Psalms Chapter 138

Other Translations

asv (asv) - eBible.org engASV USFM

1 Thy right hand upholdeth me.

2 But those that seek my soul, to destroy it,

3 Shall go into the lower parts of the earth.

4 They shall be given over to the power of the sword:

5 They shall be a portion for foxes.

6 But the king shall rejoice in God:

7 Every one that sweareth by him shall glory;

8 For the mouth of them that speak lies shall be stopped.

darby (darby) - eBible.org Darby 1890 plaintext

1 I will give thee thanks with my whole heart; before thegods will I sing psalms of thee.

2 I will bow down toward the temple of thy holiness, and celebrate thy name for thy loving-kindness and for thy truth; for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.

3 In the day when I called thou answeredst me; thou didst encourage me with strength in my soul.

4 All the kings of the earth shall celebrate thee, Jehovah, when they have heard the words of thy mouth;

5 And they shall sing in the ways of Jehovah, for great is the glory of Jehovah.

6 For Jehovah is high; but he looketh upon the lowly, and the proud he knoweth afar off.

7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, thou wilt revive me: thou wilt stretch forth thy hand against the anger of mine enemies, and thy right hand shall save me.

8 Jehovah will perfect what concerneth me: thy loving-kindness, O Jehovah, [endureth] for ever; forsake not the works of thine own hands.

lxxbrent (lxxbrent) - Septuagint (Brenton 1851) eBible USFM

1 For the end, a Psalm of David. O Lord, thou hast proved me, and known me.

2 Thou knowest my down-sitting and mine up-rising: thou understandest my thoughts long before.

3 Thou hast traced my path and my bed, and hast foreseen all my ways.

4 For there is no unrighteous word in my tongue: behold, O Lord, thou hast known all things,

5 the last and the first: thou hast fashioned me, and laid thine hand upon me.

6 The knowledge of thee is too wonderful for me; it is very difficult, I cannot [attain] to it.

7 Whither shall I go from thy Spirit? and whither shall I flee from thy presence?

8 If I should go up to heaven, thou art there: if I should go down to hell, thou art present.

9 If I should spread my wings [to fly] straight forward, and sojourn at the extremity of the sea, [it would be vain],

10 for even there thy hand would guide me, and thy right hand would hold me.

11 When I said, Surely the darkness will cover me; even the night [was] light in my luxury.

12 For darkness will not be darkness with thee; but night will be light as day: as its darkness, so shall its light [be to thee].

13 For thou, O Lord, hast possessed my reins; thou hast helped me from my mother's womb.

14 I will give thee thanks; for thou art fearfully wondrous; wondrous are thy works; and my soul knows [it] well.

15 My bones which thou madest in secret were not hidden from thee, nor my substance, in the lowest parts of the earth.

16 Thine eyes saw my unwrought [substance], and all [men] shall be written in thy book; they shall be formed by day, though [there should for a time] be no one among them.

17 But thy friends, O God, have been greatly honoured by me; their rule has been greatly strengthened.

18 I will number them, and they shall be multiplied beyond the sand; I awake, and am still with thee.

19 Oh that thou wouldest slay the wicked, O God; depart from me, ye men of blood.

20 For thou wilt say concerning [their] thought, [that] they shall take thy cities in vain.

21 Have I not hated them, O Lord, that hate thee? and wasted away because of thine enemies?

22 I have hated them with perfect hatred; they were counted my enemies.

23 Prove me, O God, and know my heart; examine me, and know my paths;

24 and see if [there is any] way of iniquity in me, and lead me in an everlasting way.

vul1914 (vul1914) - Vulgate 1914 UTF-8 (sacredbible.org)

1 In finem, Psalmus David. Domine probasti me, et cognovisti me:

2 tu cognovisti sessionem meam, et resurrectionem meam.

