I was once young, now I am old. I have never seen a godly man abandoned, or his children ¹  forced to search for food. ² 

May all those who seek you be happy and rejoice in you! May those who love to experience ¹  your deliverance say continually, ²  “May the Lord be praised!” ³ 

God looks down from heaven ¹  at the human race, ²  to see if there is anyone who is wise ³  and seeks God. ⁴ 

I am exhausted from shouting for help; my throat is sore; ¹  my eyes grow tired of looking for my God. ² 

Their insults are painful ¹  and make me lose heart; ²  I look ³  for sympathy, but receive none, ⁴  for comforters, but find none.

May all those who seek you be happy and rejoice in you! May those who love to experience ¹  your deliverance say continually, ²  “May God ³  be praised!” ⁴ 

In my time of trouble I sought ¹  the Lord. I kept my hand raised in prayer throughout the night. ²  I ³  refused to be comforted.

I have wandered off like a lost sheep. ¹  Come looking for your servant, for I do not forget your commands.

So I decided ¹  to discern the benefit of ²  wisdom and knowledge over ³  foolish behavior and ideas; ⁴  however, I concluded ⁵  that even ⁶  this endeavor ⁷  is like ⁸  trying to chase the wind! ⁹ 

Next, I decided to consider ¹  wisdom, as well as foolish behavior and ideas. ²  For what more can the king’s successor do than what the king ³  has already done?

Whatever exists now has already been, and whatever will be has already been; for God will seek to do again ¹  what has occurred ²  in the past. ³ 

When I tried ¹  to gain ²  wisdom and to observe the activity ³  on earth – even though it prevents anyone from sleeping day or night ⁴  –

O Lord, in distress they looked for you; they uttered incantations because of your discipline. ¹ 

“Listen to me, you who pursue godliness, ¹  who seek the Lord! Look at the rock from which you were chiseled, at the quarry ²  from which you were dug! ³ 

You take olive oil as tribute ¹  to your king, ²  along with many perfumes. ³  You send your messengers to a distant place; you go all the way to Sheol. ⁴ 

Sharon ¹  will become a pasture for sheep, and the Valley of Achor ²  a place where cattle graze; ³  they will belong to my people, who seek me. ⁴ 

Therefore, the Lord says, “Ask the people of other nations whether they have heard of anything like this. Israel should have been like a virgin. But she has done something utterly revolting!

ו (Vav) All of Daughter Zion’s ¹  splendor ²  has departed. ³  Her leaders became like deer; they found no pasture, so they were too exhausted to escape ⁴  from the hunter. ⁵ 

ה (He) Those who once feasted on delicacies ¹  are now starving to death ²  in the streets. Those who grew up ³  wearing expensive clothes ⁴  are now dying ⁵  amid garbage. ⁶ 

I will bring terrors on you, and you will be no more! Though you are sought after, you will never be found again, declares the sovereign Lord.”