1 I am the man who has seen affliction
by the rod of his wrath.
2 He has led me and caused me to walk in darkness,
and not in light.
3 Surely he turns his hand against me
again and again all day long.
4 He has made my flesh and my skin old.
He has broken my bones.
5 He has built against me,
and surrounded me with bitterness and hardship.
6 He has made me dwell in dark places,
as those who have been long dead.
7 He has walled me about, so that I can’t go out.
He has made my chain heavy.
8 Yes, when I cry, and call for help,
he shuts out my prayer.
9 He has walled up my ways with cut stone.
He has made my paths crooked.
10 He is to me as a bear lying in wait,
as a lion in hiding.
11 He has turned away my path,
and pulled me in pieces.
He has made me desolate.
12 He has bent his bow,
and set me as a mark for the arrow.
13 He has caused the shafts of his quiver to enter into my kidneys.
14 I have become a derision to all my people,
and their song all day long.
15 He has filled me with bitterness.
He has stuffed me with wormwood.
16 He has also broken my teeth with gravel.
He has covered me with ashes.
17 You have removed my soul far away from peace.
I forgot prosperity.
18 I said, "My strength has perished,
along with my expectation from Yahweh."
19 Remember my affliction and my misery,
the wormwood and the bitterness.
20 My soul still remembers them,
and is bowed down within me.
21 This I recall to my mind;
therefore I have hope.
22 It is because of Yahweh’s loving kindnesses that we are not consumed,
because his mercies don’t fail.
23 They are new every morning.
Great is your faithfulness.
24 "Yahweh is my portion," says my soul.
"Therefore I will hope in him."
25 Yahweh is good to those who wait for him,
to the soul who seeks him.
26 It is good that a man should hope
and quietly wait for the salvation of Yahweh.
27 It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth.
28 Let him sit alone and keep silence,
because he has laid it on him.
29 Let him put his mouth in the dust,
if it is so that there may be hope.
30 Let him give his cheek to him who strikes him.
Let him be filled full of reproach.
31 For the Lord will not cast off forever.
32 For though he causes grief,
yet he will have compassion according to the multitude of his loving kindnesses.
33 For he does not afflict willingly,
nor grieve the children of men.
34 To crush under foot all the prisoners of the earth,
35 to turn away the right of a man before the face of the Most High,
36 to subvert a man in his cause, the Lord doesn’t approve.
37 Who is he who says, and it comes to pass,
when the Lord doesn’t command it?
38 Doesn’t evil and good come out of the mouth of the Most High?
39 Why should a living man complain,
a man for the punishment of his sins?
40 Let us search and try our ways,
and turn again to Yahweh.
41 Let’s lift up our heart with our hands to God in the heavens.
42 "We have transgressed and have rebelled.
You have not pardoned.
43 "You have covered us with anger and pursued us.
You have killed.
You have not pitied.
44 You have covered yourself with a cloud,
so that no prayer can pass through.
45 You have made us an off-scouring and refuse
in the middle of the peoples.
46 "All our enemies have opened their mouth wide against us.
47 Terror and the pit have come on us,
devastation and destruction."
48 My eye runs down with streams of water,
for the destruction of the daughter of my people.
49 My eye pours down
and doesn’t cease,
without any intermission,
50 until Yahweh looks down,
and sees from heaven.
51 My eye affects my soul,
because of all the daughters of my city.
52 They have chased me relentlessly like a bird,
those who are my enemies without cause.
53 They have cut off my life in the dungeon,
and have cast a stone on me.
54 Waters flowed over my head.
I said, "I am cut off."
55 I called on your name, Yahweh,
out of the lowest dungeon.
56 You heard my voice:
"Don’t hide your ear from my sighing,
and my cry."
57 You came near in the day that I called on you.
You said, "Don’t be afraid."
58 Lord, you have pleaded the causes of my soul.
You have redeemed my life.
59 Yahweh, you have seen my wrong.
Judge my cause.
60 You have seen all their vengeance
and all their plans against me.
61 You have heard their reproach, Yahweh,
and all their plans against me,
62 the lips of those that rose up against me,
and their plots against me all day long.
63 You see their sitting down and their rising up.
I am their song.
64 You will pay them back, Yahweh,
according to the work of their hands.
65 You will give them hardness of heart,
your curse to them.
66 You will pursue them in anger,
and destroy them from under the heavens of Yahweh.
