Lamentations 3
1 I am the man that hath seen affliction by the rod of his wrath.
I am a man who has seen misery under the rod of Yahweh's fury.
2 Me hath he led, and brought into darkness, and not into light.
He drove me away and caused me to walk in darkness rather than light.
3 Surely against me hath he turned again and again his hand all the day.
Surely he turned his hand against me again and again, the whole day long.
4 My flesh and my skin hath he wasted away, he hath broken my bones.
He made my flesh and my skin waste away; he broke my bones.
5 He hath built against me, and encompassed [me] with gall and toil.
He built up siege works against me, and surrounded me with bitterness and hardship.
6 He hath made me to dwell in dark places as those that have been long dead.
He made me live in dark places, like those who died long ago.
7 He hath hedged me about that I cannot get out: he hath made my chain heavy.
He built a wall around me and I cannot escape. He made my chains heavy
8 Even when I cry and shout, he shutteth out my prayer.
and though I call out and cry for help, he shut out my prayer.
9 He hath inclosed my ways with hewn stone, he hath made my paths crooked.
He blocked my path with a wall of hewn stone; he made my paths crooked.
10 He is unto me [as] a bear lying in wait, a lion in secret places.
He is like a bear waiting to ambush me, a lion in hiding;
11 He hath turned aside my ways, and pulled me in pieces; he hath made me desolate.
he turned aside my paths, he has made me desolate.
12 He hath bent his bow, and set me as a mark for the arrow.
He bent his bow and set me as a target for his arrow.
13 He hath caused the arrows of his quiver to enter into my reins.
He pierced my kidneys with the arrows of his quiver.
14 I am become a derision to all my people; their song all the day.
I became a laughingstock to all my people, the object of their taunting all day long.
15 He hath sated me with bitterness, he hath made me drunk with wormwood.
He filled me with bitterness and forced me to drink wormwood.
16 He hath also broken my teeth with gravel stones, he hath covered me with ashes.
He has made my teeth grind with gravel, and he made me cower in the ashes.
17 And thou hast removed my soul far off from peace: I have forgotten prosperity.
My soul is deprived of peace; I have forgotten what happiness is.
18 And I said, My strength is perished, and my hope in Jehovah.
So I say, “My endurance has perished and so has my hope in Yahweh.”
19 Remember thou mine affliction and my wandering, the wormwood and the gall.
Remember my affliction and my wanderings, the wormwood and bitterness.
20 My soul hath [them] constantly in remembrance, and is humbled in me.
I continually remember it and I am bowed down within me.
21 — This I recall to heart, therefore have I hope.
But I call this to mind and therefore I have hope:
22 It is of Jehovah's loving-kindness we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not;
The steadfast love of Yahweh never ceases and his compassions never end,
23 they are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.
they are new every morning; your faithfulness is great.
24 Jehovah is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him.
“Yahweh is my inheritance,” I said, therefore I will hope in him.
25 Jehovah is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul [that] seeketh him.
Yahweh is good to those who wait for him, to the one who seeks him.
26 It is good that one should both wait, and that in silence, for the salvation of Jehovah.
It is good to wait silently for the salvation of Yahweh.
27 It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth:
It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth.
28 He sitteth solitary and keepeth silence, because he hath laid it upon him;
Let him sit alone in silence, when it is laid upon him.
29 he putteth his mouth in the dust, if so be there may be hope;
Let him put his mouth in the dust—there may yet be hope.
30 he giveth his cheek to him that smiteth him; he is filled full with reproach.
Let him offer his cheek to the one who strikes him, and let him be filled to the full with reproach.
31 For the Lord will not cast off for ever;
For the Lord will not reject us forever,
32 but if he have caused grief, he will have compassion according to the multitude of his loving-kindnesses:
but though he causes grief, he will have compassion according to the abundance of his steadfast love.
33 for he doth not willingly afflict or grieve the children of men.
For he does not afflict from his heart or torment the children of mankind.
