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.
13:1 Yob 19:21; Zab 88:7Nze muntu eyakangavvulwa
n’omuggo ogw’obusungu bwe.
23:2 Yer 4:23Angobye mu maaso ge n’antambuliza
mu kizikiza, awatali kitangaala;
33:3 Is 5:25ddala, omukono gwe gunnwanyisizza
emirundi egiddiriŋŋanwa olunaku lwonna.
43:4 Zab 51:8; Is 38:13; Yer 50:17Akaddiyizza omubiri gwange n’eddiba lyange
era amenye n’amagumba gange.
53:5 a nny 19 b Yer 23:15Antaayizza n’anzijuza
obulumi n’okubonaabona.
63:6 Zab 88:5-6Antadde mu kizikiza
ng’abafu abaafa edda.
73:7 a Yob 3:23 b Yer 40:4Ankomedde n’okuyinza ne siyinza kudduka,
ansibye enjegere ezizitowa.
83:8 Yob 30:20; Zab 22:2Ne bwe mukoowoola ne mukaabira nga mmusaba anyambe,
okusaba kwange akuggalira bweru.
93:9 Is 63:17; Kos 2:6Anteeredde amayinja mu kkubo lyange
era akyamizza amakubo gange.
10Ng’eddubu bwe liteega,
n’empologoma bwe yeekweka
113:11 Kos 6:1yansikambula n’anziggya mu kkubo lyange n’antaagulataagula
n’andeka awo nga sirina anyamba.
123:12 a Kgb 2:4 b Yob 7:20 c Zab 7:12-13; 38:2Yanaanuula omutego gwe,
n’anteekawo okuba ssabbaawa ey’obusaale bwe.
133:13 Yob 6:4Yafumita omutima gwange
n’obusaale okuva mu mufuko gwe.
143:14 a Yer 20:7 b Yob 30:9Nafuuka ekisekererwa eri abantu bonna,
era bannyooma nga bannyimbirira okuzibya obudde.
153:15 Yer 9:15Anzijuzza ebikaawa
era ampadde ekikompe eky’obubalagaze nkinywe.
163:16 Nge 20:17Ampadde oluyinjayinja okululya amannyo gange ne gamenyeka;
anninnyiridde mu nfuufu.
17Emmeeme yange terina mirembe,
n’okujjukira sijjukira bugagga bwe bufaanana.
183:18 Yob 17:15Era njogera nti, “Ekitiibwa kyange kigenze,
n’essuubi lyonna lye nalina mu Mukama limpeddeko.”
19Nzijukira okubonaabona kwange n’okuwankawanka kwange,
n’obulumi n’obubalagaze.
203:20 a Zab 42:5 b Zab 42:11Mbijjukira bulungi
era bwe mbirowoozaako omutima gwange gulumwa.
21Ebyo byonna mbijjukira,
kyenvudde mbeera n’essuubi.
223:22 Zab 78:38; Mal 3:6Olw’okwagala kwa Mukama okutaggwaawo,
tetulimalibwawo, kubanga ekisa kye tekiggwaawo.
233:23 Zef 3:5Buli lukya ekisa kyo kiba kiggya;
n’obwesigwa bwo bwa lubeerera.
243:24 Zab 16:5Njogera mu mutima gwange nti, “Mukama gwe mugabo gwange,
kyenaava mbeera n’essuubi mu ye.”
253:25 Is 25:9; 30:18Mukama mulungi eri abo abamulinamu essuubi,
eri oyo amunoonya.
263:26 Zab 37:7; 40:1Kirungi omuntu okulindirira
obulokozi bwa Mukama n’obukkakkamu.
27Kirungi omuntu okwetikka ekikoligo kye
mu buvubuka bwe.
283:28 Yer 15:17Atuulenga yekka mu kasirise
kubanga Mukama y’akimwambiseemu.
293:29 Yer 31:17Leka akweke amaaso ge mu nfuufu, mpozi wanaabaawo essuubi.
303:30 Yob 16:10; Is 50:6Leka aweeyo oluba lwe okukubibwa,
era amalibwe n’okuvumibwa.
313:31 Zab 94:14; Is 54:7Kubanga Mukama taligobera bantu bweru
ebbanga lyonna.
323:32 Zab 78:38; Kos 11:8Newaakubadde ng’aleeta obulumi, aliraga ekisa
kubanga okwagala kwe kungi nnyo tekuggwaawo.
333:33 Ez 33:11Tagenderera kuleeta bulumi
newaakubadde okubonaabona ku baana ba bantu.
