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

I am the man that hath seen affliction by the rod of his wrath.

2 H e has driven me and made me walk In darkness and not in light.

He hath led me and caused me to walk in darkness, and not in light.

3 S urely against me He has turned His hand Repeatedly all the day.

Surely against me he turneth his hand again and again all the day.

4 H e has caused my flesh and my skin to waste away, He has broken my bones.

My flesh and my skin hath he made old; he hath broken my bones.

5 H e has besieged and encompassed me with bitterness and hardship.

He hath builded against me, and compassed me with gall and travail.

6 I n dark places He has made me dwell, Like those who have long been dead.

He hath made me to dwell in dark places, as those that have been long dead.

7 H e has walled me in so that I cannot go out; He has made my chain heavy.

He hath walled me about, that I cannot go forth; he hath made my chain heavy.

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

Yea, when I cry, and call for help, he shutteth out my prayer.

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

He hath walled up my ways with hewn stone; he hath made my paths crooked.

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

He is unto me as a bear lying in wait, as a lion in secret places.

11 H e has turned aside my ways and torn me to pieces; He has made me desolate.

He hath turned aside my ways, and pulled me in pieces; he hath made me desolate.

12 H e bent His bow And set me as a target for the arrow.

He hath bent his bow, and set me as a mark for the arrow.

13 H e made the arrows of His quiver To enter into my inward parts.

He hath caused the shafts of his quiver to enter into my reins.

14 I have become a laughingstock to all my people, Their mocking song all the day.

I am become a derision to all my people, and their song all the day.

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

He hath filled me with bitterness, he hath sated me with wormwood.

16 H e has broken my teeth with gravel; He has made me cower in the dust.

He hath also broken my teeth with gravel stones; he hath covered me with ashes.

17 M y soul has been rejected from peace; I have forgotten happiness.

And thou hast removed my soul far off from peace; I forgat prosperity.

18 S o I say, “My strength has perished, And so has my hope from the Lord.” Hope of Relief in God’s Mercy

And I said, My strength is perished, and mine expectation from Jehovah.

19 R emember my affliction and my wandering, the wormwood and bitterness.

Remember mine affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall.

20 S urely my soul remembers And is bowed down within me.

My soul hath them still in remembrance, and is bowed down within me.

21 T his I recall to my mind, Therefore I have hope.

This I recall to my mind; therefore have I hope.

22 T he Lord’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, For His compassions never fail.

It is of Jehovah's lovingkindnesses that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.

23 T hey are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.

They are new every morning; great is thy faithfulness.

24 “ The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “Therefore I have hope in Him.”

Jehovah is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him.

25 T he Lord is good to those who wait for Him, To the person who seeks Him.

Jehovah is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him.

26 I t is good that he waits silently For the salvation of the Lord.

It is good that a man should hope and quietly wait for the salvation of Jehovah.

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

It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth.

28 L et him sit alone and be silent Since He has laid it on him.

Let him sit alone and keep silence, because he hath laid it upon him.

29 L et him put his mouth in the dust, Perhaps there is hope.

Let him put his mouth in the dust, if so be there may be hope.

30 L et him give his cheek to the smiter, Let him be filled with reproach.

Let him give his cheek to him that smiteth him; let him be filled full with reproach.

31 F or the Lord will not reject forever,

For the Lord will not cast off for ever.

32 F or if He causes grief, Then He will have compassion According to His abundant lovingkindness.

For though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of his lovingkindnesses.

33 F or He does not afflict willingly Or grieve the sons of men.

For he doth not afflict willingly, nor grieve the children of men.

34 T o crush under His feet All the prisoners of the land,

To crush under foot all the prisoners of the earth,

35 T o deprive a man of justice In the presence of the Most High,

To turn aside the right of a man before the face of the Most High,

36 T o defraud a man in his lawsuit— Of these things the Lord does not approve.

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

37 W ho is there who speaks and it comes to pass, Unless the Lord has commanded it ?

Who is he that saith, and it cometh to pass, when the Lord commandeth it not?

38 I s it not from the mouth of the Most High That both good and ill go forth?

Out of the mouth of the Most High cometh there not evil and good?

39 W hy should any living mortal, or any man, Offer complaint in view of his sins?

Wherefore doth a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins?

40 L et us examine and probe our ways, And let us return to the Lord.

Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to Jehovah.

41 W e lift up our heart and hands Toward God in heaven;

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

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

We have transgressed and have rebelled; thou hast not pardoned.

43 Y ou have covered Yourself with anger And pursued us; You have slain and have not spared.

Thou hast covered with anger and pursued 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 no prayer can pass through.

45 Y ou have made us mere offscouring and refuse In the midst of the peoples.

Thou hast made us an off-scouring and refuse in the midst of the peoples.

46 A ll our enemies have opened their mouths against us.

All our enemies have opened their mouth wide against us.

47 P anic and pitfall have befallen us, Devastation and destruction;

Fear and the pit are come upon us, devastation and destruction.

48 M y eyes run down with streams of water Because of the destruction of the daughter of my people.

Mine eye runneth down with streams of water, for the destruction of the daughter of my people.

49 M y eyes pour down unceasingly, Without stopping,

Mine eye poureth down, and ceaseth not, without any intermission,

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

Till Jehovah look down, and behold from heaven.

51 M y eyes bring pain to my soul Because of all the daughters of my city.

Mine eye affecteth my soul, because of all the daughters of my city.

52 M y enemies without cause Hunted me down like a bird;

They have chased me sore like a bird, they that are mine enemies without cause.

53 T hey have silenced me in the pit And have placed a stone on me.

They have cut off my life in the dungeon, and have cast a stone upon me.

54 W aters flowed over my head; I said, “I am cut off!”

Waters flowed over my head; I said, I am cut off.

55 I called on Your name, O Lord, Out of the lowest pit.

I called upon thy name, O Jehovah, out of the lowest dungeon.

56 Y ou have heard my voice, “ Do not hide Your ear from my prayer for relief, From my cry for help.”

Thou heardest my voice; hide not thine ear at my breathing, at my cry.

57 Y ou drew near when I called on You; You said, “ Do not fear!”

Thou drewest near in the day that I called upon thee; thou saidst, Fear not.

58 O Lord, You have pleaded my soul’s cause; You have redeemed my life.

O Lord, thou hast pleaded the causes of my soul; thou hast redeemed my life.

59 O Lord, You have seen my oppression; Judge my case.

O Jehovah, thou hast seen my wrong; judge thou my cause.

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

Thou hast seen all their vengeance and all their devices against me.

61 Y ou have heard their reproach, O Lord, All their schemes against me.

Thou hast heard their reproach, O Jehovah, and all their devices against me,

62 T he lips of my assailants and their whispering Are against me all day long.

The lips of those that rose up against me, and their device against me all the day.

63 L ook on their sitting and their rising; I am their mocking song.

Behold thou their sitting down, and their rising up; I am their song.

64 Y ou will recompense them, O Lord, According to the work of their hands.

Thou wilt render unto them a recompense, O Jehovah, according to the work of their hands.

65 Y ou will give them hardness of heart, Your curse will be on them.

Thou wilt give them hardness of heart, thy curse unto them.

66 Y ou will pursue them in anger and destroy them From under the heavens of the Lord!

Thou wilt pursue them in anger, and destroy them from under the heavens of Jehovah.