Psalm 39 begins with a resolution, “I will take heed to my ways: that I sin not with my tongue,” and becomes a meditation on the shortness of life: “Lord, make me know my end. And what is the number of my days: that I may know what is wanting to me.” It ends with the confession of every pilgrim: “I am a stranger with thee, and a sojourner as all my fathers were.” In the Douay-Rheims it is numbered Psalm 38. Below is the full Catholic text, what the psalm means, how the Church uses it, and a prayer.
Psalm 39 in the Douay-Rheims Bible
Unto the end, for Idithun himself, a canticle of David.
I said: I will take heed to my ways: that I sin not with my tongue. I have set guard to my mouth, when the sinner stood against me.
I was dumb, and was humbled, and kept silence from good things: and my sorrow was renewed.
My heart grew hot within me: and in my meditation a fire shall flame out.
I spoke with my tongue: O Lord, make me know my end. And what is the number of my days: that I may know what is wanting to me.
Behold thou hast made my days measurable: and my substance is as nothing before thee. And indeed all things are vanity: every man living.
Surely man passeth as an image: yea, and he is disquieted in vain. He storeth up: and he knoweth not for whom he shall gather these things.
And now what is my hope? is it not the Lord? and my substance is with thee.
Deliver thou me from all my iniquities: thou hast made me a reproach to the fool.
I was dumb, and I opened not my mouth, because thou hast done it.
Remove thy scourges from me. The strength of thy hand hath made me faint in rebukes:
Thou hast corrected man for iniquity. And thou hast made his soul to waste away like a spider: surely in vain is any man disquieted.
Hear my prayer, O Lord, and my supplication: give ear to my tears. Be not silent: for I am a stranger with thee, and a sojourner as all my fathers were.
O forgive me, that I may be refreshed, before I go hence, and be no more.
Psalm 39 or Psalm 38?
The Douay-Rheims Bible follows the numbering of the Latin Vulgate and the Greek Septuagint, while most modern Bibles follow the Hebrew. So the Douay’s Psalm 38 is Psalm 39 in the New American Bible and other modern translations. In Latin the psalm begins Dixi: Custodiam vias meas. See how many psalms are there?
What the psalm means
- Guarding the tongue: the psalmist keeps silent rather than sin with his words.
- Life is a breath: “Behold thou hast made my days measurable… all things are vanity: every man living.”
- What do we wait for? “And now what is my hope? is it not the Lord?”
- Forgiveness: “Deliver thou me from all my iniquities.”
- Pilgrims on earth: we are guests and strangers here; our home is with God (Hebrews 11:13).
How the Church uses Psalm 39
- At times of mourning and in November, as a meditation on the shortness of life. See Catholic funeral readings.
- In music, Brahms set its verses “Lord, make me to know mine end” in the third movement of his German Requiem.
- In November and Lent, as a meditation on death and conversion.
A prayer with Psalm 39
Written for this page:
Lord, teach me to number my days and to know how fleeting my life is.
Set a guard on my tongue, that I may not sin with my words.
My hope is in you; deliver me from all my sins.
I am a pilgrim and a stranger; bring me safely to my home with you. Amen.
Frequently asked questions
Where is “Lord, let me know my end”?
Psalm 39:5 in modern Bibles (38:5 in the Douay-Rheims).
What is Psalm 39 about?
The shortness of human life, the need to guard our words, and hope in God alone for pilgrims on earth.
More psalms and prayers
- Psalm 49 (Riches cannot save)
- Psalm 90
- Psalm 42
- Catholic funeral readings
- Psalms for comfort
- How many psalms are there?
Texts and sources
- Scripture: Psalm 38 (39); Hebrews 11:13, Douay-Rheims Bible (Challoner), public domain.
- The prayer was written for this page.