37 (A)Who has spoken and it came to pass,
    unless the Lord has commanded it?
38 (B)Is it not from the mouth of the Most High
    that good and bad come?
39 (C)Why should a living man complain,
    a man, about the punishment of his sins?

40 Let us test and examine our ways,
    (D)and return to the Lord!
41 (E)Let us lift up our hearts and hands
    to God in heaven:
42 (F)“We have transgressed and (G)rebelled,
    and you have not forgiven.

43 “You have wrapped yourself with anger and pursued us,
    (H)killing without pity;
44 (I)you have wrapped yourself with a cloud
    so that no prayer can pass through.
45 (J)You have made us scum and garbage
    among the peoples.

46 (K)“All our enemies
    open their mouths against us;
47 (L)panic and pitfall have come upon us,
    devastation and (M)destruction;
48 (N)my eyes flow with rivers of tears
    because of the destruction of the daughter of my people.

49 (O)“My eyes will flow without ceasing,
    without respite,
50 (P)until the Lord from heaven
    looks down and sees;
51 my eyes cause me grief
    at the fate of all the daughters of my city.

52 (Q)“I have been hunted (R)like a bird
    by those who were my enemies (S)without cause;
53 (T)they flung me alive into the pit
    (U)and cast stones on me;
54 (V)water closed over my head;
    I said, (W)‘I am lost.’

55 (X)“I called on your name, O Lord,
    from the depths of the pit;
56 (Y)you heard my plea, ‘Do not close
    your ear to my cry for help!’
57 (Z)You came near when I called on you;
    you said, (AA)‘Do not fear!’

58 “You have (AB)taken up my cause, (AC)O Lord;
    you have (AD)redeemed my life.

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37 Who can speak and have it happen
    if the Lord has not decreed it?(A)
38 Is it not from the mouth of the Most High
    that both calamities and good things come?(B)
39 Why should the living complain
    when punished for their sins?(C)

40 Let us examine our ways and test them,(D)
    and let us return to the Lord.(E)
41 Let us lift up our hearts and our hands
    to God in heaven,(F) and say:
42 “We have sinned and rebelled(G)
    and you have not forgiven.(H)

43 “You have covered yourself with anger and pursued(I) us;
    you have slain without pity.(J)
44 You have covered yourself with a cloud(K)
    so that no prayer(L) can get through.(M)
45 You have made us scum(N) and refuse
    among the nations.

46 “All our enemies have opened their mouths
    wide(O) against us.(P)
47 We have suffered terror and pitfalls,(Q)
    ruin and destruction.(R)
48 Streams of tears(S) flow from my eyes(T)
    because my people are destroyed.(U)

49 My eyes will flow unceasingly,
    without relief,(V)
50 until the Lord looks down
    from heaven and sees.(W)
51 What I see brings grief to my soul
    because of all the women of my city.

52 Those who were my enemies without cause
    hunted me like a bird.(X)
53 They tried to end my life in a pit(Y)
    and threw stones at me;
54 the waters closed over my head,(Z)
    and I thought I was about to perish.(AA)

55 I called on your name, Lord,
    from the depths(AB) of the pit.(AC)
56 You heard my plea:(AD) “Do not close your ears
    to my cry for relief.”
57 You came near(AE) when I called you,
    and you said, “Do not fear.”(AF)

58 You, Lord, took up my case;(AG)
    you redeemed my life.(AH)

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