'Trouble' in the Bible

or a hunchback or a dwarf, or one who has a defect in his eye or eczema or scabs or crushed testicles.

I, in turn, will do this to you: I will appoint over you sudden terror, consumption, and fever that will waste away the eyes and cause the soul to languish also. And you will sow your seed uselessly, for your enemies will eat what you plant.

And the Lord said to me, ‘Do not harass [the descendants of] Moab, nor provoke them to war, for I will not give you any of their land as a possession, because I have given Ar to the sons (Moab and Ammon) of Lot as a possession.’

When you come opposite the territory of the sons of Ammon, do not harass them nor provoke them, for I will not give you any of the land of the sons of Ammon as a possession, because I have given it to the sons of Lot as a possession.’

But as for you, keep yourselves [away] from the things under the ban [which are to be destroyed], so that you do not covet them and take some of the things under the ban [for personal gain], and put the camp of Israel under the ban (doomed to destruction), and bring disaster upon it.

Joshua said, “Why have you brought disaster on us? The Lord will bring you disaster this day.” Then all Israel stoned them [to death] with stones; afterward they burned their bodies in the fire.

But Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead, “Did you not hate me and drive me from the house of my father? Why have you come to me now when you are in trouble?”

And when he saw her, he tore his clothes [in grief] and said, “Alas, my daughter! You have brought me great disaster, and you are the cause of ruin to me; for I have made a vow to the Lord, and I cannot take it back.”

Now listen, with great trouble I have prepared and provided for the house of the Lord 100,000 talents of gold, 1,000,000 talents of silver, and bronze and iron beyond weighing, for they are great in quantity. I have also prepared and provided timber and stone, and you may add to them.

But when they were in their trouble and distress they turned to the Lord God of Israel, and [in desperation earnestly] sought Him, and He let them find Him.

They said to me, “The remnant there in the province who survived the captivity are in great distress and reproach; the wall of Jerusalem is broken down and its [fortified] gates have been burned (destroyed) by fire.”

“Now therefore, our God, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who keeps the covenant and lovingkindness,Do not let all the hardship seem insignificant before You,Which has come upon us, our kings, our princes, our priests, our prophets, our fathers and on all Your people,Since the time of the kings of Assyria to this day.

Because it did not shut the doors of my mother’s womb,Nor hide trouble from my eyes.

“I am not at ease, nor am I quiet,And I am not at rest, and yet trouble still comes [upon me].”

“As I have seen, those who plow wickednessAnd those who sow trouble and harm harvest it.

“For affliction does not come forth from the dust,Nor does trouble spring forth from the ground.

“For man is born for trouble,[As naturally] as sparks fly upward.

“Man, who is born of a woman,Is short-lived and full of turmoil.

“Will God hear his cryWhen trouble and distress come upon him?

“Did I not weep for one whose life was hard and filled with trouble?Was not my heart grieved for the needy?

Which I have reserved for the time of trouble,For the day of battle and war?

O Lord, how my enemies have increased!Many are rising up against me.

The Lord also will be a refuge and a stronghold for the oppressed,A refuge in times of trouble;

Why do You stand far away, O Lord?Why do You hide [Yourself, veiling Your eyes] in times of trouble?

His mouth is full of curses and deceit (fraud) and oppression;Under his tongue is mischief and wickedness [injustice and sin].

You have seen it, for You have noted mischief and vexation (irritation) to take it into Your hand.The unfortunate commits himself to You;You are the helper of the fatherless.

And my enemy will say, “I have overcome him,”And my adversaries will rejoice when I am shaken.

He makes my feet like hinds’ feet [able to stand firmly and tread safely on paths of testing and trouble];He sets me [securely] upon my high places.

May the Lord answer you (David) in the day of trouble!May the name of the God of Jacob set you securely on high [and defend you in battle]!

Do not be far from me, for trouble is near;And there is no one to help.

