Psalm 39
New American Standard Bible 2020
Chapter overview
Psalm 39 wrestles with when silence is wise and when grief must speak. A brief life resembles a passing breath and shadow, making accumulated wealth uncertain and turning the psalmist's deepest hope toward God.
MortalitySpeechHopeHumility
1I said, “I will keep watch over my ways So that I do not sin with my tongue; I will keep watch over my mouth as with a muzzle While the wicked are in my presence.”
2I was mute and silent, I refused to say even something good, And my pain was stirred up.
3My heart was hot within me, While I was musing the fire burned; Then I spoke with my tongue:
4“Lord, let me know my end, And what is the extent of my days; Let me know how transient I am.
5“Behold, You have made my days like hand widths, And my lifetime as nothing in Your sight; Certainly all mankind standing is a mere breath. Selah
6“Certainly every person walks around as a fleeting shadow; They certainly make an uproar for nothing; He amasses riches and does not know who will gather them.
7¶“And now, Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in You.
8“Save me from all my wrongdoings; Do not make me an object of reproach for the foolish.
9“I have become mute, I do not open my mouth, Because it is You who have done it.
10“Remove Your plague from me; Because of the opposition of Your hand I am perishing.
11“With rebukes You punish a person for wrongdoing; You consume like a moth what is precious to him; Certainly all mankind is mere breath! Selah
12¶“Hear my prayer, Lord, and listen to my cry for help; Do not be silent to my tears; For I am a stranger with You, One who lives abroad, like all my fathers.
13“Turn Your eyes away from me, that I may become cheerful again Before I depart and am no more.”
Verses to memorize from Psalm 39
- Psalm 39:7¶“And now, Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in You.
New American Standard Bible 2020 — Licensed through API.Bible, non-commercial use only, no derivatives. Where these translations come from.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org Text unchanged, provided through API.Bible.