Psalms 38

Berean Standard Bible

Chapter summary

The speaker begins by pleading with the LORD not to rebuke or discipline him in anger, describing physical suffering, festering wounds, and deep distress resulting from his sin and the heavy burden of his iniquities. He reports that his heart pounds, his strength fails, his friends and kinsmen stand at a distance from his disease, and enemies lay snares and plot deceit against him all day long. Despite facing those who hate him without cause and repay his good with evil, the speaker remains silent like a deaf and mute man, refusing to offer a reply. He confesses his iniquity, acknowledges that his pain is ever with him, and expresses his wait for the LORD to answer. The psalm concludes with an urgent plea for the LORD not to forsake him, to remain close, and to come quickly to his help.

Summary automatically generated from the Bible text.

Words of Jesus in red

¹O LORD, do not rebuke me in Your anger or discipline me in Your wrath. ²For Your arrows have pierced me deeply, and Your hand has pressed down on me. ³There is no soundness in my body because of Your anger; there is no rest in my bones because of my sin. ⁴For my iniquities have overwhelmed me; they are a burden too heavy to bear. ⁵My wounds are foul and festering because of my sinful folly. ⁶I am bent and brought low; all day long I go about mourning. ⁷For my loins are full of burning pain, and no soundness remains in my body. ⁸I am numb and badly crushed; I groan in anguish of heart. ⁹O Lord, my every desire is before You; my groaning is not hidden from You. ¹⁰My heart pounds, my strength fails, and even the light of my eyes has faded. ¹¹My beloved and friends shun my disease, and my kinsmen stand at a distance. ¹²Those who seek my life lay snares; those who wish me harm speak destruction, plotting deceit all day long. ¹³But like a deaf man, I do not hear; and like a mute man, I do not open my mouth. ¹⁴I am like a man who cannot hear, whose mouth offers no reply. ¹⁵I wait for You, O LORD; You will answer, O Lord my God. ¹⁶For I said, “Let them not gloat over me— those who taunt me when my foot slips.” ¹⁷For I am ready to fall, and my pain is ever with me. ¹⁸Yes, I confess my iniquity; I am troubled by my sin. ¹⁹Many are my enemies without cause, and many hate me without reason. ²⁰Those who repay my good with evil attack me for pursuing the good. ²¹Do not forsake me, O LORD; be not far from me, O my God. ²²Come quickly to help me, O Lord my Savior.

Test this chapter

Louis Segond 1910 and Berean Standard Bible: public domain. Cross references: open-cross-ref, Creative Commons BY 4.0.