Lamentations 3
1 ALEPH. I am the man that sees poverty, through the rod of his wrath upon me.
[ALEPH-BET] 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 causes to go [in] darkness, and without light.
3 Nay, against me has he turned his hand all the day.
Surely against me He turns back, He turns His hand all the day.
4 He has made old my flesh and my skin; he has broken my bones.
He has worn out my flesh and my skin. He has broken my bones.
5 BETH. He has built against me, and compassed my head, and brought travail [upon me].
He has built up against me, And sets around poverty and weariness.
6 He has set me in dark places, as them that have long been dead.
In dark places He has caused me to dwell, As the dead of old.
7 He has builded against me, and I can’t come forth: he has made my brazen [chain] heavy.
He has hedged me in, and I do not go out, He has made heavy my chain.
8 GIMEL. Yes, [though] I cry and shout, he shuts out my prayer.
Also when I call and cry out, He has shut out my prayer.
9 DALETH. He has built up my ways, he has hedged my paths;
He has hedged my ways with hewn work, My paths He has 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 He [is] to me, A lion in secret hiding places.
11 He pursued [me] after I departed, and brought me to a stand: he has utterly ruined me.
My ways He is turning aside, and He pulls me in pieces, He has made me a desolation.
12 HE. He has bent his bow, and set me as a mark for the arrow.
He has bent His bow, And sets me up as a mark for an arrow.
13 He has caused the arrows of his quiver to enter into my reins.
He has caused to enter into my reins The sons of His quiver.
14 I became a laughing stock to all my people; and their song all the day.
I have been a derision to all my people, Their song all the day.
15 VAU. He has filled me with bitterness, he has drenched me with gall.
He has filled me with bitter things, He has filled me [with] wormwood.
16 And he has dashed out my teeth with gravel, he has fed me with ashes.
And He breaks with gravel my teeth, He has covered me with ashes.
17 He has also removed my soul from peace: I forgot prosperity.
And You cast off my soul from peace, I have forgotten prosperity.
18 Therefore my success has perished, and my hope from the Lord.
And I say, My strength and my hope have perished from YHWH.
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 mourning, Wormwood and gall!
20 and my soul shall meditate with me.
Remember well, and my soul bows down in me.
21 This will I lay up in my heart, therefore I will endure.
This I turn to my heart—therefore 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.
The kindnesses of YHWH! For we have not been consumed, For His mercies have not ended.
23 [They are] new every morning: great is your faithfulness.
New every morning, abundant [is] Your faithfulness.
24 The Lord is my portion, says my soul; therefore will I wait for him.
My portion [is] YHWH, my soul has said, Therefore I hope for Him.
25 TETH. The Lord is good to them that wait for him: the soul which shall seek him
YHWH [is] good to those waiting for Him, To the soul [that] seeks Him.
26 [is] good, and shall wait for, and quietly expect salvation of the Lord.
[It is] good when one stays and stands still For the salvation of YHWH.
27 TETH. [It is] good for a man when he bears a yoke in his youth.
[It is] good for a man that he bears a yoke in his youth.
28 He will sit alone, and be silent, because he has borne [it] upon him.
He sits alone, and is silent, For He has laid [it] on him.
He puts his mouth in the dust, if so be, there is hope.
30 JOD. He will give [his] cheek to him that smites him: he will be filled full with reproaches.
He gives to his striker the cheek, He is filled with reproach.
31 For the Lord will not reject for ever.
For the Lord does not cast off for all time.
32 CHAPH. For he that has brought down will pity, and [that] according to the abundance of his mercy.
For though He afflicted, yet He has pitied, According to the abundance of His kindness.
33 He has not answered [in anger] from his heart, though he has brought low the children of a man.
For He has not afflicted with His heart, Nor does He grieve the sons of men.
34 LAMED. To bring down under his feet all the prisoners of the earth,
To bruise under one’s feet any bound ones of earth,
35 to turn aside the judgement of a man before the face of the Most High,
To turn aside the judgment 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 has not approved.
37 Who has thus spoken, and it has come to pass? the Lord has not commanded it.
Who [is] this—he has spoken, and it is, [And] the Lord has not commanded [it]?
38 Out of the mouth of the Most High there shall not come forth evil and good.
From the mouth of the Most High does not go forth the evils and the good.
39 MEM. Why should a living man complain, a man concerning his sin?
Why does a living man sigh habitually, A man for his sin?
40 NUN. Our way has been searched out and examined, and we will turn to the Lord.
We search our ways, and investigate, And turn back to YHWH.
41 Let us lift up our hearts with [our] hand to the lofty One in heaven.
We lift up our heart on the hands to God in the heavens.
42 We have sinned, we have transgressed; and you have not pardoned.
We have transgressed and been rebellious, You have not forgiven.
43 SAMECH. You has visited [us] in wrath, and driven us away: you has slain, you has not pitied.
You have covered Yourself with anger, And pursue us; You have slain—You have not pitied.
44 You have veiled yourself with a cloud because of prayer, that I might be blind,
You have covered Yourself with a cloud, So that prayer does not pass through.
45 and be cast off. AIN. You have set us [alone] in the midst of the nations.
Outcast and refuse You make us In the midst of the peoples.
46 All our enemies have opened their mouth against us.
Opened against us their mouth have all our enemies.
47 Fear and wrath are come upon us, suspense and destruction.
Fear and a snare has been for us, Desolation and destruction.
48 Mine eye shall pour down torrents of water, for the destruction of the daughter of my people.
Streams of water go down my eye, 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 is poured out, And does not cease without intermission,
50 until the Lord look down, and behold from heaven.
Until YHWH looks and sees from the heavens,
51 Mine eye shall prey upon my soul, because of all the daughters of the city.
My eye affects 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,
Hunting—my enemies have hunted me without cause like the bird.
53 and laid a stone upon me.
They have cut off my life in a pit, And they cast a stone against me.
54 Water flowed over my head: I said, I am cut off.
Waters have flowed over my head, I have said, I have been cut off.
55 KOPH. I called upon your name, O Lord, out of the lowest dungeon.
I called Your Name, O YHWH, from the lower pit.
56 You heard my voice: close not your ears to my supplication.
You have heard my voice, do not hide Your 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.
You have drawn near in the day I call You, You have said, Do not fear.
58 RECHS. O Lord, you has pleaded the causes of my soul; you has redeemed my life.
You have pleaded, O Lord, the pleadings of my soul, You have redeemed my life.
59 You have seen, O Lord, my troubles: you have judged my cause.
You have seen, O YHWH, my overthrow, Judge my cause.
60 You have seen all their vengeance, [you have looked] on all their devices against me.
You have seen all their vengeance, All their thoughts of me.
61 CHSEN. You have heard their reproach [and] all their devices against me;
You have heard their reproach, O YHWH, All their thoughts against me,
62 the lips of them that rose up against me, and their plots against me all the day;
The lips of my withstanders, Even their meditation against me all the day.
63 their sitting down and their rising up: look you upon their eyes.
Their sitting down, and their rising up, Behold attentively, I [am] their song.
64 You will render them a recompense, O Lord, according to the works of their hands.
You return to them the deed, O YHWH, According to the work of their hands.
65 THAU. You will give them [as] a covering, the grief of my heart.
You give to them a covered heart, Your curse to them.
66 You will persecute them in anger, and will consume them from under the heaven, O Lord.
You pursue in anger, and destroy them, From under the heavens of YHWH!
