Psalms 39:6-13
Psalms 39:4-13 The Message (MSG)
“Tell me, what’s going on, GOD? How long do I have to live? Give me the bad news! You’ve kept me on pretty short rations; my life is a string too short to be saved. Oh! we’re all puffs of air. Oh! we’re all shadows in a campfire. Oh! we’re just spit in the wind. We make our pile, and then we leave it. “What am I doing in the meantime, Lord? Hoping, that’s what I’m doing—hoping You’ll save me from a rebel life, save me from the contempt of idiots. I’ll say no more, I’ll shut my mouth, since you, Lord, are behind all this. But I can’t take it much longer. When you put us through the fire to purge us from our sin, our dearest idols go up in smoke. Are we also nothing but smoke? “Ah, GOD, listen to my prayer, my cry—open your ears. Don’t be callous; just look at these tears of mine. I’m a stranger here. I don’t know my way— a migrant like my whole family. Give me a break, cut me some slack before it’s too late and I’m out of here.”
Psalms 39:6-13 King James Version (KJV)
Surely every man walketh in a vain shew: Surely they are disquieted in vain: He heapeth up riches, and knoweth not who shall gather them. And now, Lord, what wait I for? My hope is in thee. Deliver me from all my transgressions: Make me not the reproach of the foolish. I was dumb, I opened not my mouth; Because thou didst it. Remove thy stroke away from me: I am consumed by the blow of thine hand. When thou with rebukes dost correct man for iniquity, Thou makest his beauty to consume away like a moth: Surely every man is vanity. Selah. Hear my prayer, O LORD, and give ear unto my cry; Hold not thy peace at my tears: For I am a stranger with thee, And a sojourner, as all my fathers were. O spare me, that I may recover strength, Before I go hence, and be no more.
Psalms 39:6-13 New American Standard Bible - NASB 1995 (NASB1995)
Surely every man walks about as a phantom; Surely they make an uproar for nothing; He amasses riches and does not know who will gather them. “And now, Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in You. Deliver me from all my transgressions; Make me not the reproach of the foolish. I have become mute, I do not open my mouth, Because it is You who have done it. Remove Your plague from me; Because of the opposition of Your hand I am perishing. With reproofs You chasten a man for iniquity; You consume as a moth what is precious to him; Surely every man is a mere breath. Selah. “Hear my prayer, O LORD, and give ear to my cry; Do not be silent at my tears; For I am a stranger with You, A sojourner like all my fathers. Turn Your gaze away from me, that I may smile again Before I depart and am no more.”
Psalms 39:6-13 New Century Version (NCV)
People are like shadows moving about. All their work is for nothing; they collect things but don’t know who will get them. “So, Lord, what hope do I have? You are my hope. Save me from all my sins. Don’t let wicked fools make fun of me. I am quiet; I do not open my mouth, because you are the one who has done this. Quit punishing me; your beating is about to kill me. You correct and punish people for their sins; like a moth, you destroy what they love. Everyone’s life is only a breath.Selah “LORD, hear my prayer, and listen to my cry. Do not ignore my tears. I am like a visitor with you. Like my ancestors, I’m only here a short time. Leave me alone so I can be happy before I leave and am no more.”
Psalms 39:6-13 American Standard Version (ASV)
Surely every man walketh in a vain show; Surely they are disquieted in vain: He heapeth up riches, and knoweth not who shall gather them. And now, Lord, what wait I for? My hope is in thee. Deliver me from all my transgressions: Make me not the reproach of the foolish. I was dumb, I opened not my mouth; Because thou didst it. Remove thy stroke away from me: I am consumed by the blow of thy hand. When thou with rebukes dost correct man for iniquity, Thou makest his beauty to consume away like a moth: Surely every man is vanity. [Selah Hear my prayer, O Jehovah, and give ear unto my cry; Hold not thy peace at my tears: For I am a stranger with thee, A sojourner, as all my fathers were. Oh spare me, that I may recover strength, Before I go hence, and be no more.
Psalms 39:6-13 New International Version (NIV)
“Surely everyone goes around like a mere phantom; in vain they rush about, heaping up wealth without knowing whose it will finally be. “But now, Lord, what do I look for? My hope is in you. Save me from all my transgressions; do not make me the scorn of fools. I was silent; I would not open my mouth, for you are the one who has done this. Remove your scourge from me; I am overcome by the blow of your hand. When you rebuke and discipline anyone for their sin, you consume their wealth like a moth— surely everyone is but a breath. “Hear my prayer, LORD, listen to my cry for help; do not be deaf to my weeping. I dwell with you as a foreigner, a stranger, as all my ancestors were. Look away from me, that I may enjoy life again before I depart and am no more.”
