“ Greatly have they afflicted me from my youth”— let Israel now say—

以色列当说：“从我幼年以来，敌人屡次苦害我，

说吧，以色列：“从我幼年以来，人屡次苦害我；

说吧，以色列：“从我幼年以来，人屡次苦害我；

以色列要说：我从小就深受仇敌的迫害，

愿以色列说：“从我幼年以来，敌人就多次苦害我。（本节在《马索拉文本》包括细字标题）

愿以色列说：“从我年幼以来，他们就多次苦害我——

以色列當說：從我幼年以來，敵人屢次苦害我，

說吧，以色列：「從我幼年以來，人屢次苦害我；

說吧，以色列：「從我幼年以來，人屢次苦害我；

以色列要說：我從小就深受仇敵的迫害，

願以色列說：“從我幼年以來，敵人就多次苦害我。（本節在《馬索拉文本》包括細字標題）

讓以色列說：『從我幼年以來敵人就大大苦害我。

願以色列說：「從我年幼以來，他們就多次苦害我——

以色列當曰、自我幼年、人屢苦我兮、

以色列族當曰、余自肇基以來、屢遭困苦兮、

以色列民當曰、從我幼時、敵人屢攻擊我、

嗟我義塞族。自幼多顚沛。

“ They have greatly oppressed me from my youth,” let Israel say;

Here is what Israel should say.“ My enemies have treated me badly ever since I was a young nation.

From my earliest youth my enemies have persecuted me. Let all Israel repeat this:

Since my youth they have often attacked me— let Israel say—

“ Many times they have attacked me from my youth up,” Let Israel say,

“ Many a time they have afflicted me from my youth,” Let Israel now say—

Many a time have they afflicted me from my youth up, Let Israel now say,

Since my youth they have often attacked me— let Israel say—

Many a time have they afflicted me from my youth, may Israel now say:

“ Since my youth they have often attacked me,” let Israel say.

Many times they have afflicted me from my youth up. Let Israel now say,

If it had not been the Lord who was on our side— let Israel now say—

And there I will give her her vineyards and make the Valley of Achor a door of hope. And there she shall answer as in the days of her youth, as at the time when she came out of the land of Egypt.

When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son.

“ Go and proclaim in the hearing of Jerusalem, Thus says the Lord,“ I remember the devotion of your youth, your love as a bride, how you followed me in the wilderness, in a land not sown.

In my distress I called to the Lord, and he answered me.

Judah has gone into exile because of affliction and hard servitude; she dwells now among the nations, but finds no resting place; her pursuers have all overtaken her in the midst of her distress.

Whenever they marched out, the hand of the Lord was against them for harm, as the Lord had warned, and as the Lord had sworn to them. And they were in terrible distress.

I spoke to you in your prosperity, but you said,‘ I will not listen.’ This has been your way from your youth, that you have not obeyed my voice.

and they crushed and oppressed the people of Israel that year. For eighteen years they oppressed all the people of Israel who were beyond the Jordan in the land of the Amorites, which is in Gilead.And the Ammonites crossed the Jordan to fight also against Judah and against Benjamin and against the house of Ephraim, so that Israel was severely distressed.And the people of Israel cried out to the Lord, saying,“ We have sinned against you, because we have forsaken our God and have served the Baals.”And the Lord said to the people of Israel,“ Did I not save you from the Egyptians and from the Amorites, from the Ammonites and from the Philistines?The Sidonians also, and the Amalekites and the Maonites oppressed you, and you cried out to me, and I saved you out of their hand.

I was glad when they said to me,“ Let us go to the house of the Lord!”

Now there was no blacksmith to be found throughout all the land of Israel, for the Philistines said,“ Lest the Hebrews make themselves swords or spears.”

Stand fast in your enchantments and your many sorceries, with which you have labored from your youth; perhaps you may be able to succeed; perhaps you may inspire terror.

Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the returned exiles were building a temple to the Lord, the God of Israel,they approached Zerubbabel and the heads of fathers’ houses and said to them,“ Let us build with you, for we worship your God as you do, and we have been sacrificing to him ever since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assyria who brought us here.”But Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the rest of the heads of fathers’ houses in Israel said to them,“ You have nothing to do with us in building a house to our God; but we alone will build to the Lord, the God of Israel, as King Cyrus the king of Persia has commanded us.”Then the people of the land discouraged the people of Judah and made them afraid to buildand bribed counselors against them to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia.And in the reign of Ahasuerus, in the beginning of his reign, they wrote an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem.In the days of Artaxerxes, Bishlam and Mithredath and Tabeel and the rest of their associates wrote to Artaxerxes king of Persia. The letter was written in Aramaic and translated.Rehum the commander and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the king as follows:Rehum the commander, Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their associates, the judges, the governors, the officials, the Persians, the men of Erech, the Babylonians, the men of Susa, that is, the Elamites,and the rest of the nations whom the great and noble Osnappar deported and settled in the cities of Samaria and in the rest of the province Beyond the River.( This is a copy of the letter that they sent.)“ To Artaxerxes the king: Your servants, the men of the province Beyond the River, send greeting. And nowbe it known to the king that the Jews who came up from you to us have gone to Jerusalem. They are rebuilding that rebellious and wicked city. They are finishing the walls and repairing the foundations.Now be it known to the king that if this city is rebuilt and the walls finished, they will not pay tribute, custom, or toll, and the royal revenue will be impaired.Now because we eat the salt of the palace and it is not fitting for us to witness the king’s dishonor, therefore we send and inform the king,in order that search may be made in the book of the records of your fathers. You will find in the book of the records and learn that this city is a rebellious city, hurtful to kings and provinces, and that sedition was stirred up in it from of old. That was why this city was laid waste.We make known to the king that if this city is rebuilt and its walls finished, you will then have no possession in the province Beyond the River.”The king sent an answer:“ To Rehum the commander and Shimshai the scribe and the rest of their associates who live in Samaria and in the rest of the province Beyond the River, greeting. And nowthe letter that you sent to us has been plainly read before me.And I made a decree, and search has been made, and it has been found that this city from of old has risen against kings, and that rebellion and sedition have been made in it.And mighty kings have been over Jerusalem, who ruled over the whole province Beyond the River, to whom tribute, custom, and toll were paid.Therefore make a decree that these men be made to cease, and that this city be not rebuilt, until a decree is made by me.And take care not to be slack in this matter. Why should damage grow to the hurt of the king?”Then, when the copy of King Artaxerxes’ letter was read before Rehum and Shimshai the scribe and their associates, they went in haste to the Jews at Jerusalem and by force and power made them cease.

To you I lift up my eyes, O you who are enthroned in the heavens!

Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain.

Then Pharaoh commanded all his people,“ Every son that is born to the Hebrews you shall cast into the Nile, but you shall let every daughter live.”

But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and the more they spread abroad. And the Egyptians were in dread of the people of Israel.So they ruthlessly made the people of Israel work as slavesand made their lives bitter with hard service, in mortar and brick, and in all kinds of work in the field. In all their work they ruthlessly made them work as slaves.

When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dream.

Therefore the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of Cushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia. And the people of Israel served Cushan-rishathaim eight years.

Afflicted and close to death from my youth up, I suffer your terrors; I am helpless.

Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but abides forever.

“ You shall no longer give the people straw to make bricks, as in the past; let them go and gather straw for themselves.But the number of bricks that they made in the past you shall impose on them, you shall by no means reduce it, for they are idle. Therefore they cry,‘ Let us go and offer sacrifice to our God.’Let heavier work be laid on the men that they may labor at it and pay no regard to lying words.”So the taskmasters and the foremen of the people went out and said to the people,“ Thus says Pharaoh,‘ I will not give you straw.Go and get your straw yourselves wherever you can find it, but your work will not be reduced in the least.’”So the people were scattered throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble for straw.The taskmasters were urgent, saying,“ Complete your work, your daily task each day, as when there was straw.”And the foremen of the people of Israel, whom Pharaoh’s taskmasters had set over them, were beaten and were asked,“ Why have you not done all your task of making bricks today and yesterday, as in the past?”Then the foremen of the people of Israel came and cried to Pharaoh,“ Why do you treat your servants like this?No straw is given to your servants, yet they say to us,‘ Make bricks!’ And behold, your servants are beaten; but the fault is in your own people.”But he said,“ You are idle, you are idle; that is why you say,‘ Let us go and sacrifice to the Lord.’Go now and work. No straw will be given you, but you must still deliver the same number of bricks.”The foremen of the people of Israel saw that they were in trouble when they said,“ You shall by no means reduce your number of bricks, your daily task each day.”

I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come?

Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord, who walks in his ways!

They played the whore in Egypt; they played the whore in their youth; there their breasts were pressed and their virgin bosoms handled.