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¹ 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.^[a]
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 Lord never ends!^[b]
    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 have come to my defense;
    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.