1. I promised I would watch my stepsso as not to sin with my tongue;promised to keep my mouth shutas long as the wicked were in my presence.
2. So I was completely quiet, silent.I kept my peace, but it did no good.My pain got worse.
3. My heart got hot inside me;while stewing over it, the fire burned.Then I spoke out with my tongue:
4. "Let me know my end, Lord.How many days do I have left?I want to know how brief my time is."
5. You’ve made my days so short;my lifetime is like nothing in your eyes.Yes, a human life is nothing but a puff of air! Selah
6. Yes, people wander around like shadows;yes, they hustle and bustle, but pointlessly;they don’t even know who will get the wealth they’ve amassed.
7. So now, Lord, what should I be waiting for?My hope is set on you.
8. Deliver me from all my sins;don’t make me some foolish person’s joke.
9. I am completely silent; I won’t open my mouthbecause you have acted.
10. Get this plague of yours off me!I’m being destroyed by the blows from your fist.
11. You discipline people for their sin, punishing them;like a moth, you ruin what they treasure.Yes, a human life is just a puff of air! Selah
12. Hear my prayer, Lord!Listen closely to my cry for help!Please don’t ignore my tears!I’m just a foreigner—an immigrant staying with you,just like all my ancestors were.
13. Look away from meso I can be happy againbefore I pass away and am gone.