Lamentations 3
1 ALEPH. I am the man that sees poverty, through the rod of his wrath upon me.
I am the man who hath seen affliction by the rod of his wrath.
2 He has taken me, and led me away into darkness, and not [into] light.
Me hath he driven out, and led into darkness, but not into light.
3 Nay, against me has he turned his hand all the day.
Surely against me doth he turn again and again his hand all the day.
4 He has made old my flesh and my skin; he has broken my bones.
He hath caused my flesh and my skin to wear out, he hath broken my bones.
5 BETH. He has built against me, and compassed my head, and brought travail [upon me].
He hath built around me, and encompassed me with poison and hardship.
6 He has set me in dark places, as them that have long been dead.
In dark places hath he set me to dwell, like the dead of olden times.
7 He has builded against me, and I cannot come forth: he has made my brazen [chain] heavy.
He hath placed a fence round about me, that I cannot get out; he hath made heavy my chain.
8 GIMEL. Yea, [though] I cry and shout, he shuts out my prayer.
Also when I cry aloud and make entreaty, he shutteth out my prayer.
9 DALETH. He has built up my ways, he has hedged my paths;
He hath fenced up my ways with hewn stone, my paths hath he made crooked.
10 he has troubled me, [as] a she-bear lying in wait: he is to me [as] a lion in secret places.
A bear lying in wait is he to me, a lion in secret places.
11 He pursued [me] after I departed, and brought me to a stand: he has utterly ruined me.
On my ways hath he placed thorns, and torn 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 placed me as a mark for the arrow.
13 He has caused the arrows of his quiver to enter into my reins.
He hath caused to enter into my reins the children of his quiver.
14 I became a laughing-stock to all my people; and their song all the day.
I am become a laughing-stock to all my people, their [jeering] song all the day.
15 VAU. He has filled me with bitterness, he has drenched me with gall.
He hath sated me with bitter things, he hath made me drunken 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 my soul hath given up all thoughts of peace: I forget happiness.
18 Therefore my success has perished, and my hope from the Lord.
And I said, Lost is my strength, my expectation also from the Lord.
19 ZAIN. I remembered by reason of my poverty, and because of persecution my bitterness and gall shall be remembered;
Remembering my affliction and [the cause of] my complaint, wormwood and poison.
20 and my soul shall meditate with me.
Remembering [this] continually my soul is bowed down deeply within me.
21 This will I lay up in my heart, therefore I will endure.
[Yet] this answer will I give to my heart: therefore will I wait [in confidence].
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 through the Lord's kindness that we are not consumed, because his mercies have no end;
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.
The Lord is my portion, saith my soul, therefore will I wait for him.
25 TETH. The Lord is good to them that wait for him: the soul which shall seek him
The Lord is good unto those that hope in 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 one should wait and this in silence for the salvation of the Lord.
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.
That he sit in solitude and be silent; because He hath laid it upon him;
That he put his mouth in the dust; perhaps there still is hope;
30 JOD. He will give [his] cheek to him that smites him: he will be filled full with reproaches.
That he offer his cheek to him that smiteth him; that he be satisfied 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.
But though he have caused grief, yet will he have mercy according to the abundance of his kindnesses.
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 of his own will, and aggrieve the children of men.
34 LAMED. To bring down under his feet all the prisoners of the earth,
To crush under his feet all the prisoners of the earth,
35 to turn aside the judgment of a man before the face of the Most High,
To pervert the justice [due to 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 contest—should the Lord not see this?
37 Who has thus spoken, and it has come to pass? the Lord has not commanded it.
Who is he that saith aught, and it cometh to pass, when the Lord hath not ordained it?
38 Out of the mouth of the Most High there shall not come forth evil and good.
Do not out of the mouth of the Most High come both the evil things and the good?
39 MEM. Why should a living man complain, a man concerning his sin?
Wherefore should a living man complain? let every man complain because of his sins.
40 NUN. Our way has been searched out and examined, and we will turn to the Lord.
Let us search through and investigate our ways, and let us return to the Lord.
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 indeed transgressed and rebelled: thou hast truly not pardoned.
43 SAMECH. Thou has visited [us] in wrath, and driven us away: thou has slain, thou has not pitied.
Thou hast covered [us] with thy anger, and made pursuit after 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, that no prayer should pass through.
45 and be cast off. AIN. Thou hast set us [alone] in the midst of the nations.
As something loathsome and rejected hast thou rendered us in the midst of the people.
46 All our enemies have opened their mouth against us.
Wide have all our enemies opened against us their mouth.
47 Fear and wrath are come upon us, suspense and destruction.
Terror and a snare are come upon us, [with] desolation and breaches.
48 Mine eye shall pour down torrents of water, for the destruction of the daughter of my people.
With streams of water runneth my eye down, because of the breach 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,
My eye trickleth down, and resteth not, without any intermission,
50 until the Lord look down, and behold from heaven.
Till the Lord look down, and behold from heaven.
51 Mine eye shall prey upon my soul, because of all the daughters of the city.
My 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,
Those who are my enemies, without a cause, have chased me about like a bird.
53 and laid a stone upon me.
They have shut up in the dungeon my life, and have cast stones upon me.
54 Water flowed over my head: I said, I am cut off.
Waters streamed 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 on thy name, O Lord, out of the dungeon of the lowest depth.
56 Thou heardest my voice: close not thine ears to my supplication.
Thou didst hear my voice: hide not thy ear to give me enlargement 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 wast ever near on the day that I called on thee: thou saidst, Fear not.
58 RECHS. O Lord, thou has pleaded the causes of my soul; thou has redeemed my life.
Thou didst plead, O Lord, the causes of my soul: thou didst [before this] redeem my life.
59 Thou hast seen, O Lord, my troubles: thou hast judged my cause.
Thou hast [now] seen, O Lord, the wrong I suffer: 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, all their plans against me.
61 CHSEN. Thou hast heard their reproach [and] all their devices against me;
Thou hast heard their reviling, O Lord, all their plans against me,
62 the lips of them that rose up against me, and their plots against me all the day;
The speeches of these that rise up against me, and their device against me all the day.
63 their sitting down and their rising up: look thou upon their eyes.
Oh look upon their sitting down, and their rising up: I am their [jeering] song.
64 Thou wilt render them a recompense, O Lord, according to the works of their hands.
Render unto them a recompense, O Lord, according to the work of their hands.
65 THAU. Thou wilt give them [as] a covering, the grief of my heart.
Give them confusion of heart, thy curse he upon them.
66 Thou wilt persecute them in anger, and wilt consume them from under the heaven, O Lord.
Pursue them in anger and destroy from under the heavens of the Lord.
