The Prophet’s Afflictions

1I the man seeing affliction by the rod of his wrath.

2He led me and he brought darkness and not light.

3Surely he will turn back against me; he will turn his hand all the day.

4He wasted away my flesh and my skin; he broke my bones.

5He built against me, and he will surround with poison and distress.

6He caused me to dwell in darknesses as the dead of old.

7He walled about me and I shall not go forth: he loaded my brass.

8Also when I shall exclaim and cry out, he stopped my prayer.

9He walled up my ways with hewn stones, he made crooked my beaten paths.

10He is to me a bear lying in wait, a lion in secret places.

11He turned aside my ways and he will tear me in pieces: he set me a desolation.

12He bent his bow, he will set me up as a mark for the arrow.

13He brought the sons of his quiver into my reins.

14I was a derision to all my people; their song all the day.

15He filled me with bitternesses, he gave me wormwood to drink.

16He will break my teeth with gravel stones, he covered me with ashes.

17Thou wilt cast of my soul from peace: I forgat good.

18And saying, My glory perished, and my hope from Jehovah:

The Prophet’s Hope

19Remembering my affliction and my bitterness, the wormwood and the poison.

20Remembering, my soul will remember, and will be bowed down upon me.

21I will turn this back to my heart; for this I shall hope.

22The mercies of Jehovah are that we were not consumed, for his compassions were not finished.

23New for the mornings: great thy faithfulness.

24Jehovah my portion, said my soul; for this I will hope toward him.

25Good Jehovah to those waiting for him, to the soul that will seek him.

26Good, and he shall wait and stand still for the salvation of Jehovah.

27Good for a man that he shall lift up the yoke in his youth.

28He will sit alone and be silent, for he laid upon him.

29He will give his mouth in the dust, if perhaps there is hope.

30He will give the cheek to him striking him: he will be filled with reproach.

31For Jehovah will not cast of forever:

32For if he afflicted, and he compassionated according to the multitude of his mercy.

33For he afflicted not from his heart and grieved the sons of men,

34To crush under his feet all the bound of the earth,

35To turn aside the judgment of a man before the face of the Most High.

36To pervert a man in his contention Jehovah saw not.

God’s Justice

37Who this saying, And it shall be Jehovah commanding not?

38From the mouth of the Most High shall not come forth evil and good.

39Why shall a living man murmur? a man for his sin?

40We will search out our ways, and examine and turn back even to Jehovah.

41We will lift up our hearts upon the hands to God in the heavens.

42We transgressed and resisted: thou forgavest not.

43Thou didst cover with anger, and thou wilt pursue us: thou didst slay, thou didst not pity.

44Thou didst cover over thyself with a cloud from a prayer passing through.

45Thou didst set us the offscouring and despising in the midst of peoples.

46All our enemies opened their mouth against us.

47Fear and a snare were to us, desolation and breaking.

48Mine eye will bring down streams of water for the breaking of the daughter of my people.

49Mine eye flowed and it will not be silent, from no intermission,

50Till Jehovah shall look forth and see from the heavens.

51Mine eye will glean for my soul for all the daughters of my city.

52Hunting, they hunted me as a bird, mine enemies, gratuitously.

53They cut off my life in the pit, and cast a stone upon me.

54Waters were spread over my head; I said I was cut off.

55I called thy name, O Jehovah, in the pit underneath.

56Thou heardest my voice: thou wilt not hide thine ear at my breathing, at my cry.

57Thou drewest near in the day I shall call thee: thou saidst, Thou shalt not fear.

58Thou didst contend, O Jehovah, the contentions of my soul; thou didst redeem my life.

59Thou sawest, O Jehovah, my bowing down: judge thou my judgment.

60Thou sawest all their vengeance, all their purposes against me.

61Thou heardest their reproach, O Jehovah, all their purposes against me.

62The lips of those rising up, and their devices against me all the day.

63Their sitting and their rising, look thou: I their song.

64Thou wilt turn back to them a retribution, O Jehovah, according to the work of their hands.

65Thou wilt give to them a covering of heart, thy curse to them.

66Thou wilt pursue in thine anger, and thou wilt destroy them from under the heavens, O Jehovah.