My praise will be of You in the great assembly.I will pay my vows [made in the time of trouble] before those who [reverently] fear Him.

For in the day of trouble He will hide me in His shelter;In the secret place of His tent He will hide me;He will lift me up on a rock.

Be gracious and compassionate to me, O Lord, for I am in trouble;My eye is clouded and weakened by grief, my soul and my body also.

You are my hiding place; You, Lord, protect me from trouble;You surround me with songs and shouts of deliverance. Selah.

But the salvation of the righteous is from the Lord;He is their refuge and stronghold in the time of trouble.

Blessed [by God’s grace and compassion] is he who considers the helpless;The Lord will save him in the day of trouble.

God is our refuge and strength [mighty and impenetrable],A very present and well-proved help in trouble.

Call on Me in the day of trouble;I will rescue you, and you shall honor and glorify Me.”

For He has rescued me from every trouble,And my eye has looked with satisfaction (triumph) on my enemies.

Because of the voice of the enemy,Because of the pressure of the wicked;For they bring down trouble on me,And in anger they persecute me.

All day long they twist my words and say hurtful things;All their thoughts are against me for evil.

They are not in trouble as other men,Nor are they plagued like mankind.

In the day of my trouble I [desperately] sought the Lord;In the night my hand was stretched out [in prayer] without weariness;My soul refused to be comforted.

In the day of my trouble I will call upon You,For You will answer me.

“He will call upon Me, and I will answer him;I will be with him in trouble;I will rescue him and honor him.

Because of the sound of my groaning [in suffering and trouble]My bones cling to my flesh.

Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble,And He rescued them from their distresses.

Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble,And He saved them from their distresses.

Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble,And He saved them from their distresses.

Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble,And He brought them out of their distresses.

When they are diminished and bowed down (humbled)Through oppression, misery, and sorrow,

The cords and sorrows of death encompassed me,And the terrors of Sheol came upon me;I found distress and sorrow.

Trouble and anguish have found me,Yet Your commandments are my delight and my joy.

Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You will revive me;You will stretch out Your hand against the wrath of my enemies,And Your right hand will save me.

I pour out my complaint before Him;I declare my trouble before Him.

Save my life, O Lord, for Your name’s sake;In Your righteousness bring my life out of trouble.

For the wicked cannot sleep unless they do evil;And they are deprived of sleep unless they make someone stumble and fall.

Who perversely in his heart plots trouble and evil continually;Who spreads discord and strife.

The righteous is rescued from trouble,And the wicked takes his place.

An evil man is [dangerously] ensnared by the transgression of his lips,But the righteous will escape from trouble.

Great and priceless treasure is in the house of the [consistently] righteous one [who seeks godly instruction and grows in wisdom],But trouble is in the income of the wicked one [who rejects the laws of God].

Better is a little with the [reverent, worshipful] fear of the LordThan great treasure and trouble with it.

The spirit of a man sustains him in sickness,But as for a broken spirit, who can bear it?

For their minds plot violence,And their lips talk of trouble [for the innocent].

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

She sees that her gain is good;Her lamp does not go out, but it burns continually through the night [she is prepared for whatever lies ahead].

And it will be in the day when the Lord gives you rest from your pain and turmoil and from the harsh service in which you have been enslaved,

O Lord, they sought You in distress;They managed only a prayerful whisperWhen Your discipline was upon them.

A [mournful, inspired] oracle (a burden to be carried) concerning the beasts of the Negev (the South):Through a land of trouble and anguish,From where come lioness and lion, viper and [fiery] flying serpent,They carry their riches on the shoulders of young donkeysAnd their treasures on the humps of camels,To a people (Egyptians) who cannot benefit them.

O Lord, be gracious to us; we have waited [expectantly] for You.Be the arm of Your servants every morning [that is, their strength and their defense],Our salvation also in the time of trouble.

They said to him, “This is what Hezekiah says, ‘This day is a day of distress, rebuke and disgrace; for children have come to birth, and there is no strength to deliver them.

