A psalm written by David, asking God not to forget him

38 Yahweh, when you are angry with me,

do not rebuke/scold me and punish me!

2 Now it is as though you have shot your arrows at me and wounded me;

you have struck me and knocked me down.

3 Because you have been angry with me,

I am suffering great pain.

Because of my sin,

my whole body is diseased.

4 All my sins are like a flood that covers my head;

they are like a load that is very heavy, with the result that I cannot carry it.

5 Because I have done foolish things,

I have sores that have become worse, and they stink.

6 Sometimes I am bent over, and sometimes I lie prostrate;

I am sad/cry all day.

7 My body is burning with fever,

and I am very ill.

8 I am completely exhausted, and I have no strength.

I am very distressed, and I groan with pain.

9 Yahweh, you know that I desire to be healed;

you hear me while I am groaning.

10 My heat is pounding heavily, and all my strength is gone.

I am no longer able to see well.

11 My friends and neighbors stay away from me because of my sores;

even my own family stays away from me.

12 And those who want to kill me set traps to catch me;

those who want to harm me discuss ways to get rid of me;

they plot against me all day.

13 Now I act like I’m deaf, and do not listen to what they say.

I act like I cannot talk, so I say nothing to reply to them.

14 I act like a man who does not answer when people talk to him,

because he cannot hear anything.

15 But Yahweh, I trust in you.

My Lord God, you will answer me.

16 I said to you, “Do not cause me to die, with the result that my enemies will rejoice!

Do not cause me to stumble, with the result that they will be very happy!”

17 I say that because I am about to fall down,

and I constantly have pain.

18 I confess the wrong things that I have done;

I am very sorry for the sins that I have committed.

19 My enemies are healthy and strong;

there are many people who hate me for no reason.

20 Those who do evil things to me in return for my doing good things to them

oppose me because I try to do what is right.

21 Yahweh, do not abandon me!

My God, do not stay far from me!

22 Lord, you are the one who saves/rescues me;

Quickly come and help me!