Lamentations 3
1 Aleph. I am the man that see my poverty by the rod of his indignation.
ALEPH. I am the man that sees poverty, through the rod of his wrath upon me.
2 Aleph. He hath led me, and brought me into darkness, and not into light.
He has taken me, and led me away into darkness, and not [into] light.
3 Aleph. Only against me he hath turned, and turned again his hand all the day.
Nay, against me has he turned his hand all the day.
4 Beth. My skin and my flesh he hath made old, he hath broken my bones.
He has made old my flesh and my skin; he has broken my bones.
5 Beth. He hath built round about me, and he hath compassed me with gall and labour.
BETH. He has built against me, and compassed my head, and brought travail [upon me].
6 Beth. He hath set me in dark places as those that are dead for ever.
He has set me in dark places, as them that have long been dead.
7 Ghimel. He hath built against me round about, that I may not get out: he hath made my fetters heavy.
He has builded against me, and I cannot come forth: he has made my brazen [chain] heavy.
8 Ghimel. Yea, and when I cry, and entreat, he hath shut out my prayer.
GIMEL. Yea, [though] I cry and shout, he shuts out my prayer.
9 Ghimel. He hath shut up my ways with square stones, he hath turned my paths upside down.
DALETH. He has built up my ways, he has hedged my paths;
10 Daleth. He is become to me as a bear lying in wait: as a lion in secret places.
he has troubled me, [as] a she-bear lying in wait: he is to me [as] a lion in secret places.
11 Daleth. He hath turned aside my paths, and hath broken me in pieces, he hath made me desolate.
He pursued [me] after I departed, and brought me to a stand: he has utterly ruined me.
12 Daleth. He hath bent his bow, and set me as a mark for his arrows.
HE. He has bent his bow, and set me as a mark for the arrow.
13 He. He hath shot into my reins the daughters of his quiver.
He has caused the arrows of his quiver to enter into my reins.
14 He. I am made a derision to all my people, their song all the day long.
I became a laughing-stock to all my people; and their song all the day.
15 He. He hath filled me with bitterness, he hath inebriated me with wormwood.
VAU. He has filled me with bitterness, he has drenched me with gall.
16 Vau. And he hath broken my teeth one by one, he hath fed me with ashes.
And he has dashed out my teeth with gravel, he has fed me with ashes.
17 Vau. And my soul is removed far off from peace, I have forgotten good things.
He has also removed my soul from peace: I forgot prosperity.
18 Vau. And I said: My end and my hope is perished from the Lord.
Therefore my success has perished, and my hope from the Lord.
19 Zain. Remember my poverty, and transgression, the wormwood, and the gall.
ZAIN. I remembered by reason of my poverty, and because of persecution my bitterness and gall shall be remembered;
20 Zain. I will be mindful and remember, and my soul shall languish within me.
and my soul shall meditate with me.
21 Zain. These things I shall think over in my heart, therefore will I hope.
This will I lay up in my heart, therefore I will endure.
22 Heth. The mercies of the Lord that we are not consumed: because his commiserations have not failed.
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.
23 Heth. They are new every morning, great is thy faithfulness.
[They are] new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.
24 Heth. The Lord is my portion, said my soul: therefore will I wait for him.
The Lord is my portion, says my soul; therefore will I wait for him.
25 Teth. The Lord is good to them that hope in him, to the soul that seeketh him.
TETH. The Lord is good to them that wait for him: the soul which shall seek him
26 Teth. It is good to wait with silence for the salvation of God.
[is] good, and shall wait for, and quietly expect salvation of the Lord.
27 Teth. It is good for a man, when he hath borne the yoke from his youth.
TETH. [It is] good for a man when he bears a yoke in his youth.
28 Jod. He shall sit solitary, and hold his peace: because he hath taken it up upon himself.
He will sit alone, and be silent, because he has borne [it] upon him.
29 Jod. He shall put his mouth in the dust, if so be there may be hope.
30 Jod. He shall give his cheek to him that striketh him, he shall be filled with reproaches.
JOD. He will give [his] cheek to him that smites him: he will be filled full with reproaches.
31 Caph. For the Lord will not cast off for ever.
For the Lord will not reject for ever.
32 Caph. For if he hath cast off, he will also have mercy, according to the multitude of his mercies.
CHAPH. For he that has brought down will pity, and [that] according to the abundance of his mercy.
33 Caph. For he hath not willingly afflicted, nor cast off the children of men.
He has not answered [in anger] from his heart, though he has brought low the children of a man.
