1 I am the man who has seen trouble by the rod of his wrath.
2 By him I have been made to go in the dark where there is no light.
3 Truly against me his hand has been turned again and again all the day.
4 My flesh and my skin have been used up by him and my bones broken.
5 He has put up a wall against me, shutting me in with bitter sorrow.
6 He has kept me in dark places, like those who have been long dead.
7 He has put a wall round me, so that I am not able to go out; he has made great the weight of my chain.
8 Even when I send up a cry for help, he keeps my prayer shut out.
9 He has put up a wall of cut stones about my ways, he has made my roads twisted.
10 He is like a bear waiting for me, like a lion in secret places.
11 By him my ways have been turned on one side and I have been pulled in bits; he has made me waste.
12 With his bow bent, he has made me the mark for his arrows.
13 He has let loose his arrows into the inmost parts of my body.
14 I have become the sport of all the peoples; I am their song all the day.
15 He has made my life nothing but pain, he has given me the bitter root in full measure.
16 By him my teeth have been broken with crushed stones, and I am bent low in the dust.
17 My soul is sent far away from peace, I have no more memory of good.
18 And I said, My strength is cut off, and my hope from the Lord.
19 Keep in mind my trouble and my wandering, the bitter root and the poison.
20 My soul still keeps the memory of them; and is bent down in me.
21 This I keep in mind, and because of this I have hope.
22 It is through the Lord's love that we have not come to destruction, because his mercies have no limit.
23 They are new every morning; great is your good faith.
24 I said to myself, The Lord is my heritage; and because of this I will have hope in him.
25 The Lord is good to those who are waiting for him, to the soul which is looking for him.
26 It is good to go on hoping and quietly waiting for the salvation of the Lord.
27 It is good for a man to undergo the yoke when he is young.
28 Let him be seated by himself, saying nothing, because he has put it on him.
29 Let him put his mouth in the dust, if by chance there may be hope.
30 Let his face be turned to him who gives him blows; let him be full of shame.
31 For the Lord does not give a man up for ever.
32 For though he sends grief, still he will have pity in the full measure of his love.
33 For he has no pleasure in troubling and causing grief to the children of men.
34 In a man's crushing under his feet all the prisoners of the earth,
35 In his turning away the right of a man before the face of the Most High.
36 In his doing wrong to a man in his cause, the Lord has no pleasure.
37 Who is able to say a thing, and give effect to it, if it has not been ordered by the Lord?
38 Do not evil and good come from the mouth of the Most High?
39 What protest may a living man make, even a man about the punishment of his sin?
40 Let us make search and put our ways to the test, turning again to the Lord;
41 Lifting up our hearts with our hands to God in the heavens.
42 We have done wrong and gone against your law; we have not had your forgiveness.
43 Covering yourself with wrath you have gone after us, cutting us off without pity;
44 Covering yourself with a cloud, so that prayer may not get through.
45 You have made us like waste and that for which there is no use, among the peoples.
46 The mouths of all our haters are open wide against us.
47 Fear and deep waters have come on us, wasting and destruction.
48 Rivers of water are running down from my eyes, for the destruction of the daughter of my people.
49 My eyes are streaming without stopping, they have no rest,
50 Till the Lord's eye is turned on me, till he sees my trouble from heaven.
51 The Lord is unkind to my soul, more than all the daughters of my town.
52 They who are against me without cause have gone hard after me as if I was a bird;
53 They have put an end to my life in the prison, stoning me with stones.
54 Waters were flowing over my head; I said, I am cut off.
55 I was making prayer to your name, O Lord, out of the lowest prison.
56 My voice came to you; let not your ear be shut to my breathing, to my cry.
57 You came near in the day when I made my prayer to you: you said, Have no fear.
58 O Lord, you have taken up the cause of my soul, you have made my life safe.
59 O Lord, you have seen my wrong; be judge in my cause.
60 You have seen all the evil rewards they have sent on me, and all their designs against me.
61 Their bitter words have come to your ears, O Lord, and all their designs against me;
62 The lips of those who came up against me, and their thoughts against me all the day.
