The Blessing and Suffering of the Godly

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.

41 Blessed is he who considers the poor;The Lord will deliver him in time of trouble.² The Lord will preserve him and keep him alive,And he will be blessed on the earth;You will not deliver him to the will of his enemies.³ The Lord will strengthen him on his bed of illness;You will sustain him on his sickbed.

⁴ I said, “Lord, be merciful to me;Heal my soul, for I have sinned against You.”⁵ My enemies speak evil of me:“When will he die, and his name perish?”⁶ And if he comes to see me, he speaks lies;His heart gathers iniquity to itself;When he goes out, he tells it.

⁷ All who hate me whisper together against me;Against me they devise my hurt.⁸ “An evil disease,” they say, “clings to him.And now that he lies down, he will rise up no more.”⁹ Even my own familiar friend in whom I trusted,Who ate my bread,Has lifted up his heel against me.

¹⁰ But You, O Lord, be merciful to me, and raise me up,That I may repay them.¹¹ By this I know that You are well pleased with me,Because my enemy does not triumph over me.¹² As for me, You uphold me in my integrity,And set me before Your face forever.

¹³ Blessed be the Lord God of IsraelFrom everlasting to everlasting!Amen and Amen.