Psalm 39

¹I decided, “I will watch what I say[#tn Heb “I said.”]

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 man.”

²I was stone silent;[#tn Heb “I was mute [with] silence.”]

I held back the urge to speak.

My frustration grew;

³my anxiety intensified.[#tn Heb “my heart was hot within me.”]

As I thought about it, I became impatient.

Finally I spoke these words:

⁴“O Lord , help me understand my mortality

and the brevity of life!

Let me realize how quickly my life will pass!

⁵Look, you make my days short-lived,[#tn Heb “Look, handbreadths you make my days.” The “handbreadth” (equivalent to the width of four fingers) was one of the smallest measures used by ancient Israelites. See P. C. Craigie, Psalms 1-50 (WBC), 309.]

and my life span is nothing from your perspective.

Surely all people, even those who seem secure, are nothing but vapor.

⁶Surely people go through life as mere ghosts.[#tn Heb “surely, as an image man walks about.” The preposition prefixed to “image” indicates identity here.sn People go through life (Heb “man walks about”). “Walking” is here used as a metaphor for living. The point is that human beings are here today, gone tomorrow. They have no lasting substance and are comparable to mere images or ghosts.]

Surely they accumulate worthless wealth

without knowing who will eventually haul it away.”

⁷But now, O Lord, upon what am I relying?

You are my only hope!

⁸Deliver me from all my sins of rebellion!

Do not make me the object of fools’ insults!

⁹I am silent and cannot open my mouth

because of what you have done.

¹⁰Please stop wounding me![#tn Heb “remove from upon me your wound.”]

You have almost beaten me to death!

¹¹You severely discipline people for their sins;[#tn “with punishments on account of sin you discipline a man.”]

like a moth you slowly devour their strength.

Surely all people are a mere vapor. (Selah)

¹²Hear my prayer, O Lord !

Listen to my cry for help!

Do not ignore my sobbing!

For I am dependent on you, like one residing outside his native land;

I am at your mercy, just as all my ancestors were.

¹³Turn your angry gaze away from me, so I can be happy

before I pass away.