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Psalm chapter 38

English Standard Version

1 O Lord, rebuke me not in your anger, nor discipline me in your wrath! 2For your arrows have sunk into me, and your hand has come down on me. 3There is no soundness in my flesh because of your indignation; there is no health in my bones because of my sin. 4For my iniquities have gone over my head; like a heavy burden, they are too heavy for me. 5My wounds stink and fester because of my foolishness, 6I am utterly bowed down and prostrate; all the day I go about mourning. 7For my sides are filled with burning, and there is no soundness in my flesh. 8I am feeble and crushed; I groan because of the tumult of my heart. 9O Lord, all my longing is before you; my sighing is not hidden from you. 10My heart throbs; my strength fails me, and the light of my eyes — it also has gone from me. 11My friends and companions stand aloof from my plague, and my nearest kin stand far off. 12Those who seek my life lay their snares; those who seek my hurt speak of ruin and meditate treachery all day long. 13But I am like a deaf man; I do not hear, like a mute man who does not open his mouth. 14I have become like a man who does not hear, and in whose mouth are no rebukes. 15But for you, O Lord, do I wait; it is you, O Lord my God, who will answer. 16For I said, "Only let them not rejoice over me, who boast against me when my foot slips!" 17For I am ready to fall, and my pain is ever before me. 18I confess my iniquity; I am sorry for my sin. 19But my foes are vigorous, they are mighty, and many are those who hate me wrongfully. 20Those who render me evil for good accuse me because I follow after good. 21Do not forsake me, O Lord! O my God, be not far from me! 22 Make haste to help me, O Lord, my salvation!
New International Version

1A psalm of David. A petition. Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger or discipline me in your wrath. 2Your arrows have pierced me, and your hand has come down on me. 3Because of your wrath there is no health in my body; there is no soundness in my bones because of my sin.
4My guilt has overwhelmed me like a burden too heavy to bear. 5My wounds fester and are loathsome because of my sinful folly. 6I am bowed down and brought very low; all day long I go about mourning. 7My back is filled with searing pain; there is no health in my body.
8I am feeble and utterly crushed; I groan in anguish of heart. 9All my longings lie open before you, Lord; my sighing is not hidden from you. 10My heart pounds, my strength fails me; even the light has gone from my eyes. 11My friends and companions avoid me because of my wounds; my neighbors stay far away.
12Those who want to kill me set their traps, those who would harm me talk of my ruin; all day long they scheme and lie. 13I am like the deaf, who cannot hear, like the mute, who cannot speak; 14I have become like one who does not hear, whose mouth can offer no reply. 15 Lord, I wait for you; you will answer, Lord my God.
16For I said, "Do not let them gloat or exalt themselves over me when my feet slip." 17For I am about to fall, and my pain is ever with me. 18I confess my iniquity; I am troubled by my sin. 19Many have become my enemies without cause ; those who hate me without reason are numerous.
20Those who repay my good with evil lodge accusations against me, though I seek only to do what is good. 21 Lord, do not forsake me; do not be far from me, my God. 22Come quickly to help me, my Lord and my Savior.
New American Standard Bible

1Lord, do not rebuke me in Your wrath, And do not punish me in Your burning anger. 2For Your arrows have sunk deep into me, And Your hand has pressed down on me. 3There is no healthy part in my flesh because of Your indignation; There is no health in my bones because of my sin. 4For my guilty deeds have gone over my head; Like a heavy burden they weigh too much for me. 5My wounds grow foul and fester Because of my foolishness. 6I am bent over and greatly bowed down; I go in mourning all day long. 7For my sides are filled with burning, And there is no healthy part in my flesh. 8I feel faint and badly crushed; I groan because of the agitation of my heart. 9Lord, all my desire is before You; And my sighing is not hidden from You. 10My heart throbs, my strength fails me; And the light of my eyes, even that has gone from me. 11My loved ones and my friends stand aloof from my plague; And my kinsmen stand far away. 12Those who seek my life lay snares for me; And those who seek to injure me have threatened destruction, And they plot deception all day long. 13But I, like a person who is deaf, do not hear; And I am like a person who cannot speak, who does not open his mouth. 14Yes, I am like a person who does not hear, And in whose mouth are no arguments. 15For I wait for You, Lord; You will answer, Lord my God. 16For I said, 'May they not rejoice over me, Who, when my foot slips, would exalt themselves over me.' 17For I am ready to fall, And my sorrow is continually before me. 18For I admit my guilt; I am full of anxiety because of my sin. 19But my enemies are vigorous and strong, And those who wrongfully hate me are many. 20And those who repay evil for good, They become my enemies, because I follow what is good. 21Do not abandon me, Lord; My God, do not be far from me! 22Hurry to help me, Lord, my salvation!
Christian Standard Bible

