3  א (Alef)

3 I am the man made to suffer from the rod of his fury.

2 He led me and took me into darkness—not light.

3 He certainly turned against me—he put the screws on me all day.

ב (Beyt)

4 He made my skin and my flesh waste away.

He shattered my bones.

5 He built a ramp up against me

and besieged me with bitterness and hardship.

6 He makes me live in darkness

like the dead of long ago.

ג (Gimel)

7 He built a wall around me so I can’t escape.

He made my chains heavy.

8 Even though I call out and cry for help,

he shuts out my prayer.

9 He made roadblocks with large cut stones.

≈ He made it difficult to get anywhere.

ד (Dalet)

10 He’s a bear lying in wait for me—

a lion hiding ready to attack.

11 He obstructed my paths and tore me apart.

He’s isolated me.

12 He bent his bow back

and set me up like a target for an arrow.

ה (He)

13 He pierced my kidneys

with the arrows from his quiver.

14 I became a joke to all the people groups—

the one they mocked all day long.

15 He filled me with bitterness.

He stuffed me with bitter herbs.

ו (Vav)

16 He made my teeth grind with gravel.

He made me cower in the dust.

17 Now I can’t find any inner peace.

I’ve forgotten what prosperity is.

18 Then I said, “My endurance has come to an end,

as has my hope in Yahweh.”

ז (Zayin)

19 Remember my suffering and my wanderings,

the wormwood and bitterness.

20 It continually remembers

and my insides turn to butter.

21 I bring that to mind,

therefore I have hope.

ח (Het)

22 Yahweh’s loyal commitment doesn’t cease.

His mercy doesn’t end.

23 His loyal commitment and his mercy are new morning by morning.

He is very faithful.

24 “Yahweh is my portion,” I told myself,

“therefore, I’ll place my hope in him.”

ט (Tet)

25 Yahweh is good to those who depend on him—

to anyone sincerely wanting to follow him.

26 It is good to be silent and wait

for Yahweh to rescue us.

27 It’s good for people to experience hardship while they’re young.

י (Yod)

28 A person should sit alone and stay quiet

when they’ve been disciplined by Yahweh.

29 Let him put his mouth in the dust—

perhaps there’s hope.

30 Let him offer his cheek to the person striking him.

Let him be filled with shame.

כ (Kaf)

31 My master won’t reject his people forever.

32 Though he brings grief,

he will be merciful due to the strength of his loyal commitment,

33 because he doesn’t enjoy making people suffer

≈ or delight in making humanity grieve.

ל (Lamed)

34 Crushing all the prisoners of the earth under his feet,

35 denying a person justice before the highest one,

36 subverting a person’s lawsuit—the master approves none of those.

מ (Mem)

37 Who said that and made it happen, if it wasn’t my master?

38 Didn’t both trouble and good come from the command of the highest one?

39 How can any living person complain when it’s their disobedience that they’re getting punished for?

נ (Nun)

40 Let’s examine our behaviour

and then strive to return to Yahweh.

41 Let us lift up our hearts

with our hands lifted to God in heaven.

42 We’ve certainly broken your rules and disobeyed you.

You haven’t forgiven us.

ס (Samek)

43 You wrapped yourself with anger and chased after us.

You killed without showing any pity.

44 You enveloped yourself in a cloud,

so that no prayers could get through.

45 You cause us to be considered as outcasts

and as garbage among the nations.

ע (Ayin)

46 All our enemies spoke out against us.

47 Panic and pitfall have come for us—

devastation and destruction.

48 My eyes run with streams of water

because my people have been destroyed.

פ (Pe)

49 My tears flowed continually without any relief,

50 until Yahweh looked down from heaven and saw.

51 What I see grieves my insides,

because of the suffering of the city’s daughters.

צ (Tsade)

52 My enemies certainly hunted me without cause—

like hunting a bird.

53 They shut down my life by throwing me into a pit,

and then heaving a rock onto the top.

54 They made water flow over my head.

I said, ‘This must be my end!’

ק (Qof)

55 I called out your name, Yahweh, from the depths of the pit.

56 You heard my voice.

‘Don’t ignore my cry for help

and my need for relief.’

57 You approached me when I called you

and told me not to be afraid.

ר (Resh)

58 My master, you helped with my internal conflict.

You paid out to save my life.

59 Yes, Yahweh, you saw my suffering.

Judge my case.

60 You’ve seen all their insults—

all their plots against me.

ש (Sin/Shin)

61 You’ve heard their scorn, Yahweh—

all their plots against me.

62 Those harassing me spend all day speaking out against me

and singing songs against me.

63 See how, whether they’re sitting or rising,

they have their mocking song.

ת (Tav)

64 You, Yahweh, will pay them back for what they’ve done.

65 Give them over to shamelessness.

May your curse be on them.

66 Chase after them in your anger,

and wipe them off the face of the earth, Yahweh.