Lamentations 3
1 I am the man who has seen affliction by the rod of his wrath.
ALEPH. I am the man that sees poverty, through the rod of his wrath upon me.
2 He has led me and caused me to walk in darkness, and not in light.
He has taken me, and led me away into darkness, and not [into] light.
3 Surely he turns his hand against me again and again all day long.
Nay, against me has he turned his hand all the day.
4 He has made my flesh and my skin old. He has broken my bones.
He has made old my flesh and my skin; he has broken my bones.
5 He has built against me, and surrounded me with bitterness and hardship.
BETH. He has built against me, and compassed my head, and brought travail [upon me].
6 He has made me dwell in dark places, as those who have been long dead.
He has set me in dark places, as them that have long been dead.
7 He has walled me about, so that I cannot go out. He has made my chain heavy.
He has builded against me, and I can’t come forth: he has made my brazen [chain] heavy.
8 Yes, when I cry, and call for help, he shuts out my prayer.
GIMEL. Yes, [though] I cry and shout, he shuts out my prayer.
9 He has walled up my ways with cut stone. He has made my paths crooked.
DALETH. He has built up my ways, he has hedged my paths;
10 He is to me as a bear lying in wait, as a lion in hiding.
he has troubled me, [as] a she-bear lying in wait: he is to me [as] a lion in secret places.
11 He has turned away my path, and pulled me in pieces. He has made me desolate.
He pursued [me] after I departed, and brought me to a stand: he has utterly ruined me.
12 He has bent his bow, and set me as a mark for the arrow.
HE. He has bent his bow, and set me as a mark for the arrow.
13 He has caused the shafts of his quiver to enter into my kidneys.
He has caused the arrows of his quiver to enter into my reins.
14 I have become a derision to all my people, and their song all day long.
I became a laughing stock to all my people; and their song all the day.
15 He has filled me with bitterness. He has stuffed me with wormwood.
VAU. He has filled me with bitterness, he has drenched me with gall.
16 He has also broken my teeth with gravel. He has covered me with ashes.
And he has dashed out my teeth with gravel, he has fed me with ashes.
17 You have removed my soul far away from peace. I forgot prosperity.
He has also removed my soul from peace: I forgot prosperity.
18 I said, “My strength has perished, along with my expectation from the LORD.”
Therefore my success has perished, and my hope from the Lord.
19 Remember my affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the bitterness.
ZAIN. I remembered by reason of my poverty, and because of persecution my bitterness and gall shall be remembered;
20 My soul still remembers them, and is bowed down within me.
and my soul shall meditate with me.
21 This I recall to my mind; therefore I have hope.
This will I lay up in my heart, therefore I will endure.
22 It is because of the LORD’s loving kindnesses that we are not consumed, because his mercies do not fail.
HETH. [It is] the mercies of the Lord, that he has not failed me, because his compassions are not exhausted. Pity [us], O Lord, early [every] month: for we are not brought to an end, because his compassions are not exhausted.
23 They are new every morning. Great is your faithfulness.
[They are] new every morning: great is your faithfulness.
24 “The LORD is my portion,” says my soul. “Therefore I will hope in him.”
The Lord is my portion, says my soul; therefore will I wait for him.
25 The LORD is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him.
TETH. The Lord is good to them that wait for him: the soul which shall seek him
26 It is good that a man should hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD.
[is] good, and shall wait for, and quietly expect salvation of the Lord.
27 It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth.
TETH. [It is] good for a man when he bears a yoke in his youth.
28 Let him sit alone and keep silence, because he has laid it on him.
He will sit alone, and be silent, because he has borne [it] upon him.
29 Let him put his mouth in the dust, if it is so that there may be hope.
30 Let him give his cheek to him who strikes him. Let him be filled full of reproach.
JOD. He will give [his] cheek to him that smites him: he will be filled full with reproaches.
31 For the Lord will not cast off forever.
For the Lord will not reject for ever.
32 For though he causes grief, yet he will have compassion according to the multitude of his loving kindnesses.
CHAPH. For he that has brought down will pity, and [that] according to the abundance of his mercy.
33 For he does not afflict willingly, nor grieve the children of men.
He has not answered [in anger] from his heart, though he has brought low the children of a man.
