[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.
[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! 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.