NET Bible

Psalm 39

^39:1 I decided, “I will watch what I say and make sure I do not sin with my tongue. I will put a muzzle over my mouth while in the presence of an evil person.” ^39:2 I was stone silent; I held back the urge to speak. My frustration grew; ^39:3 my anxiety intensified. As I thought about it, I became impatient. Finally I spoke these words: ^39:4 “O Lord, help me understand my mortality and the brevity of life. Let me realize how quickly my life will pass. ^39:5 Look, you make my days short lived, and my life span is nothing from your perspective. Surely all people, even those who seem secure, are nothing but vapor. (Selah) ^39:6 Surely people go through life as mere ghosts. Surely they accumulate worthless wealth without knowing who will eventually haul it away.” ^39:7 But now, O Lord, upon what am I relying? You are my only hope! ^39:8 Deliver me from all my sins of rebellion. Do not make me the object of fools’ insults. ^39:9 I am silent and cannot open my mouth because of what you have done. ^39:10 Please stop wounding me. You have almost beaten me to death. ^39:11 You severely discipline people for their sins; like a moth you slowly devour their strength. Surely all people are a mere vapor. (Selah) ^39:12 Hear my prayer, O Lord. Listen to my cry for help. Do not ignore my sobbing. For I am a resident foreigner with you, a temporary settler, just as all my ancestors were. ^39:13 Turn your angry gaze away from me, so I can be happy before I pass away.

^39:13 For the music director, a psalm of David.