Psalms 139
1 Yahweh, you have examined me, and you know [everything about] me.
For the chief musician. A psalm of David. Yahweh, you have examined me, and you know me.
2 You know when I sit down and when I stand up. [Even though you are] far away from me, you know what I am thinking.
You know when I sit down and when I get up; you understand my thoughts from far away.
3 When I travel and when I lie down, you know everything that I do.
You observe my path and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways.
4 Yahweh, even before I say [MTY] anything, you know everything that I am going to say!
For before there is a word on my tongue, you know it completely, Yahweh.
5 You protect me on all sides; you put your hand on me [to protect me with your power] [MTY].
Behind me and before me you surround me and place your hand upon me.
6 I am not able to understand that you know [everything about me]. That is too great for me to really understand.
Such knowledge is too much for me; it is too high, and I cannot reach it.
7 (Where could I go to escape from your Spirit?/I could not go anywhere to escape from your Spirit.) [RHQ] (Where could I go to get away from you?/I could not go anywhere to get away from you.) [RHQ]
Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?
8 If I went up to heaven, you would be there. If I lay down in the place where the dead people are, you would be there. (Sheol h7585)
If I ascend up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, behold, you are there. (Sheol h7585)
9 If I had wings and flew very far east [MTY], or if I flew west and made a place to live [on an island] in the ocean,
If I fly away on the wings of the morning and go to live in the uttermost parts across the sea,
10 you would be there also, to lead me by your hand, and you would help me.
even there your hand will lead me, your right hand will hold on to me.
11 I could request the darkness to hide me, or I could request the light around me to become darkness,
If I said, “Surely the darkness will cover me, and the light will become night around me,”
12 but even [if that happened], the darkness would not be darkness for you! For you, the night is [as bright] as the daytime is, because for you, daylight and darkness are (not different/the same).
even the darkness would not be dark to you. The night would shine like the day, for the darkness and the light are both alike to you.
13 You created [all] the parts of my body; you put [the parts of] my body together when I was still in my mother’s womb.
You formed my inner parts; you formed me in my mother's womb.
14 I praise you because you made my [body in a very] awesome and wonderful way. Everything that you do is amazing! I know that very well.
I will praise you, for I am wonderfully made. My soul knows this very well.
15 When my body was being formed, while it was being put together where no one else could see it, you saw it!
My bones were not hidden from you when I was made in private, when I was intricately made in the depths of the earth.
16 You saw me before I was born. You wrote in your book the number of days that you had decided that I would live. You did that before any of those days had [even] started!
You saw me inside the womb; all the days assigned to me were recorded in your book even before the first one happened.
17 God, what you think about me is very precious (OR, is very hard to understand). There is a great number of things that you think about.
How precious are your thoughts to me, God! How vast is their sum!
18 If I could count them, [I would see that] they are more than the grains of sand [at the seashore]. And when I wake up, I am still with you [and I know that there are still more of your thoughts about me to count].
If I tried to count them, they would be more in number than the sand. When I awake, I am still with you.
19 God, I desire that you would kill all the wicked people! And I wish that violent [MTY] men would (leave/go away from) me.
If only you would kill the wicked, God; get away from me, you violent men.
20 They say wicked/malicious things about you; they slander your name.
They rebel against you and act deceitfully; your enemies tell lies.
21 Yahweh, I certainly [RHQ] hate those who hate you! And I despise [RHQ] those who rebel against you.
Do I not hate those, Yahweh, who hate you? Do I not despise those who rise up against you?
22 I hate them completely, and I consider that they are my enemies.
I hate them completely; they have become my enemies.
23 God, search my inner being; find out what I am thinking!
Examine me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my thoughts.
24 Find out whether there is anything evil in my [inner being], and lead me along the road [that leads to my being with you] forever.
See if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way.
