The Prayer of a Sufferer[a]
2 You have wounded me with your arrows;
you have struck me down.
my whole body is diseased because of my sins.
4 I am drowning in the flood of my sins;
they are a burden too heavy to bear.
my sores stink and rot.
6 I am bent over, I am crushed;
I mourn all day long.
7 I am burning with fever
and I am near death.
8 I am worn out and utterly crushed;
my heart is troubled, and I groan with pain.
you hear all my groans.
10 My heart is pounding, my strength is gone,
and my eyes have lost their brightness.
11 My friends and neighbors will not come near me,
because of my sores;
even my family keeps away from me.
12 Those who want to kill me lay traps for me,
and those who want to hurt me threaten to ruin me;
they never stop plotting against me.
like the dumb and cannot speak.
14 I am like those who do not answer,
because they cannot hear.
and you, O Lord my God, will answer me.
16 Don’t let my enemies gloat over my distress;
don’t let them boast about my downfall!
17 I am about to fall
and am in constant pain.
they fill me with anxiety.
19 My enemies are healthy and strong;
there are many who hate me for no reason.
20 Those who pay back evil for good
are against me because I try to do right.
do not stay away, my God!
22 Help me now, O Lord my savior!
Footnotes
- Psalm 38:1 HEBREW TITLE: A psalm by David; a lament.