34 To crush under foot all the prisoners of the earth,
LAMED. To bring down under his feet all the prisoners of the earth,
35 to turn away the right of a man before the face of the Most High,
to turn aside the judgment of a man before the face of the Most High,
36 to subvert a man in his cause, the Lord does not approve.
to condemn a man [unjustly] in his judgment, the Lord has not given commandment.
37 Who is he who says, and it comes to pass, when the Lord does not command it?
Who has thus spoken, and it has come to pass? the Lord has not commanded it.
38 Does not evil and good come out of the mouth of the Most High?
Out of the mouth of the Most High there shall not come forth evil and good.
39 Why should a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins?
MEM. Why should a living man complain, a man concerning his sin?
40 Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the LORD.
NUN. Our way has been searched out and examined, and we will turn to the Lord.
41 Let’s lift up our heart with our hands to God in the heavens.
Let us lift up our hearts with [our] hand to the lofty One in heaven.
42 “We have transgressed and have rebelled. You have not pardoned.
We have sinned, we have transgressed; and you have not pardoned.
43 “You have covered us with anger and pursued us. You have killed. You have not pitied.
SAMECH. You has visited [us] in wrath, and driven us away: you has slain, you has not pitied.
44 You have covered yourself with a cloud, so that no prayer can pass through.
You have veiled yourself with a cloud because of prayer, that I might be blind,
45 You have made us an off-scouring and refuse in the middle of the peoples.
and be cast off. AIN. You have set us [alone] in the midst of the nations.
46 “All our enemies have opened their mouth wide against us.
All our enemies have opened their mouth against us.
47 Terror and the pit have come on us, devastation and destruction.”
Fear and wrath are come upon us, suspense and destruction.
48 My eye runs down with streams of water, for the destruction of the daughter of my people.
Mine eye shall pour down torrents of water, for the destruction of the daughter of my people.
49 My eye pours down and does not cease, without any intermission,
PHE. Mine eye is drowned [with tears], and I will not be silent, so that there shall be no rest,
50 until the LORD looks down, and sees from heaven.
until the Lord look down, and behold from heaven.
51 My eye affects my soul, because of all the daughters of my city.
Mine eye shall prey upon my soul, because of all the daughters of the city.
52 They have chased me relentlessly like a bird, those who are my enemies without cause.
TSADE. The fowlers chased me as a sparrow, all mine enemies destroyed my life in a pit without cause,
53 They have cut off my life in the dungeon, and have cast a stone on me.
and laid a stone upon me.
54 Waters flowed over my head. I said, “I am cut off.”
Water flowed over my head: I said, I am cut off.
55 I called on your name, LORD, out of the lowest dungeon.
KOPH. I called upon your name, O Lord, out of the lowest dungeon.
56 You heard my voice: “Do not hide your ear from my sighing, and my cry.”
You heard my voice: close not your ears to my supplication.
57 You came near in the day that I called on you. You said, “Do not be afraid.”
You drew near to my help: in the day wherein I called upon you you said to me, Fear not.
58 Lord, you have pleaded the causes of my soul. You have redeemed my life.
RECHS. O Lord, you has pleaded the causes of my soul; you has redeemed my life.
59 LORD, you have seen my wrong. Judge my cause.
You have seen, O Lord, my troubles: you have judged my cause.
60 You have seen all their vengeance and all their plans against me.
You have seen all their vengeance, [you have looked] on all their devices against me.
61 You have heard their reproach, LORD, and all their plans against me,
CHSEN. You have heard their reproach [and] all their devices against me;
62 the lips of those that rose up against me, and their plots against me all day long.
the lips of them that rose up against me, and their plots against me all the day;
63 You see their sitting down and their rising up. I am their song.
their sitting down and their rising up: look you upon their eyes.
64 You will pay them back, LORD, according to the work of their hands.
You will render them a recompense, O Lord, according to the works of their hands.
65 You will give them hardness of heart, your curse to them.
THAU. You will give them [as] a covering, the grief of my heart.
66 You will pursue them in anger, and destroy them from under the heavens of the LORD.
You will persecute them in anger, and will consume them from under the heaven, O Lord.
