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

I the man hath seen affliction By the rod of His wrath.

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

Me He hath led, and causeth to go darkness, and without light.

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

Surely against me He turneth back, He turneth His hand all the day.

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

He hath worn out my flesh and my skin. He hath broken my bones.

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

He hath built up against me, And setteth round poverty and weariness.

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

In dark places He hath caused me to dwell, As the dead of old.

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

He hath hedged me about, and I go not out, He hath made heavy my fetter.

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

Also when I call and cry out, He hath shut out my prayer.

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

He hath hedged my ways with hewn work, My paths He hath made crooked.

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

A bear lying in wait He to me, A lion in secret hiding-places.

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

My ways He is turning aside, and He pulleth me in pieces, He hath made me a desolation.

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

He hath trodden His bow, And setteth me up as a mark for an arrow.

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

He hath caused to enter into my reins The sons of His quiver.

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

I have been a derision to all my people, Their 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 hath filled me with bitter things, He hath filled me wormwood.

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

And He breaketh with gravel my teeth, He hath 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.

And Thou castest off from peace my soul, I have forgotten prosperity.

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

And I say, Perished hath my strength and my hope from Jehovah.

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

Remember my affliction and my mourning, Wormwood and gall!

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

Remember well, and bow down doth my soul in me.

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

This I turn to my heart -- therefore I hope.

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

The kindnesses of Jehovah! For we have not been consumed, For not ended have His mercies.

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

New every morning, abundant thy 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.

My portion Jehovah, hath my soul said, Therefore I hope for Him.

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

Good Jehovah to those waiting for Him, To the soul seeketh Him.

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

Good! when one doth stay and stand still For the salvation of Jehovah.

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

Good for a man that he beareth a yoke in his youth.

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

He sitteth alone, and is silent, For He hath laid upon him.

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

He putteth in the dust his mouth, if so be there is hope.

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

He giveth to his smiter the cheek, He is filled with reproach.

31 F or the Lord will not cast off forever!

For the Lord doth not cast off to the age.

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.

For though He afflicted, yet He hath pitied, According to the abundance of His kindness.

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

For He hath not afflicted with His heart, Nor doth He grieve the sons of men.

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

To bruise under one's feet any bound ones of 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 judgment of a man, Over-against the face of the Most High,

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

To subvert a man in his cause, the Lord hath not approved.

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

Who this -- he hath said, and it is, the Lord hath not commanded ?

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

From the mouth of the Most High Go not forth the evils and the good.

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

What -- sigh habitually doth a living man, A man for his sin?

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

We search our ways, and investigate, And turn back unto Jehovah.

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

We lift up our heart on the hands unto God in the heavens.

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

We -- we have transgressed and rebelled, Thou -- Thou hast not forgiven.

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

Thou hast covered Thyself with anger, And dost pursue us; Thou hast slain -- Thou hast not pitied.

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

Thou hast covered Thyself with a cloud, So that prayer doth not pass through.

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

Offscouring and refuse Thou dost make us In the midst of the peoples.

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

Opened against us their mouth have all our enemies.

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

Fear and a snare hath been for us, Desolation and destruction.

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

Rivulets of water go down my eye, For the destruction of the daughter of my people.

49 M y eyes overflow continually and will not cease

Mine eye is poured out, And doth not cease without intermission,

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

Till Jehovah looketh and seeth from the heavens,

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

My eye affecteth 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.

Hunted me sore as a bird have my enemies without cause.

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

They have cut off in a pit my life, And they cast a stone against me.

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

Flowed have waters over my head, I have said, I have been cut off.

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

I called Thy name, O Jehovah, from the lower pit.

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

My voice Thou hast heard, Hide not Thine ear at my breathing -- at my cry.

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

Thou hast drawn near in the day I call Thee, Thou hast said, Fear not.

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

Thou hast pleaded, O Lord, the pleadings of my soul, Thou hast redeemed my life.

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

Thou hast seen, O Jehovah, my overthrow, Judge Thou my cause.

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

Thou hast seen all their vengeance, All their thoughts of me.

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

Thou hast heard their reproach, O Jehovah, All their thoughts against me,

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

The lips of my withstanders, Even their meditation against me all the day.

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

Their sitting down, and their rising up, Behold attentively, I their song.

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

Thou returnest to them the deed, O Jehovah, According to the work of their hands.

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

Thou givest to them a covered heart, Thy curse to them.

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

Thou pursuest in anger, and destroyest them, From under the heavens of Jehovah!