I am the man who has seen affliction
I am the man who has seen affliction by the rod of the Lord's wrath. He has driven me away and made me walk in darkness rather than light; indeed, he has turned his hand against me again and again, all day long. He has made my skin and my flesh grow old and has broken my bones. He has besieged me and surrounded me with bitterness and hardship. He has made me dwell in darkness like those long dead. He has walled me in so I cannot escape; he has weighed me down with chains. Even when I call out or cry for help, he shuts out my prayer. He has barred my way with blocks of stone; he has made my paths crooked. Like a bear lying in wait, like a lion in hiding, he dragged me from the path and mangled me and left me without help. He drew his bow and made me the target for his arrows. He pierced my heart with arrows from his quiver. I became the laughing-stock of all my people; they mock me in song all day long. He has filled me with bitter herbs and given me gall to drink. He has broken my teeth with gravel; he has trampled me in the dust. I have been deprived of peace; I have forgotten what prosperity is. So I say, My splendour is gone and all that I had hoped from the Lord. I remember my affliction and my wandering, the bitterness and the gall. I well remember them, and my soul is downcast within me.
I am the man who has seen affliction
by the rod of the Lord's wrath.
I AM the man that hath seen affliction by the rod of his wrath.
He has driven me away and made me walk
in darkness rather than light;
He hath led me, and brought me into darkness, but not into light.
indeed, he has turned his hand against me
again and again, all day long.
Surely against me is he turned; he turneth his hand against me all the day.
He has made my skin and my flesh grow old
and has broken my bones.
My flesh and my skin hath he made old; he hath broken my bones.
He has besieged me and surrounded me
with bitterness and hardship.
He hath builded against me, and compassed me with gall and travail.
He has made me dwell in darkness
like those long dead.
He hath set me in dark places, as they that be dead of old.
He has walled me in so I cannot escape;
he has weighed me down with chains.
He hath hedged me about, that I cannot get out: he hath made my chain heavy.
Even when I call out or cry for help,
he shuts out my prayer.
Also when I cry and shout, he shutteth out my prayer.
He has barred my way with blocks of stone;
he has made my paths crooked.
He hath inclosed my ways with hewn stone, he hath made my paths crooked.
Like a bear lying in wait,
like a lion in hiding,
He was unto me as a bear lying in wait, and as a lion in secret places.
he dragged me from the path and mangled me
and left me without help.
He hath turned aside my ways, and pulled me in pieces: he hath made me desolate.
He drew his bow
and made me the target for his arrows.
He hath bent his bow, and set me as a mark for the arrow.
He pierced my heart
with arrows from his quiver.
He hath caused the arrows of his quiver to enter into my reins.
I became the laughing-stock of all my people;
they mock me in song all day long.
I was a derision to all my people; and their song all the day.
He has filled me with bitter herbs
and given me gall to drink.
He hath filled me with bitterness, he hath made me drunken with wormwood.
He has broken my teeth with gravel;
he has trampled me in the dust.
He hath also broken my teeth with gravel stones, he hath covered me with ashes.
I have been deprived of peace;
I have forgotten what prosperity is.
And thou hast removed my soul far off from peace: I forgat prosperity.
So I say, My splendour is gone
and all that I had hoped from the Lord.
And I said, My strength and my hope is perished from the LORD:
I remember my affliction and my wandering,
the bitterness and the gall.
Remembering mine affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall.
I well remember them,
and my soul is downcast within me.
My soul hath them still in remembrance, and is humbled in me.
Yet this I call to mind
Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him. The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. It is good for a man to bear the yoke while he is young. Let him sit alone in silence, for the Lord has laid it on him. Let him bury his face in the dust — there may yet be hope. Let him offer his cheek to one who would strike him, and let him be filled with disgrace. For no one is cast off by the Lord forever. Though he brings grief, he will show compassion, so great is his unfailing love. For he does not willingly bring affliction or grief to anyone. To crush underfoot all prisoners in the land, to deny people their rights before the Most High, to deprive them of justice — would not the Lord see such things? Who can speak and have it happen if the Lord has not decreed it? Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that both calamities and good things come? Why should the living complain when punished for their sins?
Yet this I call to mind
and therefore I have hope:
This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope.
Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.
It is of the LORD’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.
They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.
I say to myself, The Lord is my portion;
therefore I will wait for him.
The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him.
The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him,
to the one who seeks him;
The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him.
it is good to wait quietly
for the salvation of the Lord.
It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD.
It is good for a man to bear the yoke
while he is young.
It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth.
Let him sit alone in silence,
for the Lord has laid it on him.
He sitteth alone and keepeth silence, because he hath borne it upon him.
Let him bury his face in the dust —
there may yet be hope.
He putteth his mouth in the dust; if so be there may be hope.
Let him offer his cheek to one who would strike him,
and let him be filled with disgrace.
He giveth his cheek to him that smiteth him: he is filled full with reproach.
For no one is cast off
by the Lord forever.
For the LORD will not cast off for ever:
Though he brings grief, he will show compassion,
so great is his unfailing love.
But though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies.
For he does not willingly bring affliction
or grief to anyone.
For he doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men.
