Lamentations 3
1 I am the man who has seen trouble by the rod of his wrath.
Aleph. I am the man that see my poverty by the rod of his indignation.
2 By him I have been made to go in the dark where there is no light.
Aleph. He hath led me, and brought me into darkness, and not into light.
3 Truly against me his hand has been turned again and again all the day.
Aleph. Only against me he hath turned, and turned again his hand all the day.
4 My flesh and my skin have been used up by him and my bones broken.
Beth. My skin and my flesh he hath made old, he hath broken my bones.
5 He has put up a wall against me, shutting me in with bitter sorrow.
Beth. He hath built round about me, and he hath compassed me with gall and labour.
6 He has kept me in dark places, like those who have been long dead.
Beth. He hath set me in dark places as those that are dead for ever.
7 He has put a wall round me, so that I am not able to go out; he has made great the weight of my chain.
Ghimel. He hath built against me round about, that I may not get out: he hath made my fetters heavy.
8 Even when I send up a cry for help, he keeps my prayer shut out.
Ghimel. Yea, and when I cry, and entreat, he hath shut out my prayer.
9 He has put up a wall of cut stones about my ways, he has made my roads twisted.
Ghimel. He hath shut up my ways with square stones, he hath turned my paths upside down.
10 He is like a bear waiting for me, like a lion in secret places.
Daleth. He is become to me as a bear lying in wait: as a lion in secret places.
11 By him my ways have been turned on one side and I have been pulled in bits; he has made me waste.
Daleth. He hath turned aside my paths, and hath broken me in pieces, he hath made me desolate.
12 With his bow bent, he has made me the mark for his arrows.
Daleth. He hath bent his bow, and set me as a mark for his arrows.
13 He has let loose his arrows into the inmost parts of my body.
He. He hath shot into my reins the daughters of his quiver.
14 I have become the sport of all the peoples; I am their song all the day.
He. I am made a derision to all my people, their song all the day long.
15 He has made my life nothing but pain, he has given me the bitter root in full measure.
He. He hath filled me with bitterness, he hath inebriated me with wormwood.
16 By him my teeth have been broken with crushed stones, and I am bent low in the dust.
Vau. And he hath broken my teeth one by one, he hath fed me with ashes.
17 My soul is sent far away from peace, I have no more memory of good.
Vau. And my soul is removed far off from peace, I have forgotten good things.
18 And I said, My strength is cut off, and my hope from the Lord.
Vau. And I said: My end and my hope is perished from the Lord.
19 Keep in mind my trouble and my wandering, the bitter root and the poison.
Zain. Remember my poverty, and transgression, the wormwood, and the gall.
20 My soul still keeps the memory of them; and is bent down in me.
Zain. I will be mindful and remember, and my soul shall languish within me.
21 This I keep in mind, and because of this I have hope.
Zain. These things I shall think over in my heart, therefore will I hope.
22 It is through the Lord's love that we have not come to destruction, because his mercies have no limit.
Heth. The mercies of the Lord that we are not consumed: because his commiserations have not failed.
23 They are new every morning; great is your good faith.
Heth. They are new every morning, great is thy faithfulness.
24 I said to myself, The Lord is my heritage; and because of this I will have hope in him.
Heth. The Lord is my portion, said my soul: therefore will I wait for him.
25 The Lord is good to those who are waiting for him, to the soul which is looking for him.
Teth. The Lord is good to them that hope in him, to the soul that seeketh him.
26 It is good to go on hoping and quietly waiting for the salvation of the Lord.
Teth. It is good to wait with silence for the salvation of God.
27 It is good for a man to undergo the yoke when he is young.
Teth. It is good for a man, when he hath borne the yoke from his youth.
28 Let him be seated by himself, saying nothing, because he has put it on him.
Jod. He shall sit solitary, and hold his peace: because he hath taken it up upon himself.
29 Let him put his mouth in the dust, if by chance there may be hope.
Jod. He shall put his mouth in the dust, if so be there may be hope.
30 Let his face be turned to him who gives him blows; let him be full of shame.
Jod. He shall give his cheek to him that striketh him, he shall be filled with reproaches.
31 For the Lord does not give a man up for ever.
Caph. For the Lord will not cast off for ever.
32 For though he sends grief, still he will have pity in the full measure of his love.
Caph. For if he hath cast off, he will also have mercy, according to the multitude of his mercies.
33 For he has no pleasure in troubling and causing grief to the children of men.
Caph. For he hath not willingly afflicted, nor cast off the children of men.