63 Take note of them when they are seated, and when they get up; I am their song.
64 You will give them their reward, O Lord, answering to the work of their hands.
65 You will let their hearts be covered over with your curse on them.
66 You will go after them in wrath, and put an end to them from under the heavens of the Lord.
1 Jeg er den mann som har sett elendighet under hans vredes ris.
2 Mig har han ledet og ført i mørke og ikke i lys.
3 Bare mot mig vender han atter og atter sin hånd den hele dag.
4 Han lot mitt kjøtt og min hud fortæres; han knuste mine ben.
5 Han bygget en mur mot mig og omringet mig med bitterhet og møie.
6 På mørke steder lot han mig bo som de for lenge siden døde.
7 Han murte igjen for mig, så jeg ikke kan komme ut; han gjorde mine lenker tunge.
8 Om jeg enn ropte og skrek, lukket han sitt øre for min bønn.
9 Han tilmurte mine veier med hugne stener, mine stier gjorde han krokete.
10 En lurende bjørn var han mot mig, en løve i skjul.
11 Mine veier gjorde han til avveier, han sønderrev mig og ødela mig.
12 Han spente sin bue og stilte mig op til mål for sin pil.
13 Han lot sitt koggers sønner fare inn i mine nyrer.
14 Jeg er blitt til latter for alt mitt folk, til en spottesang for dem hele dagen.
15 Han mettet mig med bitre urter, han gav mig rikelig malurt å drikke.
16 Han knuste mine tenner, han gav mig småsten å ete, han trykte mig ned i asken.
17 Du forkastet mig og tok bort min fred; jeg glemte det som godt er,
18 og jeg sa: Det er forbi med min kraft og mitt håp til Herren.
19 Kom i hu min elendighet og min landflyktighet - malurt og galle!
20 Min sjel kommer det i hu og er nedbøiet i mig.
21 Dette vil jeg ta mig til hjerte, derfor vil jeg håpe:
22 Herrens miskunnhet er det at det ikke er forbi med oss; for hans barmhjertighet har ennu ikke ende.
23 Den er ny hver morgen, din trofasthet er stor.
24 Herren er min del, sier min sjel; derfor håper jeg på ham.
25 Herren er god mot dem som bier efter ham, mot den sjel som søker ham.
26 Det er godt at en bier i stillhet efter Herrens frelse.
27 Det er godt for en mann at han bærer åk i sin ungdom,
28 at han sitter ene og tier, når han* legger byrder på ham, / {* Herren.}
29 at han trykker sin munn i støvet og sier: Kanskje det ennu er håp -
30 at han vender sitt kinn til den som slår ham, lar sig mette med hån.
31 For Herren forkaster ikke til evig tid,
32 men om han bedrøver, så forbarmer han sig igjen efter sin rike miskunnhet;
33 for det er ikke av hjertet han plager eller bedrøver menneskenes barn.
34 Når nogen knuser alle jordens fanger under sine føtter,
35 bøier mannens rett for den Høiestes åsyn
36 eller gjør en mann urett i hans sak - mon Herren ikke ser det?
37 Hvem talte så det skjedde, uten at Herren bød det?
38 Er det ikke fra den Høiestes munn både de onde og de gode ting utgår?
39 Hvorfor klager et menneske som lever? Enhver klage over sin egen synd!
40 La oss ransake våre veier og granske dem, og la oss vende om til Herren!
41 La oss løfte vårt hjerte og våre hender til Gud i himmelen!
42 Vi har syndet og vært gjenstridige; du har ikke tilgitt.
43 Du innhyllet dig i vrede og forfulgte oss; du slo ihjel, du sparte ikke.
44 Du innhyllet dig i skyer, så ingen bønn trengte igjennem.
45 Til skarn og utskudd gjorde du oss midt iblandt folkene.
46 De spilte op sin munn mot oss alle våre fiender.
47 Gru og grav er blitt oss til del, ødeleggelse og undergang.
48 Bekker av tårer rinner fra mitt øie fordi mitt folks datter er gått under.
49 Mitt øie rinner og har ikke ro, det får ingen hvile,
50 før Herrens øie ser ned fra himmelen.
51 Mitt øie volder min sjel smerte for alle min stads døtres skyld.
52 Hårdt jaget de mig som en fugl de som var mine fiender uten årsak.
53 De vilde gjøre ende på mitt liv, de vilde kaste mig i brønnen, og de kastet sten på mig.
54 Vannene strømmet over mitt hode; jeg sa: Jeg er fortapt.
55 Jeg påkalte ditt navn, Herre, fra den dypeste brønn.
56 Du hørte min røst; lukk ikke ditt øre for mitt rop, men la mig få lindring!
57 Du var nær den dag jeg kalte på dig; du sa: Frykt ikke!
58 Herre, du har ført min sjels sak, du har frelst mitt liv.
59 Herre, du har sett den urett jeg har lidt; døm i min sak!
60 Du har sett all deres hevn, alle deres onde råd mot mig.
61 Du har hørt deres hån, Herre, alle deres onde råd mot mig,
62 mine motstanderes tale og deres tanker mot mig den hele dag.
63 Akt på dem når de sitter, og når de står op! De synger spottesanger om mig.
64 Du vil gjøre gjengjeld mot dem, Herre, efter deres henders gjerning.
65 Du vil legge et dekke over deres hjerte, din forbannelse vil bli dem til del.
66 Du vil forfølge dem i vrede og ødelegge dem, så de ikke mere finnes under Herrens himmel.