Psalm 38

Common English Bible

Psalm 38

A psalm of David. For the memorial offering.

38 Please, Lord, don’t punish me when you are mad;
    don’t discipline me when you are furious.
²Your arrows have pierced me;
    your fist has come down hard on me.
³There’s nothing in my body that isn’t broken
        because of your rage;
    there’s no health in my bones
        because of my sin.
⁴My wrongdoings are stacked higher than my head;
    they are a weight that’s way too heavy for me.
⁵My wounds reek; they are all infected
    because of my stupidity.
⁶I am hunched over, completely down;
    I wander around all day long, sad.
⁷My insides are burning up;
    there’s nothing in my body that isn’t broken.
⁸I’m worn out, completely crushed;
    I groan because of my miserable heart.

⁹Everything I long for is laid out before you, my Lord;
    my sighs aren’t hidden from you.
¹⁰My heart pounds; my strength abandons me.
    Even the light of my eyes is gone.
¹¹My loved ones and friends keep their distance
        from me in my sickness;
    those who were near me now stay far away.
¹²Those who want me dead lay traps;
    those who want me harmed utter threats,
        muttering lies all day long.
¹³But I’m like someone who is deaf,
    who can’t hear;
    like someone who can’t speak,
    whose mouth won’t open.
¹⁴I’ve become like a person
    who doesn’t hear what is being said,
    whose mouth has no good comeback.
¹⁵But I wait for you, Lord!
    You will answer, my Lord, my God!
¹⁶Because I prayed:
    “Don’t let them celebrate over me
    or exalt themselves over me when my foot slips,”
¹⁷because I’m very close to falling,
    and my pain is always with me.
¹⁸Yes, I confess my wrongdoing;
    I’m worried about my sin.
¹⁹But my mortal enemies are so strong;
    those who hate me for no reason seem countless.
²⁰Those who give, repay good with evil;
    they oppose me for pursuing good.