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

I the man hath seen affliction By the rod of His wrath.

2 H e has led me and brought me into darkness and not into light.

Me He hath led, and causeth to go darkness, and without light.

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

Surely against me He turneth back, He turneth His hand all the day.

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

He hath worn out my flesh and my skin. He hath broken my bones.

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

He hath built up against me, And setteth round poverty and weariness.

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

In dark places He hath caused me to dwell, As the dead of old.

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

He hath hedged me about, and I go not out, He hath made heavy my fetter.

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

Also when I call and cry out, He hath shut out my prayer.

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

He hath hedged my ways with hewn work, My paths He hath made crooked.

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

A bear lying in wait He to me, A lion in secret hiding-places.

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

My ways He is turning aside, and He pulleth me in pieces, He hath made me a desolation.

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

He hath trodden His bow, And setteth me up as a mark for an arrow.

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

He hath caused to enter into my reins The sons of His quiver.

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

I have been a derision to all my people, Their song all the day.

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

He hath filled me with bitter things, He hath filled me wormwood.

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

And He breaketh with gravel my teeth, He hath covered me with ashes.

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

And Thou castest off from peace my soul, I have forgotten prosperity.

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

And I say, Perished hath my strength and my hope from Jehovah.

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

Remember my affliction and my mourning, Wormwood and gall!

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

Remember well, and bow down doth my soul in me.

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

This I turn to my heart -- therefore I hope.

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

The kindnesses of Jehovah! For we have not been consumed, For not ended have His mercies.

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

New every morning, abundant thy faithfulness.

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

My portion Jehovah, hath my soul said, Therefore I hope for Him.

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

Good Jehovah to those waiting for Him, To the soul seeketh Him.

26 I t is good that one should be quiet and wait for the saving power of the Lord.

Good! when one doth stay and stand still For the salvation of Jehovah.

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

Good for a man that he beareth a yoke in his youth.

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

He sitteth alone, and is silent, For He hath laid upon him.

29 L et him put his mouth in the dust. There may be hope yet.

He putteth in the dust his mouth, if so be there is hope.

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

He giveth to his smiter the cheek, He is filled with reproach.

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

For the Lord doth not cast off to the age.

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

For though He afflicted, yet He hath pitied, According to the abundance of His kindness.

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

For He hath not afflicted with His heart, Nor doth He grieve the sons of men.

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

To bruise under one's feet any bound ones of 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 judgment of a man, Over-against 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 hath not approved.

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

Who this -- he hath said, and it is, the Lord hath not commanded ?

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

From the mouth of the Most High Go not forth the evils and the good.

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

What -- sigh habitually doth a living man, A man for his sin?

40 L et us test and look over our ways, and return to the Lord.

We search our ways, and investigate, And turn back unto Jehovah.

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

We lift up our heart on the hands unto God in the heavens.

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

We -- we have transgressed and rebelled, Thou -- Thou hast not forgiven.

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

Thou hast covered Thyself with anger, And dost pursue us; Thou hast slain -- Thou hast not pitied.

44 Y ou have covered Yourself with a cloud so that no prayer can get through.

Thou hast covered Thyself with a cloud, So that prayer doth not pass through.

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

Offscouring and refuse Thou dost make us In the midst of the peoples.

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

Opened against us their mouth have all our enemies.

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

Fear and a snare hath been for us, Desolation and destruction.

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

Rivulets of water go down my eye, For the destruction of the daughter of my people.

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

Mine eye is poured out, And doth not cease without intermission,

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

Till Jehovah looketh and seeth from the heavens,

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

My eye affecteth 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.

Hunted me sore as a bird have 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 in a pit my life, And they cast a stone against me.

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

Flowed have waters over my head, I have said, I have been cut off.

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

I called Thy name, O Jehovah, from the lower pit.

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

My voice Thou hast heard, Hide not Thine ear at my breathing -- at my cry.

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

Thou hast drawn near in the day I call Thee, Thou hast said, Fear not.

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

Thou hast pleaded, O Lord, the pleadings of my soul, Thou hast redeemed my life.

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

Thou hast seen, O Jehovah, my overthrow, Judge Thou my cause.

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

Thou hast seen all their vengeance, All their thoughts of me.

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

Thou hast heard their reproach, O Jehovah, All their thoughts against me,

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

The lips of my withstanders, Even their meditation against me all the day.

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

Their sitting down, and their rising up, Behold attentively, I their song.

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

Thou returnest to them the deed, O Jehovah, According to the work of their hands.

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

Thou givest to them a covered heart, Thy curse to them.

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

Thou pursuest in anger, and destroyest them, From under the heavens of Jehovah!