3 I am the man who has seen trouble.
God punished me because he was angry with me.
2 He has led me into the dark.
There is no light, so I cannot see the right way.
3 He is completely against me. [ b ]
He causes me trouble all the time.
4 God has caused my skin and my whole body to become old.
He has broken my bones.
5 He has fought against me from every side.
He caused much trouble for me,
so that I am very sad.
6 He has brought me to this dark place.
So I am like a person who has been dead for a long time.
7 It is as if God has built high walls round me, and I cannot go out.
My troubles are very bad.
They hold me down like heavy chains.
8 I shout and I pray for help, but God does not listen.
9 On every road that I go along, he has put big rocks in my way.
I cannot go past them.
10 God is like a strong wild animal.
He hides and he waits for me by the path.
11 He is like an animal that catches me and pulls me off the path.
He tears me in pieces and then he leaves me without any help.
12 God is like a soldier with a bow and arrows.
He used his bow to shoot at me.
13 It was as if he shot me in the heart with his arrows.
14 All the people see me and laugh.
They even sing silly songs about me all the time.
15 God has caused my life to become a thing of pain.
It is as if he filled a cup with a very bitter drink for me.
16 It is as if he caused me to eat small stones, so that the stones broke my teeth.
Then he put me on the ground, and he pushed me down in the dirt.
17 He has taken peace away from my mind.
I cannot remember the happy days that I had before.
18 I tell myself, ‘Everything good has finished for me!
The things that I hoped for from the Lord have not come!’
19 Lord , please remember all my troubles, because I am sad.
Remember that I am very lonely.
My troubles are like poison for me.
20 I think about all those things,
and I feel small and alone.
21 But then I choose to remember God,
and this is my hope: [ c ]
22 The Lord 's faithful love never comes to an end.
He never stops being kind to us. [ d ]
23 Every day, we can trust him to be kind again.
We know that he will do what he has promised to do.
24 ‘He is my Lord ,’ I say to myself.
‘He is the reason why I can hope for good things.’
25 The Lord does good things for people who wait for him.
He is kind to everyone who looks for him.
26 It is good when people continue to hope.
It is good when they quietly wait for the Lord ,
because he will save them.
27 It is also good for people to obey God when they are young.
They should work well for him.
28 Also, when the Lord causes them to be in trouble,
they should sit alone quietly. [ e ]
29 They should be humble in front of God. [ f ]
Then hope may come again.
30 If somebody hits them or insults them, they should accept it. [ g ]
31 The Lord does not turn against people for ever.
32 He does cause people to feel sad sometimes,
but he is sorry for us.
He is also very kind to us, because he loves us very much.
33 He does not enjoy seeing people who are in pain.
He does not enjoy causing trouble for them. [ h ]
34 Bad people may be cruel to those who are in prison.
35 They may turn against the Most High God and cheat people.
36 They may tell lies in court.
The Lord is not happy when he sees any of those bad things.
37 The Lord causes things to happen.
Nobody can cause things to happen without him.
38 The Most High God causes all things to happen.
He causes good things and bad things to happen when he speaks.
39 He only punishes us when we do wrong things.
We are still alive, so we should not be angry with God.
40 Instead, we should think a lot about what we do,
and we should turn back to the Lord again.
41 We should lift up our hands and pray to God in heaven. [ i ]
We should be honest with God and say to him,
42 ‘We have done wrong things,
and we have turned against you.
You have not forgiven us.
43 You have hidden yourself from us because you are angry.
You have followed us so that you could kill us.
You were not sorry about it.
44 You have hidden from us in a cloud.
So you do not listen to us when we talk to you.
45 You let people from other countries think bad things about us.
They think that we have no value.
We are like things that nobody can use any longer.
46 All our enemies have insulted us.
47 We have become afraid of them.
They have caught us and they have destroyed us and our things.’ [ j ]
48 I weep, and my eyes are red with all my tears.
It is because the enemy has killed my people.
49 Tears come like a river from my eyes and they will not stop,
50 until the Lord looks down on us from heaven.
He will see us and he will help us.
51 I see what has happened to all the people in my city.
And so I am very sad.
