The Prayer of a SuffererPs 38 Hebrew title: A psalm by David; a lament.

1O LORD, don't punish me in your anger!

2You have wounded me with your arrows;

you have struck me down.

3Because of your anger, I am in great pain;

my whole body is diseased because of my sins.

4I am drowning in the flood of my sins;

they are a burden too heavy to bear.

5Because I have been foolish,

my sores stink and rot.

6I am bowed down, I am crushed;

I mourn all day long.

7I am burning with fever

and I am near to death.

8I am worn out and utterly crushed;

my heart is troubled, and I groan with pain.

9O Lord, you know what I long for;

you hear all my groans.

10My heart is pounding, my strength is gone,

and my eyes have lost their brightness.

11My friends and neighbours will not come near me,

because of my sores;

even my family keeps away from me.

12Those who want to kill me lay traps for me,

and those who want to hurt me threaten to ruin me;

they never stop plotting against me.

13I am like the deaf and cannot hear,

like the dumb and cannot speak.

14I am like those who do not answer,

because they cannot hear.

15But I trust in you, O LORD;

and you, O Lord my God, will answer me.

16Don't let my enemies gloat over my distress;

don't let them boast about my downfall!

17I am about to fall

and am in constant pain.

18I confess my sins;

they fill me with anxiety.

19My enemies are healthy and strong;

there are many who hate me for no reason.

20Those who pay back evil for good

are against me because I try to do right.

21Do not abandon me, O LORD;

do not stay away, my God!

22Help me now, O Lord my saviour!