Lamentations 3
1 Aleph. I am the man that see my poverty by the rod of his indignation.
I am the man that hath seen affliction by the rod of his wrath.
2 Aleph. He hath led me, and brought me into darkness, and not into light.
Me hath he led, and brought into darkness, and not into light.
3 Aleph. Only against me he hath turned, and turned again his hand all the day.
Surely against me hath he turned again and again his hand all the day.
4 Beth. My skin and my flesh he hath made old, he hath broken my bones.
My flesh and my skin hath he wasted away, he hath broken my bones.
5 Beth. He hath built round about me, and he hath compassed me with gall and labour.
He hath built against me, and encompassed [me] with gall and toil.
6 Beth. He hath set me in dark places as those that are dead for ever.
He hath made me to dwell in dark places as those that have been long dead.
7 Ghimel. He hath built against me round about, that I may not get out: he hath made my fetters heavy.
He hath hedged me about that I cannot get out: he hath made my chain heavy.
8 Ghimel. Yea, and when I cry, and entreat, he hath shut out my prayer.
Even when I cry and shout, he shutteth out my prayer.
9 Ghimel. He hath shut up my ways with square stones, he hath turned my paths upside down.
He hath inclosed my ways with hewn stone, he hath made my paths crooked.
10 Daleth. He is become to me as a bear lying in wait: as a lion in secret places.
He is unto me [as] a bear lying in wait, 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 hath turned aside my ways, and pulled me in pieces; he hath made me desolate.
12 Daleth. He hath bent his bow, and set me as a mark for his arrows.
He hath 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 hath 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 am become a derision to all my people; their song all the day.
15 He. He hath filled me with bitterness, he hath inebriated me with wormwood.
He hath sated me with bitterness, he hath made me drunk with wormwood.
16 Vau. And he hath broken my teeth one by one, he hath fed me with ashes.
He hath also broken my teeth with gravel stones, he hath covered me with ashes.
17 Vau. And my soul is removed far off from peace, I have forgotten good things.
And thou hast removed my soul far off from peace: I have forgotten prosperity.
18 Vau. And I said: My end and my hope is perished from the Lord.
And I said, My strength is perished, and my hope in Jehovah.
19 Zain. Remember my poverty, and transgression, the wormwood, and the gall.
Remember thou mine affliction and my wandering, the wormwood and the gall.
20 Zain. I will be mindful and remember, and my soul shall languish within me.
My soul hath [them] constantly in remembrance, and is humbled in me.
21 Zain. These things I shall think over in my heart, therefore will I hope.
— This I recall to heart, therefore have I hope.
22 Heth. The mercies of the Lord that we are not consumed: because his commiserations have not failed.
It is of Jehovah's loving-kindness we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not;
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.
Jehovah is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him.
25 Teth. The Lord is good to them that hope in him, to the soul that seeketh him.
Jehovah is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul [that] seeketh him.
26 Teth. It is good to wait with silence for the salvation of God.
It is good that one should both wait, and that in silence, for the salvation of Jehovah.
27 Teth. It is good for a man, when he hath borne the yoke from his youth.
It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth:
28 Jod. He shall sit solitary, and hold his peace: because he hath taken it up upon himself.
He sitteth solitary and keepeth silence, because he hath laid it upon him;
29 Jod. He shall put his mouth in the dust, if so be there may be hope.
he putteth 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.
he giveth his cheek to him that smiteth him; he is filled full with reproach.
31 Caph. For the Lord will not cast off for ever.
For the Lord will not cast off for ever;
32 Caph. For if he hath cast off, he will also have mercy, according to the multitude of his mercies.
but if he have caused grief, he will have compassion according to the multitude of his loving-kindnesses:
33 Caph. For he hath not willingly afflicted, nor cast off the children of men.
for he doth not willingly afflict or grieve the children of men.
34 Lamed. To crush under his feet all the prisoners of the land,
To crush under foot 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 right 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 wrong a man in his cause, — will not the Lord see it?
