⁴ As for me, is my outcry against man? is it then to be wondered at if my spirit is troubled?

⁹ And Moses said these words to the children of Israel, but they gave no attention to him, because of the grief of their spirit and the cruel weight of their work.

² I put all my sorrows before him; and made clear to him all my trouble.

³ When my spirit is overcome, your eyes are on my goings; nets have been secretly placed in the way in which I go.

¹ <A Prayer of the man who is in trouble, when he is overcome, and puts his grief before the Lord.> Give ear to my prayer, O Lord, and let my cry come to you.

³ I will keep God in memory, with sounds of grief; my thoughts are troubled, and my spirit is overcome. (Selah.)

⁴ You keep my eyes from sleep; I am so troubled that no words come.

⁵ My thoughts go back to the days of the past, to the years which are gone.

⁶ The memory of my song comes back to me in the night; my thoughts are moving in my heart; my spirit is searching with care.

⁷ Will the Lord put me away for ever? will he be kind no longer?

⁸ Is his mercy quite gone for ever? has his word come to nothing?

⁹ Has God put away the memory of his pity? are his mercies shut up by his wrath? (Selah.)

¹¹ Why are you crushed down, O my soul? and why are you troubled in me? put your hope in God; for I will again give him praise who is my help and my God.

¹ <To the chief music-maker on Aijeleth-hash-shahar. A Psalm. Of David.> My God, my God, why are you turned away from me? why are you so far from helping me, and from the words of my crying?

² O my God, I make my cry in the day, and you give no answer; and in the night, and have no rest.

³ But you are holy, O you who are seated among the praises of Israel.

¹ My soul is tired of life; I will let my sad thoughts go free in words; my soul will make a bitter outcry.

² I will say to God, Do not put me down as a sinner; make clear to me what you have against me.

¹¹ So I will not keep my mouth shut; I will let the words come from it in the pain of my spirit, my soul will make a bitter outcry.

¹² Am I a sea, or a sea-beast, that you put a watch over me?

¹³ When I say, In my bed I will have comfort, there I will get rest from my disease;

¹⁴ Then you send dreams to me, and visions of fear;

¹⁵ So that a hard death seems better to my soul than my pains.

¹⁶ I have no desire for life, I would not be living for ever! Keep away from me, for my days are as a breath.

¹⁷ What is man, that you have made him great, and that your attention is fixed on him,

¹⁸ And that your hand is on him every morning, and that you are testing him every minute?

¹⁹ How long will it be before your eyes are turned away from me, so that I may have a minute's breathing-space?

²⁰ If I have done wrong, what have I done to you, O keeper of men? why have you made me a mark for your blows, so that I am a weariness to myself?

²¹ And why do you not take away my sin, and let my wrongdoing be ended? for now I go down to the dust, and you will be searching for me with care, but I will be gone.

¹¹ Have I strength to go on waiting, or have I any end to be looking forward to?

²⁶ And when the king of Israel was going by on the wall, a woman came crying out to him, and said, Help! my lord king.

²⁷ And he said, If the Lord does not give you help, where am I to get help for you? from the grain-floor or the grape-crusher?

¹⁶ Do not take your servant to be a good-for-nothing woman: for my words have come from my stored-up sorrow and pain.

³⁸ Then says he to them, My soul is very sad, even to death: keep watch with me here.