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Psalm 42

This is a special song for the music leader. The sons of Korah wrote it.

A prayer when you are away from home [ a ]

42 God, I need you so much!
I look for you,
as a thirsty deer looks for streams of water.
2 Deep down inside me,
I am very thirsty!
You are the God who lives for ever,
and I need life from you!
When will I be able to come near to you
and see you face to face? [ b ]
3 All day and all night I weep.
My tears are my only food!
My enemies say to me all the time,
‘Where is your God?’
4 When I remember how my life was before,
I am very upset and I weep.
Once I walked with a big crowd of people
to worship God in his temple.
I led the people there as we sang happy songs,
and we praised God with loud voices. [ c ]
5 Now I ask myself,
‘Why am I so sad and upset?’
I must wait patiently for God to help me.
Then I will praise my God once again,
because he is the one who saves me. [ d ]

6 Deep inside me I am very sad.
So I will turn to you, my God, from where I am.
I will pray to you from Hermon mountain
where the Jordan River begins,
and from Mizar mountain.
7 I hear your waterfalls make a noise like thunder.
It seems like all that water is pouring over me
and it knocks me down to the ground. [ e ]
8 Each day, the Lord shows me that he loves me
with his faithful love.
Each night he gives me a song to sing,
as I pray to the God who lives for ever. [ f ]
9 I say to God, who is my high rock,
‘Why have you forgotten me? Why must I be so sad?
How much longer must I continue to weep,
because my enemies do cruel things to me?’
10 My enemies laugh at me all the time.
It is like they are breaking all my bones.
They are always saying,
‘Where is your God?’

11 I ask myself again,
‘Why am I so sad and upset?’
I must wait patiently for God to help me.
Then I will praise my God once again,
because he is the one who saves me.

Footnotes

  1. 42:1 Bible students think that Psalms 42 and 43 were once one psalm.
  2. 42:2 The writer is thirsty like a thirsty deer in the wilderness, but he is not thirsty for water. He is thirsty for God. He wants to come near to God again, as he remembers he did in the past.
  3. 42:4 The writer remembers how he worshipped God in the temple. There were crowds of people there. They were very happy as they all worshipped God. It was like a great party or festival. But now he is far away from God's temple in Jerusalem. So he is very sad.
  4. 42:5 The writer says that, although he is sad and upset, he will still trust God to help him.
  5. 42:7 A waterfall is a place where a river's water pours over the edge of a big rock. The water makes a lot of noise as it falls over the edge. The Jordan River started at the Hermon mountain. When it rained a lot the river ran over the rocks and made waterfalls.
  6. 42:8 Now the writer realized that God was with him, even when he was far away from Jerusalem. God did not only live in Jerusalem. God was everywhere! But the rest of the psalm shows us that he still felt far away from God.

Book 2

(Psalms 42-72)

To the director: A maskil from the Korah family.

42 Like a deer drinking from a stream,
I reach out to you, my God. [ a ]
2 My soul thirsts for the living God.
When can I go to meet with him?
3 Instead of food, I have only tears day and night,
as my enemies laugh at me and say, “Where is your God?”

4 My heart breaks as I remember the pleasant times in the past,
when I walked with the crowds as I led them up to God’s Temple.
I remember the happy songs of praise
as they celebrated the festival.

5-6 Why am I so sad?
Why am I so upset?
I tell myself, “Wait for God’s help!
You will again be able to praise him,
your God, the one who will save you.”
In my sadness I say, “I will remember you from here on this small hill, [ b ]
where Mount Hermon and the Jordan River meet.”
7 I hear the roar of the water coming from deep within the earth.
It shouts to the water below as it tumbles down the waterfall.
God, your waves come one after another,
crashing all around and over me. [ c ]

8 By day the Lord shows his faithful love,
and at night I have a song for him—a prayer for the God of my life. [ d ]
9 I say to God, my Rock,
“Why have you forgotten me?
Why must I suffer this sadness that my enemies have brought me?”
10 Their constant insults are killing me.
They never stop asking, “Where is your God?”

11 Why am I so sad?
Why am I so upset?
I tell myself, “Wait for God’s help!
You will again be able to praise him,
your God, the one who will save you.”

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 42:1 Or “As a deer stretches out to drink water from a stream, so my soul thirsts for you, God.”
  2. Psalm 42:5 small hill Or “Mount Mizar.”
  3. Psalm 42:7 God, your waves … over me These word pictures describe the psalmist’s feelings about the many troubles the Lord has allowed him to experience.
  4. Psalm 42:8 the God of my life Or “my living God.”

42 As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God.

2 My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?

3 My tears have been my meat day and night, while they continually say unto me, Where is thy God?

4 When I remember these things, I pour out my soul in me: for I had gone with the multitude, I went with them to the house of God, with the voice of joy and praise, with a multitude that kept holyday.

5 Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance.

6 O my God, my soul is cast down within me: therefore will I remember thee from the land of Jordan, and of the Hermonites, from the hill Mizar.

7 Deep calleth unto deep at the noise of thy waterspouts: all thy waves and thy billows are gone over me.

8 Yet the Lord will command his lovingkindness in the day time, and in the night his song shall be with me, and my prayer unto the God of my life.