1 Alef. Ek is die man wat ellende gesien het deur die roede van sy grimmigheid.
2 My het Hy gelei en laat wandel in duisternis sonder lig.
3 Ja, altyd weer draai Hy die hele dag sy hand teen my.
4 Bet. Hy het my vlees en my vel laat wegteer, my gebeente verbreek.
5 Hy het my met 'n bouwerk omsingel van gif en moeite.
6 Hy het my in donker plekke laat sit soos die wat lankal dood is.
7 Gimel. Hy het my toegemuur, sodat ek nie kan uitkom nie, my koperboeie swaar gemaak.
8 Al skreeu ek ook en al roep ek om hulp, Hy laat my gebed onverhoord.
9 Hy het my weë toegemuur met gekapte klip, my paaie onbegaanbaar gemaak.
10 Dalet. Hy is 'n beer wat my voorlê, 'n leeu in skuilplekke.
11 Hy het my weë laat wegdraai en my verskeur, my tot 'n woesteny gemaak.
12 Hy het sy boog gespan en my as 'n teiken vir die pyl opgestel.
13 He. Hy het die pyle uit sy pylkoker in my niere laat ingaan.
14 Ek het 'n belagging geword vir my hele volk, hulle spotlied die hele dag.
15 Hy het my met bitter kruie versadig, my genoeg wilde-als laat drink.
16 Wau. En Hy het my die tande op gruisklippertjies laat stukkend byt, my in die as neergedruk.
17 En U het my siel van die vrede verstoot, ek het die goeie vergeet.
18 Ja, ek het gesê: My roem het vergaan en my hoop op die HERE.
19 Sajin. Dink aan my ellende en my omswerwing, aan die wilde-als en die gif.
20 As my siel terdeë daaraan dink, buig hy hom neer in my.
21 Dit sal ek ter harte neem, daarom sal ek hoop:
22 Get. dit is die goedertierenhede van die HERE dat ons nie omgekom het nie, want sy barmhartighede het geen einde nie;
23 hulle is elke môre nuut; u trou is groot.
24 Die HERE is my deel, sê my siel, daarom sal ek op Hom hoop.
25 Tet. Goed is die HERE vir die wat op Hom hoop, vir die siel wat Hom soek.
26 Dit is goed om in stilheid te hoop op die hulp van die HERE.
27 Dit is goed vir 'n man dat hy die juk in sy jeug dra.
28 Jod. Laat hom eensaam sit en swyg, as Hy hom dit opgelê het.
29 Laat hy sy mond in die stof steek -- miskien is daar hoop!
30 Laat hy die wang gee vir die wat hom slaan, laat hy genoeg kry van smaad.
31 Kaf. Want die Here sal nie vir ewig verstoot nie.
32 Maar as Hy bedroef het, ontferm Hy Hom na die grootheid van sy goedertierenhede;
33 want nie van harte verdruk of bedroef Hy die mensekinders nie.
34 Lamed. Dat hulle al die gevangenes van die aarde onder hul voete vertrap,
35 dat hulle die reg van 'n man verdraai voor die aangesig van die Allerhoogste,
36 dat hulle 'n mens onregverdig behandel in sy regsaak -- het die HERE dit nie gesien nie?
37 Mem. Wie spreek daar, en dit gebeur? Het die Here dit nie beveel nie?
38 Gaan uit die mond van die Allerhoogste nie kwaad sowel as goed nie?
39 Wat klaag 'n mens in sy lewe? Laat elkeen klaag oor sy sondes.
40 Noen. Laat ons ons weë naspeur en deursoek en ons tot die HERE bekeer;
41 laat ons ons hart saam met die hande ophef tot God in die hemel en sê:
42 Ons het oortree en ons was wederstrewig -- U het nie vergewe nie.
43 Samek. U het U in toorn gehul en ons agtervolg, U het gedood sonder verskoning.
44 U het Uself in 'n wolk gehul, sodat daar geen gebed kon deurdring nie;
45 U het ons 'n uitvaagsel en 'n wegwerpsel onder die volke gemaak.
46 Pe. Al ons vyande het hulle mond teen ons oopgerek;
47 skrik en kuil het ons deel geword, ondergang en verbreking.
48 My oog loop af in waterstrome oor die verbreking van die dogter van my volk.
49 Ajin. My oog vloei rusteloos weg sonder ophou,
50 totdat die HERE uit die hemel neersien en aanskou.
51 My oog gee my pyn oor al die dogters van my stad.
52 Sade. Hulle het my soos 'n voël rondgejaag, die wat sonder oorsaak my vyande is;
53 hulle het my lewe in 'n kuil tot niet gemaak en klippe op my gegooi.
54 Water het oor my hoof gestroom, ek het gesê: Dit is klaar met my!
55 Kof. Ek roep u Naam aan, HERE, uit die onderste kuil.
56 U hoor my stem; verberg u oor nie vir my ontboeseming, vir my hulpgeroep nie.
57 U kom nader die dag as ek U aanroep, U sê: Wees nie bevrees nie!
58 Resj. U, Here, verdedig my regsaak, U verlos my lewe.
59 U sien, HERE, my verdrukking; verskaf my tog reg.
60 U sien al hulle wraaksug, al hulle planne teen my.
61 Sjin. U hoor hulle smaadrede, HERE, al hulle planne teen my,
62 die lippe van my teëstanders en hulle bedenksels die hele dag teen my.
63 Aanskou tog hulle sit en hulle opstaan, ek is hulle spotlied.
64 Tau. U sal hulle vergeld vir wat hulle gedoen het, HERE.
65 U sal hulle gee verblinding van hart, u vervloeking oor hulle.
66 U sal hulle in toorn vervolg en hulle verdelg van onder die hemel van die HERE uit.