Psalms 39:6-13 New King James Version (NKJV)
Surely every man walks about like a shadow; Surely they busy themselves in vain; He heaps up riches, And does not know who will gather them. “And now, Lord, what do I wait for? My hope is in You. Deliver me from all my transgressions; Do not make me the reproach of the foolish. I was mute, I did not open my mouth, Because it was You who did it. Remove Your plague from me; I am consumed by the blow of Your hand. When with rebukes You correct man for iniquity, You make his beauty melt away like a moth; Surely every man is vapor. Selah “Hear my prayer, O LORD, And give ear to my cry; Do not be silent at my tears; For I am a stranger with You, A sojourner, as all my fathers were. Remove Your gaze from me, that I may regain strength, Before I go away and am no more.”
Psalms 39:6-13 Amplified Bible (AMP)
“Surely every man walks around like a shadow [in a charade]; Surely they make an uproar for nothing; Each one builds up riches, not knowing who will receive them. [Eccl 2:18, 19; 1 Cor 7:31; James 4:14] ¶“And now, Lord, for what do I expectantly wait? My hope [my confident expectation] is in You. “Save me from all my transgressions; Do not make me the scorn and reproach of the [self-righteous, arrogant] fool. “I am mute, I do not open my mouth, Because it is You who has done it. “Remove Your plague from me; I am wasting away because of the conflict and opposition of Your hand. “With rebukes You discipline man for sin; You consume like a moth what is precious to him; Surely every man is a mere breath [a wisp of smoke, a vapor that vanishes]. Selah. ¶“Hear my prayer, O LORD, and listen to my cry; Do not be silent at my tears; For I am Your temporary guest, A sojourner like all my fathers. “O look away from me, that I may smile and again know joy Before I depart and am no more.”
Psalms 39:6-13 New Living Translation (NLT)
We are merely moving shadows, and all our busy rushing ends in nothing. We heap up wealth, not knowing who will spend it. And so, Lord, where do I put my hope? My only hope is in you. Rescue me from my rebellion. Do not let fools mock me. I am silent before you; I won’t say a word, for my punishment is from you. But please stop striking me! I am exhausted by the blows from your hand. When you discipline us for our sins, you consume like a moth what is precious to us. Each of us is but a breath. Interlude Hear my prayer, O LORD! Listen to my cries for help! Don’t ignore my tears. For I am your guest— a traveler passing through, as my ancestors were before me. Leave me alone so I can smile again before I am gone and exist no more.
Psalms 39:6-13 The Passion Translation (TPT)
We live our lives like those living in shadows. All our activities and energies are spent for things that pass away. We gather, we hoard, we cling to our things, only to leave them all behind for who knows who. And now, God, I’m left with one conclusion: my only hope is to hope in you alone! Save me from being overpowered by my sin; don’t make me a disgrace before the degenerate. Lord, I’m left speechless and I have no excuse, so I’ll not complain any longer. Now I know you’re the one who is behind it all. But I can’t take it much longer. Spare me these blows from your discipline-rod. For if you are against me, I will waste away to nothing. No one endures when you rebuke and discipline us for our sins. Like a cobweb is swept away with a wave of the hand, you sweep away all that we once called dear. How fleeting and frail our lives! We’re nothing more than a puff of air. Pause in his presence Lord, listen to all my tender cries. Read my every tear, like liquid words that plead for your help. I feel all alone at times, like a stranger to you, passing through this life just like all those before me. Don’t let me die without restoring joy and gladness to my soul. May your frown over my failure become a smile over my success.
Psalms 39:6-13 English Standard Version 2016 (ESV)
Surely a man goes about as a shadow! Surely for nothing they are in turmoil; man heaps up wealth and does not know who will gather! “And now, O Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in you. Deliver me from all my transgressions. Do not make me the scorn of the fool! I am mute; I do not open my mouth, for it is you who have done it. Remove your stroke from me; I am spent by the hostility of your hand. When you discipline a man with rebukes for sin, you consume like a moth what is dear to him; surely all mankind is a mere breath! Selah “Hear my prayer, O LORD, and give ear to my cry; hold not your peace at my tears! For I am a sojourner with you, a guest, like all my fathers. Look away from me, that I may smile again, before I depart and am no more!”
