The Holy Bible – Knox Translation
The Book of Psalms
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Psalm 138
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1
(To the choir-master. Of David. A psalm.)
Lord, I lie open to thy scrutiny; thou knowest me,
Lord, I lie open to thy scrutiny; thou knowest me,
2
knowest when I sit down and when I rise up again, canst read my thoughts from far away.
3
Walk I or sleep I, thou canst tell; no movement of mine but thou art watching it.
4
Before ever the words are framed on my lips, all my thought is known to thee;
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rearguard and vanguard, thou dost compass me about, thy hand still laid upon me.
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Such wisdom as thine is far beyond my reach, no thought of mine can attain it.
7
Where can I go, then, to take refuge from thy spirit, to hide from thy view?
8
If I should climb up to heaven, thou art there; if I sink down to the world beneath, thou art present still.
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If I could wing my way eastwards, or find a dwelling beyond the western sea,
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still would I find thee beckoning to me, thy right hand upholding me.
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Or perhaps I would think to bury myself in darkness; night should surround me, friendlier than day;
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but no, darkness is no hiding-place from thee, with thee the night shines clear as day itself; light and dark are one.
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Author, thou, of my inmost being, didst thou not form me in my mother’s womb?
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I praise thee for my wondrous fashioning, for all the wonders of thy creation. Of my soul thou hast full knowledge,
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and this mortal frame had no mysteries for thee, who didst contrive it in secret, devise its pattern, there in the dark recesses of the earth.
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All my acts thy eyes have seen, all are set down already in thy record; my days were numbered before ever they came to be.
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A riddle, O my God, thy dealings with me, so vast their scope!
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As well count the sand, as try to fathom them; and, were that skill mine, thy own being still confronts me.
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O God, wouldst thou but make an end of the wicked! Murderers, keep your distance from me!
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Treacherously they rebel against thee, faithlessly set thee at defiance.
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Lord, do I not hate the men who hate thee, am I not sick at heart over their rebellion?
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Surpassing hatred I bear them, count them my sworn enemies.
23
Scrutinize me, O God, as thou wilt, and read my heart; put me to the test, and examine my restless thoughts.
24
See if on any false paths my heart is set, and thyself lead me in the ways of old.
