Psalms 38:1-22
Psalms 38:1-22 The Message (MSG)
Take a deep breath, GOD; calm down— don’t be so hasty with your punishing rod. Your sharp-pointed arrows of rebuke draw blood; my backside stings from your discipline. I’ve lost twenty pounds in two months because of your accusation. My bones are brittle as dry sticks because of my sin. I’m swamped by my bad behavior, collapsed under an avalanche of guilt. The cuts in my flesh stink and grow maggots because I’ve lived so badly. And now I’m flat on my face feeling sorry for myself morning to night. All my insides are on fire, my body is a wreck. I’m on my last legs; I’ve had it— my life is a vomit of groans. Lord, my longings are sitting in plain sight, my groans an old story to you. My heart’s about to break; I’m a burned-out case. Cataracts blind me to God and good; old friends avoid me like the plague. My cousins never visit, my neighbors stab me in the back. My competitors blacken my name, devoutly they pray for my ruin. But I’m deaf and mute to it all, ears shut, mouth shut. I don’t hear a word they say, don’t speak a word in response. What I do, GOD, is wait for you, wait for my Lord, my God—you will answer! I wait and pray so they won’t laugh me off, won’t smugly strut off when I stumble. I’m on the edge of losing it— the pain in my gut keeps burning. I’m ready to tell my story of failure, I’m no longer smug in my sin. My enemies are alive and in action, a lynch mob after my neck. I give out good and get back evil from God-haters who can’t stand a God-lover. Don’t dump me, GOD; my God, don’t stand me up. Hurry and help me; I want some wide-open space in my life!
Psalms 38:1-22 King James Version (KJV)
O LORD, rebuke me not in thy wrath: Neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure. For thine arrows stick fast in me, And thy hand presseth me sore. There is no soundness in my flesh because of thine anger; Neither is there any rest in my bones because of my sin. For mine iniquities are gone over mine head: As an heavy burden they are too heavy for me. My wounds stink and are corrupt Because of my foolishness. I am troubled; I am bowed down greatly; I go mourning all the day long. For my loins are filled with a loathsome disease: And there is no soundness in my flesh. I am feeble and sore broken: I have roared by reason of the disquietness of my heart. Lord, all my desire is before thee; And my groaning is not hid from thee. My heart panteth, my strength faileth me: As for the light of mine eyes, it also is gone from me. My lovers and my friends stand aloof from my sore; And my kinsmen stand afar off. They also that seek after my life lay snares for me: And they that seek my hurt speak mischievous things, and imagine deceits all the day long. But I, as a deaf man, heard not; And I was as a dumb man that openeth not his mouth. Thus I was as a man that heareth not, And in whose mouth are no reproofs. For in thee, O LORD, do I hope: Thou wilt hear, O Lord my God. For I said, Hear me, lest otherwise they should rejoice over me: When my foot slippeth, they magnify themselves against me. For I am ready to halt, And my sorrow is continually before me. For I will declare mine iniquity; I will be sorry for my sin. But mine enemies are lively, and they are strong: And they that hate me wrongfully are multiplied. They also that render evil for good Are mine adversaries; because I follow the thing that good is. Forsake me not, O LORD: O my God, be not far from me. Make haste to help me, O Lord my salvation.
Psalms 38:1-22 New American Standard Bible - NASB 1995 (NASB1995)
O LORD, rebuke me not in Your wrath, And chasten me not in Your burning anger. For Your arrows have sunk deep into me, And Your hand has pressed down on me. There is no soundness in my flesh because of Your indignation; There is no health in my bones because of my sin. For my iniquities are gone over my head; As a heavy burden they weigh too much for me. My wounds grow foul and fester Because of my folly. I am bent over and greatly bowed down; I go mourning all day long. For my loins are filled with burning, And there is no soundness in my flesh. I am benumbed and badly crushed; I groan because of the agitation of my heart. Lord, all my desire is before You; And my sighing is not hidden from You. My heart throbs, my strength fails me; And the light of my eyes, even that has gone from me. My loved ones and my friends stand aloof from my plague; And my kinsmen stand afar off. Those who seek my life lay snares for me; And those who seek to injure me have threatened destruction, And they devise treachery all day long. But I, like a deaf man, do not hear; And I am like a mute man who does not open his mouth. Yes, I am like a man who does not hear, And in whose mouth are no arguments. For I hope in You, O LORD; You will answer, O Lord my God. For I said, “May they not rejoice over me, Who, when my foot slips, would magnify themselves against me.” For I am ready to fall, And my sorrow is continually before me. For I confess my iniquity; I am full of anxiety because of my sin. But my enemies are vigorous and strong, And many are those who hate me wrongfully. And those who repay evil for good, They oppose me, because I follow what is good. Do not forsake me, O LORD; O my God, do not be far from me! Make haste to help me, O Lord, my salvation!
