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¹ I, the man, have seen affliction by the rod of His wrath.² He led me and made me go in darkness and not light.³ Surely He turned against me; He turns His hand all the day.⁴ He has wasted my flesh and my skin. He has shattered my bones.⁵ He built against me and has put around me bitterness and hardship.⁶ He has made me live in dark places like the dead of old.⁷ He walled around me and I cannot go out; He has made heavy my bronze chain .⁸ Also, when I cry out and shout for help, He shuts out my prayer.⁹ He walled up my ways with cut stone; my paths are crooked.¹⁰ He was a bear lying in wait for me, a lion in secret places.¹¹ He has deflected my ways and torn me to pieces; He made me desolate.¹² He has trod His bow and set me up as a mark for the arrow.¹³ He caused the sons of His quiver to enter into my inward parts.¹⁴ I was a mockery to all my people, their song all the day.¹⁵ He has filled me with bitterness and made me drunk with wormwood.¹⁶ And He broke my teeth with gravel; He has covered me in the ashes.¹⁷ And You cast off my soul from peace; I have forgotten goodness.¹⁸ And I said, My strength and my hope have perished from Jehovah.¹⁹ Remember my affliction and my roaming, as wormwood and bitterness.²⁰ My soul vividly remembers and bows down on me.

²¹ I bring back this to my heart. On account of this I hope.²² It is by the kindnesses of Jehovah that we are not consumed, for His mercies are not ended.²³ They are new by mornings; great is Your faithfulness.²⁴ Jehovah is my portion, says my soul. On account of this I shall hope to Him.²⁵ Jehovah is good to those waiting on Him, to the soul seeking Him.²⁶ It is good that a man hopes for the salvation of Jehovah, even in silence.²⁷ It is good for a man that he bear a yoke in his youth.²⁸ He sits alone and is silent, for He laid it on him.²⁹ He puts his mouth in the dust, if perhaps there is hope.³⁰ He gives his cheek to Him who strikes him; he is filled with reproach.³¹ For the Lord will not cast off forever.³² For though He causes grief, He will have pity according to His many kindnesses.³³ For He does not afflict from His heart, nor does He grieve the sons of man,³⁴ to crush all the prisoners of earth under His feet,³⁵ to turn aside the justice of a man before the face of the Most High,³⁶ to wrong a man in his cause. This, the Lord does not see.

³⁷ Who is this speaking, and it happens when the Lord does not command it?³⁸ Both the evil and the good do not go out from the mouth of the Most High.³⁹ What? Should mankind complain, living man because of his sins?⁴⁰ Let us search and examine our ways, and turn again to Jehovah.⁴¹ Let us lift up our heart and hands to God in Heaven.

⁴² We have transgressed and rebelled; You, You have not forgiven.⁴³ You have wrapped Yourself with anger and pursued us; You have slain; You have not pitied.⁴⁴ You have covered for You with a cloud, from any prayer passing through.⁴⁵ You have made us sweepings and garbage in the midst of the peoples.⁴⁶ All our enemies have opened their mouths against us.⁴⁷ Dread and a pit is ours, devastation and ruin.⁴⁸ Streams of water go down from my eye for the ruin of the daughter of my people.⁴⁹ My eye flows out and does not cease, from there not being any relaxing,⁵⁰ until Jehovah shall look down and see from Heaven.⁵¹ My eye deals severely with my soul, from all the daughters of my city.⁵² My enemies have hunted me like a bird without cause.⁵³ They have cut off my life in the pit, and they threw a stone at me.⁵⁴ Waters flowed over on my head; I said, I am cut off.

⁵⁵ I called on Your name, O Jehovah, from the lowest pit.⁵⁶ You have heard my voice; do not hide Your ear at my relief, at my cry for help.⁵⁷ You came near in the day I called You; You said, Do not fear!⁵⁸ O Lord, You contended for the causes of my soul; You redeemed my life.⁵⁹ You have seen my wrong, O Jehovah; judge my cause.⁶⁰ You have seen all their vengeance, all their plots against me.⁶¹ You have heard their reproach, O Jehovah, all their plots against me,⁶² the lips of those rising up against me, and their scheming against me all the day.⁶³ Look at their sitting and their rising up. I am their song.⁶⁴ You will give back a recompense to them, O Jehovah, according to the work of their hands.⁶⁵ You will give them insolence of heart as Your curse to them.⁶⁶ Pursue and destroy them in anger from under the heavens of Jehovah.