| New International Version | New Living Translation |
| 1"But now they mock me, men younger than I, whose fathers I would have disdained to put with my sheep dogs. | 1“But now I am mocked by people younger than I, by young men whose fathers are not worthy to run with my sheepdogs. |
| 2Of what use was the strength of their hands to me, since their vigor had gone from them? | 2A lot of good they are to me— those worn-out wretches! |
| 3Haggard from want and hunger, they roamed the parched land in desolate wastelands at night. | 3They are gaunt from poverty and hunger. They claw the dry ground in desolate wastelands. |
| 4In the brush they gathered salt herbs, and their food was the root of the broom bush. | 4They pluck wild greens from among the bushes and eat from the roots of broom trees. |
| 5They were banished from human society, shouted at as if they were thieves. | 5They are driven from human society, and people shout at them as if they were thieves. |
| 6They were forced to live in the dry stream beds, among the rocks and in holes in the ground. | 6So now they live in frightening ravines, in caves and among the rocks. |
| 7They brayed among the bushes and huddled in the undergrowth. | 7They sound like animals howling among the bushes, huddled together beneath the nettles. |
| 8A base and nameless brood, they were driven out of the land. | 8They are nameless fools, outcasts from society. |
| 9"And now those young men mock me in song; I have become a byword among them. | 9“And now they mock me with vulgar songs! They taunt me! |
| 10They detest me and keep their distance; they do not hesitate to spit in my face. | 10They despise me and won’t come near me, except to spit in my face. |
| 11Now that God has unstrung my bow and afflicted me, they throw off restraint in my presence. | 11For God has cut my bowstring. He has humbled me, so they have thrown off all restraint. |
| 12On my right the tribe attacks; they lay snares for my feet, they build their siege ramps against me. | 12These outcasts oppose me to my face. They send me sprawling and lay traps in my path. |
| 13They break up my road; they succeed in destroying me. 'No one can help him,' they say. | 13They block my road and do everything they can to destroy me. They know I have no one to help me. |
| 14They advance as through a gaping breach; amid the ruins they come rolling in. | 14They come at me from all directions. They jump on me when I am down. |
| 15Terrors overwhelm me; my dignity is driven away as by the wind, my safety vanishes like a cloud. | 15I live in terror now. My honor has blown away in the wind, and my prosperity has vanished like a cloud. |
| 16"And now my life ebbs away; days of suffering grip me. | 16“And now my life seeps away. Depression haunts my days. |
| 17Night pierces my bones; my gnawing pains never rest. | 17At night my bones are filled with pain, which gnaws at me relentlessly. |
| 18In his great power God becomes like clothing to me; he binds me like the neck of my garment. | 18With a strong hand, God grabs my shirt. He grips me by the collar of my coat. |
| 19He throws me into the mud, and I am reduced to dust and ashes. | 19He has thrown me into the mud. I’m nothing more than dust and ashes. |
| 20"I cry out to you, God, but you do not answer; I stand up, but you merely look at me. | 20“I cry to you, O God, but you don’t answer. I stand before you, but you don’t even look. |
| 21You turn on me ruthlessly; with the might of your hand you attack me. | 21You have become cruel toward me. You use your power to persecute me. |
| 22You snatch me up and drive me before the wind; you toss me about in the storm. | 22You throw me into the whirlwind and destroy me in the storm. |
| 23I know you will bring me down to death, to the place appointed for all the living. | 23And I know you are sending me to my death— the destination of all who live. |
| 24"Surely no one lays a hand on a broken man when he cries for help in his distress. | 24“Surely no one would turn against the needy when they cry for help in their trouble. |
| 25Have I not wept for those in trouble? Has not my soul grieved for the poor? | 25Did I not weep for those in trouble? Was I not deeply grieved for the needy? |
| 26Yet when I hoped for good, evil came; when I looked for light, then came darkness. | 26So I looked for good, but evil came instead. I waited for the light, but darkness fell. |
| 27The churning inside me never stops; days of suffering confront me. | 27My heart is troubled and restless. Days of suffering torment me. |
| 28I go about blackened, but not by the sun; I stand up in the assembly and cry for help. | 28I walk in gloom, without sunlight. I stand in the public square and cry for help. |
| 29I have become a brother of jackals, a companion of owls. | 29Instead, I am considered a brother to jackals and a companion to owls. |
| 30My skin grows black and peels; my body burns with fever. | 30My skin has turned dark, and my bones burn with fever. |
| 31My lyre is tuned to mourning, and my pipe to the sound of wailing. | 31My harp plays sad music, and my flute accompanies those who weep. |
| New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. | Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. |
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