1 ¶ Aleph I am a man that sees affliction in the rod of his wrath.

I am the man who has been suffering because of the power of God’s anger.

2 A leph He has led me and brought me into darkness, but not into light.

He has led me and brought me into darkness and not into light.

3 A leph Surely he is turned against me; he turns his hand against me all the day.

For sure He has turned His hand against me again and again all day long.

4 B eth My flesh and my skin he has made old; he has broken my bones.

He has made my flesh and my skin waste away. He has broken my bones.

5 B eth He has built against me and compassed me with gall and travail.

He has shut me in with trouble and suffering.

6 B eth He has set me in dark places as those that are dead for ever.

He has made me live in dark places, like those who have been dead a long time.

7 G imel He has hedged me about that I cannot get out; he has made my chain heavy.

He has put a wall around me so that I cannot go out. He has put heavy chains on me.

8 G imel Even when I cried and shouted, he shut out my prayer.

Even when I cry and call for help, he shuts out my prayer.

9 G imel He has enclosed my ways with hewn stone; he has made my paths crooked.

He has stopped me with blocks of stone. He has made my paths no longer straight.

10 D aleth He was unto me as a bear lying in wait and as a lion in secret places.

He is like a bear lying in wait, like a lion hiding in secret places.

11 D aleth He has made my ways crooked and pulled me in pieces; he has made me desolate.

He has turned me from the path and torn me to pieces. He has destroyed me.

12 D aleth He has bent his bow and set me as a mark for the arrow.

He used His bow, and set me as a mark for His arrow.

13 H e He has caused the arrows of his quiver to enter into my kidneys.

He has taken out His arrows and sent them into my heart.

14 H e I was a derision to all my people and their song every day.

All my people laugh at me. They sing songs that make fun of me all day long.

15 H e He has filled me with bitterness, he has made me drunk with wormwood.

He has filled me with bitter feelings. He has made me drunk with wormwood.

16 V au He has broken my teeth with gravel stones; he has covered me with ashes.

He has broken my teeth with rocks, and has covered me with dust.

17 V au My soul removed itself far from peace; I forgot about good.

Peace has left my soul. I have forgotten what it is like to be happy.

18 V au And I said, My strength and my hope of the LORD is perished.

So I say, “My strength is gone, and so has my hope from the Lord.”

19 Z ain Remember my affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall.

Remember my trouble and my traveling from place to place, the wormwood and bitter feelings.

20 Z ain My soul shall have them still in remembrance because it is humbled in me.

I remember it always, and my soul bows down within me.

21 ¶ Zain This shall go down into my heart; therefore I shall wait.

But this I remember, and so I have hope.

22 C het It is of the LORD’s mercies that we are not consumed because his mercies never diminish.

It is because of the Lord’s loving-kindness that we are not destroyed for His loving-pity never ends.

23 C het They are new every morning; great is thy faith.

It is new every morning. He is so very faithful.

24 C het The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore I will wait for him.

“The Lord is my share.” says my soul, “so I have 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 one who looks for Him.

26 T eth It is good to wait quietly in the salvation of the LORD.

It is good that one should be quiet and wait for the saving power 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 carry the load while he is young.

28 J od He shall sit alone and keep silence because he has borne it upon him.

Let him sit alone and be quiet when God has laid the load 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 be hope yet.

30 J od He shall turn his cheek unto him that smites him; he shall be filled with reproach.

Let him give his face to the one who hits him, and be filled with shame.

31 C aph For the Lord will not cast off for ever:

For the Lord will not turn away from a man forever.

32 C aph But though he causes grief, yet he will also have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies.

For if He causes sorrow, He will have loving-pity because of His great loving-kindness.

33 C aph For he does not afflict nor grieve the sons of men from his heart.

He does not want to cause trouble or sorrow for the children of men.

34 L amed To crush under his feet all the prisoners of the earth,

He is not pleased when all those on earth who are in prison are crushed under foot.

