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

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 into light.

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

3 F or sure He has turned His hand against me again and again all day long.

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

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

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

5 H e has shut me in with trouble and suffering.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

10 H e is like a bear lying in wait, like a lion hiding in secret places.

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

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

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

12 H e used His bow, and set me as a mark for His arrow.

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

13 H e has taken out His arrows and sent them into my heart.

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

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

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

15 H e has filled me with bitter feelings. He has made me drunk with wormwood.

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

16 H e has broken my teeth with rocks, and has covered me with dust.

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

17 P eace has left my soul. I have forgotten what it is like to be happy.

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

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

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

19 R emember my trouble and my traveling from place to place, the wormwood and bitter feelings.

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

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

My soul still remembers And sinks within me.

21 B ut this I remember, and so I have hope.

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

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

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

23 I t is new every morning. He is so very faithful.

They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.

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

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

25 T he Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the one who looks for 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 be quiet and wait for the saving power 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 to carry the load while he is young.

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

28 L et him sit alone and be quiet when God has laid the load on 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 be hope yet.

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

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

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

31 F or the Lord will not turn away from a man forever.

For the Lord will not cast off forever.

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

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

33 H e does not want to cause trouble or sorrow for the children of men.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

38 I s it not from the mouth of the Most High that both good and bad come?

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

39 W hy should any living man complain about 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 look over our ways, and 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 heart and hands to God in heaven, saying,

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

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

We have transgressed and rebelled; You have not pardoned.

43 Y ou have covered Yourself with anger and have followed us, killing 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 get through.

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

45 Y ou have made us a waste and something that is not wanted among the nations.

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

46 A ll those who hate us have spoken against us.

All our enemies Have opened their mouths against us.

47 F ear and a trap have come upon us. We are laid waste and destroyed.

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

48 M y eyes flow with rivers of tears because my people are destroyed.

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

49 T ears flow from my eyes all the time without stopping,

My eyes flow and do not cease, Without interruption,

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

Till the Lord from heaven Looks down and sees.

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

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

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

My enemies without cause Hunted me down like a bird.

53 T hey threw me alive into the deep hole and have put a stone on me.

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

54 W ater flowed over my head, and I said, “I am cut off!”

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

55 I called on Your name, O Lord, out of the deep hole.

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

56 Y ou have heard my voice. Do not close Your ears to my cry for help.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

60 Y ou have seen how much they hate me and plan against me.

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

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

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

62 T he lips and thoughts of those who hurt me are against me all day long.

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

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

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

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

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

65 Y ou will give them hard hearts, and curse them.

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

66 G o after 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.