Psalm 42–43

BOOK II

(Psalms 42–72)

Psalm 42

Longing for God

For the choir director. A Maskil of the sons of Korah.

¹As a deer longs for streams of water,

so I long for You, God. ⁿ

²I thirst for God, the living God.

When can I come and appear before God? ^o

³My tears have been my food day and night,

while all day long people say to me,

“Where is your God?” ^p

⁴I remember this as I pour out my heart: ^q

how I walked with many,

leading the festive procession to the house of God,

with joyful and thankful shouts. ^r

⁵Why am I so depressed?

Why this turmoil within me?

Put your hope in God, for I will still praise Him,

my Savior and my God. ^s

⁶I ^tam deeply depressed;

therefore I remember You from the land of Jordan

and the peaks of Hermon, from Mount Mizar. ^u

⁷Deep calls to deep in the roar of Your waterfalls;

all Your breakers and Your billows have swept over me. ^v

⁸The Lord will send His faithful love by day; ^w

His song will be with me in the night—

a prayer to the God of my life.

⁹I will say to God, my rock, ^x

“Why have You forgotten me?

Why must I go about in sorrow

because of the enemy’s oppression?” ^y

¹⁰My adversaries taunt me,

as if crushing my bones,

while all day long they say to me,

“Where is your God?” ^z

¹¹Why am I so depressed?

Why this turmoil within me?

Put your hope in God, for I will still praise Him,

my Savior and my God. ^a

Psalm 43^b

¹Vindicate me, God, and defend my cause

against an ungodly nation;

rescue me from the deceitful and unjust man. ^c

²For You are the God of my refuge.

Why have You rejected me?

Why must I go about in sorrow

because of the enemy’s oppression? ^d

³Send Your light and Your truth; let them lead me. ^e

Let them bring me to Your holy mountain,

to Your dwelling place. ^f

⁴Then I will come to the altar of God,

to God, my greatest joy. ^g

I will praise You with the lyre,

God, my God. ^h

⁵Why am I so depressed?

Why this turmoil within me?

Put your hope in God, for I will still praise Him,

my Savior and my God. ⁱ