Lamentations 3
1 ALEPH. I am the man that sees poverty, through the rod of his wrath upon me.
I am the man that hath seen affliction by the rod of his wrath.
2 He has taken me, and led me away into darkness, and not [into] light.
He hath led me and caused me to walk in darkness, and not in light.
3 Nay, against me has he turned his hand all the day.
Surely against me he turneth his hand again and again all the day.
4 He has made old my flesh and my skin; he has broken my bones.
My flesh and my skin hath he made old; he hath broken my bones.
5 BETH. He has built against me, and compassed my head, and brought travail [upon me].
He hath builded against me, and compassed me with gall and travail.
6 He has set me in dark places, as them that have long been dead.
He hath made me to dwell in dark places, as those that have been long dead.
7 He has builded against me, and I cannot come forth: he has made my brazen [chain] heavy.
He hath walled me about, that I cannot go forth; he hath made my chain heavy.
8 GIMEL. Yea, [though] I cry and shout, he shuts out my prayer.
Yea, when I cry, and call for help, he shutteth out my prayer.
9 DALETH. He has built up my ways, he has hedged my paths;
He hath walled up my ways with hewn stone; he hath made my paths crooked.
10 he has troubled me, [as] a she-bear lying in wait: he is to me [as] a lion in secret places.
He is unto me as a bear lying in wait, as a lion in secret places.
11 He pursued [me] after I departed, and brought me to a stand: he has utterly ruined me.
He hath turned aside my ways, and pulled me in pieces; he hath made me desolate.
12 HE. He has bent his bow, and set me as a mark for the arrow.
He hath bent his bow, and set me as a mark for the arrow.
13 He has caused the arrows of his quiver to enter into my reins.
He hath caused the shafts of his quiver to enter into my reins.
14 I became a laughing-stock to all my people; and their song all the day.
I am become a derision to all my people, and their song all the day.
15 VAU. He has filled me with bitterness, he has drenched me with gall.
He hath filled me with bitterness, he hath sated me with wormwood.
16 And he has dashed out my teeth with gravel, he has fed me with ashes.
He hath also broken my teeth with gravel stones; he hath covered me with ashes.
17 He has also removed my soul from peace: I forgot prosperity.
And thou hast removed my soul far off from peace; I forgat prosperity.
18 Therefore my success has perished, and my hope from the Lord.
And I said, My strength is perished, and mine expectation from Jehovah.
19 ZAIN. I remembered by reason of my poverty, and because of persecution my bitterness and gall shall be remembered;
Remember mine affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall.
20 and my soul shall meditate with me.
My soul hath them still in remembrance, and is bowed down within me.
21 This will I lay up in my heart, therefore I will endure.
This I recall to my mind; therefore have I hope.
22 HETH. [It is] the mercies of the Lord, that he has not failed me, because his compassions are not exhausted. Pity [us], O Lord, early [every] month: for we are not brought to an end, because his compassions are not exhausted.
[It is of] Jehovah’s lovingkindnesses that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.
23 [They are] new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.
They are new every morning; great is thy faithfulness.
24 The Lord is my portion, says my soul; therefore will I wait for him.
Jehovah is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him.
25 TETH. The Lord is good to them that wait for him: the soul which shall seek him
Jehovah is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him.
26 [is] good, and shall wait for, and quietly expect salvation of the Lord.
It is good that a man should hope and quietly wait for the salvation of Jehovah.
27 TETH. [It is] good for a man when he bears a yoke in his youth.
It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth.
28 He will sit alone, and be silent, because he has borne [it] upon him.
Let him sit alone and keep silence, because he hath laid it upon him.
Let him put his mouth in the dust, if so be there may be hope.
30 JOD. He will give [his] cheek to him that smites him: he will be filled full with reproaches.
Let him give his cheek to him that smiteth him; let him be filled full with reproach.
31 For the Lord will not reject for ever.
For the Lord will not cast off for ever.
32 CHAPH. For he that has brought down will pity, and [that] according to the abundance of his mercy.
For though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of his lovingkindnesses.
33 He has not answered [in anger] from his heart, though he has brought low the children of a man.
For he doth not afflict willingly, nor grieve the children of men.
34 LAMED. To bring down under his feet all the prisoners of the earth,
To crush under foot all the prisoners of the earth,
35 to turn aside the judgment 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 condemn a man [unjustly] in his judgment, the Lord has not given commandment.
