Psalm 41

The Prayer of a Sick Man^q

41 Happy are those who are concerned for the poor;

the Lord will help them when they are in trouble.

²The Lord will protect them and preserve their lives;

he will make them happy in the land;

he will not abandon them to the power of their enemies.

³The Lord will help them when they are sick

and will restore them to health.

⁴I said, “I have sinned against you, Lord;

be merciful to me and heal me.”

⁵My enemies say cruel things about me.

They want me to die and be forgotten.

⁶Those who come to see me are not sincere;

they gather bad news about me

and then go out and tell it everywhere.

⁷All who hate me whisper to each other about me,

they imagine the worst about^r me.

⁸They say, “He is fatally ill;

he will never leave his bed again.”

^9*Even my best friend,

the one I trusted most, the one who shared my food,

has turned against me.

¹⁰Be merciful to me, Lord, and restore my health,

and I will pay my enemies back.

¹¹They will not triumph over me,

and I will know that you are pleased with me.

¹²You will help me, because I do what is right;

you will keep me in your presence for ever.

^13*Praise the Lord, the God of Israel!

Praise him now and for ever! Amen! Amen!

BOOK TWO