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Psalm 41-42
New American Standard Bible
Psalm 41-42
New American Standard Bible
The Psalmist in Sickness Complains of Enemies and False Friends.
For the music director. A Psalm of David.
41 Blessed is one who (A)considers the [a]helpless;
The Lord will save him (B)on a day of [b]trouble.
2 The Lord will (C)protect him and keep him alive,
And he will be called [c](D)blessed upon the earth;
And (E)do not turn him over to the desire of his enemies.
3 The Lord will sustain him upon his sickbed;
In his illness, You [d]restore him to health.
4 As for me, I said, “Lord, be gracious to me;
(F)Heal my soul, for (G)I have sinned against You.”
5 My enemies (H)speak evil against me,
“When will he die, and his name perish?”
6 And [e]when he comes to see me, he (I)speaks [f]empty words;
His heart gathers wickedness to itself;
When he goes outside, he tells it.
7 All who hate me whisper together against me;
They (J)plot my harm against me, saying,
8 “A wicked thing is poured out [g]upon him,
So that when he lies down, he will (K)not get up again.”
9 Even my [h](L)close friend in whom I trusted,
Who ate my bread,
Has lifted up his heel against me.
10 But You, Lord, be gracious to me and (M)raise me up,
That I may repay them.
11 By this I know that (N)You are pleased with me,
Because (O)my enemy does not shout in triumph over me.
12 As for me, (P)You uphold me in my integrity,
And You place me (Q)in Your presence forever.
13 (R)Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
From everlasting to everlasting.
Amen and Amen.
BOOK 2
Thirsting for God in Trouble and Exile.
For the music director. A [i]Maskil of the sons of Korah.
42 As the deer [j]pants for the water brooks,
So my soul [k](S)pants for You, God.
2 My soul (T)thirsts for God, for the (U)living God;
When shall I come and [l](V)appear before God?
3 My (W)tears have been my food day and night,
While they (X)say to me all day long, “Where is your God?”
4 I remember these things and (Y)pour out my soul within me.
For I (Z)used to go over with the multitude and walk them to the house of God,
With a voice of (AA)joy and thanksgiving, a multitude celebrating a festival.
5 (AB)Why are you [m](AC)in despair, my soul?
And why are you (AD)restless within me?
(AE)Wait for God, for I will [n]again praise [o]Him
For the [p](AF)help of His [q]presence, my God.
6 My soul is [r]in despair within me;
Therefore I (AG)remember You from (AH)the land of the Jordan
And the [s]peaks of (AI)Hermon, from Mount Mizar.
7 Deep calls to deep at the sound of Your waterfalls;
All Your (AJ)breakers and Your waves have passed over me.
8 The Lord will (AK)send His goodness in the daytime;
And His song will be with me (AL)in the night,
A prayer to (AM)the God of my life.
9 I will say to God (AN)my rock, “Why have You forgotten me?
Why do I go about (AO)mourning [t]because of the (AP)oppression of the enemy?”
10 As a shattering of my bones, my adversaries taunt me,
While they (AQ)say to me all day long, “Where is your God?”
11 (AR)Why are you [u]in despair, my soul?
And why are you restless within me?
Wait for God, for I will again praise [v]Him
For the [w]help of His presence, my God.
Footnotes
- Psalm 41:1 Or poor
- Psalm 41:1 Or evil
- Psalm 41:2 Or happy
- Psalm 41:3 Lit turn all his bed
- Psalm 41:6 Or if he
- Psalm 41:6 Lit worthlessness
- Psalm 41:8 Or within
- Psalm 41:9 Lit man of peace
- Psalm 42 Title Possibly Contemplative; or Didactic; or Skillful Psalm
- Psalm 42:1 Lit longs for
- Psalm 42:1 Lit longs for
- Psalm 42:2 Some mss see the face of God
- Psalm 42:5 Lit dissolved away
- Psalm 42:5 Or still
- Psalm 42:5 Some ancient versions Him, the help of my face and my God
- Psalm 42:5 Or saving acts of
- Psalm 42:5 Or presence. O my God, my soul...
