When You Are Lying in a Hospital Bed
Hospital walls have heard many heartfelt prayers. You are lying in a bed, or sitting beside one, and the world outside has stopped mattering. The sounds are strange. The lights never quite go off. Right here, right now, it is just you and Hashem.
Maybe you came in for something planned. Maybe it happened suddenly. Either way, you feel far from home, far from the people and the rooms where you feel safe. There is a heaviness on the heart that goes deeper than what any chart or monitor can measure. And so you reach for the one thing no hospital can take from you: your tefillah.
Kapitel 38 of Tehillim is one of the most raw tefillos Dovid HaMelech ever composed b’ruach hakodesh. Its words reach into the place where a body is broken and friends have pulled away. And yet, through all of it, the kapitel turns to Hashem with total trust: “You will answer, Hashem.” This Jewish prayer in hospital has carried Yidden through the hardest nights, generation after generation.
Before You Say This Kapitel
Before you open your mouth, just be still for a moment. You do not need to find the perfect words. Hashem already sees you in that bed. He knows the fear, the loneliness, the questions you cannot say out loud. The Gemara in Shabbos (12b) teaches that when a person lies sick, the Shechinah (Divine Presence) rests above their head. You are not alone in that room. Say this prayer from Rabbi Meir Baal Haness Charities and let Hashem hear what is on your heart:
Master of the Universe, I lie here in the hospital, far from home, surrounded by sounds and smells of pain. There is no soundness in my flesh, but You are here with me even in this room. Heal me and bring me out of here in peace. God of Meir, answer me.
If giving tzedakah, add:
In the merit of the tzedakah I give in the merit of Rabbi Meir, who visited the sick and illuminated their faces, so may he illuminate my face. Ribbono Shel Olam, I care for Your children, please care for me.
Kapitel 38: The Full Prayer
מִזְמוֹר לְדָוִד לְהַזְכִּיר׃
יְהֹוָה אַל־בְּקֶצְפְּךָ תוֹכִיחֵנִי וּבַחֲמָתְךָ תְיַסְּרֵנִי׃
כִּי־חִצֶּיךָ נִחֲתוּ בִי וַתִּנְחַת עָלַי יָדֶךָ׃
אֵין־מְתֹם בִּבְשָׂרִי מִפְּנֵי זַעְמֶךָ אֵין־שָׁלוֹם בַּעֲצָמַי מִפְּנֵי חַטָּאתִי׃
כִּי עֲוֺנֹתַי עָבְרוּ רֹאשִׁי כְּמַשָּׂא כָבֵד יִכְבְּדוּ מִמֶּנִּי׃
הִבְאִישׁוּ נָמַקּוּ חַבּוּרֹתָי מִפְּנֵי אִוַּלְתִּי׃
נַעֲוֵיתִי שַׁחֹתִי עַד־מְאֹד כָּל־הַיּוֹם קֹדֵר הִלָּכְתִּי׃
כִּי־כְסָלַי מָלְאוּ נִקְלֶה וְאֵין מְתֹם בִּבְשָׂרִי׃
נְפוּגוֹתִי וְנִדְכֵּיתִי עַד־מְאֹד שָׁאַגְתִּי מִנַּהֲמַת לִבִּי׃
אֲדֹנָי נֶגְדְּךָ כָל־תַּאֲוָתִי וְאַנְחָתִי מִמְּךָ לֹא־נִסְתָּרָה׃
לִבִּי סְחַרְחַר עֲזָבַנִי כֹחִי וְאוֹר־עֵינַי גַּם־הֵם אֵין אִתִּי׃
אֹהֲבַי וְרֵעַי מִנֶּגֶד נִגְעִי יַעֲמֹדוּ וּקְרוֹבַי מֵרָחֹק עָמָדוּ׃
וַיְנַקְשׁוּ מְבַקְשֵׁי נַפְשִׁי וְדֹרְשֵׁי רָעָתִי דִּבְּרוּ הַוּוֹת וּמִרְמוֹת כָּל־הַיּוֹם יֶהְגּוּ׃
וַאֲנִי כְחֵרֵשׁ לֹא אֶשְׁמָע וּכְאִלֵּם לֹא יִפְתַּח־פִּיו׃
וָאֱהִי כְּאִישׁ אֲשֶׁר לֹא־שֹׁמֵעַ וְאֵין בְּפִיו תּוֹכָחוֹת׃
כִּי־לְךָ יְהֹוָה הוֹחָלְתִּי אַתָּה תַעֲנֶה אֲדֹנָי אֱלֹהָי׃
כִּי־אָמַרְתִּי פֶּן־יִשְׂמְחוּ־לִי בְּמוֹט רַגְלִי עָלַי הִגְדִּילוּ׃
כִּי־אֲנִי לְצֶלַע נָכוֹן וּמַכְאוֹבִי נֶגְדִּי תָמִיד׃
כִּי־עֲוֺנִי אַגִּיד אֶדְאַג מֵחַטָּאתִי׃
וְאֹיְבַי חַיִּים עָצֵמוּ וְרַבּוּ שֹׂנְאַי שָׁקֶר׃
וּמְשַׁלְּמֵי רָעָה תַּחַת טוֹבָה יִשְׂטְנוּנִי תַּחַת רָדְפִי־טוֹב׃
אַל־תַּעַזְבֵנִי יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהַי אַל־תִּרְחַק מִמֶּנִּי׃
חוּשָׁה לְעֶזְרָתִי אֲדֹנָי תְּשׁוּעָתִי׃
Mizmoir l'Dovid l'hazkir.
