Lamentations 3
1 ALEPH. I am the man that sees poverty, through the rod of his wrath upon me.
I am the man who has seen affliction by the rod of his wrath.
2 He has taken me, and led me away into darkness, and not [into] light.
He has 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 he turns his hand against me, again and again all the day.
4 He has made old my flesh and my skin; he has broken my bones.
He has made my flesh and my skin old. He has broken my bones.
5 BETH. He has built against me, and compassed my head, and brought travail [upon me].
He has built against me, and encompassed me with gall and travail.
6 He has set me in dark places, as them that have long been dead.
He has made me to dwell in dark places, as those who have long been dead.
7 He has builded against me, and I can’t come forth: he has made my brazen [chain] heavy.
He has walled me around, that I cannot go forth. He has made my chain heavy.
8 GIMEL. Yes, [though] I cry and shout, he shuts out my prayer.
Yea, when I cry, and call for help, he shuts out my prayer.
9 DALETH. He has built up my ways, he has hedged my paths;
He has walled up my ways with hewn stone. He has 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 to me as a bear lying in wait, as a lion in concealed places.
11 He pursued [me] after I departed, and brought me to a stand: he has utterly ruined me.
He has turned aside my ways, and pulled me in pieces. He has made me desolate.
12 HE. He has bent his bow, and set me as a mark for the arrow.
He has 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 has 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 have 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 has filled me with bitterness. He has sated me with wormwood.
16 And he has dashed out my teeth with gravel, he has fed me with ashes.
He has also broken my teeth with gravel stones. He has covered me with ashes.
17 He has also removed my soul from peace: I forgot prosperity.
And thou have removed my soul far off from peace. I forgot prosperity.
18 Therefore my success has perished, and my hope from the Lord.
And I said, My strength is perished, and my expectation from Jehovah.
19 ZAIN. I remembered by reason of my poverty, and because of persecution my bitterness and gall shall be remembered;
Remember my affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall.
20 and my soul shall meditate with me.
My soul still has them 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 I have 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 loving kindnesses that we are not consumed, because his compassions do not fail.
23 [They are] new every morning: great is your 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, says my soul, therefore I will hope in him.
25 TETH. The Lord is good to them that wait for him: the soul which shall seek him
Jehovah is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks 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 has 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 who smites him. Let him be filled full with reproach.
31 For the Lord will not reject for ever.
For the Lord will not cast off forever.
32 CHAPH. For he that has brought down will pity, and [that] according to the abundance of his mercy.
For though he causes grief, yet he will have compassion according to the multitude of his loving kindnesses.
33 He has not answered [in anger] from his heart, though he has brought low the children of a man.
For he does not afflict willingly, nor grieve the sons 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 judgement 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 judgement, the Lord has not given commandment.
to subvert a man in his cause, the Lord does not approve.
37 Who has thus spoken, and it has come to pass? the Lord has not commanded it.
Who is he that says, and it comes to pass, when the Lord does not command it?
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 does there not come evil and good?
39 MEM. Why should a living man complain, a man concerning his sin?
Why does 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 to God in the heavens.
42 We have sinned, we have transgressed; and you have not pardoned.
We have transgressed and have rebelled. Thou have not pardoned.
43 SAMECH. You has visited [us] in wrath, and driven us away: you has slain, you has not pitied.
Thou have covered with anger and pursued us. Thou have slain; thou have not pitied.
44 You have veiled yourself with a cloud because of prayer, that I might be blind,
Thou have covered thyself with a cloud, so that no prayer can pass through.
45 and be cast off. AIN. You have set us [alone] in the midst of the nations.
Thou have made us an off-scouring 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 have come upon us, devastation and destruction.
48 Mine eye shall pour down torrents of water, for the destruction of the daughter of my people.
My eye runs 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,
My eye pours down, and does not cease, without any intermission,
50 until the Lord look down, and behold from heaven.
till Jehovah looks down, and beholds from heaven.
51 Mine eye shall prey upon my soul, because of all the daughters of the city.
My eye stirs 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 grievously like a bird, those who are my 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 your name, O Lord, out of the lowest dungeon.
I called upon thy name, O Jehovah, out of the lowest dungeon.
56 You heard my voice: close not your ears to my supplication.
Thou heard my voice. Hide not thine ear at my breathing, at my cry.
57 You drew near to my help: in the day wherein I called upon you you said to me, Fear not.
Thou drew near in the day that I called upon thee. Thou said, Fear not.
58 RECHS. O Lord, you has pleaded the causes of my soul; you has redeemed my life.
O Lord, thou have pleaded the causes of my soul. Thou have redeemed my life.
59 You have seen, O Lord, my troubles: you have judged my cause.
O Jehovah, thou have seen my wrong. Judge thou my cause.
60 You have seen all their vengeance, [you have looked] on all their devices against me.
Thou have seen all their vengeance and all their devices against me.
61 CHSEN. You have heard their reproach [and] all their devices against me;
Thou have 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 who rose up against me, and their device against me all the day.
63 their sitting down and their rising up: look you upon their eyes.
Behold thou their sitting down, and their rising up. I am their song.
64 You will render them a recompense, O Lord, according to the works of their hands.
Thou will render to them a recompense, O Jehovah, according to the work of their hands.
65 THAU. You will give them [as] a covering, the grief of my heart.
Thou will give them hardness of heart, thy curse to them.
66 You will persecute them in anger, and will consume them from under the heaven, O Lord.
Thou will pursue them in anger, and destroy them from under the heavens of Jehovah.