1A psalm of David for remembrance. Lord, do not punish me in your anger or discipline me in your wrath.
2For your arrows have sunk into me, and your hand has pressed down on me. 3There is no soundness in my body because of your indignation; there is no health in my bones because of my sin. 4For my iniquities have flooded over my head; they are a burden too heavy for me to bear. 5My wounds are foul and festering because of my foolishness. 6I am bent over and brought very low; all day long I go around in mourning. 7For my insides are full of burning pain, and there is no soundness in my body.
8I am faint and severely crushed; I groan because of the anguish of my heart. 9Lord, my every desire is in front of you; my sighing is not hidden from you. 10My heart races, my strength leaves me, and even the light of my eyes has faded. 11My loved ones and friends stand back from my affliction, and my relatives stand at a distance.
12Those who intend to kill me set traps, and those who want to harm me threaten to destroy me; they plot treachery all day long. 13I am like a deaf person; I do not hear. I am like a speechless person who does not open his mouth. 14I am like a man who does not hear and has no arguments in his mouth. 15For I put my hope in you, Lord; you will answer me, my Lord, my God. 16For I said, "Don’t let them rejoice over me— those who are arrogant toward me when I stumble." 17For I am about to fall, and my pain is constantly with me. 18So I confess my iniquity; I am anxious because of my sin. 19But my enemies are vigorous and powerful; many hate me for no reason.
20Those who repay evil for good attack me for pursuing good. 21 Lord, do not abandon me; my God, do not be far from me. 22Hurry to help me, my Lord, my salvation.
New Living Translation

1O Lord, don’t rebuke me in your anger or discipline me in your rage! 2Your arrows have struck deep, and your blows are crushing me. 3Because of your anger, my whole body is sick; my health is broken because of my sins. 4My guilt overwhelms me — it is a burden too heavy to bear. 5My wounds fester and stink because of my foolish sins. 6I am bent over and racked with pain. All day long I walk around filled with grief. 7A raging fever burns within me, and my health is broken. 8I am exhausted and completely crushed. My groans come from an anguished heart.
9You know what I long for, Lord; you hear my every sigh. 10My heart beats wildly, my strength fails, and I am going blind. 11My loved ones and friends stay away, fearing my disease. Even my own family stands at a distance. 12Meanwhile, my enemies lay traps to kill me. Those who wish me harm make plans to ruin me. All day long they plan their treachery.
13But I am deaf to all their threats. I am silent before them as one who cannot speak. 14I choose to hear nothing, and I make no reply. 15For I am waiting for you, O Lord. You must answer for me, O Lord my God. 16I prayed, 'Don’t let my enemies gloat over me or rejoice at my downfall.'
17I am on the verge of collapse, facing constant pain. 18But I confess my sins; I am deeply sorry for what I have done. 19I have many aggressive enemies; they hate me without reason. 20They repay me evil for good and oppose me for pursuing good. 21Do not abandon me, O Lord. Do not stand at a distance, my God. 22Come quickly to help me, O Lord my savior.
King James Version

1A Psalm of David, to bring to remembrance. O Lord, rebuke me not in thy wrath: neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure.
2For thine arrows stick fast in me, and thy hand presseth me sore.
3There is no soundness in my flesh because of thine anger; neither is there any rest in my bones because of my sin.
4For mine iniquities are gone over mine head: as an heavy burden they are too heavy for me.
5My wounds stink and are corrupt because of my foolishness.
6I am troubled; I am bowed down greatly; I go mourning all the day long.
7For my loins are filled with a loathsome disease: and there is no soundness in my flesh.
8I am feeble and sore broken: I have roared by reason of the disquietness of my heart.
9Lord, all my desire is before thee; and my groaning is not hid from thee.
10My heart panteth, my strength faileth me: as for the light of mine eyes, it also is gone from me.
11My lovers and my friends stand aloof from my sore; and my kinsmen stand afar off.
12They 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.
13But I, as a deaf man, heard not; and I was as a dumb man that openeth not his mouth.
14Thus I was as a man that heareth not, and in whose mouth are no reproofs.
15For in thee, O Lord, do I hope: thou wilt hear, O Lord my God.
16For I said, Hear me, lest otherwise they should rejoice over me: when my foot slippeth, they magnify themselves against me.
17For I am ready to halt, and my sorrow is continually before me.
18For I will declare mine iniquity; I will be sorry for my sin.
19But mine enemies are lively, and they are strong: and they that hate me wrongfully are multiplied.
20They also that render evil for good are mine adversaries; because I follow the thing that good is.
21Forsake me not, O Lord: O my God, be not far from me.
22Make haste to help me, O Lord my salvation.
New King James Version