Hashem al-b'ketzp'cho soichicheini u-vachamos'cho s'yasreini.
Ki-chitzeicho nichasu vi vatinchas olai yodecho.
Ein-m'soim bivsori mip'nei za'mecho ein-sholoim ba'atzomai mip'nei chatosi.
Ki avoinoisai ov'ru roishi k'maso choveid yichb'du mimeni.
Hiv'ishu nomaku chaburoisai mip'nei ivalti.
Na'aveisi shachoisi ad-m'oid kol-hayoim koideir hilachti.
Ki-ch'solai mol'u nikleh v'ein m'soim bivsori.
N'fugoisi v'nidkeisi ad-m'oid sho'agti minahamas libi.
Adoinoy negd'cho chol-ta'avosi v'anchosi mimcho lo-nistoro.
Libi s'charchar azovani choichi v'oir-einai gam-heim ein iti.
Oihavai v'rei'ai mineged nig'i ya'amoidu uk'roivai meirochoik omodu.
Vaynakshu m'vakshei nafshi v'doir'shei ro'osi dib'ru havois umirmois kol-hayoim yehgu.
Va'ani ch'cheireish lo eshma uch'illeim lo yiftach-piv.
Vo'ehi k'ish asher lo-shoimei'a v'ein b'fiv toichochois.
Ki-l'cho Hashem hoichalti atoh sa'aneh Adoinoy Elohai.
Ki-omarti pen-yism'chu-li b'moit ragli olai higdilu.
Ki-ani l'tzela nochoin umach'oivi negdi somid.
Ki-avoini agid ed'ag meichatosi.
V'oiy'vai chayim otzeimu v'rabu soin'ai shoker.
Umshal'mei ro'oh tachas toivoh yist'nuni tachas rod'fi-toiv.
Al-ta'azveini Hashem Elohai al-tirchak mimeni.
Chushoh l'ezrosi Adoinoy t'shu'osi.
Mizmor le-David lehazkir.
Hashem al-beketzpecha tochicheni u-vachamatecha teyasereni.
Ki-chitzeicha nichatu vi vatinchat alai yadecha.
Ein-metom bivsari mipenei za'mecha ein-shalom ba'atzamai mipenei chatati.
Ki avonotai averu roshi kemasa chaved yichbedu mimeni.
Hiv'ishu namaku chaburotai mipenei ivalti.
Na'aveti shachoti ad-me'od kol-hayom koder hilachti.
Ki-chesalai male'u nikleh ve-ein metom bivsari.
Nefugoti venidketi ad-me'od sha'agti minahamat libi.
Adonai negdecha chol-ta'avati ve-anchati mimcha lo-nistara.
Libi secharchar azavani kochi ve-or-einai gam-hem ein iti.
Ohavai vere'ai mineged nig'i ya'amodu ukrovai merachok amadu.
Vaynakshu mevakshei nafshi vedoreshei ra'ati diberu havot umirmot kol-hayom yehgu.
Va'ani checheresh lo eshma uche'illem lo yiftach-piv.
Va'ehi ke'ish asher lo-shomea ve-ein befiv tochachot.
Ki-lecha Hashem hochalti atah ta'aneh Adonai Elohai.
Ki-amarti pen-yismechu-li bemot ragli alai higdilu.
Ki-ani letzela nachon umach'ovi negdi tamid.
Ki-avoni agid ed'ag mechatati.
Ve-oyevai chayim atzemu verabu sone'ai shaker.
Umeshalemei ra'ah tachat tovah yistenuni tachat rod'fi-tov.
Al-ta'azveni Hashem Elohai al-tirchak mimeni.
