Psalm 39

I said, “I will guard my ways,
That I may not sin with my tongue;
I will guard my mouth as with a muzzle,
While the wicked are in my presence.”
I was dumb and silent,
I refrained even from good;
And my sorrow grew worse.
My heart was hot within me;
While I was musing the fire burned;
Then I spoke with my tongue:
“Lord, make me to know my end,
And what is the extent of my days,
Let me know how transient I am.
“Behold, Thou hast made my days as handbreadths,
And my lifetime as nothing in Thy sight,
Surely every man at his best is a mere breadth;
“Surely every man walks about as a phantom;
Surely they make an uproar for nothing;
He amasses riches, and does not know who will gather them.

“And now, Lord, for what do I wait?
My hope is in Thee.
“Deliver me from all my transgressions;
Make me not the reproach of the foolish.
“I have become dumb, I do not open my mouth,
Because it is Thou who hast done it.
“Remove Thy plague from me;
Because of the opposition of Thy hand, I am perishing.
“With reproofs Thou dost chasten a man for iniquity;
Thou dost consume as a moth what is precious to him;
Surely every man is a mere breath.

“Hear my prayer, O Lord, and give ear to my cry;
Do not be silent at my tears;
For I am a stranger with Thee,
A sojourner like all my fathers.
“Turn Thy gaze away from me, that I may smile again,
Before I depart and am no more.”

~Psalm 39 (NASB 1977)

Psalm 38

O LORD, rebuke me not in Thy wrath,
And chasten me not in Thy burning anger.
For Thine arrows have sunk deep into me,
And Thy hand has pressed down on me.
There is no soundness in my flesh because of Thine indignation;
There is no health in my bones because of my sin.
For my iniquities are gone over my head;

As a heavy burden they weigh too much for me.
My wounds grow foul and fester
Because of my folly.
I am bent over and greatly bowed down;
I go mourning all day long.
For my loins are filled with burning,
And there is no soundness in my flesh.
I am benumbed and badly crushed;
I groan because of the agitation of my heart.

LORD, all my desire is before Thee;
And my sighing is not hidden from Thee.
My heart throbs, my strength fails me;
And the light of my eyes, even that has gone from me.
My loved ones and my friends stand aloof from my plague;
And my kinsmen stand afar off.
Those who seek my life lay snares for me;
And those who seek to injure me have threatened destruction,
And they devise treachery all day long.
But I, like a deaf man, do not hear;
And I am like a mute man who does not open his mouth.
Yes, I am like a man who does not hear,
And in whose mouth are no arguments.
For I hope in Thee, O LORD;
Thou wilt answer, O LORD my God.
For I said, "May they not rejoice over me,
Who, when my foot slips, would magnify themselves against me."

For I am ready to fall,
And my sorrow is continually before me.
For I confess my iniquity;
I am full of anxiety because of my sin.
But my enemies are vigorous and strong,
And many are those who hate me wrongfully.
And those who repay evil for good,
They oppose me, because I follow what is good.
Do not forsake me, O LORD;
O my God, do not be far from me!
Make haste to help me,
O LORD, my salvation!

~Psalm 38 (NASB 1977)

Psalm 35

Contend, O LORD, with those who contend with me;
Fight against those who fight against me.
Take hold of buckler and shield,
And rise up for my help.
Draw also the spear and the battle-axe to meet those who pursue me;
Say to my soul, "I am your salvation."
Let those be ashamed and dishonored who seek my life;
Let those be turned back and humiliated who devise evil against me.
Let them be like chaff before the wind,
With the angel of the LORD pursuing them.
For without cause they dug a pit for my soul.
Let destruction come upon him unawares;
And let the net which he hid catch himself;
Into that very destruction let him fall.

And my soul shall rejoice in the LORD;
It shall exult in His salvation.
All my bones will say, "LORD, who is like Thee,
Who delivers the afflicted from him who is too strong for him,
And the afflicted and the needy from him who robs him?"
Malicious witnesses rise up;
They ask of me things that I do not know.
They repay me evil for good,
To the bereavement of my soul.
But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth;
I humbled my soul with fasting;
And my prayer kept returning to my bosom.
I went about as though it were my friend or bother;
I bowed down mourning, as one who sorrows for a mother.
But at my stumbling they rejoiced, and gathers themselves together against me,
They slandered me without ceasing,
Like godless jesters at a feast,
They gnashed at me with their teeth.

LORD, how long wilt Thou look on?
Rescue my soul from their ravages,
My only life from the lions.
I will give Thee thanks in the great congregations;
I will praise Thee among a mighty throng.
Do not let those who are wrongfully my enemies rejoice over me;
Neither let those who hate me without cause wink maliciously.
For they do not speak peace,
But they devise deceitful words against those who are quiet in the land.
And they opened their mouth wide against me;
They said, "Aha, aha, our eyes have seen it!"

Thou hast seen it, O LORD, do not keep silent;
O LORD, do not be far from me.
Stir up Thyself, and awake to my right,
And to my cause, my God and my Lord.
Judge me, O LORD my God, according to Thy righteousness;
And do not let them rejoice over me.
Do not let them say in their heart, "Aha, our desire!"
Do not let them say, "We have swallowed him up!"
Let those be ashamed and humiliated altogether who rejoice at my distress;
Let those be clothed with shame and dishonor who magnify themselves over me.

Let them shout for joy and rejoice, who favor my vindication;
And let them say continually, "The LORD be magnified,
Who delights in the prosperity of His servant."
And my tongue shall declare Thy righteousness
And Thy praise all day long.

~Psalm 35 (NASB 1977)

Psalm 13

How long, O Lord? Wilt Thou forget me forever?
How long wilt Thou hide Thy face from me?
How long shall I take counsel in my soul?
Having sorrow in my heart all the day?
How long will my enemy be exalted over me?

Consider and answer me, O Lord, my God;
Enlighten my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death,
Lest my enemy say, "I have overcome him,"
Lest my adversaries rejoice when I am shaken.

But I have trusted in Thy lovingness;
My heart shall rejoice in Thy salvation.
I will sing to the Lord,
Because He has dealt bountifully with me.

~Psalm 13 (NASB 1977)

Psalm 6

O LORD, do not rebuke me in Thine anger,
Nor chasten me in Thy wrath.
Be gracious to me, O LORD, for I am pining away;
Heal me, O LORD, for my bones are dismayed.
And my soul is greatly dismayed;
But Thou, O LORD--how long?

Return, O LORD, rescue my soul;
Save me because of Thy lovingkindness.
For there is no mention of Thee in death;
In Sheol who will give Thee thanks?

I am weary with my sighing;
Every night I make my bed swim,
I dissolve my couch with my tears.
My eye has wasted away with grief;
It has become old because of all my adversaries.

Depart from me, all you who do iniquity,
For the LORD has heard the voice of my weeping.
The LORD has heard my supplication,
The LORD receives my prayer.
All my enemies will be ashamed and greatly dismayed;
They shall turn back, they will suddenly be ashamed.

~Psalm 6 (NASB 1977)