Read the Bible

¹ I am a man who has seen much trouble.
    God beat us with a stick, and I saw it happen.
² He led and brought me
    into darkness, not light.
³ He turned his hand against me.
    He did this again and again, all day.
⁴ He wore out my flesh and skin.
    He broke my bones.
⁵ He built up bitterness and trouble against me.
    He surrounded me with bitterness and trouble.
⁶ He put me in the dark,
    like someone who died long ago.
⁷ He shut me in, so I could not get out.
    He put heavy chains on me.
⁸ Even when I cry out and ask for help,
    he does not listen to my prayer.
⁹ He has blocked up my path with stones.
    He has made my path crooked.
¹⁰ He is like a bear about to attack me,
    like a lion that is in a hiding place.
¹¹ He led me off my path.
    He tore me to pieces and ruined me.
¹² He made his bow ready.
    He made me the target for his arrows.
¹³ He shot me in the stomach
    with his arrows.
¹⁴ I have become a joke to all my people.
    All day long they sing songs about me and make fun of me.
¹⁵ He gave me this poison to drink.
    He filled me with this bitter drink.
¹⁶ He pushed my teeth into rocky ground.
    He pushed me into the dirt.
¹⁷ I thought I would never have peace again.
    I forgot about good things.
¹⁸ I said to myself, "I no longer have any hope
    that the Lord will help me."
¹⁹ Remember, I am very sad,
    and I have no home.
    Remember the bitter poison that you gave me.
²⁰ I remember well all my troubles,
    and I am very sad.
²¹ But then I think about this,
    and I have hope:
²² We are still alive because
    the Lord's faithful love never ends.
²³ Every morning he shows it in new ways!
    You are so very true and loyal!
²⁴ I say to myself, "The Lord is my God,
    and I trust him."^[a]

²⁵ The Lord is good to those who wait for him.
    He is good to those who look for him.
²⁶ It is good to wait quietly
    for the Lord to save them.
²⁷ It is good for a man to wear his yoke
    from the time he is young.
²⁸ He should sit alone and be quiet
    when the Lord puts his yoke on him.
²⁹ He should bow down to the Lord.
    Maybe there is still hope.
³⁰ He should turn his cheek to the one who hits him
    and let people insult him.
³¹ He should remember that
    the Lord does not reject people forever.
³² When he punishes, he also has mercy.
    He has mercy because of his great love and kindness.

³³ He does not enjoy causing people pain.
    He does not like to make anyone unhappy.
³⁴ He does not like any prisoner on earth
    to be trampled down.
³⁵ He does not like anyone to be unfair to another person.
    Some people will do such things right in front of God Most High.
³⁶ The Lord does not like anyone to cheat another person.
    He does not like any of these things.
³⁷ No one can say something and make it happen,
    unless the Lord orders it.
³⁸ God Most High commands
    both good and bad things to happen.
³⁹ No one alive can complain
    when he punishes them for their sins.
⁴⁰ Let us check and see what we have done.
    Then let us turn back to the Lord.

⁴¹ Let us lift up our hearts and our hands
    to the God of heaven.
⁴² Let us say to him, "We have sinned and have been stubborn.
    Because of this, you have not forgiven us.
⁴³ You wrapped yourself with anger.
    You chased us.
    You killed us without mercy!
⁴⁴ You wrapped yourself in a cloud
    so that no prayer could get through.
⁴⁵ You made us like garbage and dirt
    to the other nations.
⁴⁶ All of our enemies
    speak angrily against us.
⁴⁷ We have been frightened.
    We have fallen into a pit.
We have been badly hurt.
    We have been broken."
⁴⁸ My eyes flow with streams of tears.
    I cry because of the destruction of my people.
⁴⁹ My eyes will flow without stopping.
    I will keep on crying.
⁵⁰ I will continue to cry
    until you look down and see us, Lord!
I will continue to cry
    until you see us from heaven.
⁵¹ My eyes make me sad, when I see
    what happened to the young women in my city.
⁵² For no reason,
    my enemies hunted me like a bird.
⁵³ They threw me alive into a pit
    and then threw stones at me.
⁵⁴ Water came up over my head.
    I said to myself, "I am finished."
⁵⁵ Lord, I called your name
    from the bottom of the pit.
⁵⁶ You heard my voice.
    You didn't close your ears.
    You didn't refuse to rescue me.
⁵⁷ You came to me on the day that I called out to you.
    You said to me, "Don't be afraid."
⁵⁸ You defended me
    and brought me back to life.
⁵⁹ Lord, you have seen my trouble.
    Now judge my case for me.
⁶⁰ You have seen how my enemies have hurt me.
    You have seen all the evil plans that they made against me.
⁶¹ You heard them insult me, Lord.
    You have heard all the evil plans that they made against me.
⁶² The words and the thoughts of my enemies
    are against me all the time—
⁶³     when they sit down and when they stand up.
    Look how they make fun of me!
⁶⁴ Give them back what they deserve, Lord.
    Pay them back for what they have done.
⁶⁵ Make them stubborn
    and then curse them.
⁶⁶ Chase them in anger and destroy them.
    Wipe them off the face of the earth, Lord!