Chushah le'ezrati Adonai teshu'ati.
A psalm of David. Lehazkir. O God, do not punish me in wrath; do not chastise me in fury. For Your arrows have struck me; Your blows have fallen upon me. There is no soundness in my flesh because of Your rage, no wholeness in my bones because of my sin. For my iniquities have overwhelmed me; they are like a heavy burden, more than I can bear. My wounds stink and fester because of my folly. I am all bent and bowed; I walk about in gloom all day long. For my sinews are full of fever; there is no soundness in my flesh. I am all benumbed and crushed; I roar because of the turmoil in my mind. O my Sovereign, You are aware of all my entreaties; my groaning is not hidden from You. My mind reels; my strength fails me; my eyes too have lost their luster. My friends and companions stand back from my affliction; my kin stand far off. Those who seek my life lay traps; those who wish me harm speak malice; they utter deceit all the time. But I am like the deaf, unhearing, like the mute who cannot speak up; I am like one who does not hear, whose mouth has no retort. But I wait for You, O God; You will answer, O my Sovereign, my God. For I fear they will rejoice over me; when my foot gives way they will vaunt themselves against me. For I am on the verge of collapse; my pain is always with me. I acknowledge my iniquity; I am fearful over my sin. For my mortal enemies are numerous; my treacherous foes are many. Those who repay evil for good harass me for pursuing good. Do not abandon me, O God; my God, be not far from me; Hasten to my aid, O my Sovereign, my deliverance.
Dovid composed this kapitel b’ruach hakodesh, and it is one of the most raw tefillos in all of Tehillim. There is no pretending. No putting on a brave face. The words reach into the place where a body is failing and the people around you have stepped away, and they carry one truth: Hashem hears. The Gemara in Shabbos (12b) teaches that when someone lies sick in bed, the Shechinah rests above their head. That closeness is woven into every pasuk of this kapitel.
What These Words Mean for You
Ein m’soim bivsori “There is no soundness in my flesh.”
This is passuk 4 of the kapitel. Dovid does not sugarcoat. M’soim. Whole.
Complete. Sound. Dovid is saying: my body has lost its wholeness. When you lie in a hospital bed and your body does not feel like your own, these words give you permission to say the truth out loud to Hashem. You do not have to pretend you are fine.
He already knows. V’anchosi mimcho lo nistoro “My groaning is not hidden from You.”
Anchah. A groan. A sigh that comes from somewhere deep, the kind you cannot hold back.
Dovid says to Hashem: every sound I make in this bed, every sigh in the middle of the night when no one else is listening, You hear it all. Nothing is hidden from You. In a hospital room, when the hours stretch and the walls feel close, this passuk reminds you that Hashem is paying attention to every moment of your suffering. You may also draw chizuk from the prayer for unexplained physical pain. Ki l’cho Hashem hoichalti, atoh sa’aneh Adoinoy Elohai “But I wait for You, O Hashem; You will answer, O my Sovereign, my Hashem.”
Hoichalti. I waited. I hoped.
After twenty-two pesukim of raw pain, Dovid arrives here. He does not say “maybe You will answer.” He says atoh sa’aneh, You will answer. This is emunah at its most tested. Lying in a hospital bed, you hold onto these words. Hashem will answer. The answer may not come the way you expect, but He will answer. Al ta’azveini Hashem Elohai, al tirchak mimeni “Do not abandon me, O Hashem; my Hashem, be not far from me.”
Al ta’azveini. Do not leave me. Do not forsake me.
This is the closing cry of the kapitel. Everything Dovid has said leads here. He does not ask for an explanation. He does not bargain. He simply says: do not leave me. Stay close. When the fear comes at night in a hospital room and the loneliness presses in, these are the words to hold onto. Hashem, do not be far from me. A related tefillah that speaks to this same yearning is the prayer for chronic illness.
How to Say This Prayer
You can say Kapitel 38 at any time. If you are lying in a hospital bed, you do not need to stand. You do not need a siddur. Say it in Hebrew if you can, or follow the transliteration, or read the English. Hashem hears a prayer in hospital in any language.
Before you begin, set your kavanah. You might say quietly: “Hashem, I am lying here in this hospital bed, feeling so far from the comfort of my own home and surrounded by the sounds of pain. My body aches and I feel so vulnerable, but I know that You are right here in this room with me. Please grant me a complete healing, ease my suffering, and bring me out of this place in peace and good health.”
Tefillah and tzedakah together carry a special power. When you daven this kapitel and also give tzedakah in the zechus of Rabbi Meir Baal Haness, you are asking Hashem to hear your tefillah in the combined merit of your own crying out and the chesed you are doing for another Yid in Eretz Yisrael. After the kapitel, you may say: Elokah d’Meir aneni!
