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

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

2 M e He hath led, and causeth to go darkness, and without light.

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

3 S urely against me He turneth back, He turneth His hand all the day.

Surely against me He has turned His hand Repeatedly all the day.

4 H e hath worn out my flesh and my skin. He hath broken my bones.

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

5 H e hath built up against me, And setteth round poverty and weariness.

He has besieged and encompassed me with bitterness and hardship.

6 I n dark places He hath caused me to dwell, As the dead of old.

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

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

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

8 A lso when I call and cry out, He hath shut out my prayer.

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

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

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

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

He is to me like a bear lying in wait, Like a lion in secret places.

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

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

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

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

13 H e hath caused to enter into my reins The sons of His quiver.

He made the arrows of His quiver To enter into my inward parts.

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

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

15 H e hath filled me with bitter things, He hath filled me wormwood.

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

16 A nd He breaketh with gravel my teeth, He hath covered me with ashes.

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

17 A nd Thou castest off from peace my soul, I have forgotten prosperity.

My soul has been rejected from peace; I have forgotten happiness.

18 A nd I say, Perished hath my strength and my hope from Jehovah.

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

19 R emember my affliction and my mourning, Wormwood and gall!

Remember my affliction and my wandering, the wormwood and bitterness.

20 R emember well, and bow down doth my soul in me.

Surely my soul remembers And is bowed down within me.

21 T his I turn to my heart -- therefore I hope.

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

22 T he kindnesses of Jehovah! For we have not been consumed, For not ended have His mercies.

The Lord’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, For His compassions never fail.

23 N ew every morning, abundant thy faithfulness.

They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.

24 M y portion Jehovah, hath my soul said, Therefore I hope for Him.

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

25 G ood Jehovah to those waiting for Him, To the soul seeketh Him.

The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, To the person who seeks Him.

26 G ood! when one doth stay and stand still For the salvation of Jehovah.

It is good that he waits silently For the salvation of the Lord.

27 G ood for a man that he beareth a yoke in his youth.

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

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

Let him sit alone and be silent Since He has laid it on him.

29 H e putteth in the dust his mouth, if so be there is hope.

Let him put his mouth in the dust, Perhaps there is hope.

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

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

31 F or the Lord doth not cast off to the age.

For the Lord will not reject forever,

32 F or though He afflicted, yet He hath pitied, According to the abundance of His kindness.

For if He causes grief, Then He will have compassion According to His abundant lovingkindness.

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

For He does not afflict willingly Or grieve the sons of men.

34 T o bruise under one's feet any bound ones of earth,

To crush under His feet All the prisoners of the land,

35 T o turn aside the judgment of a man, Over-against the face of the Most High,

To deprive a man of justice In the presence of the Most High,

36 T o subvert a man in his cause, the Lord hath not approved.

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

37 W ho this -- he hath said, and it is, the Lord hath not commanded ?

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

38 F rom the mouth of the Most High Go not forth the evils and the good.

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

39 W hat -- sigh habitually doth a living man, A man for his sin?

Why should any living mortal, or any man, Offer complaint in view of his sins?

40 W e search our ways, and investigate, And turn back unto Jehovah.

Let us examine and probe our ways, And let us return to the Lord.

41 W e lift up our heart on the hands unto God in the heavens.

We lift up our heart and hands Toward God in heaven;

42 W e -- we have transgressed and rebelled, Thou -- Thou hast not forgiven.

We have transgressed and rebelled, You have not pardoned.

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

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

44 T hou hast covered Thyself with a cloud, So that prayer doth not pass through.

You have covered Yourself with a cloud So that no prayer can pass through.

45 O ffscouring and refuse Thou dost make us In the midst of the peoples.

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

46 O pened against us their mouth have all our enemies.

All our enemies have opened their mouths against us.

47 F ear and a snare hath been for us, Desolation and destruction.

Panic and pitfall have befallen us, Devastation and destruction;

48 R ivulets of water go down my eye, For the destruction of the daughter of my people.

My eyes run down with streams of water Because of the destruction of the daughter of my people.

49 M ine eye is poured out, And doth not cease without intermission,

My eyes pour down unceasingly, Without stopping,

50 T ill Jehovah looketh and seeth from the heavens,

Until the Lord looks down And sees from heaven.

51 M y eye affecteth my soul, Because of all the daughters of my city.

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

52 H unted me sore as a bird have my enemies without cause.

My enemies without cause Hunted me down like a bird;

53 T hey have cut off in a pit my life, And they cast a stone against me.

They have silenced me in the pit And have placed a stone on me.

54 F lowed have waters over my head, I have said, I have been cut off.

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

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

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

56 M y voice Thou hast heard, Hide not Thine ear at my breathing -- at my cry.

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

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

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

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

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

59 T hou hast seen, O Jehovah, my overthrow, Judge Thou my cause.

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

60 T hou hast seen all their vengeance, All their thoughts of me.

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

61 T hou hast heard their reproach, O Jehovah, All their thoughts against me,

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

62 T he lips of my withstanders, Even their meditation against me all the day.

The lips of my assailants and their whispering Are against me all day long.

63 T heir sitting down, and their rising up, Behold attentively, I their song.

Look on their sitting and their rising; I am their mocking song.

64 T hou returnest to them the deed, O Jehovah, According to the work of their hands.

You will recompense them, O Lord, According to the work of their hands.

65 T hou givest to them a covered heart, Thy curse to them.

You will give them hardness of heart, Your curse will be on them.

66 T hou pursuest in anger, and destroyest them, From under the heavens of Jehovah!

You will pursue them in anger and destroy them From under the heavens of the Lord!