30 “But now they mock me,^(A)
    men younger than I,
whose fathers I would have disdained
    to put with my sheep dogs.^(B)
2 Of what use was the strength of their hands to me,
    since their vigor had gone from them?
³ Haggard from want and hunger,
    they roamed^[a] the parched land^(C)
    in desolate wastelands^(D) at night.^(E)
4 In the brush they gathered salt herbs,^(F)
    and their food^[b] was the root of the broom bush.^(G)
5 They were banished from human society,
    shouted at as if they were thieves.
⁶ They were forced to live in the dry stream beds,
    among the rocks and in holes in the ground.^(H)
7 They brayed^(I) among the bushes^(J)
    and huddled in the undergrowth.
⁸ A base and nameless brood,^(K)
    they were driven out of the land.^(L)

⁹ “And now those young men mock me^(M) in song;^(N)
    I have become a byword^(O) among them.
¹⁰ They detest me^(P) and keep their distance;
    they do not hesitate to spit in my face.^(Q)
11 Now that God has unstrung my bow^(R) and afflicted me,^(S)
    they throw off restraint^(T) in my presence.
¹² On my right^(U) the tribe^[c] attacks;
    they lay snares^(V) for my feet,^(W)
    they build their siege ramps against me.^(X)
13 They break up my road;^(Y)
    they succeed in destroying me.^(Z)
    ‘No one can help him,’ they say.
¹⁴ They advance as through a gaping breach;^(AA)
    amid the ruins they come rolling in.
¹⁵ Terrors^(AB) overwhelm me;^(AC)
    my dignity is driven away as by the wind,
    my safety vanishes like a cloud.^(AD)

¹⁶ “And now my life ebbs away;^(AE)
    days of suffering grip me.^(AF)
17 Night pierces my bones;
    my gnawing pains never rest.^(AG)
18 In his great power^(AH) God becomes like clothing to me^[d];
    he binds me like the neck of my garment.
¹⁹ He throws me into the mud,^(AI)
    and I am reduced to dust and ashes.^(AJ)

²⁰ “I cry out to you,^(AK) God, but you do not answer;^(AL)
    I stand up, but you merely look at me.
²¹ You turn on me ruthlessly;^(AM)
    with the might of your hand^(AN) you attack me.^(AO)
22 You snatch me up and drive me before the wind;^(AP)
    you toss me about in the storm.^(AQ)
23 I know you will bring me down to death,^(AR)
    to the place appointed for all the living.^(AS)

²⁴ “Surely no one lays a hand on a broken man^(AT)
    when he cries for help in his distress.^(AU)
25 Have I not wept for those in trouble?^(AV)
    Has not my soul grieved for the poor?^(AW)
26 Yet when I hoped for good, evil came;
    when I looked for light, then came darkness.^(AX)
27 The churning inside me never stops;^(AY)
    days of suffering confront me.^(AZ)
28 I go about blackened,^(BA) but not by the sun;
    I stand up in the assembly and cry for help.^(BB)
29 I have become a brother of jackals,^(BC)
    a companion of owls.^(BD)
30 My skin grows black^(BE) and peels;^(BF)
    my body burns with fever.^(BG)
31 My lyre is tuned to mourning,^(BH)
    and my pipe^(BI) to the sound of wailing.

31 “I made a covenant with my eyes^(A)
    not to look lustfully at a young woman.^(B)
2 For what is our lot^(C) from God above,
    our heritage from the Almighty on high?^(D)
3 Is it not ruin^(E) for the wicked,
    disaster^(F) for those who do wrong?^(G)
4 Does he not see my ways^(H)
    and count my every step?^(I)

⁵ “If I have walked with falsehood
    or my foot has hurried after deceit^(J)—
⁶ let God weigh me^(K) in honest scales^(L)
    and he will know that I am blameless^(M)—
⁷ if my steps have turned from the path,^(N)
    if my heart has been led by my eyes,
    or if my hands^(O) have been defiled,^(P)
8 then may others eat what I have sown,^(Q)
    and may my crops be uprooted.^(R)

