Lamentations 3
1 ALEPH. I am a man watching my own poverty by the rod of his indignation.
Aleph. I am the man that see my poverty by the rod of his indignation.
2 ALEPH. He has driven me and led me into darkness, and not into light.
Aleph. He hath led me, and brought me into darkness, and not into light.
3 ALEPH. Against me only, he has turned and turned again his hand, all day long.
Aleph. Only against me he hath turned, and turned again his hand all the day.
4 BETH. My skin and my flesh, he has made old; he has crushed my bones.
Beth. My skin and my flesh he hath made old, he hath broken my bones.
5 BETH. He has built all around me, and he has encircled me with gall and hardship.
Beth. He hath built round about me, and he hath compassed me with gall and labour.
6 BETH. He has gathered me into darkness, like those who are forever dead.
Beth. He hath set me in dark places as those that are dead for ever.
7 GHIMEL. He has built against me all around, so that I may not depart. He has increased the burden of my confinement.
Ghimel. He hath built against me round about, that I may not get out: he hath made my fetters heavy.
8 GHIMEL. Yet even when I cry out and beg, he excludes my prayer.
Ghimel. Yea, and when I cry, and entreat, he hath shut out my prayer.
9 GHIMEL. He has enclosed my ways with square stones; he has subverted my paths.
Ghimel. He hath shut up my ways with square stones, he hath turned my paths upside down.
10 DALETH. He has become to me like a bear lying in ambush, like a lion in hiding.
Daleth. He is become to me as a bear lying in wait: as a lion in secret places.
11 DALETH. He has subverted my paths, and he has broken me. He has placed me in desolation.
Daleth. He hath turned aside my paths, and hath broken me in pieces, he hath made me desolate.
12 DALETH. He has bent his bow, and he has positioned me like a target for his arrows.
Daleth. He hath bent his bow, and set me as a mark for his arrows.
13 HE. He has shot into my kidneys the daughters of his quiver.
He. He hath shot into my reins the daughters of his quiver.
14 HE. I have become a derision to all my people, their song throughout the day.
He. I am made a derision to all my people, their song all the day long.
15 HE. He has filled me with bitterness; he has inebriated me with wormwood.
He. He hath filled me with bitterness, he hath inebriated me with wormwood.
16 VAU. And he has broken each one of my teeth; he has fed me with ashes.
Vau. And he hath broken my teeth one by one, he hath fed me with ashes.
17 VAU. And my soul has been driven away from peace; I have forgotten what is good.
Vau. And my soul is removed far off from peace, I have forgotten good things.
18 VAU. And I said, “My end and my hope from the Lord has perished.”
Vau. And I said: My end and my hope is perished from the Lord.
19 ZAIN. Remember my poverty and my transgression, the wormwood and the gall.
Zain. Remember my poverty, and transgression, the wormwood, and the gall.
20 ZAIN. I will call to mind the past, and my soul shall languish within me.
Zain. I will be mindful and remember, and my soul shall languish within me.
21 ZAIN. These recollections are in my heart; therefore, I shall hope.
Zain. These things I shall think over in my heart, therefore will I hope.
22 HETH. By the mercies of the Lord, we are not consumed. For his compassion has not passed away.
Heth. The mercies of the Lord that we are not consumed: because his commiserations have not failed.
23 HETH. I know it at first light; great is your faithfulness.
Heth. They are new every morning, great is thy faithfulness.
24 HETH. “The Lord is my portion,” said my soul. Because of this, I will wait for him.
Heth. The Lord is my portion, said my soul: therefore will I wait for him.
25 TETH. The Lord is good to those who hope in him, to the soul that seeks him.
Teth. The Lord is good to them that hope in him, to the soul that seeketh him.
26 TETH. It is good to stand ready in silence for the salvation of God.
Teth. It is good to wait with silence for the salvation of God.
27 TETH. It is good for a man, when he has carried the yoke from his youth.
Teth. It is good for a man, when he hath borne the yoke from his youth.
28 JOD. He shall sit solitary and silent. For he has lifted it upon himself.
Jod. He shall sit solitary, and hold his peace: because he hath taken it up upon himself.
29 JOD. He shall place his mouth in the dirt, if perhaps there may be hope.
Jod. He shall put his mouth in the dust, if so be there may be hope.
30 JOD. He shall give his cheek to those who strike him; he shall be saturated with reproaches.
Jod. He shall give his cheek to him that striketh him, he shall be filled with reproaches.
31 CAPH. For the Lord will not rebuke forever.
Caph. For the Lord will not cast off for ever.
32 CAPH. For, if he has cast down, he will also have compassion, according to the multitude of his mercies.
Caph. For if he hath cast off, he will also have mercy, according to the multitude of his mercies.
33 CAPH. For he has not humiliated from his heart, nor has he thrown aside the sons of men,
Caph. For he hath not willingly afflicted, nor cast off the children of men.