1{A Psalm of David. To bring to remembrance.} O Lord, do not rebuke me in Your wrath, Nor chasten me in Your hot displeasure! 2For Your arrows pierce me deeply, And Your hand presses me down. 3 There is no soundness in my flesh Because of Your anger, Nor any health in my bones Because of my sin. 4For my iniquities have gone over my head; Like a heavy burden they are too heavy for me. 5My wounds are foul and festering Because of my foolishness. 6I am troubled, I am bowed down greatly; I go mourning all the day long. 7For my loins are full of inflammation, And there is no soundness in my flesh. 8I am feeble and severely broken; I groan because of the turmoil of my heart. 9Lord, all my desire is before You; And my sighing is not hidden from You. 10My heart pants, my strength fails me; As for the light of my eyes, it also has gone from me. 11My loved ones and my friends stand aloof from my plague, And my relatives stand afar off. 12Those also who seek my life lay snares for me; Those who seek my hurt speak of destruction, And plan deception all the day long. 13But I, like a deaf man, do not hear; And I am like a mute who does not open his mouth. 14Thus I am like a man who does not hear, And in whose mouth is no response. 15For in You, O Lord, I hope; You will hear, O Lord my God. 16For I said, “Hear me, lest they rejoice over me, Lest, when my foot slips, they exalt themselves against me.” 17 For I am ready to fall, And my sorrow is continually before me. 18For I will declare my iniquity; I will be in anguish over my sin. 19But my enemies are vigorous, and they are strong; And those who hate me wrongfully have multiplied. 20Those also who render evil for good, They are my adversaries, because I follow what is good. 21Do not forsake me, O Lord; O my God, be not far from me! 22Make haste to help me, O Lord, my salvation!

What does Psalm chapter 38 mean?

Psalm 38 contains references like those found in Psalm 32: depicting the effects of sin and the pain a believer feels under God's conviction. It's possible this passage was composed in response to David's sin with Bathsheba. He lured her into adultery, impregnated her, then attempted to cover the crime by arranging for her husband to die in battle (2 Samuel 12:7–9). Psalm 51 expresses David's intense remorse for this episode. Here, he described the anguish he feels due to God's corrective rebuke.

This psalm begins with an appeal for God's forgiveness, and a reference to the Lord's rebuke. The first metaphor speaks of David being pierced by arrows. This is symbolic, and it suggests the other complaints areas well. The theme of the psalm is David's intense misery; he feels this because of his sin, for which God's hand is moving against him. David uses imagery of illness, weakened bones, overwhelming burdens, rotting flesh, crippling ailments, mourning, fever, and loss of strength. These symptoms are attributed to the anguish in David's heart (Psalm 38:1–8).

Despite his misery, David knows he has not been abandoned by God. He is experiencing the correction which comes through guilt and shame of sin (Hebrews 12:5–11); this causes his heart to hammer in his chest and his vision to blur. Friends have turned their backs on David, possibly due to his sin, or to his sudden collapse, or both. His enemies would relish the opportunity to take advantage of a scandal. David is all but deaf and mute, making no answer to those who criticize him. This might be because his suffering has rendered him incapable (Psalm 38:9–14).

The other possibility is that David chooses not to answer, out of humility and acceptance of God's will. He is fully aware of his sin. He recognizes that God alone can bring him out of this situation. David makes no demands, but humbly appeals to the Lord. As part of this, he openly confesses his sin and declares his repentance. He ends the psalm with another plea for God's mercy; even in this, he expresses faithful hope that God is his salvation (Psalm 38:15–22).
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