Lamentations 3
1 I am the man who has seen affliction by the rod of his wrath.
I, am the man, that hath seen affliction, by the rod of his indignation;
2 He has led me and caused me to walk in darkness, and not in light.
Me, hath he driven out and brought into darkness, and not light;
3 Surely he turns his hand against me again and again all day long.
Surely, against me, doth he again and again, turn his hand all the day.
4 He has made my flesh and my skin old. He has broken my bones.
He hath worn out my flesh and my skin, hath broken my bones;
5 He has built against me, and surrounded me with bitterness and hardship.
He hath built up against me, and carried round me, fortifications and a trench;
6 He has made me dwell in dark places, as those who have been long dead.
In dark places, hath he made me sit, like the dead of age-past times.
7 He has walled me about, so that I cannot go out. He has made my chain heavy.
He hath walled up around me, that I cannot get out, hath weighted my fetter;
8 Yes, when I cry, and call for help, he shuts out my prayer.
Yea, when I make outcry and implore, he hath shut out my prayer;
9 He has walled up my ways with cut stone. He has made my paths crooked.
He hath walled in my ways with hewn stone, my paths, hath he caused to wind back.
10 He is to me as a bear lying in wait, as a lion in hiding.
A bear lying in wait, he is to me, a lion, in secret places;
11 He has turned away my path, and pulled me in pieces. He has made me desolate.
My ways, hath he turned aside, and hath torn me in pieces, hath made me desolate;
12 He has bent his bow, and set me as a mark for the arrow.
He hath trodden his bow, and set me up, as a mark for the arrow.
13 He has caused the shafts of his quiver to enter into my kidneys.
He hath caused to enter my reins, the sons of his quiver;
14 I have become a derision to all my people, and their song all day long.
I have become a derision to all my people, their song all the day;
15 He has filled me with bitterness. He has stuffed me with wormwood.
He hath sated me with bitter things, hath drenched me with wormwood.
16 He has also broken my teeth with gravel. He has covered me with ashes.
And he hath crushed, with gravel-stones, my teeth, hath made me cower in ashes;
17 You have removed my soul far away from peace. I forgot prosperity.
And thou hast thrust away from welfare, my soul, I have forgotten prosperity;
18 I said, “My strength has perished, along with my expectation from the LORD.”
And I said, Vanished is mine endurance, even mine expectation, from Yahweh.
19 Remember my affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the bitterness.
Remember my humiliation and my fleeings, the wormwood and poison;
20 My soul still remembers them, and is bowed down within me.
Thou wilt, indeed remember, that, bowed down concerning myself, is my soul;
21 This I recall to my mind; therefore I have hope.
This, will I bring back to my heart, therefore, will I hope.
22 It is because of the LORD’s loving kindnesses that we are not consumed, because his mercies do not fail.
The lovingkindnesses of Yahweh, verily they are not exhausted, Verily! not at an end, are his compassions:
23 They are new every morning. Great is your faithfulness.
New things for the mornings! Abundant is thy faithfulness:
24 “The LORD is my portion,” says my soul. “Therefore I will hope in him.”
My portion, is Yahweh, saith my soul, For this cause, will I wait for him.
25 The LORD is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him.
Good is Yahweh, to them who wait for him, to the soul that will seek him;
26 It is good that a man should hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD.
Good it is—both to wait and to be silent, for the deliverance of Yahweh;
27 It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth.
Good it is for a man, that he should bear the yoke in his youth.
28 Let him sit alone and keep silence, because he has laid it on him.
Let him sit alone, and keep silence, because he took it upon himself:
29 Let him put his mouth in the dust, if it is so that there may be hope.
Let him put, in the dust, his mouth, peradventure, there is hope!
30 Let him give his cheek to him who strikes him. Let him be filled full of reproach.
Let him give, to him that smiteth him, his cheek, let him be sated with reproach.
31 For the Lord will not cast off forever.
Surely My Lord, will not cast off, unto times age-abiding;
32 For though he causes grief, yet he will have compassion according to the multitude of his loving kindnesses.
Surely, though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion, according to the multitude of his lovingkindnesses;
33 For he does not afflict willingly, nor grieve the children of men.
Surely he hath not afflicted from his heart, nor caused sorrow to the sons of men.
