord? and my substance is with thee.

⁹Deliver thou me from all my iniquities: thou hast made me a reproach to the fool.

¹⁰I was dumb, and I opened not my mouth, because thou hast done it.

¹¹Remove thy scourges from me. The strength of thy hand hath made me faint in rebukes:

¹²Thou hast corrected man for iniquity. And thou hast made his soul to waste away like a spider: surely in vain is any man disquieted.

¹³Hear my prayer, O Lord, and my supplication: give ear to my tears. Be no silent: for I am a stranger with thee, and a sojourner as all my fathers were.

¹⁴O forgive me, that I may be refreshed, before I go hence, and be no more.

Psalms 38

¹O Lord, rebuke me not in thy wrath: neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure.

²For thine arrows stick fast in me, and thy hand presseth me sore.

³There is no soundness in my flesh because of thine anger; neither is there any rest in my bones because of my sin.

⁴For mine iniquities are gone over mine head: as an heavy burden they are too heavy for me.

⁵My wounds stink and are corrupt because of my foolishness.

⁶I am troubled; I am bowed down greatly; I go mourning all the day long.

⁷For my loins are filled with a loathsome disease: and there is no soundness in my flesh.

⁸I am feeble and sore broken: I have roared by reason of the disquietness of my heart.

⁹Lord, all my desire is before thee; and my groaning is not hid from thee.

¹⁰My heart panteth, my strength faileth me: as for the light of mine eyes, it also is gone from me.

¹¹My lovers and my friends stand aloof from my sore; and my kinsmen stand afar off.

¹²They also that seek after my life lay snares for me: and they that seek my hurt speak mischievous things, and imagine deceits all the day long.

¹³But I, as a deaf man, heard not; and I was as a dumb man that openeth not his mouth.

¹⁴Thus I was as a man that heareth not, and in whose mouth are no reproofs.

¹⁵For in thee, O Lord, do I hope: thou wilt hear, O Lord my God.

¹⁶For I said, Hear me, lest otherwise they should rejoice over me: when my foot slippeth, they magnify themselves against me.

¹⁷For I am ready to halt, and my sorrow is continually before me.

¹⁸For I will declare mine iniquity; I will be sorry for my sin.

¹⁹But mine enemies are lively, and they are strong: and they that hate me wrongfully are multiplied.

²⁰They also that render evil for good are mine adversaries; because I follow the thing that good is.

²¹Forsake me not, O Lord: O my God, be not far from me.

²²Make haste to help me, O Lord my salvation.