Book Two
Psalm 42
A psalm written by one of the descendants of Korah for the choir director
1 O God, I need you very much as a deer needs to drink water from a cool stream.
2 I desire to be with you, the all-powerful God.
I say to myself, “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 weep;
the only thing I have to drink is my tears;
and while I do that, my enemies are always asking me,
“Why does your God not help you?”
4 I pray earnestly to God as I remember
when I used to go with the crowd of people to the temple in Jerusalem.
I used to lead 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 now I say to myself, “Why am I in a panic?
I confidently expect God to bless me,
and again I will praise him,
my God, the one who saves me.”
6 But now, Yahweh, I was panicking,
so I think about you.
You are there in Israel where the Jordan River rushes down from the bottom of the peaks of Mount Hermon and from Mount Mizar.
7 But here, the great sorrow that I feel is like water that you send down;
it is like a waterfall that tumbles down and floods over me.
8 I desire that Yahweh will show me each day that he faithfully loves me,
in order that each night I may sing to him
and pray to him, the God who causes me to live.
9 I say to God, who is like a huge rock on top of which I am safe,
“Why have you forgotten me? You know the hardships that my enemies bring on me.”
10 They are always making fun of me;
they keep asking, “Why does your God not help you?”
When they insult me like that,
it is like wounds that shatter my bones.
11 But I say to myself,
“Why am I in a panic?
I will confidently expect God to bless me,
and I will praise him again,
my God, the one who saves me.”