34 To crush under foot all the prisoners of the earth,
To crush underfoot all the prisoners of the earth,
35 to turn aside the right of a man before the face of the Most High,
to deny a man justice in the presence of the Most High,
36 to wrong a man in his cause, — will not the Lord see it?
to deny justice to a person—the Lord would not approve such things!
37 Who is he that saith, and there cometh to pass, what the Lord hath not commanded?
Who has spoken and it came to pass, unless the Lord decreed it?
38 Out of the mouth of the Most High doth not there proceed evil and good?
Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that both calamities and the good come?
39 Wherefore doth a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins?
How can any person alive complain? How can a person complain about the punishment for his sins?
40 Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to Jehovah.
Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to Yahweh.
41 Let us lift up our heart with [our] hands unto God in the heavens.
Let us lift up our hearts and our hands to God in the heavens:
42 We have transgressed and have rebelled: thou hast not pardoned.
“We have transgressed and rebelled, and you have not forgiven.
43 Thou hast covered thyself with anger, and pursued us; thou hast slain, thou hast not spared.
You have covered yourself with anger and pursued us, you have killed and you have not spared.
44 Thou hast covered thyself with a cloud, that prayer should not pass through.
You have covered yourself with a cloud so that no prayer can pass through.
45 Thou hast made us the offscouring and refuse in the midst of the peoples.
You have made us like filthy scum and refuse among the nations.
46 All our enemies have opened their mouth against us.
All our enemies curse us,
47 Fear and the pit are come upon us, devastation and ruin.
panic and pitfall have come upon us, ruin and destruction.
48 Mine eye runneth down with streams of water for the ruin of the daughter of my people.
My eyes flow with streams of tears because my people are destroyed.
49 Mine eye poureth down, and ceaseth not, without any intermission,
My eyes will shed tears without ceasing, without relief,
50 till Jehovah look down and behold from the heavens.
until Yahweh from heaven looks down and sees.
51 Mine eye affecteth my soul, because of all the daughters of my city.
My eyes cause me grief because of all the daughters of my city.
52 They that are mine enemies without cause have chased me sore like a bird.
I have been hunted like a bird by those who were my enemies; they hunted me without a reason.
53 They have cut off my life in a pit, and cast a stone upon me.
They cast me into a pit and they threw a stone on me,
54 Waters streamed over my head; I said, I am cut off.
and they caused waters to overflow, covering my head. I said, 'I have been cut off!'
55 I called upon thy name, Jehovah, out of the lowest pit.
I called on your name, Yahweh, from the depths of the pit.
56 Thou hast heard my voice: hide not thine ear at my sighing, at my cry.
You heard my voice when I said, 'Do not close your ear to my cry for help.'
57 Thou drewest near in the day that I called upon thee; thou saidst, Fear not.
You came near on the day I called on you; you said, 'Do not fear.'
58 Lord, thou hast pleaded the cause of my soul, thou hast redeemed my life.
Lord, you defended my case, you saved my life!
59 Jehovah, thou hast seen my wrong: judge thou my cause.
Yahweh, you have seen the wrong they have done to me; judge my case.
60 Thou hast seen all their vengeance, all their imaginations against me.
You have seen their insults, all their plots against me—
61 Thou hast heard their reproach, O Jehovah, all their imaginations against me;
You have heard their scorn, Yahweh, and all their plans regarding me.
62 the lips of those that rise up against me and their meditation against me all the day.
The lips and the accusations of my enemies come against me all the day.
63 Behold thou their sitting down and their rising up: I am their song.
Look at how they sit and then rise up; they mock me with their songs.
64 Render unto them a recompence, O Jehovah, according to the work of their hands;
Pay back to them, Yahweh, according to what they have done.
65 give them obduracy of heart, thy curse unto them;
You will let their hearts be shameless! May your condemnation be upon them!
66 pursue them in anger, and destroy them from under the heavens of Jehovah.
You pursue them in anger and destroy them from under the heavens, Yahweh!”
