My heart ¹  is in turmoil ²  unceasingly; ³  the days of my affliction confront me.

But if they are bound in chains, ¹  and held captive by the cords of affliction,

א (Alef) ¹  I am the man ²  who has experienced ³  affliction from the rod ⁴  of his wrath.

For it is right ¹  for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you,

“Any vow or sworn obligation that would bring affliction to her, ¹  her husband can confirm or nullify. ² 

Perhaps the Lord will notice my affliction ¹  and this day grant me good in place of his curse.” ² 

“You saw the affliction of our ancestors in Egypt, and you heard their cry at the Red Sea. ¹ 

Take heed, do not turn to evil, for because of this you have been tested ¹  by affliction.

There will be ¹  affliction and distress on everyone ²  who does evil, on the Jew first and also the Greek, ³ 

So ¹  in all our distress and affliction, we were reassured about you, brothers and sisters, ²  through your faith.

“‘If you walk in hostility against me ¹  and are not willing to obey me, I will increase your affliction ²  seven times according to your sins.

If I am guilty, ¹  woe ²  to me, and if I am innocent, I cannot lift my head; ³  I am full of shame, ⁴  and satiated with my affliction. ⁵ 

And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, when you received ¹  the message with joy that comes from the Holy Spirit, despite great affliction.

For in fact when we were with you, we were telling you in advance that we would suffer affliction, and so it has happened, as you well know. ¹ 

The Lord said, “I have surely seen ¹  the affliction of my people who are in Egypt. I have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows. ² 

and I have promised ¹  that I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt to the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, ²  to a land flowing with milk and honey.”’

and the people believed. When they heard ¹  that the Lord had attended to ²  the Israelites and that he had seen their affliction, they bowed down close to the ground. ³ 

Therefore the Lord who rules over all says, ¹  “I will now purify them in the fires of affliction ²  and test them. The wickedness of my dear people ³  has left me no choice. What else can I do? ⁴ 

ג (Gimel) Judah ¹  has departed into exile under ²  affliction and harsh oppression. ³  She ⁴  lives among the nations; she has found no resting place. All who pursued her overtook her in ⁵  narrow straits. ⁶ 

For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, ¹  regarding the affliction that happened to us in the province of Asia, ²  that we were burdened excessively, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of living.