34 To crush under foot all the prisoners of the earth,
To crush, under his feet, any of 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 right of a man, before the face of the Most High;
36 to subvert a man in his cause, the Lord does not approve.
To oppress a son of earth in his cause, My Lord, hath made no provision.
37 Who is he who says, and it comes to pass, when the Lord does not command it?
Who was it that spake, and it was done, [when], My Lord, had not commanded?
38 Does not evil and good come out of the mouth of the Most High?
Out of the mouth of the Most High, Proceed there not misfortunes and blessing?
39 Why should a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins?
Why should a living son of earth complain, [Let] a man [complain] because of his sins?
40 Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the LORD.
Let us search out our ways, and examine them well, and let us return unto Yahweh;
41 Let’s lift up our heart with our hands to God in the heavens.
Let us lift up our heart, to the opened palms, to the Mighty One in the heavens;
42 “We have transgressed and have rebelled. You have not pardoned.
We, have trespassed and rebelled, Thou, hast not pardoned.
43 “You have covered us with anger and pursued us. You have killed. You have not pitied.
Thou hast covered thyself with anger, and pursued us, hast slain—hast not spared;
44 You have covered yourself with a cloud, so that no prayer can pass through.
Thou hast screened thyself with the clouds, that prayer, should not pass through;
45 You have made us an off-scouring and refuse in the middle of the peoples.
Offscouring and refuse, dost thou make us, in the midst of the peoples.
46 “All our enemies have opened their mouth wide against us.
With their mouth, opened wide over us, [stand] all our foes.
47 Terror and the pit have come on us, devastation and destruction.”
Terror and a pit, have befallen us, tumult and grievous injury;
48 My eye runs down with streams of water, for the destruction of the daughter of my people.
With streams of water, mine eye runneth down, over the grievous injury of the daughter of my people.
49 My eye pours down and does not cease, without any intermission,
Mine eye, poureth itself out and ceaseth not, without relief;
50 until the LORD looks down, and sees from heaven.
Until Yahweh out of the heavens shall look forth, and see,
51 My eye affects my soul, because of all the daughters of my city.
Mine eye dealeth severely with my soul, because of all the daughters of my city.
52 They have chased me relentlessly like a bird, those who are my enemies without cause.
They, have laid snares, for me as a bird, who are mine enemies without cause:
53 They have cut off my life in the dungeon, and have cast a stone on me.
They have cut off, in the dungeon, my life, and have cast a stone upon me;
54 Waters flowed over my head. I said, “I am cut off.”
Waters, flowed over, my head, I said, I am cut off!
55 I called on your name, LORD, out of the lowest dungeon.
I have called upon thy Name, O Yahweh, out of the dungeon below;
56 You heard my voice: “Do not hide your ear from my sighing, and my cry.”
My voice, thou hast heard, —do not close thine ear to my respite, to mine outcry;
57 You came near in the day that I called on you. You said, “Do not be afraid.”
Thou drewest near, in the day I kept calling on thee, thou saidst, Do not fear!
58 Lord, you have pleaded the causes of my soul. You have redeemed my life.
Thou hast pleaded, O My Lord, the pleas of my soul, hast redeemed my life;
59 LORD, you have seen my wrong. Judge my cause.
Thou hast beheld, O Yahweh, my failure to get justice, Pronounce thou my sentence;
60 You have seen all their vengeance and all their plans against me.
Thou hast seen all their vindictiveness, all their plots against me.
61 You have heard their reproach, LORD, and all their plans against me,
Thou hast heard their reproach, O Yahweh, all their plots against me;
62 the lips of those that rose up against me, and their plots against me all day long.
The lips of mine assailants, and their mutterings, are against me, all the day;
63 You see their sitting down and their rising up. I am their song.
On their downsitting and their uprising, do thou look, I, am their song.
64 You will pay them back, LORD, according to the work of their hands.
Thou wilt render to them a recompense, O Yahweh, according to the work of their hands;
65 You will give them hardness of heart, your curse to them.
Thou wilt suffer them a veiling of heart, thy curse to them;
66 You will pursue them in anger, and destroy them from under the heavens of the LORD.
Thou wilt pursue in anger, and wilt destroy them, from under the heavens of Yahweh.
