1I am a man who has suffered greatly.
The Lord has used the Babylonians
to punish my people.
2He has driven me away. He has made me walk
in darkness instead of light.
3He has turned his powerful hand against me.
He has done it again and again, all day long.
4He has worn out my body.
He has broken my bones.
5He has surrounded me and attacked me.
He has made me suffer bitterly.
He has made things hard for me.
6He has made me live in darkness
like those who are dead and gone.
7He has built walls around me, so I can’t escape.
He has put heavy chains on me.
8I call out and cry for help.
But he won’t listen to me when I pray.
9He has put up a stone wall to block my way.
He has made my paths crooked.
10He has been like a bear waiting to attack me.
He has been like a lion hiding in the bushes.
11He has dragged me off the path.
He has torn me to pieces.
And he has left me helpless.
12He has gotten his bow ready to use.
He has shot his arrows at me.
13The arrows from his bag
have gone through my heart.
14My people laugh at me all the time.
They sing and make fun of me all day long.
15The Lord has made my life bitter.
He has made me suffer bitterly.
16He made me chew stones that broke my teeth.
He has walked all over me in the dust.
17I have lost all hope of ever having any peace.
I’ve forgotten what good times are like.
18So I say, “My glory has faded away.
My hope in the Lord is gone.”
19I remember how I suffered and wandered.
I remember how bitter my life was.
20I remember it very well.
My spirit is very sad deep down inside me.
21But here is something else I remember.
And it gives me hope.
22The Lord loves us very much.
So we haven’t been completely destroyed.
His loving concern never fails.
23His great love is new every morning.
Lord, how faithful you are!
24I say to myself, “The Lord is everything I will ever need.
So I will put my hope in him.”
25The Lord is good to those who put their hope in him.
He is good to those who look to him.
26It is good when people wait quietly
for the Lord to save them.
27It is good for a man to carry a heavy load of suffering
while he is young.
28Let him sit alone and not say anything.
The Lord has placed that load on him.
29Let him bury his face in the dust.
There might still be hope for him.
30Let him turn his cheek toward those who would slap him.
Let him be filled with shame.
31The Lord doesn’t turn his back
on people forever.
32He might bring suffering.
But he will also show loving concern.
How great his faithful love is!
33He doesn’t want to bring pain
or suffering to anyone.
34Every time people crush prisoners under their feet,
the Lord knows all about it.
35When people refuse to give someone what they should,
the Most High God knows it.
36When people don’t treat someone fairly,
the Lord knows it.
37Suppose people order something to happen.
It won’t happen unless the Lord has planned it.
38Troubles and good things alike come to people
because the Most High God has commanded them to come.
39A person who is still alive shouldn’t blame God
when God punishes them for their sins.
40Let’s take a good look at the way we’re living.
Let’s return to the Lord.
41Let’s lift up our hands to God in heaven.
Let’s pray to him with all our hearts.
42Let’s say, “We have sinned.
We’ve refused to obey you.
And you haven’t forgiven us.
43“You have covered yourself with the cloud of your anger.
You have chased us.
You have killed us without pity.
44You have covered yourself with the cloud of your anger.
Our prayers can’t get through to you.
45You have made us become like trash and garbage
among the nations.
46“All our enemies have opened their mouths wide
to swallow us up.
47We are terrified and trapped.
We are broken and destroyed.”
48Streams of tears flow from my eyes.
That’s because my people are destroyed.
49Tears will never stop flowing from my eyes.
My eyes can’t get any rest.
50I’ll weep until the Lord looks down from heaven.
I’ll cry until he notices my tears.
51What I see brings pain to my spirit.
All the women of my city are mourning.
52Those who were my enemies for no reason at all
hunted me down as if I were a bird.
53They tried to end my life
by throwing me into a deep pit.
They threw stones down at me.
54The water rose and covered my head.
I thought I was going to die.
55Lord, I called out to you.
I called out from the bottom of the pit.
56I prayed, “Please don’t close your ears
to my cry for help.”
And you heard my appeal.
57You came near when I called out to you.
You said, “Do not be afraid.”
58Lord, you stood up for me in court.
You saved my life and set me free.
59Lord, you have seen the wrong things
people have done to me.
Stand up for me again!
60You have seen how my enemies
have tried to get even with me.
You know all about their plans against me.
61Lord, you have heard them laugh at me.
You know all about their plans against me.
62You have heard my enemies
whispering among themselves.
They speak against me all day long.
63Just look at them sitting and standing there!
They sing and make fun of me.
64Lord, pay them back.
Punish them for what their hands have done.
65Cover their minds with a veil.
Put a curse on them!
66Lord, get angry with them and hunt them down.
Wipe them off the face of the earth.
Straf, smerte og håbløshed
1Afstraffelsen var hård, hans vrede imod mig stor.
2„Af sted med dig!” sagde han, og førte mig ind i det dybeste mørke.
3Angrebene haglede ned over mig, jeg oplevede hans straf dagen lang.
4Bedøvet ligger jeg med knuste knogler, min hud er flået i laser.
5Bitterhed og smerte er blevet min lod, han omringede mig og angreb fra alle sider.
6Bunden er nået, dødens mørke omslutter mig, som om jeg allerede lå i graven.
7Det føles, som om jeg er låst inde og lagt i lænker, jeg er ude af stand til at slippe fri.
