Psalm 42
English Standard Version
Book Two
Why Are You Cast Down, O My Soul?
To the choirmaster. A Maskil[a] of (A)the Sons of Korah.
42 (B)As a deer pants for flowing streams,
    so pants my soul for you, O God.
2 (C)My soul thirsts for God,
    for (D)the living God.
When shall I come and (E)appear before God?[b]
3 (F)My tears have been my food
    day and night,
(G)while they say to me all the day long,
    “Where is your God?”
4 These things I remember,
    as I (H)pour out my soul:
(I)how I would go (J)with the throng
    and lead them in procession to the house of God
with glad shouts and songs of praise,
    (K)a multitude keeping festival.
5 (L)Why are you cast down, O my soul,
    and why are you (M)in turmoil within me?
(N)Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
    my salvation[c] 6 and my God.
My soul is cast down within me;
    therefore I (O)remember you
(P)from the land of Jordan and of (Q)Hermon,
    from Mount Mizar.
7 Deep calls to deep
    at the roar of your waterfalls;
(R)all your breakers and your (S)waves
    have gone over me.
8 By day the Lord (T)commands his steadfast love,
    and at (U)night his song is with me,
    a prayer to the God of my life.
9 I say to God, (V)my rock:
    “Why have you forgotten me?
(W)Why do I go mourning
    because of the oppression of the enemy?”
10 As with a deadly wound in my bones,
    my adversaries taunt me,
(X)while they say to me all the day long,
    “Where is your God?”
11 (Y)Why are you cast down, O my soul,
    and why are you in turmoil within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
    my salvation and my God.
Footnotes
- Psalm 42:1 Probably a musical or liturgical term
- Psalm 42:2 Revocalization yields and see the face of God
- Psalm 42:5 Hebrew the salvation of my face; also verse 11 and 43:5
Psalm 42
English Standard Version
Book Two
Why Are You Cast Down, O My Soul?
To the choirmaster. A Maskil[a] of (A)the Sons of Korah.
42 (B)As a deer pants for flowing streams,
    so pants my soul for you, O God.
2 (C)My soul thirsts for God,
    for (D)the living God.
When shall I come and (E)appear before God?[b]
3 (F)My tears have been my food
    day and night,
(G)while they say to me all the day long,
    “Where is your God?”
4 These things I remember,
    as I (H)pour out my soul:
(I)how I would go (J)with the throng
    and lead them in procession to the house of God
with glad shouts and songs of praise,
    (K)a multitude keeping festival.
5 (L)Why are you cast down, O my soul,
    and why are you (M)in turmoil within me?
(N)Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
    my salvation[c] 6 and my God.
My soul is cast down within me;
    therefore I (O)remember you
(P)from the land of Jordan and of (Q)Hermon,
    from Mount Mizar.
7 Deep calls to deep
    at the roar of your waterfalls;
(R)all your breakers and your (S)waves
    have gone over me.
8 By day the Lord (T)commands his steadfast love,
    and at (U)night his song is with me,
    a prayer to the God of my life.
9 I say to God, (V)my rock:
    “Why have you forgotten me?
(W)Why do I go mourning
    because of the oppression of the enemy?”
10 As with a deadly wound in my bones,
    my adversaries taunt me,
(X)while they say to me all the day long,
    “Where is your God?”
11 (Y)Why are you cast down, O my soul,
    and why are you in turmoil within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
    my salvation and my God.
Footnotes
- Psalm 42:1 Probably a musical or liturgical term
- Psalm 42:2 Revocalization yields and see the face of God
- Psalm 42:5 Hebrew the salvation of my face; also verse 11 and 43:5
Psalm 42
English Standard Version
Book Two
Why Are You Cast Down, O My Soul?
To the choirmaster. A Maskil[a] of (A)the Sons of Korah.
42 (B)As a deer pants for flowing streams,
    so pants my soul for you, O God.
2 (C)My soul thirsts for God,
    for (D)the living God.
When shall I come and (E)appear before God?[b]
3 (F)My tears have been my food
    day and night,
(G)while they say to me all the day long,
    “Where is your God?”
4 These things I remember,
    as I (H)pour out my soul:
(I)how I would go (J)with the throng
    and lead them in procession to the house of God
with glad shouts and songs of praise,
    (K)a multitude keeping festival.
5 (L)Why are you cast down, O my soul,
    and why are you (M)in turmoil within me?
(N)Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
    my salvation[c] 6 and my God.
My soul is cast down within me;
    therefore I (O)remember you
(P)from the land of Jordan and of (Q)Hermon,
    from Mount Mizar.
7 Deep calls to deep
    at the roar of your waterfalls;
(R)all your breakers and your (S)waves
    have gone over me.
8 By day the Lord (T)commands his steadfast love,
    and at (U)night his song is with me,
    a prayer to the God of my life.
9 I say to God, (V)my rock:
    “Why have you forgotten me?
(W)Why do I go mourning
    because of the oppression of the enemy?”
10 As with a deadly wound in my bones,
    my adversaries taunt me,
(X)while they say to me all the day long,
    “Where is your God?”
11 (Y)Why are you cast down, O my soul,
    and why are you in turmoil within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
    my salvation and my God.
Footnotes
- Psalm 42:1 Probably a musical or liturgical term
- Psalm 42:2 Revocalization yields and see the face of God
- Psalm 42:5 Hebrew the salvation of my face; also verse 11 and 43:5
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
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