34 In a man's crushing under his feet all the prisoners of the earth,
Lamed. To crush under his feet all the prisoners of the land,
35 In his turning away the right of a man before the face of the Most High.
Lamed. To turn aside the judgment of a man before the face of the most High,
36 In his doing wrong to a man in his cause, the Lord has no pleasure.
Lamed. To destroy a man wrongfully in his judgment, the Lord hath not approved.
37 Who is able to say a thing, and give effect to it, if it has not been ordered by the Lord?
Mem. Who is he that hath commanded a thing to be done, when the Lord commandeth it not?
38 Do not evil and good come from the mouth of the Most High?
Mem. Shall not both evil and good proceed out of the mouth of the Highest?
39 What protest may a living man make, even a man about the punishment of his sin?
Mem. Why hath a living man murmured, man suffering for his sins?
40 Let us make search and put our ways to the test, turning again to the Lord;
Nun. Let us search our ways, and seek, and return to the Lord.
41 Lifting up our hearts with our hands to God in the heavens.
Nun. Let us lift up our hearts with our hands to the Lord in the heavens.
42 We have done wrong and gone against your law; we have not had your forgiveness.
Nun. We have done wickedly, and provoked thee to wrath: therefore thou art inexorable.
43 Covering yourself with wrath you have gone after us, cutting us off without pity;
Samech. Thou hast covered in thy wrath, and hast struck us: thou hast killed and hast not spared.
44 Covering yourself with a cloud, so that prayer may not get through.
Samech. Thou hast set a cloud before thee, that our prayer may not pass through.
45 You have made us like waste and that for which there is no use, among the peoples.
Samech. Thou hast made me as an outcast, and refuse in the midst of the people.
46 The mouths of all our haters are open wide against us.
Phe. All our enemies have opened their mouths against us.
47 Fear and deep waters have come on us, wasting and destruction.
Phe. Prophecy is become to us a fear, and a snare, and destruction.
48 Rivers of water are running down from my eyes, for the destruction of the daughter of my people.
Phe. My eye hath run down with streams of water, for the destruction of the daughter of my people.
49 My eyes are streaming without stopping, they have no rest,
Ain. My eye is afflicted, and hath not been quiet, because there was no rest:
50 Till the Lord's eye is turned on me, till he sees my trouble from heaven.
Ain. Till the Lord regarded and looked down from the heavens.
51 The Lord is unkind to my soul, more than all the daughters of my town.
Ain. My eye hath wasted my soul because of all the daughters of my city.
52 They who are against me without cause have gone hard after me as if I was a bird;
Sade. My enemies have chased me and caught me like a bird, without cause.
53 They have put an end to my life in the prison, stoning me with stones.
Sade. My life is fallen into the pit, and they have laid a stone over me.
54 Waters were flowing over my head; I said, I am cut off.
Sade. Waters have flowed over my head: I said: I am cut off.
55 I was making prayer to your name, O Lord, out of the lowest prison.
Coph. I have called upon thy name, O Lord, from the lowest pit.
56 My voice came to you; let not your ear be shut to my breathing, to my cry.
Coph. Thou hast heard my voice: turn not away thy ear from my sighs, and cries.
57 You came near in the day when I made my prayer to you: you said, Have no fear.
Coph. Thou drewest near in the day, when I called upon thee, thou saidst: Fear not.
58 O Lord, you have taken up the cause of my soul, you have made my life safe.
Res. Thou hast judged, O Lord, the cause of my soul, thou the Redeemer of my life.
59 O Lord, you have seen my wrong; be judge in my cause.
Res. Thou hast seen, O Lord, their iniquity against me: judge thou my judgment.
60 You have seen all the evil rewards they have sent on me, and all their designs against me.
Res. Thou hast seen all their fury, and all their thoughts against me.
61 Their bitter words have come to your ears, O Lord, and all their designs against me;
Sin. Thou hast heard their reproach, O Lord, all their imaginations against me.
62 The lips of those who came up against me, and their thoughts against me all the day.
Sin. The lips of them that rise up against me: and their devices against me all the day.
63 Take note of them when they are seated, and when they get up; I am their song.
Sin. Behold their sitting down, and their rising up, I am their song.
64 You will give them their reward, O Lord, answering to the work of their hands.
Thau. Thou shalt render them a recompense, O Lord, according to the works of their hands.
65 You will let their hearts be covered over with your curse on them.
Thau. Thou shalt give them a buckler of heart, thy labour.
66 You will go after them in wrath, and put an end to them from under the heavens of the Lord.
Thau. Thou shalt persecute them in anger, and shalt destroy them from under the heavens, O Lord.