52 My enemies had no reason to follow me.
But they caught me as they would catch a bird.
53 They put me alive into the well,
and they threw stones down on me.
54 The water covered my head.
Then I said, ‘I will soon die.’
55 I shouted your name, Lord ,
when I was in the well.
56 ‘Please listen to me, Lord ,’ I shouted.
‘Help me! Save me!’ I shouted,
and you heard me.
57 You came near to me when I prayed to you.
‘Do not be afraid,’ you said.
58 Lord, you have given me help.
You have paid the price to keep me alive.
59 You saw the bad things that they did to me.
So please agree with me that they were not fair!
60 You know all the bad things that they did to me.
And you know about all the bad things that they want to do to me.
61 You have heard their cruel words against me, Lord .
Yes, you know about all the bad things that they want to do to me.
62 These people have been cruel to me.
They attack me with cruel words every hour of the day.
63 Look at them as they sing cruel things about me.
They sing when they are sitting, and they sing when they are standing.
64 Punish them for what they have done, Lord .
65 Cause them to think that they cannot hope for anything good.
Cause bad things to happen to them.
66 Run after them angrily.
Kill them all because you are angry with them.
Let nobody on earth remember them any longer.
3 I am a man who has seen much trouble.
God beat us with a stick, and I saw it happen.
2 He led and brought me
into darkness, not light.
3 He turned his hand against me.
He did this again and again, all day.
4 He wore out my flesh and skin.
He broke my bones.
5 He built up bitterness and trouble against me.
He surrounded me with bitterness and trouble.
6 He put me in the dark,
like someone who died long ago.
7 He shut me in, so I could not get out.
He put heavy chains on me.
8 Even when I cry out and ask for help,
he does not listen to my prayer.
9 He has blocked up my path with stones.
He has made my path crooked.
10 He is like a bear about to attack me,
like a lion that is in a hiding place.
11 He led me off my path.
He tore me to pieces and ruined me.
12 He made his bow ready.
He made me the target for his arrows.
13 He shot me in the stomach
with his arrows.
14 I have become a joke to all my people.
All day long they sing songs about me and make fun of me.
15 He gave me this poison to drink.
He filled me with this bitter drink.
16 He pushed my teeth into rocky ground.
He pushed me into the dirt.
17 I thought I would never have peace again.
I forgot about good things.
18 I said to myself, “I no longer have any hope
that the Lord will help me.”
19 Remember, I am very sad,
and I have no home.
Remember the bitter poison that you gave me.
20 I remember well all my troubles,
and I am very sad.
21 But then I think about this,
and I have hope:
22 We are still alive because
the Lord ’s faithful love never ends.
23 Every morning he shows it in new ways!
You are so very true and loyal!
24 I say to myself, “The Lord is my God,
and I trust him.” [ a ]
25 The Lord is good to those who wait for him.
He is good to those who look for him.
26 It is good to wait quietly
for the Lord to save them.
27 It is good for a man to wear his yoke
from the time he is young.
28 He should sit alone and be quiet
when the Lord puts his yoke on him.
29 He should bow down to the Lord.
Maybe there is still hope.
30 He should turn his cheek to the one who hits him
and let people insult him.
31 He should remember that
the Lord does not reject people forever.
32 When he punishes, he also has mercy.
He has mercy because of his great love and kindness.
33 He does not enjoy causing people pain.
He does not like to make anyone unhappy.
34 He does not like any prisoner on earth
to be trampled down.
35 He does not like anyone to be unfair to another person.
Some people will do such things right in front of God Most High.
36 The Lord does not like anyone to cheat another person.
He does not like any of these things.
37 No one can say something and make it happen,
unless the Lord orders it.
38 God Most High commands
both good and bad things to happen.
39 No one alive can complain
when he punishes them for their sins.
40 Let us check and see what we have done.
Then let us turn back to the Lord .
41 Let us lift up our hearts and our hands
to the God of heaven.
42 Let us say to him, “We have sinned and have been stubborn.
Because of this, you have not forgiven us.
43 You wrapped yourself with anger.
You chased us.
You killed us without mercy!
