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3:1  I am a man who has seen the suffering that comes from the rod of the Lord’s anger.
3:2  He led me into darkness, not light.
3:3  He turned his hand against me again and again, all day long.
3:4  He wore out my flesh and skin and broke my bones.
3:5  He surrounded me with sadness and attacked me with grief.
3:6  He made me sit in the dark, like those who have been dead a long time.
3:7  He shut me in so I could not get out; he put heavy chains on me.
3:8  I cry out and beg for help, but he ignores my prayer.
3:9  He blocked my way with a stone wall and led me in the wrong direction.
3:10  He is like a bear ready to attack me, like a lion in hiding.
3:11  He led me the wrong way and let me stray and left me without help.
3:12  He prepared to shoot his bow and made me the target for his arrows.
3:13  He shot me in the kidneys with the arrows from his bag.
3:14  I was a joke to all my people, who make fun of me with songs all day long.
3:15  The Lord filled me with misery; he made me drunk with suffering.
3:16  He broke my teeth with gravel and trampled me into the dirt.
3:17  I have no more peace. I have forgotten what happiness is.
3:18  I said, “My strength is gone, and I have no hope in the Lord.”
3:19  Lord, remember my suffering and my misery, my sorrow and trouble.
3:20  Please remember me and think about me.
3:21  But I have hope when I think of this:
3:22  The Lord’s love never ends; his mercies never stop.
3:23  They are new every morning; Lord, your loyalty is great.
3:24  I say to myself, “The Lord is mine, so I hope in him.”
3:25  The Lord is good to those who hope in him, to those who seek him.
3:26  It is good to wait quietly for the Lord to save.
3:27  It is good for someone to work hard while he is young.
3:28  He should sit alone and be quiet; the Lord has given him hard work to do.
3:29  He should bow down to the ground; maybe there is still hope.
3:30  He should let anyone slap his cheek; he should be filled with shame.
3:31  The Lord will not reject his people forever.
3:32  Although he brings sorrow, he also has mercy and great love.
3:33  He does not like to punish people or make them sad.
3:34  He sees if any prisoner of the earth is crushed under his feet;
3:35  he sees if someone is treated unfairly before the Most High God;
3:36  the Lord sees if someone is cheated in his case in court.
3:37  Nobody can speak and have it happen unless the Lord commands it.
3:38  Both bad and good things come by the command of the Most High God.
3:39  No one should complain when he is punished for his sins.
3:40  Let us examine and see what we have done and then return to the Lord.
3:41  Let us lift up our hands and pray from our hearts to God in heaven:
3:42  “We have sinned and turned against you, and you have not forgiven us.
3:43  “You wrapped yourself in anger and chased us; you killed us without mercy.
3:44  You wrapped yourself in a cloud, and no prayer could get through.
3:45  You made us like scum and trash among the other nations.
3:46  “All of our enemies open their mouths and speak against us.
3:47  We have been frightened and fearful, ruined and destroyed.”
3:48  Streams of tears flow from my eyes, because my people are destroyed.
3:49  My tears flow continually, without stopping,
3:50  until the Lord looks down and sees from heaven.
3:51  I am sad when I see what has happened to all the women of my city.
3:52  Those who are my enemies for no reason hunted me like a bird.
3:53  They tried to kill me in a pit; they threw stones at me.
3:54  Water came up over my head, and I said, “I am going to die.”
3:55  I called out to you, Lord, from the bottom of the pit.
3:56  You heard me calling, “Do not close your ears and ignore my gasps and shouts.”
3:57  You came near when I called to you; you said, “Don’t be afraid.”
3:58  Lord, you have taken my case and given me back my life.
3:59  Lord, you have seen how I have been wronged. Now judge my case for me.
3:60  You have seen how my enemies took revenge on me and made evil plans against me.
3:61  Lord, you have heard their insults and all their evil plans against me.
3:62  The words and thoughts of my enemies are against me all the time.
3:63  Look! In everything they do they make fun of me with songs.
3:64  Pay them back, Lord, for what they have done.
3:65  Make them stubborn, and put your curse on them.
3:66  Chase them in anger, Lord, and destroy them from under your heavens.