| King James Bible | Holman Christian Standard Bible |
| 1I am the man that hath seen affliction by the rod of his wrath. | 1I am the man who has seen affliction under the rod of God's wrath. |
| 2He hath led me, and brought me into darkness, but not into light. | 2He has driven me away and forced me to walk in darkness instead of light. |
| 3Surely against me is he turned; he turneth his hand against me all the day. | 3Yes, He repeatedly turns His hand against me all day long. |
| 4My flesh and my skin hath he made old; he hath broken my bones. | 4He has worn away my flesh and skin; He has shattered my bones. |
| 5He hath builded against me, and compassed me with gall and travail. | 5He has laid siege against me, encircling me with bitterness and hardship. |
| 6He hath set me in dark places, as they that be dead of old. | 6He has made me dwell in darkness like those who have been dead for ages. |
| 7He hath hedged me about, that I cannot get out: he hath made my chain heavy. | 7He has walled me in so I cannot escape; He has weighed me down with chains. |
| 8Also when I cry and shout, he shutteth out my prayer. | 8Even when I cry out and plead for help, He rejects my prayer. |
| 9He hath inclosed my ways with hewn stone, he hath made my paths crooked. | 9He has walled in my ways with cut stones; He has made my paths crooked. |
| 10He was unto me as a bear lying in wait, and as a lion in secret places. | 10He is a bear waiting in ambush, a lion in hiding. |
| 11He hath turned aside my ways, and pulled me in pieces: he hath made me desolate. | 11He forced me off my way and tore me to pieces; He left me desolate. |
| 12He hath bent his bow, and set me as a mark for the arrow. | 12He strung His bow and set me as the target for His arrow. |
| 13He hath caused the arrows of his quiver to enter into my reins. | 13He pierced my kidneys with His arrows. |
| 14I was a derision to all my people; and their song all the day. | 14I am a laughingstock to all my people, mocked by their songs all day long. |
| 15He hath filled me with bitterness, he hath made me drunken with wormwood. | 15He filled me with bitterness, satiated me with wormwood. |
| 16He hath also broken my teeth with gravel stones, he hath covered me with ashes. | 16He ground my teeth on gravel and made me cower in the dust. |
| 17And thou hast removed my soul far off from peace: I forgat prosperity. | 17My soul has been deprived of peace; I have forgotten what happiness is. |
| 18And I said, My strength and my hope is perished from the LORD: | 18Then I thought: My future is lost, as well as my hope from the LORD. |
| 19Remembering mine affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall. | 19Remember my affliction and my homelessness, the wormwood and the poison. |
| 20My soul hath them still in remembrance, and is humbled in me. | 20I continually remember them and have become depressed. |
| 21This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope. | 21Yet I call this to mind, and therefore I have hope: |
| 22It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. | 22Because of the LORD's faithful love we do not perish, for His mercies never end. |
| 23They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. | 23They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness! |
| 24The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him. | 24I say: The LORD is my portion, therefore I will put my hope in Him. |
| 25The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. | 25The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, to the person who seeks Him. |
| 26It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD. | 26It is good to wait quietly for deliverance from the LORD. |
| 27It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth. | 27It is good for a man to bear the yoke while he is still young. |
| 28He sitteth alone and keepeth silence, because he hath borne it upon him. | 28Let him sit alone and be silent, for God has disciplined him. |
| 29He putteth his mouth in the dust; if so be there may be hope. | 29Let him put his mouth in the dust-- perhaps there is still hope. |
| 30He giveth his cheek to him that smiteth him: he is filled full with reproach. | 30Let him offer his cheek to the one who would strike him; let him be filled with shame. |
| 31For the Lord will not cast off for ever: | 31For the Lord will not reject us forever. |
| 32But though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies. | 32Even if He causes suffering, He will show compassion according to His abundant, faithful love. |
| 33For he doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men. | 33For He does not enjoy bringing affliction or suffering on mankind. |
