This chapter is an acrostic poem; the verses of each stanza begin with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet, and the verses within each stanza begin with the same letter. 1I am the man who has seen affliction
by the rod of the Lord’s wrath.
2He has driven me away and made me walk
in darkness rather than light;
3indeed, he has turned his hand against me
again and again, all day long.
4He has made my skin and my flesh grow old
and has broken my bones.
5He has besieged me and surrounded me
with bitterness and hardship.
6He has made me dwell in darkness
like those long dead.
7He has walled me in so I cannot escape;
he has weighed me down with chains.
8Even when I call out or cry for help,
he shuts out my prayer.
9He has barred my way with blocks of stone;
he has made my paths crooked.
10Like a bear lying in wait,
like a lion in hiding,
11he dragged me from the path and mangled me
and left me without help.
12He drew his bow
and made me the target for his arrows.
13He pierced my heart
with arrows from his quiver.
14I became the laughingstock of all my people;
they mock me in song all day long.
15He has filled me with bitter herbs
and given me gall to drink.
16He has broken my teeth with gravel;
he has trampled me in the dust.
17I have been deprived of peace;
I have forgotten what prosperity is.
18So I say, “My splendor is gone
and all that I had hoped from the Lord.”
19I remember my affliction and my wandering,
the bitterness and the gall.
20I well remember them,
and my soul is downcast within me.
21Yet this I call to mind
and therefore I have hope:
22Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.
23They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
24I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion;
therefore I will wait for him.”
25The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him,
to the one who seeks him;
26it is good to wait quietly
for the salvation of the Lord.
27It is good for a man to bear the yoke
while he is young.
28Let him sit alone in silence,
for the Lord has laid it on him.
29Let him bury his face in the dust—
there may yet be hope.
30Let him offer his cheek to one who would strike him,
and let him be filled with disgrace.
31For no one is cast off
by the Lord forever.
32Though he brings grief, he will show compassion,
so great is his unfailing love.
33For he does not willingly bring affliction
or grief to anyone.
34To crush underfoot
all prisoners in the land,
35to deny people their rights
before the Most High,
36to deprive them of justice—
would not the Lord see such things?
37Who can speak and have it happen
if the Lord has not decreed it?
38Is it not from the mouth of the Most High
that both calamities and good things come?
39Why should the living complain
when punished for their sins?
40Let us examine our ways and test them,
and let us return to the Lord.
41Let us lift up our hearts and our hands
to God in heaven, and say:
42“We have sinned and rebelled
and you have not forgiven.
43“You have covered yourself with anger and pursued us;
you have slain without pity.
44You have covered yourself with a cloud
so that no prayer can get through.
45You have made us scum and refuse
among the nations.
46“All our enemies have opened their mouths
wide against us.
47We have suffered terror and pitfalls,
ruin and destruction.”
48Streams of tears flow from my eyes
because my people are destroyed.
49My eyes will flow unceasingly,
without relief,
50until the Lord looks down
from heaven and sees.
51What I see brings grief to my soul
because of all the women of my city.
52Those who were my enemies without cause
hunted me like a bird.
53They tried to end my life in a pit
and threw stones at me;
54the waters closed over my head,
and I thought I was about to perish.
55I called on your name, Lord,
from the depths of the pit.
56You heard my plea: “Do not close your ears
to my cry for relief.”
57You came near when I called you,
and you said, “Do not fear.”
58You, Lord, took up my case;
you redeemed my life.
59Lord, you have seen the wrong done to me.
Uphold my cause!
60You have seen the depth of their vengeance,
all their plots against me.
61Lord, you have heard their insults,
all their plots against me—
62what my enemies whisper and mutter
against me all day long.
63Look at them! Sitting or standing,
they mock me in their songs.
64Pay them back what they deserve, Lord,
for what their hands have done.
65Put a veil over their hearts,
and may your curse be on them!
66Pursue them in anger and destroy them
from under the heavens of the Lord.
