1 ¶ Aleph I am a man that sees affliction in the rod of his wrath.
I am the man who has seen affliction by the rod of His wrath.
2 A leph He has led me and brought me into darkness, but not into light.
He has led me and made me walk In darkness and not in light.
3 A leph Surely he is turned against me; he turns his hand against me all the day.
Surely He has turned His hand against me Time and time again throughout the day.
4 B eth My flesh and my skin he has made old; he has broken my bones.
He has aged my flesh and my skin, And broken my bones.
5 B eth He has built against me and compassed me with gall and travail.
He has besieged me And surrounded me with bitterness and woe.
6 B eth He has set me in dark places as those that are dead for ever.
He has set me in dark places Like the dead of long ago.
7 G imel He has hedged me about that I cannot get out; he has made my chain heavy.
He has hedged me in so that I cannot get out; He has made my chain heavy.
8 G imel Even when I cried and shouted, he shut out my prayer.
Even when I cry and shout, He shuts out my prayer.
9 G imel He 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 D aleth He was unto me as a bear lying in wait and as a lion in secret places.
He has been to me a bear lying in wait, Like a lion in ambush.
11 D aleth He has made my ways crooked 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 D aleth He 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 He has caused the arrows of his quiver to enter into my kidneys.
He has caused the arrows of His quiver To pierce my loins.
14 H e I was a derision to all my people and their song every day.
I have become the ridicule of all my people— Their taunting song all the day.
15 H e He has filled me with bitterness, he has made me drunk with wormwood.
He has filled me with bitterness, He has made me drink wormwood.
16 V au He has 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 V au My soul removed itself far from peace; I forgot about good.
You have moved my soul far from peace; I have forgotten prosperity.
18 V au And I said, My strength and my hope of the LORD is perished.
And I said, “My strength and my hope Have perished from the Lord.”
19 Z ain Remember my affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall.
Remember my affliction and roaming, The wormwood and the gall.
20 Z ain My soul shall have them still in remembrance because it is humbled in me.
My soul still remembers And sinks within me.
21 ¶ Zain This shall go down into my heart; therefore I shall wait.
This I recall to my mind, Therefore I have hope.
22 C het It is of the LORD’s mercies that we are not consumed because his mercies never diminish.
Through the Lord ’s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not.
23 C het They are new every morning; great is thy faith.
They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.
24 C het The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore I will wait for him.
“The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “Therefore I hope in Him!”
25 T eth The LORD is good unto those that wait in him, to the soul that seeks him.
The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, To the soul who seeks Him.
26 T eth It is good to wait quietly in the salvation of the LORD.
It is good that one should hope and wait quietly For the salvation of the Lord.
27 T eth It is good for the man if he bears the yoke from his youth.
It is good for a man to bear The yoke in his youth.
28 J od He shall sit alone and keep silence because he has borne it upon him.
Let him sit alone and keep silent, Because God has laid it on him;
29 J od He shall put his mouth in the dust; if so be there may be hope.
Let him put his mouth in the dust— There may yet be hope.
30 J od He shall turn his cheek unto him that smites him; he shall be filled with reproach.
Let him give his cheek to the one who strikes him, And be full of reproach.
31 C aph For the Lord will not cast off for ever:
For the Lord will not cast off forever.
32 C aph But though he causes grief, yet he will also have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies.
Though He causes grief, Yet He will show compassion According to the multitude of His mercies.
33 C aph For he does not afflict nor grieve the sons of men from his heart.
For He does not afflict willingly, Nor grieve the children of men.
34 L amed To crush under his feet all the prisoners of the earth,
To crush under one’s feet All the prisoners of the earth,
35 L amed To turn aside the right of a man before the face of the most High,
To turn aside the justice due a man Before the face of the Most High,
36 L amed To subvert a man in his cause, the Lord does not approve.
Or subvert a man in his cause— The Lord does not approve.
37 ¶ Mem Who shall he be that saith that something comes which the Lord has not sent?
Who is he who speaks and it comes to pass, When the Lord has not commanded it?
38 M em Out of the mouth of the most High proceeds not evil and good?
Is it not from the mouth of the Most High That woe and well-being proceed?
39 M em Why does the living man have pain, the man in his sins?
Why should a living man complain, A man for the punishment of his sins?
40 N un Let us search out our ways, and seek, and turn again to the LORD.
Let us search out and examine our ways, And turn back to the Lord;
41 N un Let us lift up our heart with our hands unto God in the heavens.
Let us lift our hearts and hands To God in heaven.
42 ¶ Nun We have rebelled and been disloyal; therefore thou hast not forgiven.
We have transgressed and rebelled; You have not pardoned.
43 S amech Thou hast unfurled anger and persecuted us; thou hast slain, thou hast not forgiven.
You have covered Yourself with anger And pursued us; You have slain and not pitied.
44 S amech Thou hast covered thyself with a cloud that our prayer should not pass through.
You have covered Yourself with a cloud, That prayer should not pass through.
45 S amech Thou hast made us as the offscouring and abomination in the midst of the peoples.
You have made us an offscouring and refuse In the midst of the peoples.
46 P e All our enemies have opened their mouths upon us.
All our enemies Have opened their mouths against us.
47 P e Fear and a snare is come upon us, desolation and destruction.
Fear and a snare have come upon us, Desolation and destruction.
48 P e My eyes stream with rivers of water for 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 A in My eyes run down, and cease not, for there is no relief,
My eyes flow and do not cease, Without interruption,
50 A in Until the LORD looks down, and beholds from the heavens.
Till the Lord from heaven Looks down and sees.
51 A in My eyes make my soul sad because of all the daughters of my city.
My eyes bring suffering to my soul Because of all the daughters of my city.
52 T zaddi My enemies hunted me like a bird, without cause.
My enemies without cause Hunted me down like a bird.
53 T zaddi They bound up my life in the dungeon, and cast a stone upon me.
They silenced my life in the pit And threw stones at me.
54 T zaddi Waters flowed over my head; then I said, I am dead.
The waters flowed over my head; I said, “I am cut off!”
55 ¶ Koph I called upon thy name, O LORD, out of the low dungeon.
I called on Your name, O Lord, From the lowest pit.
56 K oph Thou hast heard my voice; do not hide thine ear at my cry that I might breath.
You have heard my voice: “Do not hide Your ear From my sighing, from my cry for help.”
57 K oph Thou drewest near in the day that I called upon thee; thou didst say, Fear not.
You drew near on the day I called on You, And said, “Do not fear!”
58 R esh O Lord, thou hast pleaded the cause of my soul; thou hast redeemed my life.
O Lord, You have pleaded the case for my soul; You have redeemed my life.
59 R esh O LORD, thou hast seen where I was wrong; plead thou my cause.
O Lord, You have seen how I am wronged; Judge my case.
60 R esh Thou hast seen all their vengeance and all their imaginations against me.
You have seen all their vengeance, All their schemes against me.
61 S chin Thou hast heard their reproach, O LORD, and all their imaginations against me;
You have heard their reproach, O Lord, All their schemes against me,
62 S chin The words of those that rose up against me, and their design against me all the day.
The lips of my enemies And their whispering against me all the day.
63 S chin Behold their sitting down, and their rising up; I am their music.
Look at their sitting down and their rising up; I am their taunting song.
64 T au Render unto them a recompense, O LORD, according to the work of their hands.
Repay them, O Lord, According to the work of their hands.
65 T au Give them sorrow of heart; thy curse unto them.
Give them a veiled heart; Your curse be upon them!
66 T au Persecute them in thy anger and cut them off from under the heavens, oh LORD.
In Your anger, Pursue and destroy them From under the heavens of the Lord.