I am the one who has seen the afflictions
****that come from the rod of the*Lord’s anger.
2*He has led me into darkness,
****shutting out all light.
3*He has turned his hand against me
****again and again, all day long.
4*He has made my skin and flesh grow old.
****He has broken my bones.
5*He has besieged and surrounded me
****with anguish and distress.
6*He has buried me in a dark place,
****like those long dead.
7*He has walled me in, and I cannot escape.
****He has bound me in heavy chains.
8*And though I cry and shout,
****he has shut out my prayers.
9*He has blocked my way with a high stone wall;
****he has made my road crooked.
10*He has hidden like a bear or a lion,
****waiting to attack me.
11*He has dragged me off the path and torn me in pieces,
****leaving me helpless and devastated.
12*He has drawn his bow
****and made me the target for his arrows.
13*He shot his arrows
****deep into my heart.
14*My own people laugh at me.
****All day long they sing their mocking songs.
15*He has filled me with bitterness
****and given me a bitter cup of sorrow to drink.
16*He has made me chew on gravel.
****He has rolled me in the dust.
17*Peace has been stripped away,
****and I have forgotten what prosperity is.
18*I cry out, “My splendor is gone!
****Everything I had hoped for from the*Lord*is lost!”
19*The thought of my suffering and homelessness
****is bitter beyond words.
20*I will never forget this awful time,
****as I grieve over my loss.
21*Yet I still dare to hope
****when I remember this:
22*The faithful love of the*Lordnever ends!
****His mercies never cease.
23*Great is his faithfulness;
****his mercies begin afresh each morning.
24*I say to myself, “The*Lord*is my inheritance;
****therefore, I will hope in him!”
25*The*Lord*is good to those who depend on him,
****to those who search for him.
26*So it is good to wait quietly
****for salvation from the*Lord.
27*And it is good for people to submit at an early age
****to the yoke of his discipline:
28*Let them sit alone in silence
****beneath the*Lord’s demands.
29*Let them lie face down in the dust,
****for there may be hope at last.
30*Let them turn the other cheek to those who strike them
****and accept the insults of their enemies.
31*For no one is abandoned
****by the Lord forever.
32*Though he brings grief, he also shows compassion
****because of the greatness of his unfailing love.
33*For he does not enjoy hurting people
****or causing them sorrow.
34*If people crush underfoot
****all the prisoners of the land,
35*if they deprive others of their rights
****in defiance of the Most High,
36*if they twist justice in the courts—
****doesn’t the Lord see all these things?
37*Who can command things to happen
****without the Lord’s permission?
38*Does not the Most High
****send both calamity and good?
39*Then why should we, mere humans, complain
****when we are punished for our sins?
40*Instead, let us test and examine our ways.
****Let us turn back to the*Lord.
41*Let us lift our hearts and hands
****to God in heaven and say,
42*“We have sinned and rebelled,
****and you have not forgiven us.
43*“You have engulfed us with your anger, chased us down,
****and slaughtered us without mercy.
44*You have hidden yourself in a cloud
****so our prayers cannot reach you.
45*You have discarded us as refuse and garbage
****among the nations.
46*“All our enemies
****have spoken out against us.
47*We are filled with fear,
****for we are trapped, devastated, and ruined.”
48*Tears stream from my eyes
****because of the destruction of my people!
49*My tears flow endlessly;
****they will not stop
50*until the*Lord*looks down
****from heaven and sees.
51*My heart is breaking
****over the fate of all the women of Jerusalem.
52*My enemies, whom I have never harmed,
****hunted me down like a bird.
53*They threw me into a pit
****and dropped stones on me.
54*The water rose over my head,
****and I cried out, “This is the end!”
55*But I called on your name,*Lord,
****from deep within the pit.
56*You heard me when I cried, “Listen to my pleading!
****Hear my cry for help!”
57*Yes, you came when I called;
****you told me, “Do not fear.”
58*Lord, you are my lawyer! Plead my case!
****For you have redeemed my life.
59*You have seen the wrong they have done to me,*Lord.
****Be my judge, and prove me right.
60*You have seen the vengeful plots
****my enemies have laid against me.
61*Lord, you have heard the vile names they call me.
****You know all about the plans they have made.
62*My enemies whisper and mutter
****as they plot against me all day long.
63*Look at them! Whether they sit or stand,
****I am the object of their mocking songs.
64*Pay them back,*Lord,
****for all the evil they have done.
65*Give them hard and stubborn hearts,
****and then let your curse fall on them!
66*Chase them down in your anger,
****destroying them beneath the*Lord’s heavens.
