¹ I am the man that hath seen affliction under the rod of His wrath;

² He hath led me and brought me into darkness, and not into light;

³ Yea, against me doth he again and again turn his hand all the day long.

⁴ My flesh and my skin hath he made old; he hath broken my bones.

⁵ He hath builded against me, and encompassed me with bitterness and woe.

⁶ He hath set me in dark places, as those that have long been dead.

⁷ He hath hedged me about, so that I cannot get out; he hath made my chain heavy;

⁸ Yea, when I cry and call aloud, he shutteth out my prayer.

⁹ He blocketh up my way with hewn stone; he maketh my paths crooked.

¹⁰ A bear lying in wait hath he been to me, a lion in lurking-places.

¹¹ He hath turned aside my ways, and torn me in pieces; he hath made me desolate.

¹² He hath bent his bow, and set me as a mark for the arrow.

¹³ He hath caused the sons of his quiver to pierce my reins.

¹⁴ I have been a laughing-stock to all my people, their song all the day.

¹⁵ He hath filled me with bitterness; he hath made me drunk with wormwood.

¹⁶ He hath also broken my teeth with gravel-stones; He hath covered me with ashes.

¹⁷ Yea, thou hast removed my soul far from peace; I have forgotten prosperity.

¹⁸ And I say, "My confidence and my hope in Jehovah are gone!"

¹⁹ Remember my affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall!

²⁰ Yea, thou wilt remember them, for my soul sinketh within me!

²¹ This I recall to my mind; therefore have I hope;

²² It is of the mercy of Jehovah that we are not consumed; yea, his compassion faileth not;

²³ It is new every morning; great is thy faithfulness.

²⁴ Jehovah is my portion, saith my soul, therefore do I hope in him.

²⁵ Jehovah is good to them that trust in him, to the soul that seeketh him.

²⁶ It is good that a man hope, and quietly wait for salvation from Jehovah.

²⁷ It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth;

²⁸ That he sit alone and keep silence, since He layeth it upon him;

²⁹ That he put his mouth in the dust, [saying to himself,] "Perhaps there may be hope!"

³⁰ That he offer his cheek to the smiter; that he be filled with reproach.

³¹ For the Lord will not cast off forever;

³² For though he cause grief, yet doth he have compassion according to his great mercy;

³³ For he doth not willingly afflict and grieve the children of men.

³⁴ Doth one trample under foot all the prisoners of the earth,

³⁵ Doth he bend the right of a man before the face of the Most High,

³⁶ Doth he subvert a man in his cause, and shall not the Lord behold it?

³⁷ Who is he that saith, and it cometh to pass, when the Lord hath not commanded?

³⁸ Cometh not evil, as well as good, from the mouth of the Most High?

³⁹ Wherefore then murmureth the living man? Let him murmur at his own sin!

⁴⁰ Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to Jehovah!

⁴¹ Let us lift up our hearts with our hands to God in the heavens!

⁴² We have transgressed; we have rebelled; thou hast not forgiven!

⁴³ Thou hast hidden thyself in anger, and hast pursued us; thou hast slain and hast not spared;

⁴⁴ Thou hast hidden thyself in a cloud, that our prayer may not pass through;

⁴⁵ Thou hast made us the offscouring and refuse in the midst of the nations.

⁴⁶ All our enemies have opened their mouths against us;

⁴⁷ Terror and the pit have come upon us, desolation and destruction;

⁴⁸ Mine eye runneth down with streams of water for the destruction of the daughter of my people.

⁴⁹ Mine eye trickleth down and ceaseth not, without any intermission,

⁵⁰ Until Jehovah look down and behold from heaven.

⁵¹ Mine eye is painful to me on account of all the daughters of my city.

⁵² They that are my enemies without cause hunt me down like a bird;

⁵³ They take away my life in the dungeon; they cast a stone upon me;

⁵⁴ Waters flow over my head; I say, "I am undone!"

⁵⁵ I call upon thy name, O Jehovah, from the deep dungeon;

⁵⁶ Hear thou my voice! hide not thine ear from my cry for relief!

⁵⁷ Be near to me, when I call upon thee! Say, "Fear not!"

⁵⁸ Thou maintainest my cause, O Lord; thou redeemest my life!

⁵⁹ Thou, O Jehovah, seest the wrong done to me; Maintain thou my cause!

⁶⁰ Thou seest all their vengeance, all their devices against me.

⁶¹ Thou hearest their reproach, O Jehovah, all their devices against me,

⁶² The words of my adversaries, and their machinations against me all the day long!

⁶³ Behold their sitting down and their rising up! I am their song.

⁶⁴ Render to them a recompense, O Jehovah, according to the work of their hands!

⁶⁵ Give them blindness of mind! thy curse be upon them!

⁶⁶ Pursue them in thine anger, and destroy them from under Jehovah’s heaven!