1 I am the man who has seen affliction under the rod of His wrath.

I am the man who has seen affliction by the rod of His wrath.

2 H e has led me and brought me into darkness and not light.

He has led me and made me walk In darkness and not in light.

3 S urely He has turned away from me; His hand is against me all the day.

Surely He has turned His hand against me Time and time again throughout the day.

4 M y flesh and my skin has He worn out and made old; He has shattered my bones.

He has aged my flesh and my skin, And broken my bones.

5 H e has built up against me and surrounded me with bitterness, tribulation, and anguish.

He has besieged me And surrounded me with bitterness and woe.

6 H e has caused me to dwell in dark places like those long dead.

He has set me in dark places Like the dead of long ago.

7 H e walled me in so that I cannot get out; He has weighted down my chain.

He has hedged me in so that I cannot get out; He has made my chain heavy.

8 E ven when I cry and shout for help, He shuts out my prayer.

Even when I cry and shout, He shuts out my prayer.

9 H e has enclosed my ways with hewn stone; He has made my paths crooked.

He has blocked my ways with hewn stone; He has made my paths crooked.

10 H e is to me like a bear lying in wait, and like a lion in secret places.

He has been to me a bear lying in wait, Like a lion in ambush.

11 H e has turned me off my ways and pulled me in pieces; He has made me desolate.

He has turned aside my ways and torn me in pieces; He has made me desolate.

12 H e has bent His bow and set me as a mark for the arrow.

He has bent His bow And set me up as a target for the arrow.

13 H e has caused the arrows of His quiver to enter into my heart.

He has caused the arrows of His quiver To pierce my loins.

14 I have become a derision to all my people, and their singsong all the day.

I have become the ridicule of all my people— Their taunting song all the day.

15 H e has filled me with bitterness; He has made me drink to excess and until drunken with wormwood.

He has filled me with bitterness, He has made me drink wormwood.

16 H e has also broken my teeth with gravel (stones); He has covered me with ashes.

He has also broken my teeth with gravel, And covered me with ashes.

17 A nd You have bereaved my soul and cast it off far from peace; I have forgotten what good and happiness are.

You have moved my soul far from peace; I have forgotten prosperity.

18 A nd I say, Perished is my strength and my expectation from the Lord.

And I said, “My strength and my hope Have perished from the Lord.”

19 r emember my affliction and my misery, my wandering and my outcast state, the wormwood and the gall.

Remember my affliction and roaming, The wormwood and the gall.

20 M y soul has them continually in remembrance and is bowed down within me.

My soul still remembers And sinks within me.

21 B ut this I recall and therefore have I hope and expectation:

This I recall to my mind, Therefore I have hope.

22 I t is because of the Lord’s mercy and loving-kindness that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not.

Through the Lord ’s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not.

23 T hey are new every morning; great and abundant is Your stability and faithfulness.

They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.

24 T he Lord is my portion or share, says my living being (my inner self); therefore will I hope in Him and wait expectantly for Him.

“The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “Therefore I hope in Him!”

25 T he Lord is good to those who wait hopefully and expectantly for Him, to those who seek Him.

The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, To the soul who seeks Him.

26 I t is good that one should hope in and wait quietly for the salvation (the safety and ease) of the Lord.

It is good that one should hope and wait quietly For the salvation of the Lord.

27 I t is good for a man that he should bear the yoke in his youth.

It is good for a man to bear The yoke in his youth.

28 L et him sit alone uncomplaining and keeping silent, because has laid upon him.

Let him sit alone and keep silent, Because God has laid it on him;

29 L et him put his mouth in the dust —there may yet be hope.

Let him put his mouth in the dust— There may yet be hope.

30 L et him give his cheek to the One Who smites him; let him be filled with reproach.

Let him give his cheek to the one who strikes him, And be full of reproach.

31 F or the Lord will not cast off forever!

For the Lord will not cast off forever.

32 B ut though He causes grief, yet will He be moved to compassion according to the multitude of His loving-kindness and tender mercy.

Though He causes grief, Yet He will show compassion According to the multitude of His mercies.

33 F or He does not willingly and from His heart afflict or grieve the children of men.

For He does not afflict willingly, Nor grieve the children of men.