34Mukama akkiriziganya
n’okulinnyirira abasibe,
35n’okuggyako omuntu obwetwaze bwe
mu maaso g’Oyo Ali Waggulu Ennyo,
363:36 Yer 22:3; Kbk 1:13oba n’obutaba na bwenkanya eri omuntu?
373:37 Zab 33:9-11Ani ayinza okwogera ekintu ne kituukirira,
Mukama nga takiragidde?
383:38 Yob 2:10; Is 45:7; Yer 32:42Mu kamwa k’oyo Ali Waggulu Ennyo,
si mmwe muva ebigambo eby’okubeerwa n’eby’okubonereza?
393:39 Yer 30:15; Mi 7:9Lwaki omuntu omulamu yeemulugunya,
bw’abonerezebwa olw’ebibi bye?
403:40 a 2Ko 13:5 b Zab 119:59; 139:23-24Twekebere engeri zaffe, era tuzeetegereze,
tudde eri Mukama.
413:41 Zab 25:1; 28:2Tuyimuse emitima gyaffe n’emikono gyaffe
eri Katonda mu ggulu, twogere nti,
423:42 a Dan 9:5 b Yer 5:7-9“Twayonoona ne tujeema,
tokyerabiranga era tonatusonyiwa.
433:43 Kgb 2:2, 17, 21“Ojjudde obusungu n’otugobaganya,
n’otutta awatali kutusaasira.
443:44 a Zab 97:2 b nny 8Weebisseeko ekire,
waleme okubaawo okusaba n’okumu okutuuka gy’oli.
453:45 1Ko 4:13Otufudde obusa n’ebisasiro
mu mawanga.
463:46 Kgb 2:16“Abalabe baffe bonna batwogerako
ebigambo ebibi.
473:47 a Yer 48:43 b Is 24:17-18; 51:19Tubonyeebonye olw’entiisa n’emitego
n’okunyagibwa n’okuzikirizibwa.”
483:48 a Kgb 1:16 b Kgb 2:11Amaaso gange gakulukuta emigga gy’amaziga
olw’okuzikirira kw’abantu bange.
493:49 Yer 14:17Era amaaso gange ganeeyongeranga okukulukuta amaziga
awatali kusirika,
503:50 Is 63:15okutuusa Mukama lw’alisinzira
mu ggulu n’alaba.
51Bye ndaba bireeta ennaku ku mutima gwange,
olw’ebyo ebyatuuka ku bawala b’ekibuga kyange.
523:52 Zab 35:7Abalabe bange banjigganya olutata
ne baba ng’abayigga ennyonyi.
533:53 Yer 37:16Bagezaako okuzikiririza obulamu bwange mu bunnya,
ne bankasuukirira amayinja;
543:54 Zab 69:2; Yon 2:3-5amazzi gaabikka omutwe gwange,
ne ndowooza nti, nsanyeewo.
553:55 Zab 130:1; Yon 2:2“Nakoowoola erinnya lyo, Ayi Mukama,
nga ndi mu bunnya wansi ennyo;
563:56 Zab 55:1wawulira okwegayirira kwange: toziba matu go
eri okukaaba kwange.”
573:57 Is 41:10Bwe nakukoowoola wansemberera
n’oyogera nti, “Totya!”
583:58 a Yer 51:36 b Zab 34:22; Yer 50:34Mukama watunula mu nsonga yange,
era n’onunula obulamu bwange.
593:59 Yer 18:19-20Ayi Mukama, walaba ebibi bye bankola,
obasalire omusango nga bwe kibagwanira.
603:60 Yer 11:20; 18:18Walaba bwe bampalana,
n’enkwe zaabwe zonna ze bansalira.
61Wawulira bye banvuma, Ayi Mukama Katonda,
n’enkwe zaabwe zonna ze bansalira,
623:62 Ez 36:3obwama n’ebirowoozo eby’abalabe bange
bye bantesaako obudde okuziba.
63Batunuulire mu kutuula kwabwe ne mu kuyimirira kwabwe;
bannyooma nga bwe bannyimbirira.
643:64 Zab 28:4Obasasule nga bwe kibagwanira Ayi Mukama Katonda,
olw’ebikolwa eby’emikono gyabwe.
653:65 Is 6:10Osseeko ekibikka ku mitima gyabwe,
n’ekikolimo kyo kibabeereko.
66Obayigganye mu busungu bwo obazikirize
ng’osinziira mu ggulu lya Mukama Katonda.
