Lamentations 3
1 I am the man who has seen trouble by the rod of his wrath.
I am the man that hath seen affliction by the rod of His wrath.
2 By him I have been made to go in the dark where there is no light.
He hath led me and caused me to walk in darkness and not in light.
3 Truly against me his hand has been turned again and again all the day.
Surely against me He turneth His hand again and again all the day.
4 My flesh and my skin have been used up by him and my bones broken.
My flesh and my skin hath He worn out; He hath broken my bones.
5 He has put up a wall against me, shutting me in with bitter sorrow.
He hath builded against me, and compassed me with gall and travail.
6 He has kept me in dark places, like those who have been long dead.
He hath made me to dwell in dark places, as those that have been long dead.
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.
He hath hedged me about, that I cannot go forth; He hath made my chain heavy.
8 Even when I send up a cry for help, he keeps my prayer shut out.
Yea, when I cry and call for help, He shutteth out my prayer.
9 He has put up a wall of cut stones about my ways, he has made my roads twisted.
He hath enclosed my ways with hewn stone, He hath made my paths crooked.
10 He is like a bear waiting for me, like a lion in secret places.
He is unto 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.
He hath turned aside my ways, and pulled me in pieces; He hath made me desolate.
12 With his bow bent, he has made me the mark for his arrows.
He hath bent His bow, and set me as a mark for the arrow.
13 He has let loose his arrows into the inmost parts of my body.
He hath caused the arrows of His quiver to enter into my reins.
14 I have become the sport of all the peoples; I am their song all the day.
I am become a derision to all my people, and their song all the day.
15 He has made my life nothing but pain, he has given me the bitter root in full measure.
He hath filled me with bitterness, He hath sated me with wormwood.
16 By him my teeth have been broken with crushed stones, and I am bent low in the dust.
He hath also broken my teeth with gravel stones, He hath made me to wallow in ashes.
17 My soul is sent far away from peace, I have no more memory of good.
And my soul is removed far off from peace, I forgot prosperity.
18 And I said, My strength is cut off, and my hope from the Lord.
And I said: 'My strength is perished, and mine expectation from the LORD.'
19 Keep in mind my trouble and my wandering, the bitter root and the poison.
Remember mine affliction and mine anguish, the wormwood and the gall.
20 My soul still keeps the memory of them; and is bent down in me.
My soul hath them still in remembrance, and is bowed down within me.
21 This I keep in mind, and because of this I have hope.
This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope.
22 It is through the Lord's love that we have not come to destruction, because his mercies have no limit.
Surely the LORD'S mercies are not consumed, surely His compassions fail not.
23 They are new every morning; great is your good faith.
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.
'The LORD is my portion', saith my soul; 'Therefore will I hope in Him.'
25 The Lord is good to those who are waiting for him, to the soul which is looking for him.
The LORD is good unto them that wait for Him, to the soul that seeketh Him.
26 It is good to go on hoping and quietly waiting for the salvation of the Lord.
It is good that a man should quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD.
27 It is good for a man to undergo the yoke when he is young.
It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth.
28 Let him be seated by himself, saying nothing, because he has put it on him.
Let him sit alone and keep silence, because He hath laid it upon him.
29 Let him put his mouth in the dust, if by chance there may be hope.
Let him 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.
Let him give his cheek to him that smiteth him, let him be filled full with reproach.
31 For the Lord does not give a man up for ever.
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.
For though He cause grief, yet will He have compassion according to the multitude of His mercies.
33 For he has no pleasure in troubling and causing grief to the children of men.
For He doth not afflict willingly, nor grieve the children of men.
34 In a man's crushing under his feet all the prisoners of the earth,
To crush under foot all the prisoners of the earth,
35 In his turning 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 In his doing wrong to a man in his cause, the Lord has no pleasure.
To subvert a man in his cause, the Lord approveth not.
37 Who is able to say a thing, and give effect to it, if it has not been ordered by the Lord?
Who is he that saith, and it cometh to pass, when the Lord commandeth it not?
38 Do not evil and good come from the mouth of the Most High?
Out of the mouth of the Most High proceedeth not evil and good?
39 What protest may a living man make, even a man about the punishment of his sin?
Wherefore doth a living man complain, a strong man because of his sins?
40 Let us make search and put our ways to the test, turning again to the Lord;
Let us search and try our ways, and return to the LORD.
41 Lifting up our hearts with our hands to God in the heavens.
Let us lift up our heart with our hands unto God in the heavens.
42 We have done wrong and gone against your law; we have not had your forgiveness.
We have transgressed and have rebelled; Thou hast not pardoned.
43 Covering yourself with wrath you have gone after us, cutting us off without pity;
Thou hast covered with anger and pursued us; Thou hast slain unsparingly.
44 Covering yourself with a cloud, so that prayer may not get through.
Thou hast covered Thyself with a cloud, so that no prayer can pass through.
45 You have made us like waste and that for which there is no use, among the peoples.
Thou hast made us as the offscouring and refuse in the midst of the peoples.
46 The mouths of all our haters are open wide against us.
All our enemies have opened their mouth wide against us.
47 Fear and deep waters have come on us, wasting and destruction.
Terror and the pit are come upon us, desolation and destruction.
48 Rivers of water are running down from my eyes, for the destruction of the daughter of my people.
Mine eye runneth down with rivers of water, for the breach of the daughter of my people.
49 My eyes are streaming without stopping, they have no rest,
Mine eye is poured out, and ceaseth not, without any intermission,
50 Till the Lord's eye is turned on me, till he sees my trouble from heaven.
Till the LORD look forth, and behold from heaven.
51 The Lord is unkind to my soul, more than all the daughters of my town.
Mine eye affected 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;
They have chased me sore like a bird, that are mine enemies without cause.
53 They have put an end to my life in the prison, stoning me with stones.
They have cut off my life in the dungeon, and have cast stones upon me.
54 Waters were flowing over my head; I said, I am cut off.
Waters 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.
I called upon Thy name, O LORD, Out of the lowest dungeon.
56 My voice came to you; let not your ear be shut to my breathing, to my cry.
Thou heardest my voice; hide not Thine ear at my sighing, at my cry.
57 You came near in the day when I made my prayer to you: you said, Have no fear.
Thou drewest near in the day that 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.
O Lord, Thou hast pleaded the causes of my soul; Thou hast redeemed my life.
59 O Lord, you have seen my wrong; be judge in my cause.
O LORD, Thou hast seen my wrong; judge Thou my cause.
60 You have seen all the evil rewards they have sent on me, and all their designs against me.
Thou hast seen all their vengeance and all their devices against me.
61 Their bitter words have come to your ears, O Lord, and all their designs against me;
Thou hast heard their taunt, O LORD, and all their devices against me;
62 The lips of those who came up against me, and their thoughts against me all the day.
The lips of those that rose up against me, and their muttering against me all the day.
63 Take note of them when they are seated, and when they get up; I am their song.
Behold Thou 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.
Thou wilt render unto them a recompense, O LORD, according to the work of their hands.
65 You will let their hearts be covered over with your curse on them.
Thou wilt give them hardness of heart, Thy curse unto them.
66 You will go after them in wrath, and put an end to them from under the heavens of the Lord.
Thou wilt pursue them in anger, and destroy them from under the heavens of the LORD.