| 34To crush under his feet all the prisoners of the earth, | 34Crushing all the prisoners of the land beneath one's feet, |
| 35To turn aside the right of a man before the face of the most High, | 35denying justice to a man in the presence of the Most High, |
| 36To subvert a man in his cause, the Lord approveth not. | 36or suppressing a person's lawsuit-- the Lord does not approve of these things. |
| 37Who is he that saith, and it cometh to pass, when the Lord commandeth it not? | 37Who is there who speaks and it happens, unless the Lord has ordained it? |
| 38Out of the mouth of the most High proceedeth not evil and good? | 38Do not both adversity and good come from the mouth of the Most High? |
| 39Wherefore doth a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins? | 39Why should any living person complain, any man, because of the punishment for his sins? |
| 40Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the LORD. | 40Let us search out and examine our ways, and turn back to the LORD. |
| 41Let us lift up our heart with our hands unto God in the heavens. | 41Let us lift up our hearts and our hands to God in heaven: |
| 42We have transgressed and have rebelled: thou hast not pardoned. | 42We have sinned and rebelled; You have not forgiven. |
| 43Thou hast covered with anger, and persecuted us: thou hast slain, thou hast not pitied. | 43You have covered Yourself in anger and pursued us; You have killed without compassion. |
| 44Thou hast covered thyself with a cloud, that our prayer should not pass through. | 44You have covered Yourself with a cloud so that no prayer can pass through. |
| 45Thou hast made us as the offscouring and refuse in the midst of the people. | 45You have made us disgusting filth among the peoples. |
| 46All our enemies have opened their mouths against us. | 46All our enemies open their mouths against us. |
| 47Fear and a snare is come upon us, desolation and destruction. | 47We have experienced panic and pitfall, devastation and destruction. |
| 48Mine eye runneth down with rivers of water for the destruction of the daughter of my people. | 48My eyes flow with streams of tears because of the destruction of my dear people. |
| 49Mine eye trickleth down, and ceaseth not, without any intermission, | 49My eyes overflow unceasingly, without end, |
| 50Till the LORD look down, and behold from heaven. | 50until the LORD looks down from heaven and sees. |
| 51Mine eye affecteth mine heart because of all the daughters of my city. | 51My eyes bring me grief because of the fate of all the women in my city. |
| 52Mine enemies chased me sore, like a bird, without cause. | 52For no apparent reason, my enemies hunted me like a bird. |
| 53They have cut off my life in the dungeon, and cast a stone upon me. | 53They dropped me alive into a pit and threw stones at me. |
| 54Waters flowed over mine head; then I said, I am cut off. | 54Water flooded over my head, and I thought: I'm going to die! |
| 55I called upon thy name, O LORD, out of the low dungeon. | 55I called on Your name, Yahweh, from the depths of the Pit. |
| 56Thou hast heard my voice: hide not thine ear at my breathing, at my cry. | 56You hear my plea: Do not ignore my cry for relief. |
| 57Thou drewest near in the day that I called upon thee: thou saidst, Fear not. | 57You come near when I call on You; You say: "Do not be afraid." |
| 58O Lord, thou hast pleaded the causes of my soul; thou hast redeemed my life. | 58You defend my cause, Lord; You redeem my life. |
| 59O LORD, thou hast seen my wrong: judge thou my cause. | 59 LORD, You see the wrong done to me; judge my case. |
| 60Thou hast seen all their vengeance and all their imaginations against me. | 60You see all their malice, all their plots against me. |
| 61Thou hast heard their reproach, O LORD, and all their imaginations against me; | 61 LORD, You hear their insults, all their plots against me. |
| 62The lips of those that rose up against me, and their device against me all the day. | 62The slander and murmuring of my opponents attack me all day long. |
| 63Behold their sitting down, and their rising up; I am their musick. | 63When they sit and when they rise, look, I am mocked by their songs. |
| 64Render unto them a recompence, O LORD, according to the work of their hands. | 64You will pay them back what they deserve, LORD, according to the work of their hands. |
| 65Give them sorrow of heart, thy curse unto them. | 65You will give them a heart filled with anguish. May Your curse be on them! |
| 66Persecute and destroy them in anger from under the heavens of the LORD. | 66You will pursue them in anger and destroy them under Your heavens. |
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