44 You wrapped yourself in a cloud
so that no prayer could get through.
45 You made us like garbage and dirt
to the other nations.
46 All of our enemies
speak angrily against us.
47 We have been frightened.
We have fallen into a pit.
We have been badly hurt.
We have been broken.”
48 My eyes flow with streams of tears.
I cry because of the destruction of my people.
49 My eyes will flow without stopping.
I will keep on crying.
50 I will continue to cry
until you look down and see us, Lord !
I will continue to cry
until you see us from heaven.
51 My eyes make me sad, when I see
what happened to the young women in my city.
52 For no reason,
my enemies hunted me like a bird.
53 They threw me alive into a pit
and then threw stones at me.
54 Water came up over my head.
I said to myself, “I am finished.”
55 Lord , I called your name
from the bottom of the pit.
56 You heard my voice.
You didn’t close your ears.
You didn’t refuse to rescue me.
57 You came to me on the day that I called out to you.
You said to me, “Don’t be afraid.”
58 You defended me
and brought me back to life.
59 Lord , you have seen my trouble.
Now judge my case for me.
60 You have seen how my enemies have hurt me.
You have seen all the evil plans that they made against me.
61 You heard them insult me, Lord .
You have heard all the evil plans that they made against me.
62 The words and the thoughts of my enemies
are against me all the time—
63 when they sit down and when they stand up.
Look how they make fun of me!
64 Give them back what they deserve, Lord .
Pay them back for what they have done.
65 Make them stubborn
and then curse them.
66 Chase them in anger and destroy them.
Wipe them off the face of the earth, Lord !
3 I Am the man that hath seen affliction by the rod of his wrath.
2 He hath led me, and brought me into darkness, but not into light.
3 Surely against me is he turned; he turneth his hand against me all the day.
4 My flesh and my skin hath he made old; he hath broken my bones.
5 He hath builded against me, and compassed me with gall and travail.
6 He hath set me in dark places, as they that be dead of old.
7 He hath hedged me about, that I cannot get out: he hath made my chain heavy.
8 Also when I cry and shout, he shutteth out my prayer.
9 He hath inclosed my ways with hewn stone, he hath made my paths crooked.
10 He was unto me as a bear lying in wait, and as a lion in secret places.
11 He hath turned aside my ways, and pulled me in pieces: he hath made me desolate.
12 He hath bent his bow, and set me as a mark for the arrow.
13 He hath caused the arrows of his quiver to enter into my reins.
14 I was a derision to all my people; and their song all the day.
15 He hath filled me with bitterness, he hath made me drunken with wormwood.
16 He hath also broken my teeth with gravel stones, he hath covered me with ashes.
17 And thou hast removed my soul far off from peace: I forgat prosperity.
18 And I said, My strength and my hope is perished from the Lord :
19 Remembering mine affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall.
20 My soul hath them still in remembrance, and is humbled in me.
21 This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope.
22 It is of the Lord 's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.
23 They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.
24 The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him.
25 The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him.
26 It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord .
27 It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth.
28 He sitteth alone and keepeth silence, because he hath borne it upon him.
29 He putteth his mouth in the dust; if so be there may be hope.
30 He giveth his cheek to him that smiteth him: he is filled full with reproach.
31 For the Lord will not cast off for ever:
32 But though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies.
33 For he doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men.
34 To crush under his feet all the prisoners of the earth.
35 To turn aside the right of a man before the face of the most High,
36 To subvert a man in his cause, the Lord approveth not.
37 Who is he that saith, and it cometh to pass, when the Lord commandeth it not?
38 Out of the mouth of the most High proceedeth not evil and good?
39 Wherefore doth a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins?
40 Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the Lord .