37 Mem. Who is he that hath commanded a thing to be done, when the Lord commandeth it not?
Who is he that saith, and there cometh to pass, what the Lord hath not commanded?
38 Mem. Shall not both evil and good proceed out of the mouth of the Highest?
Out of the mouth of the Most High doth not there proceed evil and good?
39 Mem. Why hath a living man murmured, man suffering for his sins?
Wherefore doth a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins?
40 Nun. Let us search our ways, and seek, and return to the Lord.
Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to Jehovah.
41 Nun. Let us lift up our hearts with our hands to the Lord in the heavens.
Let us lift up our heart with [our] hands unto God in the heavens.
42 Nun. We have done wickedly, and provoked thee to wrath: therefore thou art inexorable.
We have transgressed and have rebelled: thou hast not pardoned.
43 Samech. Thou hast covered in thy wrath, and hast struck us: thou hast killed and hast not spared.
Thou hast covered thyself with anger, and pursued us; thou hast slain, thou hast not spared.
44 Samech. Thou hast set a cloud before thee, that our prayer may not pass through.
Thou hast covered thyself with a cloud, that prayer should not pass through.
45 Samech. Thou hast made me as an outcast, and refuse in the midst of the people.
Thou hast made us the offscouring and refuse in the midst of the peoples.
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 the pit are come upon us, devastation and ruin.
48 Phe. My eye hath run down with streams of water, for the destruction of the daughter of my people.
Mine eye runneth down with streams of water for the ruin of the daughter of my people.
49 Ain. My eye is afflicted, and hath not been quiet, because there was no rest:
Mine eye poureth down, and ceaseth not, without any intermission,
50 Ain. Till the Lord regarded and looked down from the heavens.
till Jehovah look down and behold from the heavens.
51 Ain. My eye hath wasted my soul because of all the daughters of my city.
Mine eye affecteth my soul, because of all the daughters of my city.
52 Sade. My enemies have chased me and caught me like a bird, without cause.
They that are mine enemies without cause have chased me sore like a bird.
53 Sade. My life is fallen into the pit, and they have laid a stone over me.
They have cut off my life in a pit, and cast a stone upon me.
54 Sade. Waters have flowed over my head: I said: I am cut off.
Waters streamed over my head; I said, I am cut off.
55 Coph. I have called upon thy name, O Lord, from the lowest pit.
I called upon thy name, Jehovah, out of the lowest pit.
56 Coph. Thou hast heard my voice: turn not away thy ear from my sighs, and cries.
Thou hast heard my voice: hide not thine ear at my sighing, at my cry.
57 Coph. Thou drewest near in the day, when I called upon thee, thou saidst: Fear not.
Thou drewest near in the day that I called upon thee; thou saidst, Fear not.
58 Res. Thou hast judged, O Lord, the cause of my soul, thou the Redeemer of my life.
Lord, thou hast pleaded the cause of my soul, thou hast redeemed my life.
59 Res. Thou hast seen, O Lord, their iniquity against me: judge thou my judgment.
Jehovah, thou hast seen my wrong: judge thou my cause.
60 Res. Thou hast seen all their fury, and all their thoughts against me.
Thou hast seen all their vengeance, all their imaginations against me.
61 Sin. Thou hast heard their reproach, O Lord, all their imaginations against me.
Thou hast heard their reproach, O Jehovah, all their imaginations against me;
62 Sin. The lips of them that rise up against me: and their devices against me all the day.
the lips of those that rise up against me and their meditation against me all the day.
63 Sin. Behold their sitting down, and their rising up, I am their song.
Behold thou their sitting down and their rising up: I am their song.
64 Thau. Thou shalt render them a recompense, O Lord, according to the works of their hands.
Render unto them a recompence, O Jehovah, according to the work of their hands;
65 Thau. Thou shalt give them a buckler of heart, thy labour.
give them obduracy of heart, thy curse unto them;
66 Thau. Thou shalt persecute them in anger, and shalt destroy them from under the heavens, O Lord.
pursue them in anger, and destroy them from under the heavens of Jehovah.