Psalms 38:1-22 New Century Version (NCV)
LORD, don’t correct me when you are angry. Don’t punish me when you are furious. Your arrows have wounded me, and your hand has come down on me. My body is sick from your punishment. Even my bones are not healthy because of my sin. My guilt has overwhelmed me; like a load it weighs me down. My sores stink and become infected because I was foolish. I am bent over and bowed down; I am sad all day long. I am burning with fever, and my whole body is sore. I am weak and faint. I moan from the pain I feel. Lord, you know everything I want; my cries are not hidden from you. My heart pounds, and my strength is gone. I am losing my sight. Because of my wounds, my friends and neighbors avoid me, and my relatives stay far away. Some people set traps to kill me. Those who want to hurt me plan trouble; all day long they think up lies. I am like the deaf; I cannot hear. Like the mute, I cannot speak. I am like those who do not hear, who have no answer to give. I trust you, LORD. You will answer, my Lord and God. I said, “Don’t let them laugh at me or brag when I am defeated.” I am about to die, and I cannot forget my pain. I confess my guilt; I am troubled by my sin. My enemies are strong and healthy, and many hate me for no reason. They repay me with evil for the good I did. They lie about me because I try to do good. LORD, don’t leave me; my God, don’t go away. Quickly come and help me, my Lord and Savior.
Psalms 38:1-22 American Standard Version (ASV)
O Jehovah, rebuke me not in thy wrath; Neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure. For thine arrows stick fast in me, And thy hand presseth me sore. There is no soundness in my flesh because of thine indignation; Neither is there any health in my bones because of my sin. For mine iniquities are gone over my head: As a heavy burden they are too heavy for me. My wounds are loathsome and corrupt, Because of my foolishness. I am pained and bowed down greatly; I go mourning all the day long. For my loins are filled with burning; And there is no soundness in my flesh. I am faint and sore bruised: I have groaned by reason of the disquietness of my heart. Lord, all my desire is before thee; And my groaning is not hid from thee. My heart throbbeth, my strength faileth me: As for the light of mine eyes, it also is gone from me. My lovers and my friends stand aloof from my plague; And my kinsmen stand afar off. They also that seek after my life lay snares for me; And they that seek my hurt speak mischievous things, And meditate deceits all the day long. But I, as a deaf man, hear not; And I am as a dumb man that openeth not his mouth. Yea, I am as a man that heareth not, And in whose mouth are no reproofs. For in thee, O Jehovah, do I hope: Thou wilt answer, O Lord my God. For I said, Lest they rejoice over me: When my foot slippeth, they magnify themselves against me. For I am ready to fall, And my sorrow is continually before me. For I will declare mine iniquity; I will be sorry for my sin. But mine enemies are lively, and are strong; And they that hate me wrongfully are multiplied. They also that render evil for good Are adversaries unto me, because I follow the thing that is good. Forsake me not, O Jehovah: O my God, be not far from me. Make haste to help me, O Lord, my salvation.
Psalms 38:1-22 New International Version (NIV)
LORD, do not rebuke me in your anger or discipline me in your wrath. Your arrows have pierced me, and your hand has come down on me. Because of your wrath there is no health in my body; there is no soundness in my bones because of my sin. My guilt has overwhelmed me like a burden too heavy to bear. My wounds fester and are loathsome because of my sinful folly. I am bowed down and brought very low; all day long I go about mourning. My back is filled with searing pain; there is no health in my body. I am feeble and utterly crushed; I groan in anguish of heart. All my longings lie open before you, Lord; my sighing is not hidden from you. My heart pounds, my strength fails me; even the light has gone from my eyes. My friends and companions avoid me because of my wounds; my neighbors stay far away. Those who want to kill me set their traps, those who would harm me talk of my ruin; all day long they scheme and lie. I am like the deaf, who cannot hear, like the mute, who cannot speak; I have become like one who does not hear, whose mouth can offer no reply. LORD, I wait for you; you will answer, Lord my God. For I said, “Do not let them gloat or exalt themselves over me when my feet slip.” For I am about to fall, and my pain is ever with me. I confess my iniquity; I am troubled by my sin. Many have become my enemies without cause; those who hate me without reason are numerous. Those who repay my good with evil lodge accusations against me, though I seek only to do what is good. LORD, do not forsake me; do not be far from me, my God. Come quickly to help me, my Lord and my Savior.
