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.
刑罰、悔改和盼望
1我在耶和華烈怒的杖下受盡痛苦。
2祂把我趕進黑暗，
使我行路不見光明，
3又屢屢攻擊我，終日不斷。
4祂使我皮肉枯槁，
祂折斷我的骨頭。
5祂使我四面受困，
嘗盡痛苦艱辛。
6祂使我住在幽暗中，
像久已死去的人。
7祂圍困我，使我無法逃脫，
祂給我戴上沉重的鎖鏈。
8即使我哀哭呼求，
祂也掩耳不聽。
9祂用鑿好的石頭阻擋我的去路，
使我的道路曲折難行。
10祂像埋伏的巨熊，
又像伺機突襲的猛獅，
11把我拖離大路，
撕成碎片，使我一片淒涼。
12祂彎弓搭箭，把我當箭靶。
13祂用箭袋中的箭射穿我的心臟。
14我成了萬民的笑柄，
他們終日唱歌諷刺我。
15祂使我飽受苦楚，嘗盡苦澀。
16祂用石子硌斷我的牙齒，
把我踐踏在塵土中。
17你使我失去平安，
忘記了什麼是福樂。
18我說：「我精疲力竭，
對耶和華失去盼望。」
19想起我的痛苦和漂泊流離，
就如苦艾和膽汁一樣苦澀。
20那情景縈繞心頭，
使我心情沉重。
21然而，我想起這事，
便有了盼望，
22因為耶和華的慈愛永不終止，
祂的憐憫永無窮盡。
23祂的慈愛和憐憫每天早晨都是新的，
祂的信實無比偉大！
24我心裡知道，
耶和華是我的福分，
我要仰望祂。
25耶和華必恩待那些等候和尋求祂的人，
26因此，默然等候耶和華的拯救是美好的。
27年輕時負軛受苦是有益的。
28受耶和華管教時，
要默然獨坐。
29要謙卑地臉伏於地，
或許還有希望。
30要任人打臉，甘受凌辱。
31因為主不會永遠撇棄人。
32主儘管使人憂傷，
祂依然憐憫人，
因為祂有豐盛的慈愛。
33祂不願使人憂傷、痛苦。
34將囚犯踩在腳下，
35在至高者面前冤枉他人，
36審理案件時顛倒是非，
都是主所不容許的。
37若非主發命令，
誰能說成就成呢？
38禍福豈不都出自至高者的口嗎？
39世人因自己的罪受罰，
又何必怨天尤人呢？
40讓我們省察自己的行為，
重新歸向耶和華吧！
41讓我們舉起雙手，
誠心向天上的上帝禱告說：
42「我們犯罪、背叛，
你沒有赦免我們。
43「你滿懷憤怒地追趕我們，
毫不留情地殺戮我們。
44你以密雲遮蓋自己，
以致禱告達不到你那裡。
45你使我們在列國中淪為廢物、渣滓。
46「我們的仇敵都幸災樂禍。
47我們充滿恐懼，
面臨陷阱、殘害和毀滅。」
48因同胞被毀滅，我淚流成河。
49我的眼淚湧流不息，
50直到耶和華從天上垂顧。
51目睹城中婦女的遭遇，
我痛苦不已。
52敵人無故地追捕我，
如同捕獵飛鳥。
53他們把我推進坑裡，
又用石頭砸我。
54水已經漫過我的頭，
我想我要滅亡了。
55耶和華啊，
我在深坑呼求你的名。
56你曾垂聽我的呼求，
求你現在不要掩耳不聽我的求救聲。
57我向你呼求的時候，
你曾走近我身旁，
安慰我說：「不要害怕！」
58主啊，你為我申了冤，
救贖了我的性命。
59耶和華啊，你已明察我的冤情，
求你為我主持公道。
60你看見了他們怎樣仇恨我、
謀害我。
61耶和華啊，
你聽見了他們怎樣辱罵我、
謀害我。
62他們整天誹謗我，圖謀害我。
63你看！他們或坐下或起來，
都唱歌諷刺我。
64耶和華啊，
求你按照他們的所作所為報應他們！
65求你使他們心裡剛硬，
讓你的咒詛落在他們身上！
66求你發怒追趕他們，
從你諸天之下剷除他們！
