Psalms 38

Psalm 38

Prayer of a Suffering Penitent.

A Psalm of David, for a memorial.

1O Lord, rebuke me not in Your wrath,

And chasten me not in Your burning anger.

2For Your arrows have sunk deep into me,

And Your hand has pressed down on me.

3There is no soundness in my flesh because of Your indignation;

There is no health in my bones because of my sin.

4For my iniquities are gone over my head;

As a heavy burden they weigh too much for me.

5My wounds grow foul and fester

Because of my folly.

6I am bent over and greatly bowed down;

I go mourning all day long.

7For my loins are filled with burning,

And there is no soundness in my flesh.

8I am benumbed and badly crushed;

I groan because of the agitation of my heart.

9Lord, all my desire is before You;

And my sighing is not hidden from You.

10My heart throbs, my strength fails me;

And the light of my eyes, even that has gone from me.

11My loved ones and my friends stand aloof from my plague;

And my kinsmen stand afar off.

12Those 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.

13But I, like a deaf man, do not hear;

And I am like a mute man who does not open his mouth.

14Yes, I am like a man who does not hear,

And in whose mouth are no arguments.

15For I hope in You, O Lord;

You will answer, O Lord my God.

16For I said, “May they not rejoice over me,

Who, when my foot slips, would magnify themselves against me.”

17For I am ready to fall,

And my sorrow is continually before me.

18For I confess my iniquity;

I am full of anxiety because of my sin.

19But my enemies are vigorous and strong,

And many are those who hate me wrongfully.

20And those who repay evil for good,

They oppose me, because I follow what is good.

21Do not forsake me, O Lord;

O my God, do not be far from me!

22Make haste to help me,

O Lord, my salvation!