3 Intellexisti cogitationes meas de longe: semitam meam, et funiculum meum investigasti.

4 Et omnes vias meas prævidisti: quia non est sermo in lingua mea.

5 Ecce Domine tu cognovisti omnia novissima, et antiqua: tu formasti me, et posuisti super me manum tuam.

6 Mirabilis facta est scientia tua ex me: confortata est, et non potero ad eam.

7 Quo ibo a spiritu tuo? et quo a facie tua fugiam?

8 Si ascendero in cælum, tu illic es: si descendero in infernum, ades.

9 Si sumpsero pennas meas diluculo, et habitavero in extremis maris:

10 Etenim illuc manus tua deducet me: et tenebit me dextera tua.

11 Et dixi: Forsitan tenebræ conculcabunt me: et nox illuminatio mea in deliciis meis.

12 Quia tenebræ non obscurabuntur a te, et nox sicut dies illuminabitur: sicut tenebræ eius, ita et lumen eius.

13 Quia tu possedisti renes meos: suscepisti me de utero matris meæ.

14 Confitebor tibi quia terribiliter magnificatus es: mirabilia opera tua, et anima mea cognoscit nimis.

15 Non est occultatum os meum a te, quod fecisti in occulto: et substantia mea in inferioribus terræ.

16 Imperfectum meum viderunt oculi tui, et in libro tuo omnes scribentur: dies formabuntur, et nemo in eis.

17 Mihi autem nimis honorificati sunt amici tui, Deus: nimis confortatus est principatus eorum.

18 Dinumerabo eos, et super arenam multiplicabuntur: exurrexi, et adhuc sum tecum.

19 Si occideris Deus peccatores: viri sanguinum declinate a me:

20 Quia dicitis in cogitatione: accipient in vanitate civitates tuas.

21 Nonne qui oderunt te Domine, oderam: et super inimicos tuos tabescebam?

22 Perfecto odio oderam illos: et inimici facti sunt mihi.

23 Proba me Deus, et scito cor meum: interroga me, et cognosce semitas meas.

24 Et vide, si via iniquitatis in me est: et deduc me in via æterna.

web (web) - WorldEnglish.Bible — CC0 modern update of ASV

1 By David. I will give you thanks with my whole heart. Before the gods, I will sing praises to you.

2 I will bow down toward your holy temple, and give thanks to your Name for your loving kindness and for your truth; for you have exalted your Name and your Word above all.

3 In the day that I called, you answered me. You encouraged me with strength in my soul.

4 All the kings of the earth will give you thanks, LORD, for they have heard the words of your mouth.

5 Yes, they will sing of the ways of the LORD, for the LORD’s glory is great!

6 For though the LORD is high, yet he looks after the lowly; but he knows the proud from afar.

7 Though I walk in the middle of trouble, you will revive me. You will stretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies. Your right hand will save me.

8 The LORD will fulfill that which concerns me. Your loving kindness, LORD, endures forever. Don’t forsake the works of your own hands.

ylt (ylt) - Bible.com YLT98 plain UTF-8

1 By David. I confess Thee, with all my heart, Before the gods I do praise Thee.

2 I bow myself toward Thy holy temple, And I confess Thy name, For Thy kindness, and for Thy truth, For Thou hast made great Thy saying above all Thy name.

3 In the day I called, when Thou dost answer me, Thou dost strengthen me in my soul <FI>with<Fi> strength.

4 O Jehovah, all kings of earth confess Thee, When they have heard the sayings of Thy mouth.

5 And they sing in the ways of Jehovah, For great <FI>is<Fi> the honour of Jehovah.

6 For high <FI>is<Fi> Jehovah, and the lowly He seeth, And the haughty from afar He knoweth.

7 If I walk in the midst of distress Thou quickenest me, Against the anger of mine enemies Thou sendest forth Thy hand, And Thy right hand doth save me.

8 Jehovah doth perfect for me, O Jehovah, Thy kindness <FI>is<Fi> to the age, The works of Thy hands let not fall!

Explanations by Age Level

Explain Like I'm 5

A long, long time ago, there was nothing at all - no earth, no sky, no animals, no people. It was all dark and empty. But God was there! God is so powerful that He can make anything just by speaking. So God said "Let there be light!" and BOOM! There was light everywhere! God saw that the light was beautiful and good. He called the light "day" and the darkness "night." This was the very first day when God started making our wonderful world!

Explain Like I'm 10

Before anything existed - no planets, stars, or life - God decided to create the universe. The earth started out as a dark, empty place covered with water. But God's Spirit was there, ready to bring order and beauty to everything. When God spoke and said "Let there be light," light immediately appeared because God's words have incredible power. God looked at the light and was pleased with what He had made. He organized time by separating light (day) from darkness (night), creating the first 24-hour period. This shows us that God is organized and purposeful in everything He does.

Explain Like I'm 15

Genesis 1:1-5 establishes fundamental theological truths about God and creation. The Hebrew word "bara" (created) indicates creation from nothing (ex nihilo), demonstrating God's absolute sovereignty and power. The phrase "without form and void" (tohu wa-bohu) describes a state of chaos that God transforms into order. The Spirit of God "hovering" or "brooding" over the waters suggests active, caring involvement in creation. The creation of light before the sun (created on day 4) indicates that God Himself is the ultimate source of light and energy. The establishment of day and night creates the framework of time, showing that God operates within orderly patterns while transcending them. This passage refutes both atheistic materialism and pantheism, establishing that God is both transcendent (separate from creation) and immanent (actively involved in it).