Who is among you who fears the Lord,Who obeys the voice of His Servant,Yet who walks in darkness and has no light?Let him trust and be confident in the name of the Lord and let him rely on his God.

Who say to a tree, ‘You are my father,’And to a stone, ‘You gave me birth.’For they have turned their backs to Me,And not their faces;But in the time of their trouble they will say,‘Arise [O Lord] and save us.’

“But where are your godsWhich you made for yourself?Let them get up, if they can save youIn the time of your trouble!For [as many as] the number of your citiesAre your gods, O Judah. [Why do not your many man-made idols run to help you?]

We waited for peace and salvation, but no good came,And for a time of healing, but behold, terror!

Then the cities of Judah and the people of Jerusalem will go and cry to the [man-made] gods to whom they burn incense, but they cannot save them in the time of their disaster.

“Therefore do not pray for this people, nor lift up a cry or prayer for them, for I shall not listen when they cry to Me in the time of their disaster.

“O Hope of Israel,Her Savior in time of distress and trouble,Why should You be like a sojourner (temporary resident) in the landOr like a traveler who turns aside and spreads his tent to linger [only] for a night?

‘Alas! for that day is great,There is none like it;It is the time of Jacob’s [unequaled] trouble,But he will be saved from it.

‘Then behold, all the women who are left in the palace of the king of Judah will be brought out to the officers of the king of Babylon and those women will say [to you, King Zedekiah],“Your close friendsHave prevailed against your better judgment and have overpowered and deceived you;While your feet were sunk in the mire [of trouble],They turned back.”

Concerning Damascus [in Syria].“Hamath and Arpad are perplexed and shamed,For they have heard bad news;They are disheartened;Troubled and anxious like a [storm-tossed] seaWhich cannot be calmed.

“People have heard that I groan,That I have no comforter [in You].All my enemies have heard of my desperation;They are delighted [O Lord] that You have done it.Oh, that You would bring the day [of judgment] which You have proclaimedSo that they will become like me.

“Son of man, take up a dirge (funeral poem to be sung) over Pharaoh king of Egypt and say to him,‘You have compared yourself to a young lion among the nations,But you are like a monster in the seas;You burst into your riversAnd disturbed and muddied the waters with your feetAnd fouled their rivers [the source of their prosperity].’”

I will also put fear into the hearts of many peoples when I bring your destruction [and captivity] among the nations, into countries which you have not known.

“I will also destroy all its cattle from beside its great waters;And the foot of man will not muddy them anymoreNor will the hoofs of the animals muddy them.

“Then Daniel, whose [Babylonian] name was Belteshazzar, was appalled and speechless for a while [because he was deeply concerned about the destiny of the king], and his thoughts alarmed him. The king said, ‘Belteshazzar, do not let the dream or its interpretation frighten you.’ Belteshazzar answered, ‘My lord, may the dream be [meant] for those who hate you and its message for your enemies!

“Now at that [end] time Michael, the great [angelic] prince who stands guard over the children of your people, will arise. And there will be a time of distress such as never occurred since there was a nation until that time; but at that time your people, everyone who is found written in the Book [of Life], will be rescued.

The Lord is good,A strength and stronghold in the day of trouble;He knows [He recognizes, cares for, and understands fully] those who take refuge and trust in Him.

Why do You make me see iniquity,And cause me to look on wickedness?For destruction and violence are before me;Strife continues and contention arises.

I heard and my whole inner self trembled;My lips quivered at the sound.Decay and rottenness enter my bones,And I tremble in my place.Because I must wait quietly for the day of distress,For the people to arise who will invade and attack us.

The Lord God is my strength [my source of courage, my invincible army];He has made my feet [steady and sure] like hinds’ feetAnd makes me walk [forward with spiritual confidence] on my high places [of challenge and responsibility].For the choir director, on my stringed instruments.