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Psalms Chapter 139

Other Translations

asv (asv) - eBible.org engASV USFM

1 For the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.
2 Hear my voice, O God, in my complaint:
3 Preserve my life from fear of the enemy.
4 Hide me from the secret counsel of evil-doers,
5 From the tumult of the workers of iniquity;
6 Who have whet their tongue like a sword,
7 And have aimed their arrows, even bitter words,
8 That they may shoot in secret places at the perfect:
9 Suddenly do they shoot at him, and fear not.
10 They encourage themselves in an evil purpose;
11 They commune of laying snares privily;
12 They say, Who will see them?
13 They search out iniquities;
14 We have accomplished,
15 say they, a diligent search:
16 And the inward thought and the heart of every one is deep.
17 But God will shoot at them;
18 With an arrow suddenly shall they be wounded.
19 So they shall be made to stumble, their own tongue being against them:
20 All that see them shall wag the head.
21 And all men shall fear;
22 And they shall declare the work of God,
23 And shall wisely consider of his doing.
24 The righteous shall be glad in Jehovah, and shall take refuge in him;

darby (darby) - eBible.org Darby 1890 plaintext

1 Jehovah, thou hast searched me, and known [me].
2 Thou knowest my down-sitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off;
3 Thou searchest out my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways;
4 For there is not yet a word on my tongue, [but] lo, O Jehovah, thou knowest it altogether.
5 Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thy hand upon me.
6 O knowledge too wonderful for me! it is high, I cannot [attain] unto it.
7 Whither shall I go from thy Spirit? and whither flee from thy presence?
8 If I ascend up into the heavens thou art there; or if I make my bed in Sheol, behold, thou [art there];
9 [If] I take the wings of the dawn [and] dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
10 Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.
11 And if I say, Surely darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be night;
12 Even darkness hideth not from thee, and the night shineth as the day: the darkness is as the light.
13 For thou hast possessed my reins; thou didst cover me in my mother's womb.
14 I will praise thee, for I am fearfully, wonderfully made. Marvellous are thy works; and [that] my soul knoweth right well.
15 My bones were not hidden from thee when I was made in secret, curiously wrought in the lower parts of the earth.
16 Thine eyes did see my unformed substance, and in thy book all [my members] were written; [during many] days were they fashioned, when [as yet] there was none of them.
17 But how precious are thy thoughts unto me, OGod! how great is the sum of them!
18 [If] I would count them, they are more in number than the sand. When I awake, I am still with thee.
19 Oh that thou wouldest slay the wicked, OGod! And ye men of blood, depart from me.
20 For they speak of thee wickedly, they take [thy name] in vain, thine enemies.
21 Do not I hate them, O Jehovah, that hate thee? and do not I loathe them that rise up against thee?
22 I hate them with perfect hatred; I account them mine enemies.
23 Search me, OGod, and know my heart; prove me, and know my thoughts;
24 And see if there be any grievous way in me; and lead me in the way everlasting.

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

1 For the end, a Psalm of David.
2 Rescue me, O Lord, from the evil man; deliver me from the unjust man.
3 Who have devised injustice in their hearts; all the day they prepared war.
4 They have sharpened their tongue as [the tongue] of a serpent; the poison of asps is under their lips. Pause.
5 Keep me, O Lord, from the hand of the sinner; rescue me from unjust men; who have purposed to overthrow my goings.
6 The proud have hid a snare for me, and have stretched out ropes [for] snares for my feet; they set a stumbling-block for me near the path. Pause.
7 I said to the Lord, Thou art my God; hearken, O Lord, to the voice of my supplication.
8 O Lord God, the strength of my salvation; thou hast screened my head in the day of battle.
9 Deliver me not, O Lord, to the sinner, according to my desire: they have devised [mischief] against me; forsake me not, lest they should be exalted. Pause.
10 [As for] the head of them that compass me, the mischief of their lips shall cover them.
11 Coals of fire shall fall upon them on the earth; and thou shalt cast them down in afflictions: they shall not bear up [under them].
12 A talkative man shall not prosper on the earth: evils shall hunt the unrighteous man to destruction.
13 I know that the Lord will maintain the cause of the poor, and the right of the needy ones.
14 Surely the righteous shall give thanks to thy name: the upright shall dwell in thy presence.

