Psalm 38:1-Psalm 39:1 - Prayer Of A Suffering Sinner
1 LORD! Do not rebuke me in your anger; do not correct me in your wrath, 2 because your arrows have sunk deep into me, and your hand has come down hard on me.
3 My body is unhealthy due to your anger, and my bones have no rest due to my sin. 4 My iniquities loom over my head; like a cumbersome burden, they are too heavy for me. 5 My wounds have putrefied and festered because of my foolishness. 6 I am bent over and walk about greatly bowed down; all day long I go around mourning. 7 My insides are burning and my body is unhealthy. 8 I am weak and utterly crushed; I cry out in distress because of my heart's anguish.
9 Lord, all my longings are before you, and my groaning is not hidden from you. 10 My heart pounds, my strength fails me, even the gleam in my eye is gone. 11 As for my friends and my neighbors, they stand aloof from my distress; even my close relatives stand at a distance. 12 Those who seek my life lay snares for me; those who seek to do me harm brag all day long about their wicked planning.
13 I am like the deaf, who cannot hear, and like the mute, who cannot open his mouth. 14 Indeed, I have become like a man who hears nothing, and in whose mouth there is no rebuke. 15 Because I have placed my hope in you, LORD, you will answer, Lord, my God. 16 For I said, "Do not let them gloat over me, as they congratulate themselves when my foot slips." 17 Indeed, I am being set up for a fall, and I am continuously reminded of my pain. 18 I confess my iniquity, and my sin troubles me. 19 But my enemies are alive and well; those who hate me for no reason are numerous. 20 They reward my good with evil, opposing me because I seek to do good.
21 Don't forsake me, LORD. My God, do not be so distant from me. 22 Come quickly and help me, Lord, my deliverer. To the Director: To Jeduthun. A Davidic Psalm.
1 I told myself, "I will keep watch over my tongue to keep from sinning. I will muzzle my mouth when the wicked are around."