¹ I am the man that hath seen affliction by the rod of his wrath.

² He hath led me, and brought me into darkness, but not into light.

³ Surely against me is he turned; he turneth his hand against me all the day.

⁴ My flesh and my skin hath he made old; he hath broken my bones.

⁵ He hath built against me, and compassed me with gall and labor.

⁶ He hath set me in dark places, as they that are dead of old.

⁷ He hath hedged me about, that I cannot get out: he hath made my chain heavy.

⁸ Also when I cry and shout, he shutteth out my prayer.

⁹ He hath inclosed my ways with hewn stone, he hath made my paths crooked.

¹⁰ He was to me as a bear lying in wait, and as a lion in secret places.

¹¹ He hath turned aside my ways, and pulled me in pieces: he hath made me desolate.

¹² He hath bent his bow, and set me as a mark for the arrow.

¹³ He hath caused the arrows of his quiver to enter into my reins.

¹⁴ I was a derision to all my people; and their song all the day.

¹⁵ He hath filled me with bitterness, he hath made me drunken with wormwood.

¹⁶ He hath also broken my teeth with gravel stones, he hath covered me with ashes.

¹⁷ And thou hast removed my soul far off from peace: I forgat prosperity.

¹⁸ And I said, My strength and my hope hath perished from the LORD:

¹⁹ Remembering my affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall.

²⁰ My soul hath them still in remembrance, and is humbled in me.

²¹ This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope.

²² It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.

²³ They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.

²⁴ The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him.

²⁵ The LORD is good to them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him.

²⁶ It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD.

²⁷ It is good for a man that he should bear the yoke in his youth.

²⁸ He sitteth alone, and keepeth silence, because he hath borne it upon him.

²⁹ He putteth his mouth in the dust; if there may be hope.

³⁰ He giveth his cheek to him that smiteth him: he is filled full with reproach.

³¹ For the Lord will not cast off for ever:

³² But though he causeth grief, yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies.

³³ For he doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men.

³⁴ To crush under his feet all the prisoners of the earth,

³⁵ To turn aside the right of a man before the face of the most High,

³⁶ To subvert a man in his cause, the Lord approveth not.

³⁷ Who is he that saith, and it cometh to pass, when the Lord commandeth it not?

³⁸ Out of the mouth of the most High proceedeth not evil and good?

³⁹ Why doth a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins?

⁴⁰ Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the LORD.

⁴¹ Let us lift up our heart with our hands to God in the heavens.

⁴² We have transgressed and have rebelled: thou hast not pardoned.

⁴³ Thou hast covered with anger, and persecuted us: thou hast slain, thou hast not pitied.

⁴⁴ Thou hast covered thyself with a cloud, that our prayer should not pass through.

⁴⁵ Thou hast made us as the offscouring and refuse in the midst of the people.

⁴⁶ All our enemies have opened their mouths against us.

⁴⁷ Fear and a snare is come upon us, desolation and destruction.

⁴⁸ My eye runneth down with rivers of water for the destruction of the daughter of my people.

⁴⁹ My eye trickleth down, and ceaseth not, without any intermission,

⁵⁰ Till the LORD shall look down, and behold from heaven.

⁵¹ My eye affecteth my heart because of all the daughters of my city.

⁵² My enemies chased me fiercely, like a bird without cause.

⁵³ They have cut off my life in the dungeon, and cast a stone upon me.

⁵⁴ Waters flowed over my head; then I said, I am cut off.

⁵⁵ I called upon thy name, O LORD, out of the low dungeon.

⁵⁶ Thou hast heard my voice: hide not thy ear at my breathing, at my cry.

⁵⁷ Thou drewest near in the day that I called upon thee: thou saidst, Fear not.

⁵⁸ O Lord, thou hast pleaded the causes of my soul; thou hast redeemed my life.

⁵⁹ O LORD, thou hast seen my wrong: judge thou my cause.

⁶⁰ Thou hast seen all their vengeance and all their imaginations against me.

⁶¹ Thou hast heard their reproach, O LORD, and all their imaginations against me;

⁶² The lips of those that rose up against me, and their device against me all the day.

⁶³ Behold their sitting down, and their rising up; I am their music.

⁶⁴ Render to them a recompense, O LORD, according to the work of their hands.