To subvert a man in his cause, the Lord approveth not.
37 Who has thus spoken, and it has come to pass? the Lord has not commanded it.
Who is he that saith, and it cometh to pass, when the Lord commandeth it not?
38 Out of the mouth of the Most High there shall not come forth evil and good.
Out of the mouth of the Most High cometh there not evil and good?
39 MEM. Why should a living man complain, a man concerning his sin?
Wherefore doth a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins?
40 NUN. Our way has been searched out and examined, and we will turn to the Lord.
Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to Jehovah.
41 Let us lift up our hearts with [our] hand to the lofty One in heaven.
Let us lift up our heart with our hands unto God in the heavens.
42 We have sinned, we have transgressed; and thou hast not pardoned.
We have transgressed and have rebelled; thou hast not pardoned.
43 SAMECH. Thou has visited [us] in wrath, and driven us away: thou has slain, thou has not pitied.
Thou hast covered with anger and pursued us; thou hast slain, thou hast not pitied.
44 Thou hast veiled thyself with a cloud because of prayer, that I might be blind,
Thou hast covered thyself with a cloud, so that no prayer can pass through.
45 and be cast off. AIN. Thou hast set us [alone] in the midst of the nations.
Thou hast made us an offscouring and refuse in the midst of the peoples.
46 All our enemies have opened their mouth against us.
All our enemies have opened their mouth wide against us.
47 Fear and wrath are come upon us, suspense and destruction.
Fear and the pit are come upon us, devastation and destruction.
48 Mine eye shall pour down torrents of water, for the destruction of the daughter of my people.
Mine eye runneth down with streams of water, for the destruction of the daughter of my people.
49 PHE. Mine eye is drowned [with tears], and I will not be silent, so that there shall be no rest,
Mine eye poureth down, and ceaseth not, without any intermission,
50 until the Lord look down, and behold from heaven.
Till Jehovah look down, and behold from heaven.
51 Mine eye shall prey upon my soul, because of all the daughters of the city.
Mine eye affecteth my soul, because of all the daughters of my city.
52 TSADE. The fowlers chased me as a sparrow, all mine enemies destroyed my life in a pit without cause,
They have chased me sore like a bird, they that are mine enemies without cause.
53 and laid a stone upon me.
They have cut off my life in the dungeon, and have cast a stone upon me.
54 Water flowed over my head: I said, I am cut off.
Waters flowed over my head; I said, I am cut off.
55 KOPH. I called upon thy name, O Lord, out of the lowest dungeon.
I called upon thy name, O Jehovah, out of the lowest dungeon.
56 Thou heardest my voice: close not thine ears to my supplication.
Thou heardest my voice; hide not thine ear at my breathing, at my cry.
57 Thou drewest nigh to my help: in the day wherein I called upon thee thou saidst to me, Fear not.
Thou drewest near in the day that I called upon thee; thou saidst, Fear not.
58 RECHS. O Lord, thou has pleaded the causes of my soul; thou has redeemed my life.
O Lord, thou hast pleaded the causes of my soul; thou hast redeemed my life.
59 Thou hast seen, O Lord, my troubles: thou hast judged my cause.
O Jehovah, thou hast seen my wrong; judge thou my cause.
60 Thou hast seen all their vengeance, [thou hast looked] on all their devices against me.
Thou hast seen all their vengeance and all their devices against me.
61 CHSEN. Thou hast heard their reproach [and] all their devices against me;
Thou hast heard their reproach, O Jehovah, and all their devices against me,
62 the lips of them that rose up against me, and their plots against me all the day;
The lips of those that rose up against me, and their device against me all the day.
63 their sitting down and their rising up: look thou upon their eyes.
Behold thou their sitting down, and their rising up; I am their song.
64 Thou wilt render them a recompense, O Lord, according to the works of their hands.
Thou wilt render unto them a recompense, O Jehovah, according to the work of their hands.
65 THAU. Thou wilt give them [as] a covering, the grief of my heart.
Thou wilt give them hardness of heart, thy curse unto them.
66 Thou wilt persecute them in anger, and wilt consume them from under the heaven, O Lord.
Thou wilt pursue them in anger, and destroy them from under the heavens of Jehovah.
