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The psalmist in sickness complains of enemies and false friends.

For the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.

41 Blessed is he that considereth [a]the poor:
Jehovah will deliver him in the day of evil.
Jehovah will preserve him, and keep him alive,
And he shall be blessed [b]upon the earth;
And deliver not thou him unto the will of his enemies.
Jehovah will support him upon the couch of languishing:
Thou [c]makest all his bed in his sickness.
I said, O Jehovah, have mercy upon me:
Heal my soul; for I have sinned against thee.
Mine enemies speak evil against me, saying,
When will he die, and his name perish?
And if he come to see me, he speaketh falsehood;
His heart gathereth iniquity to itself:
When he goeth abroad, he telleth it.
All that hate me whisper together against me;
Against me do they devise my hurt.
[d]An evil disease, say they, [e]cleaveth fast unto him;
And now that he lieth he shall rise up no more.
Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted,
Who did eat of my bread,
Hath lifted up his heel against me.
10 But thou, O Jehovah, have mercy upon me, and raise me up,
That I may requite them.
11 By this I know that thou delightest in me,
Because mine enemy doth not triumph over me.
12 And as for me, thou upholdest me in mine integrity,
And settest me before thy face for ever.

13 Blessed be Jehovah, the God of Israel,
From everlasting and to everlasting.
Amen, and Amen.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 41:1 Or, the weak
  2. Psalm 41:2 Or, in the land
  3. Psalm 41:3 Hebrew turnest, or, changest.
  4. Psalm 41:8 Or, Some wicked thing
  5. Psalm 41:8 Or, is poured out upon him

Thanksgiving for God’s Provision in Time of Sickness

For the music director. A psalm of David.[a]

41 Blessed is the one who has regard for the poor;
in the day of disaster, Yahweh delivers him.
Yahweh protects him and keeps him alive;
he is blessed in the land,
and you do not give him
into the will[b] of his enemies.
Yahweh sustains him on his sick bed.
In his illness, you restore to health.[c]
As for me, I said, “O Yahweh, be gracious to me.
Heal me,[d] for I have sinned against you.”
My enemies speak evil about me,
“When will he die and his name perish?”
And when one comes to see me, he speaks falsely;
his heart gathers disaster for itself.
He goes out to the street; he speaks.
All who hate me speak together against me.
Against me they assume the worst[e] for me:
“A ruinous thing is poured out on him,
and now that he lies down, he will not rise up again.”
Even my close friend,[f] whom I trusted,
who ate my bread,
has lifted his heel against me.
10 But you, O Yahweh, be gracious to me and raise me up
that I may repay them.
11 By this I know that you delight in me:
because my enemy has not shouted in triumph over me.
12 As for me, you have upheld me in my integrity,
and you have set me in your presence forever.
13 Blessed be Yahweh, the God of Israel,
from everlasting to everlasting.
Amen and Amen.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 41:1 The Hebrew Bible counts the superscription as the first verse of the psalm; the English verse number is reduced by one
  2. Psalm 41:2 Hebrew “soul”
  3. Psalm 41:3 Literally “his every bed you change”
  4. Psalm 41:4 Or “my soul”
  5. Psalm 41:7 Literally “evil”
  6. Psalm 41:9 Literally “the man of my peace”