He rained meat upon them like the dust,
And winged birds (quail) like the sand of the seas.

Therefore He consumed their days like a breath [in emptiness and futility]
And their years in sudden terror.

But God led His own people forward like sheep
And guided them in the wilderness like [a good shepherd with] a flock.

They turned back and acted unfaithfully like their fathers;
They were twisted like a warped bow [that will not respond to the archer’s aim].

And He built His sanctuary [exalted] like the heights [of the heavens],
Like the earth which He has established forever.

They have poured out their blood like water all around Jerusalem,
And there was no one to bury them.

How long, O Lord? Will You be angry forever?
Will Your jealousy [which cannot endure a divided allegiance] burn like fire?

Hear us O Shepherd of Israel,
You who lead Joseph like a flock;
You who sit enthroned above the cherubim [of the ark of the covenant], shine forth!

The mountains were covered with its shadow,
And its branches were like the cedars of God.

Who were destroyed at En-dor,
Who became like dung for the earth.

Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb
And all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna,

O my God, make them like whirling dust,
Like chaff before the wind [worthless and without substance].

There is no one like You among the gods, O Lord,
Nor are there any works [of wonder and majesty] like Yours.

I am counted among those who go down to the pit (grave);
I am like a man who has no strength [a mere shadow],

Cast away [from the living] and abandoned among the dead,
Like the slain who lie in a [nameless] grave,
Whom You no longer remember,
And they are cut off from Your hand.

They have surrounded me like flood waters all day long;
They have completely encompassed me.

O Lord God of hosts, who is like You, O mighty Lord?
Your faithfulness surrounds You [as an intrinsic, unchangeable part of Your very being].

How long, O Lord?
Will You hide Yourself forever?
Will Your wrath burn like fire?

You have swept them away like a flood, they fall asleep [forgotten as soon as they are gone];
In the morning they are like grass which grows anew—

You have placed our wickedness before you,
Our secret sins [which we tried to conceal, You have placed] in the [revealing] light of Your presence.

That though the wicked sprout up like grass
And all evildoers flourish,
They will be destroyed forever.

But my horn [my emblem of strength and power] You have exalted like that of a wild ox;
I am anointed with fresh oil [for Your service].

The righteous will flourish like the date palm [long-lived, upright and useful];
They will grow like a cedar in Lebanon [majestic and stable].

The mountains melted like wax at the presence of the Lord,
At the presence of the Lord of the whole earth.

For my days have vanished in smoke,
And my bones have been scorched like a hearth.

My heart has been struck like grass and withered,
Indeed, [absorbed by my heartache] I forget to eat my food.

I am like a [mournful] vulture of the wilderness;
I am like a [desolate] owl of the wasteland.

I am sleepless and lie awake [mourning],
I have become like a lonely bird on a housetop.

My days are like an evening shadow that lengthens and vanishes [with the sun];
And as for me, I wither away like grass.

“Even they will perish, but You endure;
Yes, all of them will wear out like a garment.
Like clothing You will change them and they shall be changed.

Who satisfies your years with good things,
So that your youth is renewed like the [soaring] eagle.

[You are the One] who covers Yourself with light as with a garment,
Who stretches out the heavens like a tent curtain,

He gave them hail for rain,
With flaming fire in their land.

He opened the rock and water flowed out;
It ran in the dry places like a river.

They staggered and trembled like a drunken man,
And were at their wits’ end [all their wisdom was useless].

Yet He sets the needy securely on high, away from affliction,
And makes their families like a flock.

He clothed himself with cursing as with his garment,
And it seeped into his inner self like water
And like [anointing] oil into his bones.

I am vanishing like a shadow when it lengthens and fades;
I am shaken off like the locust.

Who is like the Lord our God,
Who is enthroned on high,

The mountains leaped like rams,
The [little] hills, like lambs.

O mountains, that you leap like rams,
O [little] hills, like lambs?

Those who make them will become like them,
Everyone who trusts in them.

They swarmed around me like bees;
They flare up and are extinguished like a fire of thorns;
In the name of the Lord I will surely cut them off.

For I have become like a wineskin [blackened and shriveled] in the smoke [in which it hangs],
Yet I do not forget Your statutes.

I have gone astray like a lost sheep;
Seek Your servant, for I do not forget Your commandments.

We have escaped like a bird from the snare of the fowlers;
The trap is broken and we have escaped.

Those who trust in and rely on the Lord [with confident expectation]
Are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved but remains forever.

When the Lord brought back the captives to Zion (Jerusalem),
We were like those who dream [it seemed so unreal].

Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine
Within the innermost part of your house;
Your children will be like olive plants
Around your table.

Surely I have calmed and quieted my soul;
Like a weaned child [resting] with his mother,
My soul is like a weaned child within me [composed and freed from discontent].

It is like the precious oil [of consecration] poured on the head,
Coming down on the beard,
Even the beard of Aaron,
Coming down upon the edge of his [priestly] robes [consecrating the whole body].

It is like the dew of [Mount] Hermon
Coming down on the hills of Zion;
For there the Lord has commanded the blessing: life forevermore.

Those who make idols are like them [absolutely worthless—spiritually blind, deaf, and powerless];
So is everyone who trusts in and relies on them.

