Before I was afflicted I used to stray off, but now I keep your instructions.

我未受苦以先走迷了路，现在却遵守你的话。

我未受苦以先曾经迷失，现在却遵守你的话。

我未受苦以先曾经迷失，现在却遵守你的话。

从前我没有受苦的时候走迷了路，现在我要遵行你的话。

我受苦以先，犯了错误；现在我谨守你的话。

在我受磨炼之前，我是迷失的；而现在，我遵守你的言语。

我未受苦以先走迷了路，現在卻遵守你的話。

我未受苦以先曾經迷失，現在卻遵守你的話。

我未受苦以先曾經迷失，現在卻遵守你的話。

從前我沒有受苦的時候走迷了路，現在我要遵行你的話。

我受苦以先，犯了錯誤；現在我謹守你的話。

在未遭受苦難以前、我犯了錯誤；現在我遵守你的訓言。

在我受磨煉之前，我是迷失的；而現在，我遵守你的言語。

我未受苦之先、曾入歧路、今守爾言兮、

我未受苦、則迷我途、今守爾道兮、

我未受苦之先、誤行錯路、今我遵守主言、

昔處順境。沈溺邪淫。既遭顚沛。玉我於成。

Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I obey your word.

Before I went through suffering, I went down the wrong path. But now I obey your word.

Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep your word.

I used to wander off until you disciplined me; but now I closely follow your word.

Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep your word.

Before I was afflicted I went astray, But now I keep Your word.

Before I was afflicted I went astray, But now I keep Your word.

Before I was afflicted I went astray; But now I observe thy word.

Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep Your word.

Before I was afflicted I went astray: but now have I kept thy word.

Before I was afflicted, I went astray; but now I observe your word.

I have indeed heard the people of Israel say mournfully,‘ We were like a calf untrained to the yoke. You disciplined us and we learned from it. Let us come back to you and we will do so, for you are the LORD our God.For after we turned away from you we repented. After we came to our senses we beat our breasts in sorrow. We are ashamed and humiliated because of the disgraceful things we did previously.’

Then I will return again to my lair until they have suffered their punishment. Then they will seek me; in their distress they will earnestly seek me.“ Come on! Let’s return to the LORD! He himself has torn us to pieces, but he will heal us! He has injured us, but he will bandage our wounds!

Therefore, I will soon fence her in with thorns; I will wall her in so that she cannot find her way.Then she will pursue her lovers, but she will not catch them; she will seek them, but she will not find them. Then she will say,“ I will go back to my husband, because I was better off then than I am now.”

It was good for me to suffer, so that I might learn your statutes.

But Manasseh misled the people of Judah and the residents of Jerusalem so that they sinned more than the nations whom the LORD had destroyed ahead of the Israelites.The LORD confronted Manasseh and his people, but they paid no attention.So the LORD brought against them the commanders of the army of the king of Assyria. They seized Manasseh, put hooks in his nose, bound him with bronze chains, and carried him away to Babylon.In his pain Manasseh asked the LORD his God for mercy and truly humbled himself before the God of his ancestors.When he prayed to the LORD, the LORD responded to him and answered favorably his cry for mercy. The LORD brought him back to Jerusalem to his kingdom. Then Manasseh realized that the LORD is the true God.

I have wandered off like a lost sheep. Come looking for your servant, for I do not forget your commands.

I know, LORD, that your regulations are just. You disciplined me because of your faithful devotion to me.

For the waywardness of the simpletons will kill them, and the careless ease of fools will destroy them.

And have you forgotten the exhortation addressed to you as sons?“ My son, do not scorn the Lord’s discipline or give up when he corrects you.“ For the Lord disciplines the one he loves and chastises every son he accepts.”Endure your suffering as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is there that a father does not discipline?But if you do not experience discipline, something all sons have shared in, then you are illegitimate and are not sons.Besides, we have experienced discipline from our earthly fathers and we respected them; shall we not submit ourselves all the more to the Father of spirits and receive life?For they disciplined us for a little while as seemed good to them, but he does so for our benefit, that we may share his holiness.Now all discipline seems painful at the time, not joyful. But later it produces the fruit of peace and righteousness for those trained by it.

Because you have kept my admonition to endure steadfastly, I will also keep you from the hour of testing that is about to come on the whole world to test those who live on the earth.

When all the kings who were subject to Hadadezer saw they were defeated by Israel, they made peace with Israel and became subjects of Israel. The Arameans were no longer willing to help the Ammonites.

