Prayer in Time of Chastening

A Psalm of David. (A)To bring to remembrance.

38 O Lord, do not (B)rebuke me in Your wrath,
Nor chasten me in Your hot displeasure!
For Your arrows pierce me deeply,
And Your hand presses me down.

There is no soundness in my flesh
Because of Your anger,
Nor any health in my bones
Because of my sin.
For my iniquities have gone over my head;
Like a heavy burden they are too heavy for me.
My wounds are foul and festering
Because of my foolishness.

I am [a]troubled, I am bowed down greatly;
I go mourning all the day long.
For my loins are full of inflammation,
And there is no soundness in my flesh.
I am feeble and severely broken;
I groan because of the turmoil of my heart.

Lord, all my desire is before You;
And my sighing is not hidden from You.
10 My heart pants, my strength fails me;
As for the light of my eyes, it also has gone from me.

11 My loved ones and my friends (C)stand aloof from my plague,
And my relatives stand afar off.
12 Those also who seek my life lay snares for me;
Those who seek my hurt speak of destruction,
And plan deception all the day long.

13 But I, like a deaf man, do not hear;
And I am like a mute who does not open his mouth.
14 Thus I am like a man who does not hear,
And in whose mouth is no response.

15 For [b]in You, O Lord, (D)I hope;
You will [c]hear, O Lord my God.
16 For I said, “Hear me, lest they rejoice over me,
Lest, when my foot slips, they exalt themselves against me.”

17 (E)For I am ready to fall,
And my sorrow is continually before me.
18 For I will (F)declare my iniquity;
I will be (G)in [d]anguish over my sin.
19 But my enemies are vigorous, and they are strong;
And those who hate me wrongfully have multiplied.
20 Those also (H)who render evil for good,
They are my adversaries, because I follow what is good.

21 Do not forsake me, O Lord;
O my God, (I)be not far from me!
22 Make haste to help me,
O Lord, my salvation!

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 38:6 Lit. bent down
  2. Psalm 38:15 I wait for You, O Lord
  3. Psalm 38:15 answer
  4. Psalm 38:18 anxiety

Prayer of a Suffering Penitent.

A Psalm of David, for a memorial.

38 Lord, (A)do not rebuke me in Your wrath,
And do not punish me in Your burning anger.
For Your (B)arrows have sunk deep into me,
And (C)Your hand has pressed down on me.
There is (D)no healthy part in my flesh (E)because of Your indignation;
There is no health (F)in my bones because of my sin.
For my (G)guilty deeds have gone over my head;
Like a heavy burden they weigh too much for me.
My [a]wounds grow foul and fester
Because of (H)my foolishness.
I am bent over and (I)greatly bowed down;
I (J)go in mourning all day long.
For my [b]sides are filled with (K)burning,
And there is (L)no healthy part in my flesh.
I feel (M)faint and [c]badly crushed;
I [d](N)groan because of the [e]agitation of my heart.

Lord, all (O)my desire is [f]before You;
And my (P)sighing is not hidden from You.
10 My heart throbs, (Q)my strength fails me;
And the (R)light of my eyes, even [g]that [h]has gone from me.
11 My [i](S)loved ones and my friends stand aloof from my plague;
And my kinsmen (T)stand far away.
12 Those who (U)seek my life (V)lay snares for me;
And those who (W)seek to injure me have [j]threatened destruction,
And they (X)plot deception all day long.

13 But I, like a person who is deaf, do not hear;
And I am like a (Y)person 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 (Z)I wait for You, Lord;
You (AA)will answer, Lord my God.
16 For I said, “May they not rejoice over me,
Who, when my foot slips, (AB)would exalt themselves over me.”
17 For I am (AC)ready to fall,
And (AD)my [k]sorrow is continually before me.
18 For I (AE)admit my guilt;
I am full of (AF)anxiety because of my sin.
19 But my (AG)enemies are vigorous and [l]strong,
And those who wrongfully (AH)hate me are many.
20 And those who (AI)repay evil for good,
They (AJ)become my enemies, because I follow what is good.
21 Do not abandon me, Lord;
My God, (AK)do not be far from me!
22 (AL)Hurry to help me,
Lord, (AM)my salvation!

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 38:5 Or stripes
  2. Psalm 38:7 Lit loins
  3. Psalm 38:8 Or greatly
  4. Psalm 38:8 Lit roar
  5. Psalm 38:8 Lit growling
  6. Psalm 38:9 Or known to You
  7. Psalm 38:10 Lit they have
  8. Psalm 38:10 Lit is not with me
  9. Psalm 38:11 Or lovers
  10. Psalm 38:12 Lit spoken
  11. Psalm 38:17 Lit pain
  12. Psalm 38:19 Or numerous

Psalm 38

Den ångerfulles bön

En psalm av David. En bön.

Herre, straffa mig inte i din vrede,
tukta mig inte i din vredesglöd.
Ty dina pilar har träffat mig,
    din hand har drabbat mig.
Inget helt finns på min kropp
    för din vredes skull,
inget friskt finns i mina ben
    för min synds skull.
Min syndaskuld går mig över huvudet,
den tynger mig som en tung börda.
Mina sår stinker och flyter
    för min dårskaps skull.
Jag går krokig och mycket böjd,
    hela dagen går jag sörjande.
Mina höfter är fulla av brand,
    inget helt finns på min kropp.
Jag är maktlös och helt sönderslagen,
jag klagar i mitt hjärtas oro.
10 Herre, du känner all min längtan,
    mina suckar är ej dolda för dig.
11 Mitt hjärta slår häftigt,
    min kraft har övergivit mig.
Mina ögons ljus, också det är borta.

12 Mina nära och kära håller sig borta från min plåga,
mina närmaste stannar på avstånd.
13 De som står efter mitt liv lägger ut snaror,
de som söker min olycka talar om min undergång.
Hela tiden tänker de på svek.
14 Men jag är lik en döv som inte hör,
lik en stum som inte öppnar sin mun.
15 Jag är lik en man som inte hör,
    som ej öppnar sin mun till svar.
16 Men jag väntar på dig, Herre,
    du skall svara, Herre, min Gud.
17 Jag tänker: Må de inte få glädjas över mig
eller förhäva sig över mig när min fot vacklar.
18 Ty jag är nära att falla,
    jag känner alltid min smärta.
19 Jag bekänner min skuld
    och sörjer över min synd.
20 Mina fiender lever och är mäktiga,
många är de som hatar mig utan orsak.
21 De som lönar gott med ont står mig emot
därför att jag strävar efter det goda.
22 Överge mig inte, Herre,
    min Gud, var inte långt ifrån mig!
23 Skynda till min hjälp,
    Herre, du min frälsning!