刑罚、悔改和盼望
1我在耶和华烈怒的杖下受尽痛苦。
2祂把我赶进黑暗，
使我不见光明，
3又屡屡攻击我，终日不断。
4祂使我皮肉枯槁，
祂折断我的骨头。
5祂使我四面受困，
尝尽痛苦艰辛。
6祂使我住在幽暗中，
像久已死去的人。
7祂围困我，使我无法逃脱，
祂给我戴上沉重的铜链。
8即使我哀哭呼求，
祂也掩耳不听。
9祂用凿好的石头阻挡我的去路，
使我的道路曲折难行。
10祂像埋伏的巨熊，
又像伺机突袭的猛狮，
11把我拖离大路，
将我撕成碎片，一片凄凉。
12祂弯弓搭箭，把我当箭靶，
13用箭袋中的箭射穿我的心脏。
14我成了万人的笑柄，
他们终日唱歌讽刺我。
15祂使我饱受苦楚，尝尽苦涩。
16祂用石头打断我的牙齿，
把我践踏在尘土中。
17我失去平安，
忘记了什么是快乐。
18我说：“我精疲力竭，
对耶和华失去盼望。”
19想起我的痛苦和漂泊流离，
就如苦艾和胆汁一样苦涩。
20那情景萦绕心头，
使我心情沉重。
21然而，我想起这事，
便有了盼望，
22就是耶和华的慈爱永不终止，
祂的怜悯永无穷尽。
23祂的慈爱和怜悯每天早晨都是新的，
祂的信实无比伟大！
24我心里知道，
耶和华是我的产业，
我要仰望祂。
25耶和华必赐福给那些等候和寻求祂的人，
26因此，默然等候耶和华的拯救是美好的。
27年轻时负轭受苦是有益的。
28受耶和华管教时，
要默然独坐。
29要谦卑，脸伏于地，
或许还有希望。
30要任人打脸，甘心忍受凌辱。
31因为主不会永远撇弃人。
32主尽管使人忧伤，
祂依然怜悯人，
因为祂有无限的慈爱。
33祂不愿使人忧伤、痛苦。
34将囚犯踩在脚下，
35在至高者面前冤枉他人，
36审理案件时颠倒是非，
都是主所不容许的。
37若非主许可，
谁的话可以兑现呢？
38祸福岂不都出自至高者的口吗？
39世人因自己的罪受罚，
又何必怨天尤人呢？
40我们要省察自己的行为，
重新归向耶和华。
41让我们举起双手，
诚心向天上的上帝祷告说：
42“我们犯罪、背叛，
你没有赦免我们。
43“你满怀愤怒地追赶我们，
毫不留情地杀戮我们。
44你以密云遮盖自己，
以致祷告达不到你那里。
45你使我们在列国中沦为废物、渣滓。
46“我们的仇敌都幸灾乐祸。
47我们充满恐惧，
面临陷阱、残害和毁灭。”
48因同胞被毁灭，我泪流成河。
49我的眼泪涌流不息，
50直到耶和华从天上垂顾。
51目睹城中妇女的遭遇，
我痛苦不已。
52敌人无故地追捕我，
如同捕猎飞鸟。
53他们把我推进坑里，
又用石头砸我。
54水已经漫过我的头，
我想我要灭亡了。
55耶和华啊，
我在深渊呼求你的名。
56你曾垂听我的呼求，
求你现在不要掩耳不听我的祈祷。
57我向你呼求的时候，
你曾走近我身旁，
安慰我说：“不用害怕！”
58主啊，你为我申了冤，
救赎了我的性命。
59耶和华啊，你已明察我的冤情，
求你为我主持公道。
60你看见了他们怎样仇恨我、
谋害我。
61你听见了他们怎样辱骂我、
谋害我。
62他们整天诽谤我，图谋害我。
63你看！他们或坐下或起来，
都唱歌讽刺我。
64耶和华啊，
求你按照他们的所作所为报应他们！
65求你使他们心里顽固，
好让你的咒诅落在他们身上！
66求你发怒追赶他们，
从世上铲除他们！