To crush underfoot
all prisoners in the land,
To crush under his feet all the prisoners of the earth,
to deny people their rights
before the Most High,
To turn aside the right of a man before the face of the most High,
to deprive them of justice —
would not the Lord see such things?
To subvert a man in his cause, the LORD approveth not.
Who can speak and have it happen
if the Lord has not decreed it?
Who is he that saith, and it cometh to pass, when the Lord commandeth it not?
Is it not from the mouth of the Most High
that both calamities and good things come?
Out of the mouth of the most High proceedeth not evil and good?
Why should the living complain
when punished for their sins?
Wherefore doth a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins?
Let us return to the Lord
Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the Lord. Let us lift up our hearts and our hands to God in heaven, and say: We have sinned and rebelled and you have not forgiven. You have covered yourself with anger and pursued us; you have slain without pity. You have covered yourself with a cloud so that no prayer can get through. You have made us scum and refuse among the nations. All our enemies have opened their mouths wide against us. We have suffered terror and pitfalls, ruin and destruction. Streams of tears flow from my eyes because my people are destroyed. My eyes will flow unceasingly, without relief, until the Lord looks down from heaven and sees. What I see brings grief to my soul because of all the women of my city. Those who were my enemies without cause hunted me like a bird. They tried to end my life in a pit and threw stones at me; the waters closed over my head, and I thought I was about to perish. I called on your name, Lord, from the depths of the pit. You heard my plea: Do not close your ears to my cry for relief. You came near when I called you, and you said, Do not fear. You, Lord, took up my case; you redeemed my life. Lord, you have seen the wrong done to me. Uphold my cause. You have seen the depth of their vengeance, all their plots against me. Lord, you have heard their insults, all their plots against me — what my enemies whisper and mutter against me all day long. Look at them. Sitting or standing, they mock me in their songs. Pay them back what they deserve, Lord, for what their hands have done. Put a veil over their hearts, and may your curse be on them. Pursue them in anger and destroy them from under the heavens of the Lord.
Let us examine our ways and test them,
and let us return to the Lord.
Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the LORD.
Let us lift up our hearts and our hands
to God in heaven, and say:
Let us lift up our heart with our hands unto God in the heavens.
We have sinned and rebelled
and you have not forgiven.
We have transgressed and have rebelled: thou hast not pardoned.
You have covered yourself with anger and pursued us;
you have slain without pity.
Thou hast covered with anger, and persecuted us: thou hast slain, thou hast not pitied.
You have covered yourself with a cloud
so that no prayer can get through.
Thou hast covered thyself with a cloud, that our prayer should not pass through.
You have made us scum and refuse
among the nations.
Thou hast made us as the offscouring and refuse in the midst of the people.
All our enemies have opened their mouths
wide against us.
All our enemies have opened their mouths against us.
We have suffered terror and pitfalls,
ruin and destruction.
Fear and a snare is come upon us, desolation and destruction.
Streams of tears flow from my eyes
because my people are destroyed.
Mine eye runneth down with rivers of water for the destruction of the daughter of my people.
My eyes will flow unceasingly,
without relief,
Mine eye trickleth down, and ceaseth not, without any intermission,
until the Lord looks down
from heaven and sees.
Till the LORD look down, and behold from heaven.
What I see brings grief to my soul
because of all the women of my city.
Mine eye affecteth mine heart because of all the daughters of my city.
Those who were my enemies without cause
hunted me like a bird.
Mine enemies chased me sore, like a bird, without cause.
They tried to end my life in a pit
and threw stones at me;
They have cut off my life in the dungeon, and cast a stone upon me.
the waters closed over my head,
and I thought I was about to perish.
Waters flowed over mine head; then I said, I am cut off.
I called on your name, Lord,
from the depths of the pit.
I called upon thy name, O LORD, out of the low dungeon.
You heard my plea: Do not close your ears
to my cry for relief.
Thou hast heard my voice: hide not thine ear at my breathing, at my cry.
You came near when I called you,
and you said, Do not fear.
Thou drewest near in the day that I called upon thee: thou saidst, Fear not.
You, Lord, took up my case;
you redeemed my life.
O LORD, thou hast pleaded the causes of my soul; thou hast redeemed my life.
Lord, you have seen the wrong done to me.
Uphold my cause.
O LORD, thou hast seen my wrong: judge thou my cause.
You have seen the depth of their vengeance,
all their plots against me.
Thou hast seen all their vengeance and all their imaginations against me.
Lord, you have heard their insults,
all their plots against me —
Thou hast heard their reproach, O LORD, and all their imaginations against me;
what my enemies whisper and mutter
against me all day long.
The lips of those that rose up against me, and their device against me all the day.
Look at them. Sitting or standing,
they mock me in their songs.
Behold their sitting down, and their rising up; I am their musick.
Pay them back what they deserve, Lord,
for what their hands have done.
Render unto them a recompence, O LORD, according to the work of their hands.
Put a veil over their hearts,
and may your curse be on them.
Give them sorrow of heart, thy curse unto them.
Pursue them in anger and destroy them
from under the heavens of the Lord.
Persecute and destroy them in anger from under the heavens of the LORD.