138:1 By David.

I will give you thanks with all my heart;

before the heavenly assembly I will sing praises to you.

2 I will bow down toward your holy temple

and give thanks to your name,

because of your loyal love and faithfulness,

for you have exalted your promise above the entire sky.

3 When I cried out for help, you answered me.

You made me bold and energized me.

4 Let all the kings of the earth give thanks to you, O Lord,

when they hear the words you speak.

5 Let them sing about the Lord’s deeds,

for the Lord’s splendor is magnificent.

6 Though the Lord is exalted, he looks after the lowly,

and from far away humbles the proud.

7 Even when I must walk in the midst of danger, you revive me.

You oppose my angry enemies,

and your right hand delivers me.

8 The Lord avenges me.

O Lord, your loyal love endures.

Do not abandon those whom you have made.

139:1 For the music director, a psalm of David.

O Lord, you examine me and know me.

2 You know when I sit down and when I get up;

even from far away you understand my motives.

3 You carefully observe me when I travel or when I lie down to rest;

you are aware of everything I do.

4 Certainly my tongue does not frame a word

without you, O Lord, being thoroughly aware of it.

5 You squeeze me in from behind and in front;

you place your hand on me.

6 Your knowledge is beyond my comprehension;

it is so far beyond me, I am unable to fathom it.

7 Where can I go to escape your Spirit?

Where can I flee to escape your presence?

8 If I were to ascend to heaven, you would be there.

If I were to sprawl out in Sheol, there you would be.

9 If I were to fly away on the wings of the dawn

and settle down on the other side of the sea,

10 even there your hand would guide me,

your right hand would grab hold of me.

11 If I were to say, “Certainly the darkness will cover me,

and the light will turn to night all around me,”

12 even the darkness is not too dark for you to see,

and the night is as bright as day;

darkness and light are the same to you.

13 Certainly you made my mind and heart;

you wove me together in my mother’s womb.

14 I will give you thanks because your deeds are awesome and amazing.

You knew me thoroughly;

15 my bones were not hidden from you,

when I was made in secret

and sewed together in the depths of the earth.

16 Your eyes saw me when I was inside the womb.

All the days ordained for me

were recorded in your scroll

before one of them came into existence.

17 How difficult it is for me to fathom your thoughts about me, O God!

How vast is their sum total.

18 If I tried to count them,

they would outnumber the grains of sand.

Even if I finished counting them,

I would still have to contend with you.

19 If only you would kill the wicked, O God!

Get away from me, you violent men!

20 They rebel against you and act deceitfully;

your enemies lie.

21 O Lord, do I not hate those who hate you

and despise those who oppose you?

22 I absolutely hate them;

they have become my enemies.

23 Examine me, O God, and probe my thoughts.

Test me, and know my concerns.

24 See if there is any idolatrous way in me,

and lead me in the everlasting way.

140:1 For the music director, a psalm of David.

O Lord, rescue me from wicked men.

Protect me from violent men,

2 who plan ways to harm me.

All day long they stir up conflict.

3 Their tongues wound like a serpent;

a viper’s venom is behind their lips. (Selah)

4 O Lord, shelter me from the power of the wicked.

Protect me from violent men,

who plan to knock me over.

5 Proud men hide a snare for me;

evil men spread a net by the path.

They set traps for me. (Selah)

6 I say to the Lord, “You are my God.”

O Lord, pay attention to my plea for mercy.

7 O Sovereign Lord, my strong deliverer,

you shield my head in the day of battle.

8 O Lord, do not let the wicked have their way.

Do not allow their plan to succeed when they attack. (Selah)

9 As for the heads of those who surround me—

may the harm done by their lips overwhelm them.

10 May he rain down fiery coals upon them.

May he throw them into the fire.

From bottomless pits they will not escape.

11 A slanderer will not endure on the earth;

calamity will hunt down a violent man and strike him down.

12 I know that the Lord defends the cause of the oppressed

and vindicates the poor.

13 Certainly the godly will give thanks to your name;

the morally upright will live in your presence.

The Scriptures quoted are from the NET Bible® copyright © 1996, 2019, used with permission from Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. All rights reserved.