8Desperat råber jeg om hjælp, men han har besluttet ikke at høre mine bønner.
9Der er ingen vej ud af mit fængsel, for enhver flugtvej er spærret af forhindringer.
10En løve lå på lur efter mig, en vild bjørn overfaldt mig.
11Enden var nær, for han trak af med mig og begyndte at flå mig i småstykker.
12Eller han var som en bueskytte, der brugte mig som skydeskive.
13Forfærdet så jeg hans pile komme flyvende og bore sig ind i mit hjerte.
14Folk lo blot ad mig, de sang spotteviser dagen lang.
15Frygteligt var det at drikke et bæger så fuldt af sorg og smerte.
16Gruset fyldte min mund, da han trykkede mig ned i jorden.
17Glemt er den glæde, jeg havde engang, og fred hører fortiden til.
18Grænsen for min udholdenhed er nået, jeg har mistet håbet om, at Herren vil redde mig.
Herrens trofasthed, nåde og almagt
19Hjemløs og ulykkelig ligger jeg her, jeg kan ikke holde ud at tænke på min smerte.
20Hver gang jeg tænker over det, bliver jeg dybt deprimeret.
21Håbet er dog ikke helt udslukt, for én ting holder jeg fast ved:
22Herrens trofasthed er stor, hans barmhjertighed er ikke brugt op.
23Hans trofasthed er stor, hans nåde er ny hver morgen.
24„Herren er min Gud,” siger jeg, „derfor vil jeg sætte min lid til ham.”
25Ingen, der søger Herren, bliver skuffet, han hjælper dem, der håber på hans svar.
26Imødese hans svar med tålmodighed, for før eller siden vil han gribe ind.
27I ungdommen må man lære at bære sit åg.3,27 Det omtalte åg er muligvis det at være i eksil under babyloniernes herredømme. Kun de helt unge vil opleve befrielsen 70 år senere.
28Ja, når Herren lægger sit åg på mig, må jeg acceptere det i stilhed.
29Jeg vil bøje mig for ham i ydmyghed, for der er stadig håb om redning.
30Jeg vil vende den anden kind til og tage imod alle fjendens fornærmelser.
31Lidelsen varer ikke ved, for Herren forkaster os ikke for evigt.
32Leder han os ind i sorg og smerte, viser han os bagefter nåde og barmhjertighed.
33Lad ingen tro, at han glæder sig over at straffe vores ulydighed.
34Mon Herren ikke ser, når et land mishandler sine fanger?
35Mon Herren ikke ser, når nogen dømmes uretfærdigt?
36Mon Herren ikke ser, når et menneske fratages sine rettigheder?
37Nogle tror, at de handler i egen kraft, men Herren står bag det.
38Når vi oplever velsignelse eller bliver straffet, kommer begge dele fra Herren.
39Nu kan vi lige så godt se i øjnene, at vi straffes for vore egne synder.
Omvendelse og syndserkendelse
40Oprigtig selverkendelse er nødvendig, lad os erkende vores synd og bede om nåde.
41Og lad os så løfte vore hjerter og hænder og råbe til Gud i Himlen.
42Oprørskhed førte os ud i store synder, som Herren var nødt til at straffe.
43På grund af vore synder blev du vred på os, du ramte os hårdt uden skånsel.
44Påkaldte vi dig i vore bønner, var det, som om du gemte dig bag en sky.
45Provokationen fra folkeslagene var ikke til at bære, de så på os som det værste skidt.
46Ringeagt og trusler var alt, hvad vi mødte fra alle vore fjender omkring os.
47Rædsel og angst fyldte vore hjerter, for hele vores verden blev lagt i ruiner.
48Reaktionen på mit folks ødelæggelse kunne ikke blive andet end en strøm af tårer.
49Strømmen af tårer, der flyder fra mine øjne, er ikke til at standse.
50Se i nåde til os, Herre, for kun du kan redde os.
51Synet af Jerusalems befolkning er en stadig smerte i min sjæl.
52Tænk på, hvordan fjenderne overfaldt mig, selv om jeg ikke havde gjort dem noget.
53Triumferende smed de mig i et dybt hul og overdængede mig med sten.
54Til sidst troede jeg, at alt var forbi, og jeg sagde: „Det er ude med mig!”
Bøn om hjælp og straf over fjenderne
55Uden noget af mit eget tilbage råbte jeg til dig, Herre.
56Udmattet og ussel skreg jeg om hjælp, og du hørte mine tryglende bønner.
57Uden at tøve kom du mig til hjælp og trøstede mig med et: „Vær ikke bange!”
58Ved at høre min bøn, Herre, har du reddet mit liv.
59Vær min dommer, Herre, og døm mine fjender for deres ondskab imod mig.
60Vend dig mod mine fjender, alle dem, der vendte sig mod mig.
61Øgenavne brugte de imod mig, Herre, du kender deres ondskabsfulde tanker.
62De håner mig dagen lang og lægger hele tiden nye planer imod mig.
63Hør, hvor de håner mig. Fra morgen til aften er jeg skydeskive for deres spot.
64Åh, Herre, de fortjener, at du straffer dem for alt det onde, de har gjort.
65Gør dem ude af sig selv af rædsel, udøs din forbandelse over dem.
66Forfølg dem i din vrede og udslet dem. Udryd dem fra jordens overflade.