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

1 In finem, Psalmus David.
2 Eripe me Domine ab homine malo: a viro iniquo eripe me.
3 Qui cogitaverunt iniquitates in corde: tota die constituebant prælia.
4 Acuerunt linguas suas sicut serpentis: venenum aspidum sub labiis eorum.
5 Custodi me Domine de manu peccatoris: et ab hominibus iniquis eripe me. Qui cogitaverunt supplantare gressus meos:
6 absconderunt superbi laqueum mihi: Et funes extenderunt in laqueum: iuxta iter scandalum posuerunt mihi.
7 Dixi Domino: Deus meus es tu: exaudi Domine vocem deprecationis meæ.
8 Domine, Domine virtus salutis meæ: obumbrasti super caput meum in die belli:
9 Ne tradas me Domine a desiderio meo peccatori: cogitaverunt contra me, ne derelinquas me, ne forte exaltentur.
10 Caput circuitus eorum: labor labiorum ipsorum operiet eos.
11 Cadent super eos carbones, in ignem deiicies eos: in miseriis non subsistent.
12 Vir linguosus non dirigetur in terra: virum iniustum mala capient in interitu.
13 Cognovi quia faciet Dominus iudicium inopis: et vindictam pauperum.
14 Verumtamen iusti confitebuntur nomini tuo: et habitabunt recti cum vultu tuo.

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

1 For the Chief Musician. A Psalm by David. LORD, you have searched me, and you know me.
2 You know my sitting down and my rising up. You perceive my thoughts from afar.
3 You search out my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways.
4 For there is not a word on my tongue, but behold, LORD, you know it altogether.
5 You hem me in behind and before. You laid your hand on me.
6 This knowledge is beyond me. It’s lofty. I can’t attain it.
7 Where could I go from your Spirit? Or where could I flee from your presence?
8 If I ascend up into heaven, you are there. If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, you are there!
9 If I take the wings of the dawn, and settle in the uttermost parts of the sea,
10 even there your hand will lead me, and your right hand will hold me.
11 If I say, “Surely the darkness will overwhelm me. The light around me will be night,”
12 even the darkness doesn’t hide from you, but the night shines as the day. The darkness is like light to you.
13 For you formed my inmost being. You knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 I will give thanks to you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Your works are wonderful. My soul knows that very well.
15 My frame wasn’t hidden from you, when I was made in secret, woven together in the depths of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw my body. In your book they were all written, the days that were ordained for me, when as yet there were none of them.
17 How precious to me are your thoughts, God! How vast is their sum!
18 If I would count them, they are more in number than the sand. When I wake up, I am still with you.
19 If only you, God, would kill the wicked. Get away from me, you bloodthirsty men!
20 For they speak against you wickedly. Your enemies take your name in vain.
21 LORD, don’t I hate those who hate you? Am I not grieved with those who rise up against you?
22 I hate them with perfect hatred. They have become my enemies.
23 Search me, God, and know my heart. Try me, and know my thoughts.
24 See if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way.

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

1 To the Overseer. --A Psalm by David. Jehovah, Thou hast searched me, and knowest.
2 Thou--Thou hast known my sitting down, And my rising up, Thou hast attended to my thoughts from afar.
3 My path and my couch Thou hast fanned, And <FI>with<Fi> all my ways hast been acquainted.
4 For there is not a word in my tongue, Lo, O Jehovah, Thou hast known it all!
5 Behind and before Thou hast besieged me, And Thou dost place on me Thy hand.
6 Knowledge too wonderful for me, It hath been set on high, I am not able for it.
7 Whither do I go from Thy Spirit? And whither from Thy face do I flee?
8 If I ascend the heavens--there Thou <FI>art<Fi> , And spread out a couch in Sheol, lo, Thee!
9 I take the wings of morning, I dwell in the uttermost part of the sea,
10 Also there Thy hand doth lead me, And Thy right hand doth hold me.
11 And I say, `Surely darkness bruiseth me, Then night <FI>is<Fi> light to me.
12 Also darkness hideth not from Thee, And night as day shineth, as <FI>is<Fi> darkness so <FI>is<Fi> light.
13 For Thou--Thou hast possessed my reins, Thou dost cover me in my mother's belly.
14 I confess Thee, because that <FI>with<Fi> wonders I have been distinguished. Wonderful <FI>are<Fi> Thy works, And my soul is knowing <FI>it<Fi> well.
15 My substance was not hid from Thee, When I was made in secret, Curiously wrought in the lower part of earth.
16 Mine unformed substance Thine eyes saw, And on Thy book all of them are written, The days they were formed--And not one among them.
17 And to me how precious have been Thy thoughts, O God, how great hath been their sum!
18 I recount them! than the sand they are more, I have waked, and I am still with Thee.
19 Dost Thou slay, O God, the wicked? Then, men of blood, turn aside from me!
20 Who exchange Thee for wickedness, Lifted up to vanity <FI>are<Fi> Thine enemies.
21 Do not I hate, Jehovah, those hating Thee? And with Thy withstanders grieve myself?
22 <FI> With<Fi> perfect hatred I have hated them, Enemies they have become to me.
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart, Try me, and know my thoughts,
24 And see if a grievous way be in me, And lead me in a way age-during!

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).