1 I am the man who has seen misery

Because of the rod of His wrath.

2 He has driven me and made me walk

In darkness and not in light.

3 Indeed, He has turned His hand against me

Repeatedly all the day.

4 He has consumed my flesh and my skin,

He has broken my bones.

5 He has *3:5 Lit built againstbesieged and surrounded me with *3:5 Lit poisonbitterness and hardship.

6 He has made me live in dark places,

Like those who have long been dead.

7 He has walled me in so that I cannot go out;

He has made my *3:7 Lit bronze piecechain heavy.

8 Even when I cry out and call for help,

He shuts out my prayer.

9 He has blocked my ways with cut stone;

He has twisted my paths.

10 He is to me like a bear lying in wait,

Like a lion in secret places.

11 He has made my ways deviate, and torn me to pieces;

He has made me desolate.

12 He bent His bow

And took aim at me as a target for the arrow.

13 He made the *3:13 Lit sonsarrows of His quiver

Enter my *3:13 Lit kidneysinward parts.

14 I have become a laughingstock to all my people,

Their song of ridicule all the day.

15 He has filled me with bitterness,

He has made me drink plenty of wormwood.

16 He has also made my teeth grind with gravel;

He has made me cower in the dust.

17 My soul has been excluded from peace;

I have forgotten *3:17 Lit goodhappiness.

18 So I say, "My *3:18 Or splendorstrength has failed,

And so has my hope from the Lord."

19 Remember my misery and my homelessness, the wormwood and *3:19 Lit poisonbitterness.

20 My soul certainly remembers,

And *3:20 Or bows downis bent over within me.

21 I recall this to my mind,

Therefore I *3:21 Lit have hopewait.

22 * 3:22 As in ancient versions; MT It is...mercy that we do not end The Lord’s acts of mercy indeed do not end,

For His compassions do not fail.

23 They are new every morning;

Great is Your faithfulness.

24 "The Lord is my portion," says my soul,

"Therefore I *3:24 Or hope inwait for Him."

25 The Lord is good to those who *3:25 Or hope inawait Him,

To the *3:25 Lit soulperson who seeks Him.

26 It is good that he waits silently

For the salvation of the Lord.

27 It is good for a man to bear

The yoke in his youth.

28 Let him sit alone and keep quiet,

Since He has laid it on him.

29 Let him *3:29 Lit giveput his mouth in the dust;

Perhaps there is hope.

30 Let him give his cheek to the one who is going to strike him;

Let him be filled with shame.

31 For the Lord will not reject forever,

32 For if He causes grief,

Then He will have compassion

In proportion to His abundant mercy.

33 For He does not *3:33 Or oppressafflict *3:33 Lit from His heartwillingly

Or *3:33 Or tormentgrieve the sons of mankind.

34 To crush under *3:34 Lit hisone’s feet

All the prisoners of the *3:34 Or earthland,

35 To *3:35 Or turn aside a man’s casedeprive a man of justice

In the presence of the Most High,

36 To *3:36 Lit benddefraud someone in his lawsuit—

Of these things the Lord does not *3:36 Lit seeapprove.

37 Who is *3:37 Lit thisthere who speaks and it comes to pass,

Unless the Lord has commanded it?

38 Is it not from the mouth of the Most High

That *3:38 Lit the evil things and the goodboth adversity and good proceed?

39 Of what can any living *3:39 Or human beingmortal, or any man,

Complain *3:39 Or on the basis ofin view of his sins?

40 Let’s examine and search out our ways,

And let’s return to the Lord.

41 We raise our heart *3:41 Lit toward ourand hands

Toward God in heaven;

42 We have done wrong and rebelled;

You have not pardoned.

43 You have covered Yourself with anger

And pursued us;

You have slain and have not spared.

44 You have veiled Yourself with a cloud

So that no prayer can pass through.

45 You have made us mere refuse and rubbish

In the midst of the peoples.

46 All our enemies have opened their mouths against us.

47 Panic and pitfall have come upon us,

Devastation and destruction;

48 My *3:48 Lit eye goes downeyes run down with streams of water

Because of the destruction of the daughter of my people.

49 My eyes flow unceasingly,

Without stopping,

50 Until the Lord looks down

And sees from heaven.

51 My eyes bring pain to my soul

Because of all the daughters of my city.

52 My enemies without reason

Hunted me down like a bird;

53 They have silenced *3:53 Lit my lifeme in the pit

And have *3:53 Or thrown a stonethrown stones on me.

54 Waters flowed over my head;

I said, "I am *3:54 Or destroyedcut off!"

55 I called on Your name, Lord,

Out of the lowest pit.

56 You have heard my voice,

"Do not cover Your ear from my plea for relief,

From my cry for help."

57 You came near on the day I called to You;

You said, "Do not fear!"

58 Lord, You have pleaded my soul’s cause;

You have redeemed my life.

59 Lord, You have seen my oppression;

Judge my case.

60 You have seen all their vengeance,

All their schemes against me.

61 You have heard their reproach, Lord,

All their schemes against me.

62 The lips of my assailants and their talk

Are against me all day long.

63 Look at their *3:63 I.e., daily activitiessitting and their rising;

I am their mocking song.

64 You will repay them, Lord,

In accordance with the work of their hands.

65 You will give them *3:65 Or insanityshamelessness of heart,

Your curse will be on them.

66 You will pursue them in anger and eliminate them

From under the heavens of the Lord!