Lamentations 3
1 I am the man who has seen trouble by the rod of his wrath.
Aleph. I am a man seynge my pouert in the yerde of his indignacioun.
2 By him I have been made to go in the dark where there is no light.
Aleph. He droof me, and brouyte in to derknessis, and not in to liyt.
3 Truly against me his hand has been turned again and again all the day.
Aleph. Oneli he turnede in to me, and turnede togidere his hond al dai.
4 My flesh and my skin have been used up by him and my bones broken.
Beth. He made eld my skyn, and my fleisch; he al to-brak my boonys.
5 He has put up a wall against me, shutting me in with bitter sorrow.
Beth. He bildid in my cumpas, and he cumpasside me with galle and trauel.
6 He has kept me in dark places, like those who have been long dead.
Beth. He settide me in derk places, as euerlastynge deed men.
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.
Gymel. He bildide aboute ayens me, that Y go not out; he aggregide my gyues.
8 Even when I send up a cry for help, he keeps my prayer shut out.
Gymel. But and whanne Y crie and preye, he hath excludid my preier.
9 He has put up a wall of cut stones about my ways, he has made my roads twisted.
Gymel. He closide togidere my weies with square stoonus; he distriede my pathis.
10 He is like a bear waiting for me, like a lion in secret places.
Deleth. He is maad a bere settinge aspies to me, a lioun in hid places.
11 By him my ways have been turned on one side and I have been pulled in bits; he has made me waste.
Deleth. He distriede my pathis, and brak me; he settide me desolat.
12 With his bow bent, he has made me the mark for his arrows.
Deleth. He bente his bowe, and settide me as a signe to an arowe.
13 He has let loose his arrows into the inmost parts of my body.
He. He sente in my reynes the douytris of his arowe caas.
14 I have become the sport of all the peoples; I am their song all the day.
He. Y am maad in to scorn to al the puple, the song of hem al dai.
15 He has made my life nothing but pain, he has given me the bitter root in full measure.
He. He fillide me with bitternesses; he gretli fillide me with wermod.
16 By him my teeth have been broken with crushed stones, and I am bent low in the dust.
Vau. He brak at noumbre my teeth; he fedde me with aische.
17 My soul is sent far away from peace, I have no more memory of good.
Vau. And my soule is putte awei; Y haue foryete goodis.
18 And I said, My strength is cut off, and my hope from the Lord.
Vau. And Y seide, Myn ende perischide, and myn hope fro the Lord.
19 Keep in mind my trouble and my wandering, the bitter root and the poison.
Zai. Haue thou mynde on my pouert and goyng ouer, and on wermod and galle.
20 My soul still keeps the memory of them; and is bent down in me.
Zai. Bi mynde Y schal be myndeful; and my soule schal faile in me.
21 This I keep in mind, and because of this I have hope.
Zai. Y bithenkynge these thingis in myn herte, schal hope in God.
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 ben manye, for we ben not wastid; for whi hise merciful doyngis failiden not.
23 They are new every morning; great is your good faith.
Heth. Y knew in the morewtid; thi feith is miche.
24 I said to myself, The Lord is my heritage; and because of this I will have hope in him.
Heth. My soule seide, The Lord is my part; therfor Y schal abide hym.
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 hem that hopen in to hym, to a soule sekynge hym.
26 It is good to go on hoping and quietly waiting for the salvation of the Lord.
Teth. It is good to abide with stilnesse the helthe of God.
27 It is good for a man to undergo the yoke when he is young.
Teth. It is good to a man, whanne he hath bore the yok fro his yongthe.
28 Let him be seated by himself, saying nothing, because he has put it on him.
Joth. He schal sitte aloone, and he schal be stille; for he reiside hym silf aboue hym silf.
29 Let him put his mouth in the dust, if by chance there may be hope.
Joth. He schal sette his mouth in dust, if perauenture hope is.
30 Let his face be turned to him who gives him blows; let him be full of shame.
Joth. He schal yyue the cheke to a man that smytith hym; he schal be fillid with schenschipis.
31 For the Lord does not give a man up for ever.
Caph. For the Lord schal not putte awei with outen ende.
32 For though he sends grief, still he will have pity in the full measure of his love.
Caph. For if he castide awei, and he schal do merci bi the multitude of hise mercies.
33 For he has no pleasure in troubling and causing grief to the children of men.
Caph. For he makide not low of his herte; and castide not awei the sones of men. Lameth.
34 In a man's crushing under his feet all the prisoners of the earth,
That he schulde al to-foule vndur hise feet alle the boundun men of erthe. Lameth.
35 In his turning away the right of a man before the face of the Most High.
That he schulde bowe doun the dom of man, in the siyt of the cheer of the hiyeste.