- Psalm 42:6 Or dissolved away
- Psalm 42:6 Lit Hermons
- Psalm 42:9 Or while the enemy oppresses
- Psalm 42:11 Or dissolved away
- Psalm 42:11 As in some ancient mss, cf. v 5; MT Him, the help of my face and my God
- Psalm 42:11 Or saving acts of
Psalm 41-42
New International Version
Psalm 41-42
New International Version
Psalm 41[a]
For the director of music. A psalm of David.
1 Blessed(A) are those who have regard for the weak;(B)
the Lord delivers them in times of trouble.(C)
2 The Lord protects(D) and preserves them—(E)
they are counted among the blessed in the land—(F)
he does not give them over to the desire of their foes.(G)
3 The Lord sustains them on their sickbed(H)
and restores them from their bed of illness.(I)
4 I said, “Have mercy(J) on me, Lord;
heal(K) me, for I have sinned(L) against you.”
5 My enemies say of me in malice,
“When will he die and his name perish?(M)”
6 When one of them comes to see me,
he speaks falsely,(N) while his heart gathers slander;(O)
then he goes out and spreads(P) it around.
7 All my enemies whisper together(Q) against me;
they imagine the worst for me, saying,
8 “A vile disease has afflicted him;
he will never get up(R) from the place where he lies.”
9 Even my close friend,(S)
someone I trusted,
one who shared my bread,
has turned[b] against me.(T)
10 But may you have mercy(U) on me, Lord;
raise me up,(V) that I may repay(W) them.
11 I know that you are pleased with me,(X)
for my enemy does not triumph over me.(Y)
12 Because of my integrity(Z) you uphold me(AA)
and set me in your presence forever.(AB)
13 Praise(AC) be to the Lord, the God of Israel,(AD)
from everlasting to everlasting.
Amen and Amen.(AE)
BOOK II
Psalms 42–72
Psalm 42[c][d]
For the director of music. A maskil[e] of the Sons of Korah.
1 As the deer(AF) pants for streams of water,(AG)
so my soul pants(AH) for you, my God.
2 My soul thirsts(AI) for God, for the living God.(AJ)
When can I go(AK) and meet with God?
3 My tears(AL) have been my food
day and night,
while people say to me all day long,
“Where is your God?”(AM)
4 These things I remember
as I pour out my soul:(AN)
how I used to go to the house of God(AO)
under the protection of the Mighty One[f]
with shouts of joy(AP) and praise(AQ)
among the festive throng.(AR)
5 Why, my soul, are you downcast?(AS)
Why so disturbed(AT) within me?
Put your hope in God,(AU)
for I will yet praise(AV) him,
my Savior(AW) and my God.(AX)
6 My soul is downcast within me;
therefore I will remember(AY) you
from the land of the Jordan,(AZ)
the heights of Hermon(BA)—from Mount Mizar.
7 Deep calls to deep(BB)
in the roar of your waterfalls;
all your waves and breakers
have swept over me.(BC)
8 By day the Lord directs his love,(BD)
at night(BE) his song(BF) is with me—
a prayer to the God of my life.(BG)
9 I say to God my Rock,(BH)
“Why have you forgotten(BI) me?
Why must I go about mourning,(BJ)
oppressed(BK) by the enemy?”(BL)
10 My bones suffer mortal agony(BM)
as my foes taunt(BN) me,
saying to me all day long,
“Where is your God?”(BO)
11 Why, my soul, are you downcast?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him,
my Savior and my God.(BP)
Footnotes
- Psalm 41:1 In Hebrew texts 41:1-13 is numbered 41:2-14.
- Psalm 41:9 Hebrew has lifted up his heel
- Psalm 42:1 In many Hebrew manuscripts Psalms 42 and 43 constitute one psalm.
- Psalm 42:1 In Hebrew texts 42:1-11 is numbered 42:2-12.
- Psalm 42:1 Title: Probably a literary or musical term
- Psalm 42:4 See Septuagint and Syriac; the meaning of the Hebrew for this line is uncertain.
New American Standard Bible (NASB) 
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