41 Let us lift up our heart with our hands unto God in the heavens.
42 We have transgressed and have rebelled: thou hast not pardoned.
43 Thou hast covered with anger, and persecuted us: thou hast slain, thou hast not pitied.
44 Thou hast covered thyself with a cloud, that our prayer should not pass through.
45 Thou hast made us as the offscouring and refuse in the midst of the people.
46 All our enemies have opened their mouths against us.
47 Fear and a snare is come upon us, desolation and destruction.
48 Mine eye runneth down with rivers of water for the destruction of the daughter of my people.
49 Mine eye trickleth down, and ceaseth not, without any intermission.
50 Till the Lord look down, and behold from heaven.
51 Mine eye affecteth mine heart because of all the daughters of my city.
52 Mine enemies chased me sore, like a bird, without cause.
53 They have cut off my life in the dungeon, and cast a stone upon me.
54 Waters flowed over mine head; then I said, I am cut off.
55 I called upon thy name, O Lord , out of the low dungeon.
56 Thou hast heard my voice: hide not thine ear at my breathing, at my cry.
57 Thou drewest near in the day that I called upon thee: thou saidst, Fear not.
58 O Lord , thou hast pleaded the causes of my soul; thou hast redeemed my life.
59 O Lord , thou hast seen my wrong: judge thou my cause.
60 Thou hast seen all their vengeance and all their imaginations against me.
61 Thou hast heard their reproach, O Lord , and all their imaginations against me;
62 The lips of those that rose up against me, and their device against me all the day.
63 Behold their sitting down, and their rising up; I am their musick.
64 Render unto them a recompence, O Lord , according to the work of their hands.
65 Give them sorrow of heart, thy curse unto them.
66 Persecute and destroy them in anger from under the heavens of the Lord .
3 I am the man who has ( A ) seen misery
Because of the rod of His wrath.
2 He has driven me and made me walk
In ( B ) darkness and not in light.
3 Indeed, He has ( C ) turned His hand against me
Repeatedly all the day.
4 He has consumed my ( D ) flesh and my skin,
He has ( E ) broken my bones.
5 He has [ a ] ( F ) besieged and surrounded me with [ b ] ( G ) bitterness and hardship.
6 He has made me live in ( H ) dark places,
Like those who have long been dead.
7 He has ( I ) walled me in so that I cannot go out;
He has made my [ c ] ( J ) chain heavy.
8 Even when I cry out and call for help,
He ( K ) shuts out my prayer.
9 He has ( L ) blocked my ways with cut stone;
He has twisted my paths.
10 He is to me like a bear lying in wait,
Like a lion in secret places.
11 He has made my ways deviate, and ( M ) torn me to pieces;
He has made me desolate.
12 He ( N ) bent His bow
And ( O ) took aim at me as a target for the arrow.
13 He made the [ d ] arrows of His ( P ) quiver
Enter my [ e ] inward parts.
14 I have become a ( Q ) laughingstock to all my people,
Their ( R ) song of ridicule all the day.
15 He has ( S ) filled me with bitterness,
He has made me drink plenty of wormwood.
16 He has also ( T ) made my teeth grind with ( U ) gravel;
He has made me cower in the ( V ) dust.
17 My soul has been excluded ( W ) from peace;
I have forgotten [ f ] happiness.
18 So I say, “My [ g ] strength has failed,
And so has my ( X ) hope from the Lord .”
19 Remember my misery and my homelessness, the ( Y ) wormwood and [ h ] bitterness.
20 ( Z ) My soul certainly remembers,
And [ i ] is ( AA ) bent over within me.
21 I recall this to my mind,
Therefore I [ j ] ( AB ) wait.
22 [ k ] The Lord ’ s ( AC ) acts of mercy indeed do not end,
( AD ) For His compassions do not fail.
23 They are new ( AE ) every morning;
Great is ( AF ) Your faithfulness.
24 “The Lord is my ( AG ) portion,” says my soul,
“Therefore I [ l ] ( AH ) wait for Him.”
25 The Lord is good to those who [ m ] ( AI ) await Him,
To the [ n ] person who ( AJ ) seeks Him.
26 It is good that he ( AK ) waits silently
For the salvation of the Lord .
27 It is good for a man to bear
The yoke in his youth.
28 Let him ( AL ) sit alone and keep quiet,
Since He has laid it on him.
29 Let him [ o ] put his mouth in the ( AM ) dust;
Perhaps there is ( AN ) hope.
30 Let him give his ( AO ) cheek to the one who is going to strike him;
Let him be filled with shame.