9 I will say unto God my rock, Why hast thou forgotten me? why go I mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?

10 As with a sword in my bones, mine enemies reproach me; while they say daily unto me, Where is thy God?

11 Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.

BOOK 2

Thirsting for God in Trouble and Exile.

For the music director. A [ a ] Maskil of the sons of Korah.

42 As the deer [ b ] pants for the water brooks,
So my soul [ c ] ( A ) pants for You, God.
2 My soul ( B ) thirsts for God, for the ( C ) living God;
When shall I come and [ d ] ( D ) appear before God?
3 My ( E ) tears have been my food day and night,
While they ( F ) say to me all day long, “Where is your God?”
4 I remember these things and ( G ) pour out my soul within me.
For I ( H ) used to go over with the multitude and walk them to the house of God,
With a voice of ( I ) joy and thanksgiving, a multitude celebrating a festival.

5 ( J ) Why are you [ e ] ( K ) in despair, my soul?
And why are you ( L ) restless within me?
( M ) Wait for God, for I will [ f ] again praise [ g ] Him
For the [ h ] ( N ) help of His [ i ] presence, my God.
6 My soul is [ j ] in despair within me;
Therefore I ( O ) remember You from ( P ) the land of the Jordan
And the [ k ] peaks of ( Q ) Hermon, from Mount Mizar.
7 Deep calls to deep at the sound of Your waterfalls;
All Your ( R ) breakers and Your waves have passed over me.
8 The Lord will ( S ) send His goodness in the daytime;
And His song will be with me ( T ) in the night,
A prayer to ( U ) the God of my life.

9 I will say to God ( V ) my rock, “Why have You forgotten me?
Why do I go about ( W ) mourning [ l ] because of the ( X ) oppression of the enemy?”
10 As a shattering of my bones, my adversaries taunt me,
While they ( Y ) say to me all day long, “Where is your God?”
11 ( Z ) Why are you [ m ] in despair, my soul?
And why are you restless within me?
Wait for God, for I will again praise [ n ] Him
For the [ o ] help of His presence, my God.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 42 Title Possibly Contemplative ; or Didactic ; or Skillful Psalm
  2. Psalm 42:1 Lit longs for
  3. Psalm 42:1 Lit longs for
  4. Psalm 42:2 Some mss see the face of God
  5. Psalm 42:5 Lit dissolved away
  6. Psalm 42:5 Or still
  7. Psalm 42:5 Some ancient versions Him, the help of my face and my God
  8. Psalm 42:5 Or saving acts of
  9. Psalm 42:5 Or presence. O my God, my soul...
  10. Psalm 42:6 Or dissolved away
  11. Psalm 42:6 Lit Hermons
  12. Psalm 42:9 Or while the enemy oppresses
  13. Psalm 42:11 Or dissolved away
  14. Psalm 42:11 As in some ancient mss, cf. v 5; MT Him, the help of my face and my God
  15. Psalm 42:11 Or saving acts of

BOOK II

Psalms 42–72

Psalm 42 [ a ] [ b ]

For the director of music. A maskil [ c ] of the Sons of Korah.

1 As the deer ( A ) pants for streams of water, ( B )
so my soul pants ( C ) for you, my God.
2 My soul thirsts ( D ) for God, for the living God. ( E )
When can I go ( F ) and meet with God?
3 My tears ( G ) have been my food
day and night,
while people say to me all day long,
“Where is your God?” ( H )
4 These things I remember
as I pour out my soul: ( I )
how I used to go to the house of God ( J )
under the protection of the Mighty One [ d ]
with shouts of joy ( K ) and praise ( L )
among the festive throng. ( M )

5 Why, my soul, are you downcast? ( N )
Why so disturbed ( O ) within me?
Put your hope in God, ( P )
for I will yet praise ( Q ) him,
my Savior ( R ) and my God. ( S )

6 My soul is downcast within me;
therefore I will remember ( T ) you
from the land of the Jordan, ( U )
the heights of Hermon ( V ) —from Mount Mizar.
7 Deep calls to deep ( W )
in the roar of your waterfalls;
all your waves and breakers
have swept over me. ( X )

8 By day the Lord directs his love, ( Y )
at night ( Z ) his song ( AA ) is with me—
a prayer to the God of my life. ( AB )

9 I say to God my Rock, ( AC )
“Why have you forgotten ( AD ) me?
Why must I go about mourning, ( AE )
oppressed ( AF ) by the enemy?” ( AG )
10 My bones suffer mortal agony ( AH )
as my foes taunt ( AI ) me,
saying to me all day long,
“Where is your God?” ( AJ )

11 Why, my soul, are you downcast?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him,
my Savior and my God. ( AK )

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 42:1 In many Hebrew manuscripts Psalms 42 and 43 constitute one psalm.
  2. Psalm 42:1 In Hebrew texts 42:1-11 is numbered 42:2-12.
  3. Psalm 42:1 Title: Probably a literary or musical term
  4. Psalm 42:4 See Septuagint and Syriac; the meaning of the Hebrew for this line is uncertain.
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