To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David.
8,6,8,6
^1O Lord, thou hast me search'd and known.
^2Thou know'st my sitting down,
And rising up; yea, all my thoughts
afar to thee are known.
^3My footsteps, and my lying down,
thou compassest always;
Thou also most entirely art
acquaint with all my ways.
^4For in my tongue, before I speak,
not any word can be,
But altogether, lo, O Lord,
it is well known to thee.
^5Behind, before, thou hast beset,
and laid on me thine hand.
^6Such knowledge is too strange for me,
too high to understand.
^7From thy Sp'rit whither shall I go?
or from thy presence fly?
^8Ascend I heav'n, lo, thou art there;
there, if in hell I lie.
^9Take I the morning wings, and dwell
in utmost parts of sea;
^10Ev'n there, Lord, shall thy hand me lead,
thy right hand hold shall me.
^11If I do say that darkness shall
me cover from thy sight,
Then surely shall the very night
about me be as light.
^12Yea, darkness hideth not from thee,
but night doth shine as day:
To thee the darkness and the light
are both alike alway.
^13For thou possessed hast my reins,
and thou hast cover'd me,
When I within my mother's womb
inclosed was by thee.
^14Thee will I praise; for fearfully
and strangely made I am;
Thy works are marv'llous, and right well
my soul doth know the same.
^15My substance was not hid from thee,
when as in secret I
Was made; and in earth's lowest parts
was wrought most curiously.
^16Thine eyes my substance did behold,
yet being unperfect;
And in the volume of thy book
my members all were writ;
Which after in continuance
were fashion'd ev'ry one,
When as they yet all shapeless were,
and of them there was none.
^17How precious also are thy thoughts,
O gracious God, to me!
And in their sum how passing great
and numberless they be!
^18If I should count them, than the sand
they more in number be:
What time soever I awake,
I ever am with thee.
^19Thou, Lord, wilt sure the wicked slay:
hence from me bloody men.
^20Thy foes against thee loudly speak,
and take thy name in vain.
^21Do not I hate all those, O Lord,
that hatred bear to thee?
With those that up against thee rise
can I but grieved be?
^22With perfect hatred them I hate,
my foes I them do hold.
^23Search me, O God, and know my heart,
try me, my thoughts unfold:
^24And see if any wicked way
there be at all in me;
And in thine everlasting way
to me a leader be.