Lamentations 3
1 I am the man that hath seen affliction by the rod of his wrath.
[ALEPH-BET] I [am] the man [who] has seen affliction By the rod of His wrath.
2 He hath led me and caused me to walk in darkness, and not in light.
He has led me, and causes to go [in] darkness, and without light.
3 Surely against me he turneth his hand again and again all the day.
Surely against me He turns back, He turns His hand all the day.
4 My flesh and my skin hath he made old; he hath broken my bones.
He has worn out my flesh and my skin. He has broken my bones.
5 He hath builded against me, and compassed me with gall and travail.
He has built up against me, And sets around poverty and weariness.
6 He hath made me to dwell in dark places, as those that have been long dead.
In dark places He has caused me to dwell, As the dead of old.
7 He hath walled me about, that I cannot go forth; he hath made my chain heavy.
He has hedged me in, and I do not go out, He has made heavy my chain.
8 Yea, when I cry, and call for help, he shutteth out my prayer.
Also when I call and cry out, He has shut out my prayer.
9 He hath walled up my ways with hewn stone; he hath made my paths crooked.
He has hedged my ways with hewn work, My paths He has made crooked.
10 He is unto me as a bear lying in wait, as a lion in secret places.
A bear lying in wait He [is] to me, A lion in secret hiding places.
11 He hath turned aside my ways, and pulled me in pieces; he hath made me desolate.
My ways He is turning aside, and He pulls me in pieces, He has made me a desolation.
12 He hath bent his bow, and set me as a mark for the arrow.
He has bent His bow, And sets me up as a mark for an arrow.
13 He hath caused the shafts of his quiver to enter into my reins.
He has caused to enter into my reins The sons of His quiver.
14 I am become a derision to all my people, and their song all the day.
I have been a derision to all my people, Their song all the day.
15 He hath filled me with bitterness, he hath sated me with wormwood.
He has filled me with bitter things, He has filled me [with] wormwood.
16 He hath also broken my teeth with gravel stones; he hath covered me with ashes.
And He breaks with gravel my teeth, He has covered me with ashes.
17 And thou hast removed my soul far off from peace; I forgat prosperity.
And You cast off my soul from peace, I have forgotten prosperity.
18 And I said, My strength is perished, and mine expectation from Jehovah.
And I say, My strength and my hope have perished from YHWH.
19 Remember mine affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall.
Remember my affliction and my mourning, Wormwood and gall!
20 My soul hath them still in remembrance, and is bowed down within me.
Remember well, and my soul bows down in me.
21 This I recall to my mind; therefore have I hope.
This I turn to my heart—therefore I hope.
22 [It is of] Jehovah’s lovingkindnesses that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.
The kindnesses of YHWH! For we have not been consumed, For His mercies have not ended.
23 They are new every morning; great is thy faithfulness.
New every morning, abundant [is] Your faithfulness.
24 Jehovah is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him.
My portion [is] YHWH, my soul has said, Therefore I hope for Him.
25 Jehovah is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him.
YHWH [is] good to those waiting for Him, To the soul [that] seeks Him.
26 It is good that a man should hope and quietly wait for the salvation of Jehovah.
[It is] good when one stays and stands still For the salvation of YHWH.
27 It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth.
[It is] good for a man that he bears a yoke in his youth.
28 Let him sit alone and keep silence, because he hath laid it upon him.
He sits alone, and is silent, For He has laid [it] on him.
29 Let him put his mouth in the dust, if so be there may be hope.
He puts his mouth in the dust, if so be, there is hope.
30 Let him give his cheek to him that smiteth him; let him be filled full with reproach.
He gives to his striker the cheek, He is filled with reproach.
31 For the Lord will not cast off for ever.
For the Lord does not cast off for all time.
32 For though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of his lovingkindnesses.
For though He afflicted, yet He has pitied, According to the abundance of His kindness.
33 For he doth not afflict willingly, nor grieve the children of men.
For He has not afflicted with His heart, Nor does He grieve the sons of men.
