The Prophet’s Afflictions 1 WBS I am the man that hath seen affliction by the rod of his wrath. BSB BSB: I am the man who has seen affliction under the rod of God’s wrath.
2 WBS He hath led me, and brought me into darkness, but not into light. BSB BSB: He has driven me away and made me walk in darkness instead of light.
3 WBS Surely against me is he turned; he turneth his hand against me all the day. BSB BSB: Indeed, He keeps turning His hand against me all day long.
4 WBS My flesh and my skin hath he made old; he hath broken my bones. BSB BSB: He has worn away my flesh and skin; He has shattered my bones.
5 WBS He hath built against me, and compassed me with gall and labor. BSB BSB: He has besieged me and surrounded me with bitterness and hardship.
6 WBS He hath set me in dark places, as they that are dead of old. BSB BSB: He has made me dwell in darkness like those dead for ages.
7 WBS He hath hedged me about, that I cannot get out: he hath made my chain heavy. BSB BSB: He has walled me in so I cannot escape; He has weighed me down with chains.
8 WBS Also when I cry and shout, he shutteth out my prayer. BSB BSB: Even when I cry out and plead for help, He shuts out my prayer.
9 WBS He hath inclosed my ways with hewn stone, he hath made my paths crooked. BSB BSB: He has barred my ways with cut stones; He has made my paths crooked.
10 WBS He was to me as a bear lying in wait, and as a lion in secret places. BSB BSB: He is a bear lying in wait, a lion hiding in ambush.
11 WBS He hath turned aside my ways, and pulled me in pieces: he hath made me desolate. BSB BSB: He forced me off my path and tore me to pieces; He left me without help.
12 WBS He hath bent his bow, and set me as a mark for the arrow. BSB BSB: He bent His bow and set me as the target for His arrow.
13 WBS He hath caused the arrows of his quiver to enter into my reins. BSB BSB: He pierced my kidneys with His arrows.
14 WBS I was a derision to all my people; and their song all the day. BSB BSB: I am a laughingstock to all my people; they mock me in song all day long.
15 WBS He hath filled me with bitterness, he hath made me drunken with wormwood. BSB BSB: He has filled me with bitterness; He has intoxicated me with wormwood.
16 WBS He hath also broken my teeth with gravel stones, he hath covered me with ashes. BSB BSB: He has ground my teeth with gravel and trampled me in the dust.
17 WBS And thou hast removed my soul far off from peace: I forgat prosperity. BSB BSB: My soul has been deprived of peace; I have forgotten what prosperity is.
18 WBS And I said, My strength and my hope hath perished from the LORD: BSB BSB: So I say, “My strength has perished, along with my hope from the LORD.”
The Prophet’s Hope 19 WBS Remembering my affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall. BSB BSB: Remember my affliction and wandering, the wormwood and the gall.
20 WBS My soul hath them still in remembrance, and is humbled in me. BSB BSB: Surely my soul remembers and is humbled within me.
21 WBS This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope. BSB BSB: Yet I call this to mind, and therefore I have hope:
23 WBS They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.BSB BSB: They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness!
24 WBS The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him. BSB BSB: “The LORD is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in Him.”
25 WBS The LORD is good to them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. BSB BSB: The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him.
26 WBS It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD.BSB BSB: It is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD.
27 WBS It is good for a man that he should bear the yoke in his youth.BSB BSB: It is good for a man to bear the yoke while he is still young.
28 WBS He sitteth alone, and keepeth silence, because he hath borne it upon him. BSB BSB: Let him sit alone in silence, for the LORD has laid it upon him.
29 WBS He putteth his mouth in the dust; if there may be hope. BSB BSB: Let him bury his face in the dust—perhaps there is still hope.
30 WBS He giveth his cheek to him that smiteth him: he is filled full with reproach. BSB BSB: Let him offer his cheek to the one who would strike him; let him be filled with reproach.
31 WBS For the LORD will not cast off for ever: BSB BSB: For the Lord will not cast us off forever.
32 WBS But though he causeth grief, yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies. BSB BSB: Even if He causes grief, He will show compassion according to His abundant loving devotion.
33 WBS For he doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men. BSB BSB: For He does not willingly afflict or grieve the sons of men.
34 WBS To crush under his feet all the prisoners of the earth, BSB BSB: To crush underfoot all the prisoners of the land,
35 WBS To turn aside the right of a man before the face of the most High, BSB BSB: to deny a man justice before the Most High,
36 WBS To subvert a man in his cause, the LORD approveth not. BSB BSB: to subvert a man in his lawsuit—of these the Lord does not approve.