34 Lamed. To crush under his feet all the prisoners of the land,
LAMED. To bring down under his feet all the prisoners of the earth,
35 Lamed. To turn aside the judgment 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 Lamed. To destroy a man wrongfully in his judgment, the Lord hath not approved.
to condemn a man [unjustly] in his judgment, the Lord has not given commandment.
37 Mem. Who is he that hath commanded a thing to be done, when the Lord commandeth it not?
Who has thus spoken, and it has come to pass? the Lord has not commanded it.
38 Mem. Shall not both evil and good proceed out of the mouth of the Highest?
Out of the mouth of the Most High there shall not come forth evil and good.
39 Mem. Why hath a living man murmured, man suffering for his sins?
MEM. Why should a living man complain, a man concerning his sin?
40 Nun. Let us search our ways, and seek, and return to the Lord.
NUN. Our way has been searched out and examined, and we will turn to the Lord.
41 Nun. Let us lift up our hearts with our hands to the Lord in the heavens.
Let us lift up our hearts with [our] hand to the lofty One in heaven.
42 Nun. We have done wickedly, and provoked thee to wrath: therefore thou art inexorable.
We have sinned, we have transgressed; and thou hast not pardoned.
43 Samech. Thou hast covered in thy wrath, and hast struck us: thou hast killed and hast not spared.
SAMECH. Thou has visited [us] in wrath, and driven us away: thou has slain, thou has not pitied.
44 Samech. Thou hast set a cloud before thee, that our prayer may not pass through.
Thou hast veiled thyself with a cloud because of prayer, that I might be blind,
45 Samech. Thou hast made me as an outcast, and refuse in the midst of the people.
and be cast off. AIN. Thou hast set us [alone] in the midst of the nations.
46 Phe. All our enemies have opened their mouths against us.
All our enemies have opened their mouth against us.
47 Phe. Prophecy is become to us a fear, and a snare, and destruction.
Fear and wrath are come upon us, suspense and destruction.
48 Phe. My eye hath run down with streams of water, for the destruction of the daughter of my people.
Mine eye shall pour down torrents of water, for the destruction of the daughter of my people.
49 Ain. My eye is afflicted, and hath not been quiet, because there was no rest:
PHE. Mine eye is drowned [with tears], and I will not be silent, so that there shall be no rest,
50 Ain. Till the Lord regarded and looked down from the heavens.
until the Lord look down, and behold from heaven.
51 Ain. My eye hath wasted my soul because of all the daughters of my city.
Mine eye shall prey upon my soul, because of all the daughters of the city.
52 Sade. My enemies have chased me and caught me like a bird, without cause.
TSADE. The fowlers chased me as a sparrow, all mine enemies destroyed my life in a pit without cause,
53 Sade. My life is fallen into the pit, and they have laid a stone over me.
and laid a stone upon me.
54 Sade. Waters have flowed over my head: I said: I am cut off.
Water flowed over my head: I said, I am cut off.
55 Coph. I have called upon thy name, O Lord, from the lowest pit.
KOPH. I called upon thy name, O Lord, out of the lowest dungeon.
56 Coph. Thou hast heard my voice: turn not away thy ear from my sighs, and cries.
Thou heardest my voice: close not thine ears to my supplication.
57 Coph. Thou drewest near in the day, when I called upon thee, thou saidst: Fear not.
Thou drewest nigh to my help: in the day wherein I called upon thee thou saidst to me, Fear not.
58 Res. Thou hast judged, O Lord, the cause of my soul, thou the Redeemer of my life.
RECHS. O Lord, thou has pleaded the causes of my soul; thou has redeemed my life.
59 Res. Thou hast seen, O Lord, their iniquity against me: judge thou my judgment.
Thou hast seen, O Lord, my troubles: thou hast judged my cause.
60 Res. Thou hast seen all their fury, and all their thoughts against me.
Thou hast seen all their vengeance, [thou hast looked] on all their devices against me.
61 Sin. Thou hast heard their reproach, O Lord, all their imaginations against me.
CHSEN. Thou hast heard their reproach [and] all their devices against me;
62 Sin. The lips of them that rise up against me: and their devices against me all the day.
the lips of them that rose up against me, and their plots against me all the day;
63 Sin. Behold their sitting down, and their rising up, I am their song.
their sitting down and their rising up: look thou upon their eyes.
64 Thau. Thou shalt render them a recompense, O Lord, according to the works of their hands.
Thou wilt render them a recompense, O Lord, according to the works of their hands.
65 Thau. Thou shalt give them a buckler of heart, thy labour.
THAU. Thou wilt give them [as] a covering, the grief of my heart.
66 Thau. Thou shalt persecute them in anger, and shalt destroy them from under the heavens, O Lord.
Thou wilt persecute them in anger, and wilt consume them from under the heaven, O Lord.