35 L amed To turn aside the right of a man before the face of the most High,

The Most High is not pleased when the rights are kept away from a man who is before Him,

36 L amed To subvert a man in his cause, the Lord does not approve.

and when wrong is done to him in his cause. The Lord is not pleased with these things.

37 ¶ Mem Who shall he be that saith that something comes which the Lord has not sent?

Who has said that something would happen and then it did happen, unless the Lord has said that it should be?

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 both good and bad come?

39 M em Why does the living man have pain, the man in his sins?

Why should any living man complain about the punishment of his sins?

40 N un Let us search out our ways, and seek, and turn again to the LORD.

Let us test and look over our ways, and return to the Lord.

41 N un Let us lift up our heart with our hands unto God in the heavens.

Let us lift up our heart and hands to God in heaven, saying,

42 ¶ Nun We have rebelled and been disloyal; therefore thou hast not forgiven.

“We have sinned and would not obey You, and You have not forgiven us.

43 S amech Thou hast unfurled anger and persecuted us; thou hast slain, thou hast not forgiven.

You have covered Yourself with anger and have followed us, killing without pity.

44 S amech Thou hast covered thyself with a cloud that our prayer should not pass through.

You have covered Yourself with a cloud so that no prayer can get through.

45 S amech Thou hast made us as the offscouring and abomination in the midst of the peoples.

You have made us a waste and something that is not wanted among the nations.

46 P e All our enemies have opened their mouths upon us.

All those who hate us have spoken against us.

47 P e Fear and a snare is come upon us, desolation and destruction.

Fear and a trap have come upon us. We are laid waste and destroyed.

48 P e My eyes stream with rivers of water for the destruction of the daughter of my people.

My eyes flow with rivers of tears because my people are destroyed.

49 A in My eyes run down, and cease not, for there is no relief,

Tears flow from my eyes all the time without stopping,

50 A in Until the LORD looks down, and beholds from the heavens.

until the Lord looks down from heaven and sees.

51 A in My eyes make my soul sad because of all the daughters of my city.

My eyes bring me suffering because of what is happening to all the women of my city.

52 T zaddi My enemies hunted me like a bird, without cause.

I have been hunted like a bird by those who hate me for no reason.

53 T zaddi They bound up my life in the dungeon, and cast a stone upon me.

They threw me alive into the deep hole and have put a stone on me.

54 T zaddi Waters flowed over my head; then I said, I am dead.

Water flowed over my head, and 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, out of the deep hole.

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 close Your ears to my cry for help.

57 K oph Thou drewest near in the day that I called upon thee; thou didst say, Fear not.

You came near when I called You, and You said, “Do not be afraid!”

58 R esh O Lord, thou hast pleaded the cause of my soul; thou hast redeemed my life.

You have helped me in my cause, O Lord. You have saved my life.

59 R esh O LORD, thou hast seen where I was wrong; plead thou my cause.

O Lord, You have seen the wrong done to me. Judge in my favor.

60 R esh Thou hast seen all their vengeance and all their imaginations against me.

You have seen how much they hate me and plan against me.

61 S chin Thou hast heard their reproach, O LORD, and all their imaginations against me;

O Lord, You have heard how they put me to shame and how they work against me.

62 S chin The words of those that rose up against me, and their design against me all the day.

The lips and thoughts of those who hurt me are against me all day long.

63 S chin Behold their sitting down, and their rising up; I am their music.

Watch their sitting down and standing up. I am their song as they make fun of me.

64 T au Render unto them a recompense, O LORD, according to the work of their hands.

O Lord, You will punish them for what they have done.

65 T au Give them sorrow of heart; thy curse unto them.

You will give them hard hearts, and curse them.

66 T au Persecute them in thy anger and cut them off from under the heavens, oh LORD.

Go after them in anger and destroy them from under Your heavens, O Lord.