God’s Justice 37 WBS Who is he that saith, and it cometh to pass, when the LORD commandeth it not? BSB BSB: Who has spoken and it came to pass, unless the Lord has ordained it?
38 WBS Out of the mouth of the most High proceedeth not evil and good? BSB BSB: Do not both adversity and good come from the mouth of the Most High?
39 WBS Why doth a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins? BSB BSB: Why should any mortal man complain, in view of his sins?
40 WBS Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the LORD. BSB BSB: Let us examine and test our ways, and turn back to the LORD.
41 WBS Let us lift up our heart with our hands to God in the heavens. BSB BSB: Let us lift up our hearts and hands to God in heaven:
42 WBS We have transgressed and have rebelled: thou hast not pardoned. BSB BSB: “We have sinned and rebelled; You have not forgiven.”
43 WBS Thou hast covered with anger, and persecuted us: thou hast slain, thou hast not pitied. BSB BSB: You have covered Yourself in anger and pursued us; You have killed without pity.
44 WBS Thou hast covered thyself with a cloud, that our prayer should not pass through. BSB BSB: You have covered Yourself with a cloud that no prayer can pass through.
45 WBS Thou hast made us as the offscouring and refuse in the midst of the people. BSB BSB: You have made us scum and refuse among the nations.
46 WBS All our enemies have opened their mouths against us. BSB BSB: All our enemies open their mouths against us.
47 WBS Fear and a snare is come upon us, desolation and destruction. BSB BSB: Panic and pitfall have come upon us—devastation and destruction.
48 WBS My eye runneth down with rivers of water for the destruction of the daughter of my people. BSB BSB: Streams of tears flow from my eyes over the destruction of the daughter of my people.
49 WBS My eye trickleth down, and ceaseth not, without any intermission, BSB BSB: My eyes overflow unceasingly, without relief,
50 WBS Till the LORD shall look down, and behold from heaven. BSB BSB: until the LORD looks down from heaven and sees.
51 WBS My eye affecteth my heart because of all the daughters of my city. BSB BSB: My eyes bring grief to my soul because of all the daughters of my city.
52 WBS My enemies chased me fiercely, like a bird without cause. BSB BSB: Without cause my enemies hunted me like a bird.
53 WBS They have cut off my life in the dungeon, and cast a stone upon me. BSB BSB: They dropped me alive into a pit and cast stones upon me.
54 WBS Waters flowed over my head; then I said, I am cut off. BSB BSB: The waters flowed over my head, and I thought I was going to die.
55 WBS I called upon thy name, O LORD, out of the low dungeon. BSB BSB: I called on Your name, O LORD, out of the depths of the Pit.
56 WBS Thou hast heard my voice: hide not thy ear at my breathing, at my cry. BSB BSB: You heard my plea: “Do not ignore my cry for relief.”
57 WBS Thou drewest near in the day that I called upon thee: thou saidst, Fear not. BSB BSB: You drew near when I called on You; You said, “Do not be afraid.”
58 WBS O LORD, thou hast pleaded the causes of my soul; thou hast redeemed my life. BSB BSB: You defend my cause, O Lord; You redeem my life.
59 WBS O LORD, thou hast seen my wrong: judge thou my cause. BSB BSB: You have seen, O LORD, the wrong done to me; vindicate my cause!
60 WBS Thou hast seen all their vengeance and all their imaginations against me. BSB BSB: You have seen all their malice, all their plots against me.
61 WBS Thou hast heard their reproach, O LORD, and all their imaginations against me; BSB BSB: O LORD, You have heard their insults, all their plots against me—
62 WBS The lips of those that rose up against me, and their device against me all the day. BSB BSB: the slander and murmuring of my assailants against me all day long.
63 WBS Behold their sitting down, and their rising up; I am their music. BSB BSB: When they sit and when they rise, see how they mock me in song.
64 WBS Render to them a recompense, O LORD, according to the work of their hands. BSB BSB: You will pay them back what they deserve, O LORD, according to the work of their hands.
65 WBS Give them sorrow of heart, thy curse to them. BSB BSB: Put a veil of anguish over their hearts; may Your curse be upon them!
66 WBS Persecute and destroy them in anger from under the heavens of the LORD. BSB BSB: You will pursue them in anger and exterminate them from under Your heavens, O LORD.