Book Two
42
A psalm written by one of the descendants of Korah for the choir director
1 Deer pant, desiring to drink water from a stream when there is a drought (OR, when they are being pursued by hunters.)
In the same way [SIM], God, I need you very much.
2 I desire to have fellowship with [MET] you, the all-powerful God.
I wonder, “When will I be able to go back to the temple in Israel
and worship in your presence again?”
3 Every day and every night I cry;
it is as though the only thing I have to drink is my tears;
and while I do that, my enemies are continually asking me,
“Why does your god not help you?”
4 I am very distressed [IDM] as I remember
when I went with the crowd of people to the temple in Jerusalem,
leading them as we walked along;
we were all shouting joyfully and singing to thank God for what he had done;
we were a large group who were celebrating.
5 So I say to myself, “◄Why am I sad and discouraged?/I should not be sad and discouraged!► [RHQ]
I confidently expect God to help me,
and again I will praise him,
my God, the one who saves me.”
6 But now, Yahweh, I am very discouraged [IDM],
so I think about you,
even from where the Jordan River gushes out from the bottom of Hermon Mountain and from Mizar Mountain.
7 But here, the great sorrow that I feel is like water that you send down [MET];
it is like a waterfall that tumbles down and floods over me.
8 Yahweh shows me each day that he faithfully loves me,
and each night I sing to him
and pray to him, the God who causes me to live.
9 I say to God, who is like an overhanging rock under which I can hide [MET],
“It seems that you have forgotten me.
I &lt;mourn/cry&gt; constantly because my enemies act cruelly toward me” [RHQ].
10 They make fun of me constantly;
they continually ask, “Why does your god not help you?” [RHQ]
And when they insult me like that,
it is like wounds that I feel even in my bones.
11 But I think,
“◄Why am I sad and discouraged?/I should not be sad and discouraged!► [RHQ]
I will confidently expect God to help me,
and I will praise him again,
my God, the one who saves me.”