They are immune to the trouble common to men; they do not suffer as other men do.Arrogance is their necklace, and violence their clothing.Their prosperity causes them to do wrong; their thoughts are sinful.They mock and say evil things; they proudly threaten violence.They speak as if they rule in heaven, and lay claim to the earth.Therefore they have more than enough food to eat, and even suck up the water of the sea.They say,“ How does God know what we do? Is the sovereign one aware of what goes on?”Take a good look! This is what the wicked are like, those who always have it so easy and get richer and richer.I concluded,“ Surely in vain I have kept my motives pure and maintained a pure lifestyle.I suffer all day long, and am punished every morning.”If I had publicized these thoughts, I would have betrayed your loyal followers.When I tried to make sense of this, it was troubling to me.Then I entered the precincts of God’s temple, and understood the destiny of the wicked.Surely you put them in slippery places; you bring them down to ruin.How desolate they become in a mere moment! Terrifying judgments make their demise complete!They are like a dream after one wakes up. O Lord, when you awake you will despise them.Yes, my spirit was bitter, and my insides felt sharp pain.I was ignorant and lacked insight; I was as senseless as an animal before you.But I am continually with you; you hold my right hand.You guide me by your wise advice, and then you will lead me to a position of honor.Whom do I have in heaven but you? I desire no one but you on earth.My flesh and my heart may grow weak, but God always protects my heart and gives me stability.Yes, look! Those far from you die; you destroy everyone who is unfaithful to you.But as for me, God’s presence is all I need. I have made the sovereign LORD my shelter, as I declare all the things you have done.

One evening David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of his palace. From the roof he saw a woman bathing. Now this woman was very attractive.So David sent someone to inquire about the woman. The messenger said,“ Isn’t this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?”David sent some messengers to get her. She came to him and he had sexual relations with her.( Now at that time she was in the process of purifying herself from her menstrual uncleanness.) Then she returned to her home.The woman conceived and then sent word to David saying,“ I’m pregnant.”So David sent a message to Joab that said,“ Send me Uriah the Hittite.” So Joab sent Uriah to David.When Uriah came to him, David asked about how Joab and the army were doing and how the campaign was going.Then David said to Uriah,“ Go down to your home and relax.” When Uriah left the palace, the king sent a gift to him.But Uriah stayed at the door of the palace with all the servants of his lord. He did not go down to his house.So they informed David,“ Uriah has not gone down to his house.” So David said to Uriah,“ Haven’t you just arrived from a journey? Why haven’t you gone down to your house?”Uriah replied to David,“ The ark and Israel and Judah reside in temporary shelters, and my lord Joab and my lord’s soldiers are camping in the open field. Should I go to my house to eat and drink and have marital relations with my wife? As surely as you are alive, I will not do this thing!”So David said to Uriah,“ Stay here another day. Tomorrow I will send you back.” So Uriah stayed in Jerusalem both that day and the following one.Then David summoned him. He ate and drank with him, and got him drunk. But in the evening he went out to sleep on his bed with the servants of his lord; he did not go down to his own house.In the morning David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it with Uriah.In the letter he wrote:“ Station Uriah in the thick of the battle and then withdraw from him so he will be cut down and killed.”So as Joab kept watch on the city, he stationed Uriah at the place where he knew the best enemy soldiers were.When the men of the city came out and fought with Joab, some of David’s soldiers fell in battle. Uriah the Hittite also died.Then Joab sent a full battle report to David.He instructed the messenger as follows:“ When you finish giving the battle report to the king,if the king becomes angry and asks you,‘ Why did you go so close to the city to fight? Didn’t you realize they would shoot from the wall?Who struck down Abimelech the son of Jerub-Besheth? Didn’t a woman throw an upper millstone down on him from the wall so that he died in Thebez? Why did you go so close to the wall?’ just say to him,‘ Your servant Uriah the Hittite is also dead.’”So the messenger departed. When he arrived, he informed David of all the news that Joab had sent with him.The messenger said to David,“ The men overpowered us and attacked us in the field. But we forced them to retreat all the way to the door of the city gate.Then the archers shot at your servants from the wall and some of the king’s soldiers died. Your servant Uriah the Hittite is also dead.”David said to the messenger,“ Tell Joab,‘ Don’t let this thing upset you. There is no way to anticipate whom the sword will cut down. Press the battle against the city and conquer it.’ Encourage him with these words.”When Uriah’s wife heard that her husband Uriah was dead, she mourned for him.When the time of mourning passed, David had her brought to his palace. She became his wife and she bore him a son. But what David had done upset the LORD.

While you were feeling secure I gave you warning. But you said,“ I refuse to listen to you.” That is the way you have acted from your earliest history onward. Indeed, you have never paid attention to me.

But Jeshurun became fat and kicked, you got fat, thick, and stuffed! Then he deserted the God who made him, and treated the Rock who saved him with contempt.