They sharpen their tongues like a serpent’s;
Poison of a viper is under their lips. Selah.

I reach out my hands to You;
My throat thirsts for You, as a parched land [thirsts for water]. Selah.

Answer me quickly, O Lord, my spirit fails;
Do not hide Your face from me,
Or I will become like those who go down into the pit (grave).

Man is like a mere breath;
His days are like a shadow that passes away.

Let our sons in their youth be like plants full grown,
And our daughters like corner pillars fashioned for a palace;

They will overflow [like a fountain] when they speak of Your great and abundant goodness
And will sing joyfully of Your righteousness.

He gives [to the earth] snow like [a blanket of] wool;
He scatters the frost like ashes.

He casts out His ice like fragments;
Who can stand before His cold?

But the path of the just (righteous) is like the light of dawn,
That shines brighter and brighter until [it reaches its full strength and glory in] the perfect day.

The way of the wicked is like [deep] darkness;
They do not know over what they stumble.

So your poverty will come like an approaching prowler who walks [slowly, but surely]
And your need [will come] like an armed man [making you helpless].

Suddenly he went after her, as an ox goes to the slaughter [not knowing the outcome],
Or as one in stocks going to the correction [to be given] to a fool,

Until an arrow pierced his liver [with a mortal wound];
Like a bird fluttering straight into the net,
He did not know that it would cost him his life.

The mouth of the righteous flows with [skillful and godly] wisdom,
But the perverted tongue will be cut out.

He who leans on and trusts in and is confident in his riches will fall,
But the righteous [who trust in God’s provision] will flourish like a green leaf.

Whoever loves instruction and discipline loves knowledge,
But he who hates reproof and correction is stupid.

There is one who speaks rashly like the thrusts of a sword,
But the tongue of the wise brings healing.

Good understanding wins favor [from others],
But the way of the unfaithful is hard [like barren, dry soil].

A calm and peaceful and tranquil heart is life and health to the body,
But passion and envy are like rottenness to the bones.

The way of the lazy is like a hedge of thorns [it pricks, lacerates, and entangles him],
But the way [of life] of the upright is smooth and open like a highway.

A bribe is like a bright, precious stone in the eyes of its owner;
Wherever he turns, he prospers.

The words of a man’s mouth are like deep waters [copious and difficult to fathom];
The fountain of [mature, godly] wisdom is like a bubbling stream [sparkling, fresh, pure, and life-giving].

A brother offended is harder to win over than a fortified city,
And contentions [separating families] are like the bars of a castle.

A foolish (ungodly) son is destruction to his father,
And the contentions of a [quarrelsome] wife are like a constant dripping [of water].

A plan (motive, wise counsel) in the heart of a man is like water in a deep well,
But a man of understanding draws it out.

A [discerning] king who sits on the throne of judgment
Sifts all evil [like chaff] with his eyes [and cannot be easily fooled].

When you set your eyes on wealth, it is [suddenly] gone.
For wealth certainly makes itself wings
Like an eagle that flies to the heavens.

At the last it bites like a serpent
And stings like a viper.

Like apples of gold in settings of silver
Is a word spoken at the right time.

Like an earring of gold and an ornament of fine gold
Is a wise reprover to an ear that listens and learns.

Like the cold of snow [brought from the mountains] in the time of harvest,
So is a faithful messenger to those who send him;
For he refreshes the life of his masters.

Like clouds and wind without rain
Is a man who boasts falsely of gifts [he does not give].

Have you found [pleasure sweet like] honey? Eat only as much as you need,
Otherwise, being filled excessively, you vomit it.

Like a club and a sword and a piercing arrow
Is a man who testifies falsely against his neighbor (acquaintance).

Like a broken tooth or an unsteady foot
Is confidence in an unfaithful man in time of trouble.

Like one who takes off a garment in cold weather, or like [a reactive, useless mixture of] vinegar on soda,
Is he who [thoughtlessly] sings [joyful] songs to a heavy heart.

Like cold water to a thirsty soul,
So is good news from a distant land.

Like a muddied fountain and a polluted spring
Is a righteous man who yields and compromises his integrity before the wicked.

Like a city that is broken down and without walls [leaving it unprotected]
Is a man who has no self-control over his spirit [and sets himself up for trouble].

Like snow in summer and like rain in harvest,
So honor is not fitting for a [shortsighted] fool.

Like the sparrow in her wandering, like the swallow in her flying,
So the curse without cause does not come and alight [on the undeserving].

Do not answer [nor pretend to agree with the frivolous comments of] a [closed-minded] fool according to his folly,
Otherwise you, even you, will be like him.

Like the legs which are useless to the lame,
So is a proverb in the mouth of a fool [who cannot learn from its wisdom].

Like one who [absurdly] binds a stone in a sling [making it impossible to throw],
So is he who [absurdly] gives honor to a fool.

Like a thorn that goes [without being felt] into the hand of a drunken man,
So is a proverb in the mouth of a fool [who remains unaffected by its wisdom].

Like a [careless] archer who [shoots arrows wildly and] wounds everyone,
So is he who hires a fool or those who [by chance just] pass by.

Like one who grabs a dog by the ears [and is likely to be bitten]
Is he who, passing by, stops to meddle with a dispute that is none of his business.