Give Tzedakah in the Zechus of Rabbi Meir Baal Haness
The Gemara (Avodah Zarah 18a-18b) tells how Bruria asked Rabbi Meir to rescue her sister, who was condemned by the Romans to a house of shame. There seemed to be no way out. Rabbi Meir approached the guard with a bribe, teaching him to say “Eloka d’Meir aneni!” — “God of Meir, answer me!” — if he was ever in danger. When the guard asked for proof, Rabbi Meir said the words and nearby dogs that had been ready to attack turned away. The guard was convinced and released her, later using these words to save his life. For generations, Yidden have turned to these powerful words for salvation in times of trouble.
That is what you are asking for when you daven from that hospital bed. To be brought out. To be healed. To go home. Even more powerful than davening alone, when combined with giving tzedakah in Rabbi Meir’s zechus you are asking Hashem to hear your tefillah in the combined merit of this great tzaddik and the chesed you are doing right now.
The Gemara in Shabbos (12b) teaches that when visiting the sick on Shabbos, one says: “Shabbos hi milizok, u’refuah kerovah lavo” — it is Shabbos, so we do not cry out in the usual way, and healing is near to come. Rabbi Meir adds כְּדַאי הִיא שֶׁתְּרַחֵם — Shabbos itself is able to bring mercy. Rabbi Meir’s words teach that Shabbos is a time bound up with mercy. When we help Yiddishe families honor Shabbos with dignity, we connect ourselves to that mercy in a practical way. Supporting their Shabbos needs becomes not only an act of tzedakah, but a zechus linked to the kedushah of Shabbos. Rabbi Meir Baal Haness Charities helps Yiddishe families in Eretz Yisrael keep and honor Shabbos — and that zechus, too, rises on behalf of those who give.
Rabbi Meir Baal Haness Charities was founded in 1799. It supports talmidei chachamim and families in need in Eretz Yisrael. The talmidei chachamim at the kever of Rabbi Meir in Tiberias daven for those who reach out to them by name. When you give tzedakah for the poor of Eretz Yisrael in the zechus of Rabbi Meir Baal Haness, your act of chesed rises together with your tefillah for healing.
Give Tzedakah in the Zechus of Rabbi Meir Baal Haness
Kapitel 38 of Tehillim is meant for the experience of physical suffering and isolation. Dovid HaMelech composed it at a time when his own body was broken and his friends had pulled away. It gives you words for what is hardest to express and closes with total trust that Hashem will answer.
Yes. A family member, friend, or anyone in Klal Yisrael can say Kapitel 38 on behalf of someone who is sick. They should hold the person's Hebrew name in their heart as they say the words, using the format [Name] ben/bas [Mother's Name] .
Rabbi Meir was a great Tanna whose tefillah rescued someone from a place of suffering when there seemed to be no way out ( Avodah Zarah 18a-18b) . Giving tzedakah in his zechus is asking Hashem to hear your tefillah in the combined merit of this tzaddik and your act of chesed. Rabbi Meir Baal Haness Charities supports talmidei chachamim and families in Eretz Yisrael. The jewish prayer for healing after surgery touches on a similar longing and is worth saying alongside this tefillah.
Tzedakah adds a real act of chesed to your tefillah. You are caring for someone else while asking Hashem to care for you. Generations of Yidden have given in the zechus of Rabbi Meir Baal Haness at moments of illness and danger, trusting that the combined merit of tefillah and chesed reaches Shomayim.
or someone hospitalized, the most appropriate Tehillim to say are usually Tehillim 41, 121, and 130 , since they speak directly about illness, Hashem’s help, and crying out to Him in distress. If you want to add more, Tehillim 20 and 30 are also commonly fitting for a medical situation and recovery.
A Blessing for Your Healing
You came here searching for a prayer in hospital because the pain is real and the fear is real and the walls of that room feel very small. Hashem sees you. He is closer to you right now than you may feel.
May Hashem send you a refuah sheleimah, a complete healing of body and spirit. May the doctors have wisdom, may the treatments work, and may you walk out of that hospital under your own strength, back to the people who love you. May every sigh and every tear you have shed in that bed rise before the Kisei HaKavod, and may Hashem answer you with rachamim.
You can submit a prayer request to the scholars who will daven on your behalf at the kever of Rabbi Meir in Tiberias at no cost. They will daven for your healing by name through Rabbi Meir Baal Haness Charities. And if you would like to give tzedakah in Rabbi Meir’s zechus as well, your kindness will rise together with your prayer.
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