Psalm 42

Modern

Literal

BOOK II

Psalms 42–72

As the Deer Pants for the Water

¹For the choirmaster. A Maskil of the sons of Korah.^a

As the deer pants for streams of water,

so my soul longs after You, O God.

¹For the one directing. A Maskil of the sons of Korah. As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for You, O God.

²My soul thirsts for God, the living God.

When shall I come and appear in God’s presence?^a

²My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before the face of God?

³My tears have been my food

both day and night,

while men ask me all day long,

“Where is your God?”

³My tears have been to me as bread, day and night, in the saying to me all the day, “Where is your God?”

⁴These things come to mind as I pour out my soul:

how I walked with the multitude,

leading the festive procession to the house of God

with shouts of joy and praise.

⁴These things I remember, and I pour out my soul within myself: How I crossed over with the throng; I moved with them up to the house of God, with the voice of shouting and praise, with a multitude keeping the feast.

⁵Why are you downcast, O my soul?

Why the unease within me?

Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him

for the salvation of His presence.

⁵Why are you cast down, O my soul, and in commotion within me? Wait for God, for still I will praise Him, for the salvation of His face.

⁶O my God, my soul despairs within me.

Therefore I remember You

from the land of Jordan and the peaks of Hermon—

even from Mount Mizar.

⁶O My God, my soul is downcast within me; upon thus I remember You, from the land of the Jordan and Hermon, from the mount of Mizar.

⁷Deep calls to deep

in the roar of Your waterfalls;

all Your breakers and waves

have rolled over me.

⁷Deep is calling to deep, at the voice of Your waterfalls, and all Your breakers and waves have passed over me.

⁸The LORD decrees His loving devotion by day,

and at night His song is with me

as a prayer to the God of my life.

⁸By day, YHWH commands His loving devotion, 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 in sorrow

because of the enemy’s oppression?”

⁹I will say to God my rock, “Why have You forgotten me? Why must I walk in mourning in the oppression of the enemy?”

¹⁰Like the crushing of my bones,

my enemies taunt me,

while they say to me all day long,

“Where is your God?”

¹⁰With a shattering in my bones, my enemies taunt me, in their saying to me all the day, “Where is your God?”

¹¹Why are you downcast, O my soul?

Why the unease within me?

Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him,

my Savior and my God.

¹¹Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in commotion within me? Wait for God, for still I will praise Him, the salvation of my face, and my God.