34 To crush under foot all the prisoners of the earth,
To bruise under one’s feet any bound ones of earth,
35 To turn aside 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 approveth not.
To subvert a man in his cause, the Lord has not approved.
37 Who is he that saith, and it cometh to pass, when the Lord commandeth it not?
Who [is] this—he has spoken, and it is, [And] the Lord has not commanded [it]?
38 Out of the mouth of the Most High cometh there not evil and good?
From the mouth of the Most High does not go forth the evils and the good.
39 Wherefore doth a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins?
Why does a living man sigh habitually, A man for his sin?
40 Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to Jehovah.
We search our ways, and investigate, And turn back to YHWH.
41 Let us lift up our heart with our hands unto God in the heavens.
We lift up our heart on the hands to God in the heavens.
42 We have transgressed and have rebelled; thou hast not pardoned.
We have transgressed and been rebellious, You have not forgiven.
43 Thou hast covered with anger and pursued us; thou hast slain, thou hast not pitied.
You have covered Yourself with anger, And pursue us; You have slain—You have not pitied.
44 Thou hast covered thyself with a cloud, so that no prayer can pass through.
You have covered Yourself with a cloud, So that prayer does not pass through.
45 Thou hast made us an offscouring and refuse in the midst of the peoples.
Outcast and refuse You make us In the midst of the peoples.
46 All our enemies have opened their mouth wide against us.
Opened against us their mouth have all our enemies.
47 Fear and the pit are come upon us, devastation and destruction.
Fear and a snare has been for us, Desolation and destruction.
48 Mine eye runneth down with streams of water, for the destruction of the daughter of my people.
Streams of water go down my eye, For the destruction of the daughter of my people.
49 Mine eye poureth down, and ceaseth not, without any intermission,
My eye is poured out, And does not cease without intermission,
50 Till Jehovah look down, and behold from heaven.
Until YHWH looks and sees from the heavens,
51 Mine eye affecteth my soul, because of all the daughters of my city.
My eye affects my soul, Because of all the daughters of my city.
52 They have chased me sore like a bird, they that are mine enemies without cause.
Hunting—my enemies have hunted me without cause like the bird.
53 They have cut off my life in the dungeon, and have cast a stone upon me.
They have cut off my life in a pit, And they cast a stone against me.
54 Waters flowed over my head; I said, I am cut off.
Waters have flowed over my head, I have said, I have been cut off.
55 I called upon thy name, O Jehovah, out of the lowest dungeon.
I called Your Name, O YHWH, from the lower pit.
56 Thou heardest my voice; hide not thine ear at my breathing, at my cry.
You have heard my voice, do not hide Your ear at my breathing—at my cry.
57 Thou drewest near in the day that I called upon thee; thou saidst, Fear not.
You have drawn near in the day I call You, You have said, Do not fear.
58 O Lord, thou hast pleaded the causes of my soul; thou hast redeemed my life.
You have pleaded, O Lord, the pleadings of my soul, You have redeemed my life.
59 O Jehovah, thou hast seen my wrong; judge thou my cause.
You have seen, O YHWH, my overthrow, Judge my cause.
60 Thou hast seen all their vengeance and all their devices against me.
You have seen all their vengeance, All their thoughts of me.
61 Thou hast heard their reproach, O Jehovah, and all their devices against me,
You have heard their reproach, O YHWH, All their thoughts against me,
62 The lips of those that rose up against me, and their device against me all the day.
The lips of my withstanders, Even their meditation against me all the day.
63 Behold thou their sitting down, and their rising up; I am their song.
Their sitting down, and their rising up, Behold attentively, I [am] their song.
64 Thou wilt render unto them a recompense, O Jehovah, according to the work of their hands.
You return to them the deed, O YHWH, According to the work of their hands.
65 Thou wilt give them hardness of heart, thy curse unto them.
You give to them a covered heart, Your curse to them.
66 Thou wilt pursue them in anger, and destroy them from under the heavens of Jehovah.
You pursue in anger, and destroy them, From under the heavens of YHWH!