31 For the Lord will ( AP ) not reject forever,
32 For if He causes grief,
Then He will have ( AQ ) compassion
In proportion to His abundant mercy.
33 For He ( AR ) does not [ p ] afflict [ q ] willingly
Or [ r ] grieve the sons of mankind.
34 To crush under [ s ] one’s feet
All the prisoners of the [ t ] land,
35 To [ u ] deprive a man of ( AS ) justice
In the presence of the Most High,
36 To [ v ] ( AT ) defraud someone in his lawsuit—
Of these things the Lord does not [ w ] approve.
37 Who is [ x ] there who speaks and it ( AU ) comes to pass,
Unless the Lord has commanded it ?
38 Is it not from the mouth of the Most High
That [ y ] ( AV ) both adversity and good proceed?
39 Of what can any living [ z ] mortal, or any man,
( AW ) Complain [ aa ] in view of his sins?
40 Let’s ( AX ) examine and search out our ways,
And let’s return to the Lord .
41 We ( AY ) raise our heart [ ab ] and hands
Toward God in heaven;
42 We have ( AZ ) done wrong and rebelled;
You have ( BA ) not pardoned.
43 You have covered Yourself with ( BB ) anger
And ( BC ) pursued us;
You have slain and ( BD ) have not spared.
44 You have ( BE ) veiled Yourself with a cloud
So that ( BF ) no prayer can pass through.
45 You have made us mere ( BG ) refuse and rubbish
In the midst of the peoples.
46 All our enemies have ( BH ) opened their mouths against us.
47 ( BI ) Panic and pitfall have come upon us,
Devastation and destruction;
48 My [ ac ] ( BJ ) eyes run down with streams of water
Because of the destruction of the daughter of my people.
49 My eyes flow ( BK ) unceasingly,
Without stopping,
50 Until the Lord ( BL ) looks down
And sees from heaven.
51 My eyes bring pain to my soul
Because of all the daughters of my city.
52 My enemies ( BM ) without reason
Hunted me down ( BN ) like a bird;
53 They have silenced [ ad ] me ( BO ) in the pit
And have [ ae ] ( BP ) thrown stones on me.
54 Waters flowed ( BQ ) over my head;
I said, “I am [ af ] cut off!”
55 I ( BR ) called on Your name, Lord ,
Out of the lowest pit.
56 You have ( BS ) heard my voice,
“ ( BT ) Do not cover Your ear from my plea for relief,
From my cry for help.”
57 You ( BU ) came near on the day I called to You;
You said, “ ( BV ) Do not fear!”
58 Lord, You ( BW ) have pleaded my soul’s cause;
You have ( BX ) redeemed my life.
59 Lord , You have ( BY ) seen my oppression;
( BZ ) Judge my case.
60 You have seen all their vengeance,
All their ( CA ) schemes against me.
61 You have heard their ( CB ) reproach, Lord ,
All their schemes against me.
62 The ( CC ) lips of my assailants and their talk
Are against me all day long.
63 Look at their [ ag ] ( CD ) sitting and their rising;
( CE ) I am their mocking song.
64 You will ( CF ) repay them, Lord ,
In accordance with the work of their hands.
65 You will give them [ ah ] ( CG ) shamelessness of heart,
Your curse will be on them.
66 You will ( CH ) pursue them in anger and eliminate them
From under the ( CI ) heavens of the Lord !
3 [ a ] I am the man who has seen affliction ( A )
by the rod of the Lord ’s wrath. ( B )
2 He has driven me away and made me walk
in darkness ( C ) rather than light;
3 indeed, he has turned his hand against me ( D )
again and again, all day long.
4 He has made my skin and my flesh grow old ( E )
and has broken my bones. ( F )
5 He has besieged me and surrounded me
with bitterness ( G ) and hardship. ( H )
6 He has made me dwell in darkness
like those long dead. ( I )
7 He has walled me in so I cannot escape; ( J )
he has weighed me down with chains. ( K )
8 Even when I call out or cry for help, ( L )
he shuts out my prayer. ( M )
9 He has barred ( N ) my way with blocks of stone;
he has made my paths crooked. ( O )
10 Like a bear lying in wait,
like a lion ( P ) in hiding, ( Q )
11 he dragged me from the path and mangled ( R ) me
and left me without help.