Psalms 38:1-22 New King James Version (NKJV)
O LORD, do not rebuke me in Your wrath, Nor chasten me in Your hot displeasure! For Your arrows pierce me deeply, And Your hand presses me down. There is no soundness in my flesh Because of Your anger, Nor any health in my bones Because of my sin. For my iniquities have gone over my head; Like a heavy burden they are too heavy for me. My wounds are foul and festering Because of my foolishness. I am troubled, I am bowed down greatly; I go mourning all the day long. For my loins are full of inflammation, And there is no soundness in my flesh. I am feeble and severely broken; I groan because of the turmoil of my heart. Lord, all my desire is before You; And my sighing is not hidden from You. My heart pants, my strength fails me; As for the light of my eyes, it also has gone from me. My loved ones and my friends stand aloof from my plague, And my relatives stand afar off. Those also who seek my life lay snares for me; Those who seek my hurt speak of destruction, And plan deception all the day long. But I, like a deaf man, do not hear; And I am like a mute who does not open his mouth. Thus I am like a man who does not hear, And in whose mouth is no response. For in You, O LORD, I hope; You will hear, O Lord my God. For I said, “Hear me, lest they rejoice over me, Lest, when my foot slips, they exalt themselves against me.” For I am ready to fall, And my sorrow is continually before me. For I will declare my iniquity; I will be in anguish over my sin. But my enemies are vigorous, and they are strong; And those who hate me wrongfully have multiplied. Those also who render evil for good, They are my adversaries, because I follow what is good. Do not forsake me, O LORD; O my God, be not far from me! Make haste to help me, O Lord, my salvation!
Psalms 38:1-22 Amplified Bible (AMP)
O LORD, do not rebuke me in Your wrath, Nor discipline me in Your burning anger. For Your arrows have sunk into me and penetrate deeply, And Your hand has pressed down on me and greatly disciplined me. There is no soundness in my flesh because of Your indignation; There is no health in my bones because of my sin. For my iniquities have gone over my head [like the waves of a flood]; As a heavy burden they weigh too much for me. My wounds are loathsome and foul Because of my foolishness. I am bent over and greatly bowed down; I go about mourning all day long. For my sides are filled with burning, And there is no health in my flesh. I am numb and greatly bruised [deadly cold and completely worn out]; I groan because of the disquiet and moaning of my heart. ¶Lord, all my desire is before You; And my sighing is not hidden from You. My heart throbs violently, my strength fails me; And as for the light of my eyes, even that has also gone from me. My loved ones and my friends stand aloof from my plague; And my neighbors stand far away. [Luke 23:49] Those who seek my life lay snares for me, And those who seek to injure me threaten mischievous things and destruction; They devise treachery all the day long. ¶But I, like a deaf man, do not hear; I am like a mute man who does not open his mouth. Yes, I am like a man who does not hear, In whose mouth are no arguments. For in You, O LORD, I hope; You will answer, O Lord my God. For I pray, “May they not rejoice over me, Who, when my foot slips, would boast against me.” For I am ready to fall; My sorrow is continually before me. For I do confess my guilt and iniquity; I am filled with anxiety because of my sin. [2 Cor 7:9, 10] But my [numerous] enemies are vigorous and strong, And those who hate me without cause are many. They repay evil for good, they attack and try to kill me, Because I follow what is good. Do not abandon me, O LORD; O my God, do not be far from me. Make haste to help me, O Lord, my Salvation.