34 T o trample and crush underfoot all the prisoners of the earth,

To crush under one’s feet All the prisoners of the earth,

35 T o turn aside and deprive a man of his rights before the face of the Most High or a superior,

To turn aside the justice due a man Before the face of the Most High,

36 T o subvert a man in his cause— the Lord does not approve.

Or subvert a man in his cause— The Lord does not approve.

37 W ho is he who speaks and it comes to pass, if the Lord has not authorized and commanded it?

Who is he who speaks and it comes to pass, When the Lord has not commanded it?

38 I s it not out of the mouth of the Most High that evil and good both proceed ?

Is it not from the mouth of the Most High That woe and well-being proceed?

39 W hy does a living man sigh ? a man complain for the punishment of his sins?

Why should a living man complain, A man for the punishment of his sins?

40 L et us test and examine our ways, and let us return to the Lord!

Let us search out and examine our ways, And turn back to the Lord;

41 L et us lift up our hearts and our hands to God in heaven:

Let us lift our hearts and hands To God in heaven.

42 W e have transgressed and rebelled and You have not pardoned.

We have transgressed and rebelled; You have not pardoned.

43 Y ou have covered Yourself with wrath and pursued and afflicted us; You have slain without pity.

You have covered Yourself with anger And pursued us; You have slain and not pitied.

44 Y ou have covered Yourself with a cloud so that no prayer can pass through.

You have covered Yourself with a cloud, That prayer should not pass through.

45 Y ou have made us offscouring and refuse among the nations.

You have made us an offscouring and refuse In the midst of the peoples.

46 A ll our enemies have gaped at us and railed against us.

All our enemies Have opened their mouths against us.

47 F ear and pitfall have come upon us, devastation and destruction.

Fear and a snare have come upon us, Desolation and destruction.

48 M y eyes overflow with streams of tears because of the destruction of the daughter of my people.

My eyes overflow with rivers of water For the destruction of the daughter of my people.

49 M y eyes overflow continually and will not cease

My eyes flow and do not cease, Without interruption,

50 U ntil the Lord looks down and sees from heaven.

Till the Lord from heaven Looks down and sees.

51 M y eyes cause me grief at the fate of all the maidens of my city.

My eyes bring suffering to my soul Because of all the daughters of my city.

52 I have been hunted down like a bird by those who were my enemies without cause.

My enemies without cause Hunted me down like a bird.

53 T hey destroyed my life in the dungeon (pit) and cast a stone above me.

They silenced my life in the pit And threw stones at me.

54 T he waters ran down on my head; I said, I am gone.

The waters flowed over my head; I said, “I am cut off!”

55 I called upon Your name, O Lord, out of the depths of the dungeon.

I called on Your name, O Lord, From the lowest pit.

56 Y ou heard my voice: hide not Your ear at my prayer for relief.

You have heard my voice: “Do not hide Your ear From my sighing, from my cry for help.”

57 Y ou drew near on the day I called to You; You said, Fear not.

You drew near on the day I called on You, And said, “Do not fear!”

58 O Lord, You have pleaded the causes of my soul; You have rescued and redeemed my life!

O Lord, You have pleaded the case for my soul; You have redeemed my life.

59 O Lord, You have seen my wrong; judge and maintain my cause.

O Lord, You have seen how I am wronged; Judge my case.

60 Y ou have seen all their vengeance, all their devices against me.

You have seen all their vengeance, All their schemes against me.

61 Y ou have heard their reproach and revilings, O Lord, and all their devices against me—

You have heard their reproach, O Lord, All their schemes against me,

62 T he lips and thoughts of my assailants are against me all day long.

The lips of my enemies And their whispering against me all the day.

63 L ook at their sitting down and their rising up; I am their singsong.

Look at their sitting down and their rising up; I am their taunting song.

64 R ender to them a recompense, O Lord, according to the work of their hands.

Repay them, O Lord, According to the work of their hands.

65 Y ou will give them hardness and blindness of heart; Your curse will be upon them.

Give them a veiled heart; Your curse be upon them!

66 Y ou will pursue and afflict them in anger and destroy them from under Your heavens, O Lord.

In Your anger, Pursue and destroy them From under the heavens of the Lord.