Psalm 42-43

International Standard Version

BOOK II (Psalms 42-72)

To the Director: An instruction^[a] of the Sons of Korah.

Hope in God When Times of Trouble Come

42 As an antelope pants for streams of water,
    so my soul pants for you, God.
²My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
    When may I come and appear in God’s presence?
³My tears have been my food day and night,
    while people^[b] keep asking me all day long,
        “Where is your God?”

⁴These things I will recall as I pour out my troubles^[c] within me:
I used to go with the crowd in a procession to the house of God,
accompanied with shouts of joy and thanksgiving.

⁵Why are you in despair, my soul?
    Why are you disturbed within me?
Hope in God,
    for once again I will praise him,
        since his presence saves me.
⁶My God, my soul feels depressed^[d] within me;
    therefore I will remember you from the land of Jordan,
from the heights of Hermon,
    even from the foothills.^[e]
⁷Deep waters call out to what is deeper still;^[f]
    at the roar of your waterfalls
        all your breakers and your waves swirled over me.

⁸By day the Lord will command his gracious love,
    and by night his song is with me—
        a prayer to the God of my life.
⁹I will ask God, my Rock, “Why have you forsaken me?
    Why do I go around mourning under the enemy’s oppression?”
¹⁰Like the shattering of my bones are the taunts of my oppressors,
    saying to me all day long,
        “Where is your God?”

¹¹Why are you in despair, my soul?
    Why are you disturbed within me?
Hope in God,
    for once again I will praise him,
since his presence saves me
    and he is my God.

God is my Hope during Times of Trouble

43 ^[g]You be my judge,^[h] God,
    and plead my case against an unholy nation;
        rescue me from the deceitful and unjust man.
²Since you are the God who strengthens me,
    why have you forsaken me?
Why do I go around mourning under the enemy’s oppression?”

³Send forth your light and your truth
    so they may guide me.
Let them bring me to your holy mountain and to your dwelling places.^[i]
⁴Then I will approach the altar of God,
    even to God in whom my joy finds its source.^[j]
Then I will praise you with the lyre,
    God, my God,

⁵Why are you in despair, my soul?
    Why are you disturbed within me?
Hope in God,
    because I will praise him once again,
since his presence saves me
    and he is my God.

Footnotes

Psalm 42:1 Lit. maskil
Psalm 42:3 The Heb. lacks people
Psalm 42:4 Lit. soul
Psalm 42:6 Lit. soul is bowed down
Psalm 42:6 Or from Mount Mizar
Psalm 42:7 Lit. Deep calls to deep
Psalm 43:1 Some Heb. MSS constitute Psalms 42 and 43 as a single psalm.
Psalm 43:1 Lit. Judge me
Psalm 43:3 Or tents
Psalm 43:4 Lit. God who is the gladness of my joy

International Standard Version (ISV)