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

I am the man that 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 caused me to 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 against me he turns his hand again and again all the day.

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

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

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

He has built against me, and surrounded me with gall and travail.

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

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

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

He has walled me about, that I can’t go out; he has made my chain heavy.

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

Yes, when I cry, and call for help, 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 walled up my ways with cut 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 is to me as a bear lying in wait, as a lion in secret places.

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 pulled 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 as a mark for the arrow.

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

He has caused the shafts of his quiver to enter into my kidneys.

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

I am become a derision to all my people, and their 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 sated me with wormwood.

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

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

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

You have removed my soul far off from peace; I forgot prosperity.

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

I said, My strength is perished, and my expectation from Yahweh.

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

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

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

My soul still remembers them, and is bowed down within me.

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

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

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

It is because of Yahweh’s loving kindnesses that we are not consumed, because his compassion doesn’t fail.

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.”

Yahweh is my portion, says my soul; therefore will I hope in him.

25 T he Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the one who looks for Him.

Yahweh is good to those who wait for him, to the soul that 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 a man should hope and quietly wait for the salvation of Yahweh.

27 I t is good for a man to carry the load while he is young.

It is good for a man that he 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 silence, because he 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, if so be there may 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 him who strikes him; let him be filled full with 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.

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

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 foot 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 right of 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.

To subvert a man in his cause, the Lord doesn’t 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 says, and it comes to pass, when the Lord doesn’t command it?

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

Doesn’t evil and good come out of the mouth of the Most High?

39 W hy should any living man complain about the punishment of his sins?

Why does 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 and try our ways, and turn again to Yahweh.

41 L et us lift up our heart and hands to God in heaven, saying,

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

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

We have transgressed and have rebelled; you have not pardoned.

43 Y ou have covered Yourself with anger and have followed us, killing without pity.

You have covered with anger and pursued us; you have killed, you have 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, so that no prayer can pass through.

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

You have made us an off-scouring and refuse in the middle of the peoples.

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

All our enemies have opened their mouth wide against us.

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

Fear and the pit have come on us, devastation and destruction.

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

My eye runs down with streams of water, for the destruction of the daughter of my people.

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

My eye pours down, and doesn’t cease, without any intermission,

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

Until Yahweh look down, and see from heaven.

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

My eye affects 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.

They have chased me relentlessly like a bird, those who are my enemies without cause.

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

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

54 W ater flowed over my head, and 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 deep hole.

I called on your name, Yahweh, out of the lowest dungeon.

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

You heard my voice; don’t hide your ear at my breathing, at my cry.

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

You came near in the day that I called on you; you said, Don’t be afraid.

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

Lord, you have pleaded the causes of my soul; you have redeemed my life.

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

Yahweh, you have seen my wrong. Judge my cause.

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

You have seen all their vengeance and all their devices 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, Yahweh, and all their devices against me,

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

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

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

You see their sitting down, and their rising up; I am their song.

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

You will render to them a recompense, Yahweh, according to the work of their hands.

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

You will give them hardness of heart, your curse to them.

66 G o after them in anger and destroy them from under Your heavens, O Lord.

You will pursue them in anger, and destroy them from under the heavens of Yahweh.