209 lines
4.6 KiB
Markdown
209 lines
4.6 KiB
Markdown
Hope through God's Mercy
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# Chapter 3
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1. I am the man who has seen affliction
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under the rod of God's wrath.
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2. He has driven me away and forced me to walk
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in darkness instead of light.
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3. Yes, he repeatedly turns his hand
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against me all day long.
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4. He has worn away my flesh and skin;
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he has broken my bones.
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5. He has laid siege against me,
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encircling me with bitterness and hardship.
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6. He has made me dwell in darkness
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like those who have been dead for ages.
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7. He has walled me in so I cannot get out;
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he has weighed me down with chains.
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8. Even when I cry out and plead for help,
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he blocks out my prayer.
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9. He has walled in my ways with blocks of stone;
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he has made my paths crooked.
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10. He is a bear waiting in ambush,
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a lion in hiding.
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11. He forced me off my way and tore me to pieces;
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he left me desolate.
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12. He strung his bow
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and set me as the target for his arrow.
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13. He pierced my kidneys
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with shafts from his quiver.
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14. I am a laughingstock to all my people,
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mocked by their songs all day long.
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15. He filled me with bitterness,
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satiated me with wormwood.
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16. He ground my teeth with gravel
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and made me cower in the dust.
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17. I have been deprived of peace;
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I have forgotten what prosperity is.
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18. Then I thought, "My future is lost,
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as well as my hope from the Lord."
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19. Remember my affliction and my homelessness,
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the wormwood and the poison.
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20. I continually remember them
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and have become depressed.
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21. Yet I call this to mind,
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and therefore I have hope:
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22. Because of the Lord's faithful love
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we do not perish,
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for his mercies never end.
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23. They are new every morning;
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great is your faithfulness!
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24. I say, "The Lord is my portion,
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therefore I will put my hope in him."
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25. The Lord is good to those who wait for him,
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to the person who seeks him.
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26. It is good to wait quietly
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for salvation from the Lord.
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27. It is good for a man to bear the yoke
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while he is still young.
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28. Let him sit alone and be silent,
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for God has disciplined him.
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29. Let him put his mouth in the dust--
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perhaps there is still hope.
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30. Let him offer his cheek
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to the one who would strike him;
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let him be filled with disgrace.
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31. For the Lord
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will not reject us forever.
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32. Even if he causes suffering,
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he will show compassion
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according to the abundance of his faithful love.
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33. For he does not enjoy bringing affliction
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or suffering on mankind.
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34. Crushing all the prisoners of the land
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beneath one's feet,
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35. denying justice to a man
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in the presence of the Most High,
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36. or subverting a person in his lawsuit--
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the Lord does not approve of these things.
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37. Who is there who speaks and it happens,
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unless the Lord has ordained it?
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38. Do not both adversity and good
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come from the mouth of the Most High?
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39. Why should any living person complain,
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any man, because of the punishment for his sins?
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40. Let's examine and probe our ways,
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and turn back to the Lord.
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41. Let's lift up our hearts and our hands
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to God in heaven:
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42. "We have sinned and rebelled;
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you have not forgiven.
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43. "You have covered yourself in anger and pursued us;
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you have killed without compassion.
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44. You have covered yourself with a cloud
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so that no prayer can get through.
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45. You have made us disgusting filth
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among the peoples.
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46. "All our enemies
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open their mouths against us.
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47. We have experienced panic and pitfall,
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devastation and destruction."
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48. My eyes flow with streams of tears
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because of the destruction of my dear people.
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49. My eyes overflow unceasingly,
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without end,
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50. until the Lord looks down
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from heaven and sees.
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51. My eyes bring me grief
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because of the fate of all the women in my city.
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52. For no reason, my enemies
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hunted me like a bird.
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53. They smothered my life in a pit
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and threw stones on me.
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54. Water flooded over my head,
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and I thought, "I'm going to die!"
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55. I called on your name, Lord,
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from the depths of the pit.
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56. You heard my plea:
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Do not ignore my cry for relief.
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57. You came near whenever I called you;
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you said, "Do not be afraid."
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58. You championed my cause, Lord;
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you redeemed my life.
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59. Lord, you saw the wrong done to me;
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judge my case.
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60. You saw all their vengefulness,
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all their plots against me.
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61. Lord, you heard their insults,
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all their plots against me.
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62. The slander and murmuring of my opponents
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attack me all day long.
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63. When they sit and when they rise, look,
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I am mocked by their songs.
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64. You will pay them back what they deserve, Lord,
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according to the work of their hands.
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65. You will give them a heart filled with anguish.
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May your curse be on them!
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66. You will pursue them in anger and destroy them
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under your heavens.
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