Psalms 38:1-22 New Living Translation (NLT)
O LORD, don’t rebuke me in your anger or discipline me in your rage! Your arrows have struck deep, and your blows are crushing me. Because of your anger, my whole body is sick; my health is broken because of my sins. My guilt overwhelms me— it is a burden too heavy to bear. My wounds fester and stink because of my foolish sins. I am bent over and racked with pain. All day long I walk around filled with grief. A raging fever burns within me, and my health is broken. I am exhausted and completely crushed. My groans come from an anguished heart. You know what I long for, Lord; you hear my every sigh. My heart beats wildly, my strength fails, and I am going blind. My loved ones and friends stay away, fearing my disease. Even my own family stands at a distance. Meanwhile, my enemies lay traps to kill me. Those who wish me harm make plans to ruin me. All day long they plan their treachery. But I am deaf to all their threats. I am silent before them as one who cannot speak. I choose to hear nothing, and I make no reply. For I am waiting for you, O LORD. You must answer for me, O Lord my God. I prayed, “Don’t let my enemies gloat over me or rejoice at my downfall.” I am on the verge of collapse, facing constant pain. But I confess my sins; I am deeply sorry for what I have done. I have many aggressive enemies; they hate me without reason. They repay me evil for good and oppose me for pursuing good. Do not abandon me, O LORD. Do not stand at a distance, my God. Come quickly to help me, O Lord my savior.
Psalms 38:1-22 The Passion Translation (TPT)
O Lord, don’t punish me angrily for what I’ve done. Don’t let my sin inflame your wrath against me. For the arrows of your conviction have pierced me deeply. Your blows have struck my soul and crushed me. Now my body is sick. My health is totally broken because of your anger, and it’s all due to my sins! I’m overwhelmed, swamped, and submerged beneath the heavy burden of my guilt. It clings to me and won’t let me go. My rotting wounds are a witness against me. They are severe and getting worse, reminding me of my failure and folly. I am completely broken because of what I’ve done. Gloom is all around me. My sins have bent me over to the ground. My inner being is shriveled up; my self-confidence crushed. Sick with fever, I’m left exhausted. Now I’m as cold as a corpse, and nothing is left inside me but great groaning filled with anguish. Lord, you know all my desires and deepest longings. My tears are liquid words, and you can read them all. My heart beats wildly, my strength is sapped, and the light of my eyes is going out. My friends stay far away from me, avoiding me like the plague. Even my family wants nothing to do with me. Meanwhile my enemies are out to kill me, plotting my ruin, speaking of my doom as they spend every waking moment planning how to finish me off. I’m like a deaf man who no longer hears. I can’t even speak up, and words fail me; I have no argument to counter their threats. Lord, the only thing I can do is wait and put my hope in you. I wait for your help, my God. So hear my cry and put an end to their strutting in pride, to those who gloat when I stumble in pain. I’m slipping away and on the verge of a breakdown, with nothing but sorrow and sighing. I confess all my sin to you; I can’t hold it in any longer. My agonizing thoughts punish me for my wrongdoing; I feel condemned as I consider all I’ve done. My enemies are many. They hate me and persecute me, though I’ve done nothing against them to deserve it. I show goodness to them and get paid evil in return. And they hate me even more when I stand for what is right. So don’t forsake me now, Lord! Don’t leave me in this condition. God, hurry to help me. Run to my rescue! For you’re my Savior and my only hope!
Psalms 38:1-22 English Standard Version 2016 (ESV)
O LORD, rebuke me not in your anger, nor discipline me in your wrath! For your arrows have sunk into me, and your hand has come down on me. There is no soundness in my flesh because of your indignation; there is no health in my bones because of my sin. For my iniquities have gone over my head; like a heavy burden, they are too heavy for me. My wounds stink and fester because of my foolishness, I am utterly bowed down and prostrate; all the day I go about mourning. For my sides are filled with burning, and there is no soundness in my flesh. I am feeble and crushed; I groan because of the tumult of my heart. O Lord, all my longing is before you; my sighing is not hidden from you. My heart throbs; my strength fails me, and the light of my eyes—it also has gone from me. My friends and companions stand aloof from my plague, and my nearest kin stand far off. Those who seek my life lay their snares; those who seek my hurt speak of ruin and meditate treachery all day long. But I am like a deaf man; I do not hear, like a mute man who does not open his mouth. I have become like a man who does not hear, and in whose mouth are no rebukes. But for you, O LORD, do I wait; it is you, O Lord my God, who will answer. For I said, “Only let them not rejoice over me, who boast against me when my foot slips!” For I am ready to fall, and my pain is ever before me. I confess my iniquity; I am sorry for my sin. But my foes are vigorous, they are mighty, and many are those who hate me wrongfully. Those who render me evil for good accuse me because I follow after good. Do not forsake me, O LORD! O my God, be not far from me! Make haste to help me, O Lord, my salvation!