⁹ “If my heart has been enticed^(S) by a woman,^(T)
    or if I have lurked at my neighbor’s door,
¹⁰ then may my wife grind^(U) another man’s grain,
    and may other men sleep with her.^(V)
11 For that would have been wicked,^(W)
    a sin to be judged.^(X)
12 It is a fire^(Y) that burns to Destruction^[a];^(Z)
    it would have uprooted my harvest.^(AA)

¹³ “If I have denied justice to any of my servants,^(AB)
    whether male or female,
    when they had a grievance against me,^(AC)
14 what will I do when God confronts me?^(AD)
    What will I answer when called to account?^(AE)
15 Did not he who made me in the womb make them?^(AF)
    Did not the same one form us both within our mothers?^(AG)

¹⁶ “If I have denied the desires of the poor^(AH)
    or let the eyes of the widow^(AI) grow weary,^(AJ)
17 if I have kept my bread to myself,
    not sharing it with the fatherless^(AK)—
¹⁸ but from my youth I reared them as a father would,
    and from my birth I guided the widow^(AL)—
¹⁹ if I have seen anyone perishing for lack of clothing,^(AM)
    or the needy^(AN) without garments,
²⁰ and their hearts did not bless me^(AO)
    for warming them with the fleece^(AP) from my sheep,
²¹ if I have raised my hand against the fatherless,^(AQ)
    knowing that I had influence in court,^(AR)
22 then let my arm fall from the shoulder,
    let it be broken off at the joint.^(AS)
23 For I dreaded destruction from God,^(AT)
    and for fear of his splendor^(AU) I could not do such things.^(AV)

²⁴ “If I have put my trust in gold^(AW)
    or said to pure gold, ‘You are my security,’^(AX)
25 if I have rejoiced over my great wealth,^(AY)
    the fortune my hands had gained,^(AZ)
26 if I have regarded the sun^(BA) in its radiance
    or the moon^(BB) moving in splendor,
²⁷ so that my heart was secretly enticed^(BC)
    and my hand offered them a kiss of homage,^(BD)
28 then these also would be sins to be judged,^(BE)
    for I would have been unfaithful to God on high.^(BF)

²⁹ “If I have rejoiced at my enemy’s misfortune^(BG)
    or gloated over the trouble that came to him^(BH)—
³⁰ I have not allowed my mouth to sin
    by invoking a curse against their life^(BI)—
³¹ if those of my household have never said,
    ‘Who has not been filled with Job’s meat?’^(BJ)—
³² but no stranger had to spend the night in the street,
    for my door was always open to the traveler^(BK)—
³³ if I have concealed^(BL) my sin as people do,^[b]
    by hiding^(BM) my guilt in my heart
³⁴ because I so feared the crowd^(BN)
    and so dreaded the contempt of the clans
    that I kept silent^(BO) and would not go outside—

³⁵ (“Oh, that I had someone to hear me!^(BP)
    I sign now my defense—let the Almighty answer me;
    let my accuser^(BQ) put his indictment in writing.
³⁶ Surely I would wear it on my shoulder,^(BR)
    I would put it on like a crown.^(BS)
37 I would give him an account of my every step;^(BT)
    I would present it to him as to a ruler.^(BU))—

³⁸ “if my land cries out against me^(BV)
    and all its furrows are wet^(BW) with tears,
³⁹ if I have devoured its yield without payment^(BX)
    or broken the spirit of its tenants,^(BY)
40 then let briers^(BZ) come up instead of wheat
    and stinkweed^(CA) instead of barley.”

⁵ For you have been my hope,^(I) Sovereign Lord,
    my confidence^(J) since my youth.
⁶ From birth^(K) I have relied on you;
    you brought me forth from my mother’s womb.^(L)
    I will ever praise^(M) you.
⁷ I have become a sign^(N) to many;
    you are my strong refuge.^(O)
8 My mouth^(P) is filled with your praise,
    declaring your splendor^(Q) all day long.