⁶⁵ Give them sorrow of heart, thy curse to them.

⁶⁶ Persecute and destroy them in anger from under the heavens of the LORD.

¹ Praise ye the LORD. O give thanks to the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.

² Who can utter the mighty acts of the LORD? who can show forth all his praise?

³ Blessed are they that keep judgment, and he that doeth righteousness at all times.

⁴ Remember me, O LORD, with the favor that thou bearest to thy people: O visit me with thy salvation;

⁵ That I may see the good of thy chosen, that I may rejoice in the gladness of thy nation, that I may glory with thy inheritance.

⁶ We have sinned with our fathers, we have committed iniquity, we have done wickedly.

⁷ Our fathers understood not thy wonders in Egypt; they remembered not the multitude of thy mercies; but provoked him at the sea, even at the Red sea.

⁸ Nevertheless he saved them for his name's sake, that he might make his mighty power to be known.

⁹ He rebuked the Red sea also, and it was dried up: so he led them through the depths, as through the wilderness.

¹⁰ And he saved them from the hand of him that hated them, and redeemed them from the hand of the enemy.

¹¹ And the waters covered their enemies: there was not one of them left.

¹² Then they believed his words; they sang his praise.

¹³ They soon forgot his works; they waited not for his counsel:

¹⁴ But lusted exceedingly in the wilderness, and tempted God in the desert.

¹⁵ And he gave them their request; but sent leanness into their soul.

¹⁶ They envied Moses also in the camp, and Aaron the saint of the LORD.

¹⁷ The earth opened and swallowed up Dathan, and covered the company of Abiram.

¹⁸ And a fire was kindled in their company; the flame burned up the wicked.

¹⁹ They made a calf in Horeb, and worshiped the molten image.

²⁰ Thus they changed their glory into the similitude of an ox that eateth grass.

²¹ They forgot God their savior, who had done great things in Egypt;

²² Wondrous works in the land of Ham, and terrible things by the Red sea.

²³ Therefore he said that he would destroy them, had not Moses his chosen stood before him in the breach, to turn away his wrath, lest he should destroy them.

²⁴ Yes, they despised the pleasant land, they believed not his word:

²⁵ But murmured in their tents, and hearkened not to the voice of the LORD.

²⁶ Therefore he lifted up his hand against them, to overthrow them in the wilderness:

²⁷ To overthrow their seed also among the nations, and to scatter them in the lands.

²⁸ They joined themselves also to Baal-peor, and ate the sacrifices of the dead.

²⁹ Thus they provoked him to anger with their inventions: and the plague broke in upon them.

³⁰ Then stood up Phinehas, and executed judgment: and so the plague was stayed.

³¹ And that was counted to him for righteousness to all generations for ever.

³² They angered him also at the waters of strife, so that it went ill with Moses for their sakes:

³³ Because they provoked his spirit, so that he spoke unadvisedly with his lips.

³⁴ They did not destroy the nations, concerning whom the LORD commanded them:

³⁵ But were mingled among the heathen, and learned their works.

³⁶ And they served their idols: which were a snare to them.

³⁷ Yes, they sacrificed their sons and their daughters to demons,

³⁸ And shed innocent blood, even the blood of their sons and of their daughters, whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan: and the land was polluted with blood.

³⁹ Thus were they defiled with their own works, and went astray with their own inventions.

⁴⁰ Therefore was the wrath of the LORD kindled against his people, insomuch that he abhorred his own inheritance.

⁴¹ And he gave them into the hand of the heathen; and they that hated them ruled over them.

⁴² Their enemies also oppressed them, and they were brought into subjection under their hand.

⁴³ Many times did he deliver them; but they provoked him with their counsel; and were brought low for their iniquity.

⁴⁴ Nevertheless he regarded their affliction, when he heard their cry:

⁴⁵ And he remembered for them his covenant, and repented according to the multitude of his mercies.

⁴⁶ He made them also to be pitied by all those that carried them captives.

⁴⁷ Save us, O LORD our God, and gather us from among the heathen, to give thanks to thy holy name, and to triumph in thy praise.

⁴⁸ Blessed be the LORD God of Israel from everlasting to everlasting: and let all the people say, Amen. Praise ye the LORD.