The Vanity of Life.
For the choir director, for [a]Jeduthun. A Psalm of David.
1I said, “I will guard my ways
That I may not sin with my tongue;
I will guard my mouth as with a muzzle
While the wicked are in my presence.”
2I was mute [b]and silent,
I [c]refrained even from good,
And my [d]sorrow grew worse.
3My heart was hot within me,
While I was musing the fire burned;
Then I spoke with my tongue:
4“Lord, make me to know my end
And what is the extent of my days;
Let me know how transient I am.
5“Behold, You have made my days as handbreadths,
And my lifetime as nothing in Your sight;
Surely every man [e]at his best is [f]a mere breath. [g]Selah.
6“Surely every man walks about as [h]a phantom;
Surely they make an uproar for nothing;
He amasses riches and does not know who will gather them.
7“And now, Lord, for what do I wait?
My hope is in You.
8“Deliver me from all my transgressions;
Make me not the reproach of the foolish.
9“I have become mute, I do not open my mouth,
Because it is You who have done it.
10“Remove Your plague from me;
Because of the opposition of Your hand I am [i]perishing.
11“With reproofs You chasten a man for iniquity;
You consume as a moth what is precious to him;
Surely every man is a mere breath. Selah.