⁹ Do not cast^(R) me away when I am old;^(S)
    do not forsake^(T) me when my strength is gone.
¹⁰ For my enemies^(U) speak against me;
    those who wait to kill^(V) me conspire^(W) together.
¹¹ They say, “God has forsaken^(X) him;
    pursue him and seize him,
    for no one will rescue^(Y) him.”
¹² Do not be far^(Z) from me, my God;
    come quickly, God, to help^(AA) me.
¹³ May my accusers^(AB) perish in shame;^(AC)
    may those who want to harm me
    be covered with scorn and disgrace.^(AD)

¹⁴ As for me, I will always have hope;^(AE)
    I will praise you more and more.

¹⁵ My mouth will tell^(AF) of your righteous deeds,^(AG)
    of your saving acts all day long—
    though I know not how to relate them all.
¹⁶ I will come and proclaim your mighty acts,^(AH) Sovereign Lord;
    I will proclaim your righteous deeds, yours alone.
¹⁷ Since my youth, God, you have taught^(AI) me,
    and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds.^(AJ)
18 Even when I am old and gray,^(AK)
    do not forsake me, my God,
till I declare your power^(AL) to the next generation,
    your mighty acts to all who are to come.^(AM)

¹⁹ Your righteousness, God, reaches to the heavens,^(AN)
    you who have done great things.^(AO)
    Who is like you, God?^(AP)
20 Though you have made me see troubles,^(AQ)
    many and bitter,
    you will restore^(AR) my life again;
from the depths of the earth^(AS)
    you will again bring me up.
²¹ You will increase my honor^(AT)
    and comfort^(AU) me once more.

²² I will praise you with the harp^(AV)
    for your faithfulness, my God;
I will sing praise to you with the lyre,^(AW)
    Holy One of Israel.^(AX)
23 My lips will shout for joy^(AY)
    when I sing praise to you—
    I whom you have delivered.^(AZ)
24 My tongue will tell of your righteous acts
    all day long,^(BA)
for those who wanted to harm me^(BB)
    have been put to shame and confusion.^(BC)

³ May the mountains bring prosperity to the people,
    the hills the fruit of righteousness.
⁴ May he defend the afflicted^(C) among the people
    and save the children of the needy;^(D)
    may he crush the oppressor.^(E)
5 May he endure^[a](F) as long as the sun,
    as long as the moon, through all generations.^(G)
6 May he be like rain^(H) falling on a mown field,
    like showers watering the earth.
⁷ In his days may the righteous flourish^(I)
    and prosperity abound till the moon is no more.

⁸ May he rule from sea to sea
    and from the River^[b](J) to the ends of the earth.^(K)
9 May the desert tribes bow before him
    and his enemies lick the dust.
¹⁰ May the kings of Tarshish^(L) and of distant shores^(M)
    bring tribute to him.
May the kings of Sheba^(N) and Seba
    present him gifts.^(O)
11 May all kings bow down^(P) to him
    and all nations serve^(Q) him.

¹² For he will deliver the needy who cry out,
    the afflicted who have no one to help.
¹³ He will take pity^(R) on the weak and the needy
    and save the needy from death.
¹⁴ He will rescue^(S) them from oppression and violence,
    for precious^(T) is their blood in his sight.

¹⁵ Long may he live!
    May gold from Sheba^(U) be given him.
May people ever pray for him
    and bless him all day long.^(V)
16 May grain^(W) abound throughout the land;
    on the tops of the hills may it sway.
May the crops^(X) flourish like Lebanon^(Y)
    and thrive^[c] like the grass of the field.^(Z)
17 May his name endure forever;^(AA)
    may it continue as long as the sun.^(AB)

Then all nations will be blessed through him,^[d]
    and they will call him blessed.^(AC)

¹⁸ Praise be to the Lord God, the God of Israel,^(AD)
    who alone does marvelous deeds.^(AE)
19 Praise be to his glorious name^(AF) forever;
    may the whole earth be filled with his glory.^(AG)
Amen and Amen.^(AH)

²⁰ This concludes the prayers of David son of Jesse.^(AI)