Psalms

¹ Take a deep breath, God; calm down— don't be so hasty with your punishing rod.

² my backside smarts from your caning.

³ because of your accusation. My bones are brittle as dry sticks because of my sin.

⁴ collapsed under gunnysacks of guilt.

⁵ because I've lived so badly.

⁶ feeling sorry for myself morning to night.

⁷ my body is a wreck.

⁸ my life is a vomit of groans.

⁹ my groans an old story to you.

¹⁰ I'm a burned-out case. Cataracts blind me to God and good;

¹¹ My cousins never visit, my neighbors stab me in the back.

¹² devoutly they pray for my ruin.

¹³ ears shut, mouth shut.

¹⁴ don't speak a word in response.

¹⁵ wait for my Lord, my God—you will answer!

¹⁶ won't smugly strut off when I stumble.

¹⁷ the pain in my gut keeps burning.

¹⁸ I'm no longer smug in my sin.

¹⁹ a lynch mob after my neck.

²⁰ from God-haters who can't stand a God-lover.

²¹ my God, don't stand me up.

²² I want some wide-open space in my life!