Psalm 139 The All-Knowing, Ever-Present God For the choir director. A Davidic psalm. 139
1Lord, You have searched me and known me.
2You know when I sit down and when I stand up;
You understand my thoughts from far away.
3You observe my travels and my rest;
You are aware of all my ways.
4Before a word is on my tongue,
You know all about it, Lord.
5You have encircled me;
You have placed Your hand on me.
6This extraordinary knowledge is beyond me.
It is lofty; I am unable to reach it.
7Where can I go to escape Your Spirit?
Where can I flee from Your presence?
8If I go up to heaven, You are there;
if I make my bed in Sheol, You are there.
9If I live at the eastern horizon
or settle at the western limits,[A]
10even there Your hand will lead me;
Your right hand will hold on to me.
11If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me,
and the light around me will be night”—
12even the darkness is not dark to You.
The night shines like the day;
darkness and light are alike to You.
13For it was You who created my inward parts;[B]
You knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14I will praise You
because I have been remarkably and wonderfully made.[C][D]
Your works are wonderful,
and I know this very well.
15My bones were not hidden from You
when I was made in secret,
when I was formed in the depths of the earth.
16Your eyes saw me when I was formless;
all my days were written in Your book and planned
before a single one of them began.
17God, how difficult[E] Your thoughts are
for me to comprehend;
how vast their sum is!
18If I counted them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand;
when I wake up,[F] I am still with You.
19God, if only You would kill the wicked—
you bloodthirsty men, stay away from me—
20who invoke You deceitfully.
Your enemies swear by You falsely.
21Lord, don’t I hate those who hate You,
and detest those who rebel against You?
22I hate them with extreme hatred;
I consider them my enemies.
23Search me, God, and know my heart;
test me and know my concerns.
24See if there is any offensive[G] way in me;
lead me in the everlasting way.
Holman Christian Standard Bible® / © 2003 by Holman Bible Publishers About