34 LAMED. as if to crush under his feet all the prisoners of the land,
Lamed. To crush under his feet all the prisoners of the land,
35 LAMED. as if to turn aside the judgment of a man in the sight of the presence of the Most High,
Lamed. To turn aside the judgment of a man before the face of the most High,
36 LAMED. as if to pervert a man in his judgment: the Lord does not do this.
Lamed. To destroy a man wrongfully in his judgment, the Lord hath not approved.
37 MEM. Who is this, who said to do what the Lord did not command?
Mem. Who is he that hath commanded a thing to be done, when the Lord commandeth it not?
38 MEM. Does not both misfortune and good proceed from the mouth of the Most High?
Mem. Shall not both evil and good proceed out of the mouth of the Highest?
39 MEM. Why has a living man murmured, a man suffering for his sins?
Mem. Why hath a living man murmured, man suffering for his sins?
40 NUN. Let us examine our ways, and seek out, and return to the Lord.
Nun. Let us search our ways, and seek, and return to the Lord.
41 NUN. Let us lift up our hearts, with our hands, toward the Lord in the heavens.
Nun. Let us lift up our hearts with our hands to the Lord in the heavens.
42 NUN. We have acted sinfully, and we have provoked to wrath. About this, you are relentless.
Nun. We have done wickedly, and provoked thee to wrath: therefore thou art inexorable.
43 SAMECH. You have covered us in your fury, and you have struck us. You have killed, and have not spared.
Samech. Thou hast covered in thy wrath, and hast struck us: thou hast killed and hast not spared.
44 SAMECH. You have set a cloud opposite you, lest our prayer pass through.
Samech. Thou hast set a cloud before thee, that our prayer may not pass through.
45 SAMECH. In the midst of the peoples, you have uprooted me and cast me out.
Samech. Thou hast made me as an outcast, and refuse in the midst of the people.
46 PHE. All our enemies have opened their mouths over us.
Phe. All our enemies have opened their mouths against us.
47 PHE. Prediction has become for us a dread, and a snare, and a grief.
Phe. Prophecy is become to us a fear, and a snare, and destruction.
48 PHE. My eye has brought forth streams of water at the contrition of the daughter of my people.
Phe. My eye hath run down with streams of water, for the destruction of the daughter of my people.
49 AIN. My eye has been afflicted, and it has not been quieted, because there would be no rest
Ain. My eye is afflicted, and hath not been quiet, because there was no rest:
50 AIN. until the Lord looked down and saw from the heavens.
Ain. Till the Lord regarded and looked down from the heavens.
51 AIN. My eye has exhausted my soul over every one of the daughters of my city.
Ain. My eye hath wasted my soul because of all the daughters of my city.
52 SADE. My enemies have chased me, and they have caught me like a bird, without reason.
Sade. My enemies have chased me and caught me like a bird, without cause.
53 SADE. My life has fallen into a pit, and they have placed a stone over me.
Sade. My life is fallen into the pit, and they have laid a stone over me.
54 SADE. The waters have flooded over my head. I said, “I am lost.”
Sade. Waters have flowed over my head: I said: I am cut off.
55 COPH. I called upon your name, O Lord, from the furthest pit.
Coph. I have called upon thy name, O Lord, from the lowest pit.
56 COPH. You have heard my voice. Do not turn away your ear from my sobbing and my cries.
Coph. Thou hast heard my voice: turn not away thy ear from my sighs, and cries.
57 COPH. You drew near in the daytime, when I called upon you. You said, “Fear not.”
Coph. Thou drewest near in the day, when I called upon thee, thou saidst: Fear not.
58 RES. You have judged, O Lord, the case of my soul. You are the Redeemer of my life.
Res. Thou hast judged, O Lord, the cause of my soul, thou the Redeemer of my life.
59 RES. You have seen, O Lord, their iniquity against me. Judge my case.
Res. Thou hast seen, O Lord, their iniquity against me: judge thou my judgment.
60 RES. You have seen all their fury, every one of their thoughts is against me.
Res. Thou hast seen all their fury, and all their thoughts against me.
61 SIN. You have heard their reproach, O Lord, all their thoughts are against me.
Sin. Thou hast heard their reproach, O Lord, all their imaginations against me.
62 SIN. The lips of those who rise up against me, and their meditations, are against me all day long.
Sin. The lips of them that rise up against me: and their devices against me all the day.
63 SIN. Watch their sitting down and their rising up: I am their psalm.
Sin. Behold their sitting down, and their rising up, I am their song.
64 THAU. You shall pay a recompense to them, O Lord, according to the works of their hands.
Thau. Thou shalt render them a recompense, O Lord, according to the works of their hands.
65 THAU. You shall give them a heavy shield of the heart: your hardship.
Thau. Thou shalt give them a buckler of heart, thy labour.
66 THAU. You shall pursue them in fury, and you shall destroy them under the heavens, O Lord.
Thau. Thou shalt persecute them in anger, and shalt destroy them from under the heavens, O Lord.