12 He drew his bow ( S )
and made me the target ( T ) for his arrows. ( U )
13 He pierced ( V ) my heart
with arrows from his quiver. ( W )
14 I became the laughingstock ( X ) of all my people; ( Y )
they mock me in song ( Z ) all day long.
15 He has filled me with bitter herbs
and given me gall to drink. ( AA )
16 He has broken my teeth with gravel; ( AB )
he has trampled me in the dust. ( AC )
17 I have been deprived of peace;
I have forgotten what prosperity is.
18 So I say, “My splendor is gone
and all that I had hoped from the Lord .” ( AD )
19 I remember my affliction and my wandering,
the bitterness ( AE ) and the gall. ( AF )
20 I well remember them,
and my soul is downcast ( AG ) within me. ( AH )
21 Yet this I call to mind
and therefore I have hope:
22 Because of the Lord ’s great love ( AI ) we are not consumed, ( AJ )
for his compassions never fail. ( AK )
23 They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness. ( AL )
24 I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; ( AM )
therefore I will wait for him.”
25 The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him,
to the one who seeks him; ( AN )
26 it is good to wait quietly ( AO )
for the salvation of the Lord . ( AP )
27 It is good for a man to bear the yoke
while he is young.
28 Let him sit alone in silence, ( AQ )
for the Lord has laid it on him.
29 Let him bury his face in the dust ( AR ) —
there may yet be hope. ( AS )
30 Let him offer his cheek to one who would strike him, ( AT )
and let him be filled with disgrace. ( AU )
31 For no one is cast off
by the Lord forever. ( AV )
32 Though he brings grief, he will show compassion,
so great is his unfailing love. ( AW )
33 For he does not willingly bring affliction
or grief to anyone. ( AX )
34 To crush underfoot
all prisoners in the land,
35 to deny people their rights
before the Most High, ( AY )
36 to deprive them of justice—
would not the Lord see such things? ( AZ )
37 Who can speak and have it happen
if the Lord has not decreed it? ( BA )
38 Is it not from the mouth of the Most High
that both calamities and good things come? ( BB )
39 Why should the living complain
when punished for their sins? ( BC )
40 Let us examine our ways and test them, ( BD )
and let us return to the Lord . ( BE )
41 Let us lift up our hearts and our hands
to God in heaven, ( BF ) and say:
42 “We have sinned and rebelled ( BG )
and you have not forgiven. ( BH )
43 “You have covered yourself with anger and pursued ( BI ) us;
you have slain without pity. ( BJ )
44 You have covered yourself with a cloud ( BK )
so that no prayer ( BL ) can get through. ( BM )
45 You have made us scum ( BN ) and refuse
among the nations.
46 “All our enemies have opened their mouths
wide ( BO ) against us. ( BP )
47 We have suffered terror and pitfalls, ( BQ )
ruin and destruction. ( BR ) ”
48 Streams of tears ( BS ) flow from my eyes ( BT )
because my people are destroyed. ( BU )
49 My eyes will flow unceasingly,
without relief, ( BV )
50 until the Lord looks down
from heaven and sees. ( BW )
51 What I see brings grief to my soul
because of all the women of my city.
52 Those who were my enemies without cause
hunted me like a bird. ( BX )
53 They tried to end my life in a pit ( BY )
and threw stones at me;
54 the waters closed over my head, ( BZ )
and I thought I was about to perish. ( CA )
55 I called on your name, Lord ,
from the depths ( CB ) of the pit. ( CC )
56 You heard my plea: ( CD ) “Do not close your ears
to my cry for relief.”
57 You came near ( CE ) when I called you,
and you said, “Do not fear.” ( CF )
58 You, Lord, took up my case; ( CG )
you redeemed my life. ( CH )
59 Lord , you have seen the wrong done to me. ( CI )
Uphold my cause! ( CJ )
60 You have seen the depth of their vengeance,
all their plots against me. ( CK )
