*Psalms 41

₁The Lord will be good to

people who think about

poor people and help them.

The Lord will help those people

when they are in trouble.

₂The Lord will protect them

and keep them alive and

He will bless them in this land.

He will not let their enemies

take them or kill them.

₃The Lord will help them when

they are sick and He will heal them.

₄I said: ‘Lord,

please be good and gracious to me.

I have sinned_against You.

Please forgive me and heal me.’

₅My enemies say

bad things about me. They ask:

‘When will he die and disappear?

When will people forget his name?’

₆Some people come to see how I am,

and they say friendly words to me

but they hope to see something bad,

because then they can go

and gossip about me.

₇All my enemies talk

behind their hands about me,

and they say the worst things about me.

₈They say: ‘This disease

is very bad. He will die, and he will

never get up from his bed again.’

₉I thought that my best friend

would help me,

the one who always visited me

and ate with me.

I trusted him but he betrayed me.

₁₀Lord, please be gracious to me

and let me get up from this bed.

I want to do to my enemies

what they have done to me.

₁₁I know that You love me

because You did not

let my enemies rejoice over me.

₁₂You helped me because

I am innocent and You will keep me

with You forever.

₁₃Praise the Lord,

the God of Israel.

Praise Him forever and ever.

Amen and amen.