36 In his doing wrong to a man in his cause, the Lord has no pleasure.
Lameth. That he schulde peruerte a man in his dom, the Lord knew not.
37 Who is able to say a thing, and give effect to it, if it has not been ordered by the Lord?
Men. Who is this that seide, that a thing schulde be don, whanne the Lord comaundide not?
38 Do not evil and good come from the mouth of the Most High?
Men. Nether goodis nether yuels schulen go out of the mouth of the hiyeste.
39 What protest may a living man make, even a man about the punishment of his sin?
Men. What grutchide a man lyuynge, a man for hise synnes?
40 Let us make search and put our ways to the test, turning again to the Lord;
Nun. Serche we oure weies, and seke we, and turne we ayen to the Lord.
41 Lifting up our hearts with our hands to God in the heavens.
Nun. Reise we oure hertis with hondis, to the Lord in to heuenes.
42 We have done wrong and gone against your law; we have not had your forgiveness.
Nun. We han do wickidli, and han terrid thee to wraththe; therfor thou art not able to be preied.
43 Covering yourself with wrath you have gone after us, cutting us off without pity;
Sameth. Thou hilidist in stronge veniaunce, and smitidist vs; thou killidist, and sparidist not.
44 Covering yourself with a cloud, so that prayer may not get through.
Sameth. Thou settidist a clowde to thee, that preier passe not.
45 You have made us like waste and that for which there is no use, among the peoples.
Sameth. Thou settidist me, drawing vp bi the roote, and castynge out, in the myddis of puplis.
46 The mouths of all our haters are open wide against us.
Ayn. Alle enemyes openyden her mouth on vs.
47 Fear and deep waters have come on us, wasting and destruction.
Ayn. Inward drede and snare is maad to vs, profesie and defoulyng.
48 Rivers of water are running down from my eyes, for the destruction of the daughter of my people.
Ayn. Myn iyen ledden doun departyngis of watris, for the defoulyng of the douyter of my puple.
49 My eyes are streaming without stopping, they have no rest,
Phe. Myn iye was turmentid, and was not stille; for no reste was.
50 Till the Lord's eye is turned on me, till he sees my trouble from heaven.
Phe. Vntil the Lord bihelde, and siy fro heuenes.
51 The Lord is unkind to my soul, more than all the daughters of my town.
Phe. Myn iye robbide my soule in alle the douytris of my citee.
52 They who are against me without cause have gone hard after me as if I was a bird;
Sade. Myn enemyes token me with out cause, bi huntyng as a brid.
53 They have put an end to my life in the prison, stoning me with stones.
Sade. My lijf slood in to a lake; and thei puttiden a stoon on me.
54 Waters were flowing over my head; I said, I am cut off.
Sade. Watris flowiden ouer myn heed; Y seide, Y perischide.
55 I was making prayer to your name, O Lord, out of the lowest prison.
Coph. Lord, Y clepide to help thi name, fro the laste lake.
56 My voice came to you; let not your ear be shut to my breathing, to my cry.
Coph. Thou herdist my vois; turne thou not awei thin eere fro my sobbyng and cries.
57 You came near in the day when I made my prayer to you: you said, Have no fear.
Coph. Thou neiyidist to me in the dai, wherynne Y clepide thee to help; thou seidist, Drede thou not.
58 O Lord, you have taken up the cause of my soul, you have made my life safe.
Res. Lord, ayenbiere of my lijf, thou demydist the cause of my soule.
59 O Lord, you have seen my wrong; be judge in my cause.
Res. Lord, thou siest the wickidnesse of hem ayens me; deme thou my doom.
60 You have seen all the evil rewards they have sent on me, and all their designs against me.
Res. Thou siest al the woodnesse, alle the thouytis of hem ayenus me.
61 Their bitter words have come to your ears, O Lord, and all their designs against me;
Syn. Lord, thou herdist the schenshipis of hem; alle the thouytis of hem ayens me.
62 The lips of those who came up against me, and their thoughts against me all the day.
Syn. The lippis of men risynge ayens me, and the thouytis of hem ayens me al dai.
63 Take note of them when they are seated, and when they get up; I am their song.
Syn. Se thou the sittynge and risyng ayen of hem; Y am the salm of hem.
64 You will give them their reward, O Lord, answering to the work of their hands.
Thau. Lord, thou schalt yelde while to hem, bi the werkis of her hondis.
65 You will let their hearts be covered over with your curse on them.
Tau. Thou schalt yyue to hem the scheeld of herte, thi trauel.
66 You will go after them in wrath, and put an end to them from under the heavens of the Lord.
Tau. Lord, thou schalt pursue hem in thi strong veniaunce, and thou schalt defoule hem vndur heuenes.
