Psalms 42
Hope in God in the Midst of Despair
For the music director. A maskil of the sons of Korah. ▼▼The Hebrew Bible counts the superscription as the first verse of the psalm; the English verse number is reduced by one
1As a deer longs for streams of water,so my soul longs for you, O God.
2My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
When shall I come and appear before God? ▼
▼Some Hebrew manuscripts and versions read “and see the face of God?”
3My tears have been my food day and night,
while they say to me all day long,
“Where is your God?”
4These I remember and I pour out my soul within me:
that I would go with the multitude;
I led them in procession to the house ▼
▼Or “temple”
of God,with a voice of rejoicing and thanksgiving,
a crowd celebrating a festival.
5Why are you ⌞in despair⌟, ▼
▼Literally “bowed down”
O my soul,and disturbed within me?
Hope in God, because I will again praise him,
for the salvation of his presence.
6O my God, within me my soul is ⌞in despair⌟; ▼
▼Literally “bowed down”
therefore I remember you from the land of Jordan
and the heights of Hermon, from the mountain of Mizar.
7Deep is calling to deep
at ▼
▼Or “to”
the thunder of your waterfalls.All your breakers and your waves
have passed over me.
8By day Yahweh commands his loyal love,
and in the night his song is with me,
a prayer to the God of my life.
9I say to God, my rock,
“Why have you forgotten me?
Why must I walk about mourning
because of the oppression of the enemy?”
10As with a shattering in my bones
my oppressors taunt me,
while they say to me ⌞all day⌟, ▼
▼Literally “all the day”
“Where is your God?”
11Why are you ⌞in despair⌟, ▼
▼Literally “bowed down”
O my soul?And why are you disturbed within me?
Hope in God, because I shall again praise him,
⌞my salvation⌟ ▼
▼Literally “the salvation of my face”
and my God.
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