Lamentations 3
1 Aleph. I am the man that see my poverty by the rod of his indignation.
I am the man who has experienced suffering under the rod of God's anger.
2 Aleph. He hath led me, and brought me into darkness, and not into light.
He has driven me away, forcing me to walk in darkness instead of the light.
3 Aleph. Only against me he hath turned, and turned again his hand all the day.
In fact he hits me again and again all day long.
4 Beth. My skin and my flesh he hath made old, he hath broken my bones.
He has worn me out; he has broken me in pieces.
5 Beth. He hath built round about me, and he hath compassed me with gall and labour.
He has besieged me, surrounding me with bitterness and misery.
6 Beth. He hath set me in dark places as those that are dead for ever.
He has forced me to live in darkness like those long dead.
7 Ghimel. He hath built against me round about, that I may not get out: he hath made my fetters heavy.
He has built a wall around me so I can't escape; he has bound me with heavy chains.
8 Ghimel. Yea, and when I cry, and entreat, he hath shut out my prayer.
Even when I keep on crying out for help, he refuses to listen to my prayer.
9 Ghimel. He hath shut up my ways with square stones, he hath turned my paths upside down.
He has put stone blocks in my way and sends me down crooked paths.
10 Daleth. He is become to me as a bear lying in wait: as a lion in secret places.
He is a bear that lies in wait for me, a lion in hiding ready to attack,
11 Daleth. He hath turned aside my paths, and hath broken me in pieces, he hath made me desolate.
He dragged me from my path and ripped me to pieces, leaving me helpless.
12 Daleth. He hath bent his bow, and set me as a mark for his arrows.
He loaded his bow with an arrow and used me as his target,
13 He. He hath shot into my reins the daughters of his quiver.
He shot me in my kidneys with his arrows.
14 He. I am made a derision to all my people, their song all the day long.
Now everyone laughs at me, singing songs that mock me all day long.
15 He. He hath filled me with bitterness, he hath inebriated me with wormwood.
He has filled me with bitterness; he has filled me up with bitter wormwood.
16 Vau. And he hath broken my teeth one by one, he hath fed me with ashes.
He has broken my teeth with grit; he has trampled me in the dust.
17 Vau. And my soul is removed far off from peace, I have forgotten good things.
Peace has been torn away from me; I've forgotten all that's good in life.
18 Vau. And I said: My end and my hope is perished from the Lord.
That's why I say, “My expectation of a long life is gone, along with all that I hoped for from Lord.
19 Zain. Remember my poverty, and transgression, the wormwood, and the gall.
Don't forget everything I've suffered in my wandering, as bitters as wormwood and poison.
20 Zain. I will be mindful and remember, and my soul shall languish within me.
I certainly haven't forgotten. I remember it all too well, so I sink into depression.
21 Zain. These things I shall think over in my heart, therefore will I hope.
But I still hope when I think about this:
22 Heth. The mercies of the Lord that we are not consumed: because his commiserations have not failed.
It's because of the Lord's trustworthy love that our lives are not finished, for through his merciful actions he never lets us down.
23 Heth. They are new every morning, great is thy faithfulness.
He renews them every morning. How wonderfully trustworthy you are, Lord!
24 Heth. The Lord is my portion, said my soul: therefore will I wait for him.
The Lord is all I need,” I tell myself, “so I will put my hope in him.”
25 Teth. The Lord is good to them that hope in him, to the soul that seeketh him.
The Lord is good to those who trust in him, to anyone who seeks to follow him.
26 Teth. It is good to wait with silence for the salvation of God.
It is good to wait quietly for the Lord's salvation.
27 Teth. It is good for a man, when he hath borne the yoke from his youth.
It is good for people to learn to patiently bear discipline while they're still young.
28 Jod. He shall sit solitary, and hold his peace: because he hath taken it up upon himself.
They should sit by themselves in silence, because it's God who has disciplined them.
29 Jod. He shall put his mouth in the dust, if so be there may be hope.
They should bow low with their faces to the ground, for there may still be hope.
30 Jod. He shall give his cheek to him that striketh him, he shall be filled with reproaches.
They should turn a cheek to someone who wants to slap them; they should take the insults of others.
31 Caph. For the Lord will not cast off for ever.
For the Lord won't abandon us forever.
32 Caph. For if he hath cast off, he will also have mercy, according to the multitude of his mercies.
Even though he may bring sadness, he shows us mercy because his trustworthy love is so great.
33 Caph. For he hath not willingly afflicted, nor cast off the children of men.
For he doesn't willingly hurt people, or cause them grief.
34 Lamed. To crush under his feet all the prisoners of the land,
Whether it's mistreating all the prisoners of the land,
35 Lamed. To turn aside the judgment of a man before the face of the most High,
Or denying someone their rights as the Most High watches,
36 Lamed. To destroy a man wrongfully in his judgment, the Lord hath not approved.
Or cheating someone in their legal case—these things the Lord doesn't approve of.
37 Mem. Who is he that hath commanded a thing to be done, when the Lord commandeth it not?
Who spoke and it came into existence? Wasn't it the Lord who commanded it?
38 Mem. Shall not both evil and good proceed out of the mouth of the Highest?
When the Most High speaks it can be a disaster or a blessing.
39 Mem. Why hath a living man murmured, man suffering for his sins?
Why should any human being complain about the results of their sins?
40 Nun. Let us search our ways, and seek, and return to the Lord.
We should look at ourselves, examine what we're doing, and return to the Lord.
41 Nun. Let us lift up our hearts with our hands to the Lord in the heavens.
Let's not just hold up our hands to God in heaven, but our minds as well, saying,
42 Nun. We have done wickedly, and provoked thee to wrath: therefore thou art inexorable.
“We are the ones who sinned; we are the ones who rebelled; and you haven't forgiven us!”
43 Samech. Thou hast covered in thy wrath, and hast struck us: thou hast killed and hast not spared.
You have wrapped yourself in anger and chased us down, killing without mercy. You have killed without pity.
44 Samech. Thou hast set a cloud before thee, that our prayer may not pass through.
You have wrapped yourself with a cloud that no prayer can penetrate.
45 Samech. Thou hast made me as an outcast, and refuse in the midst of the people.
You have made us waste and refuse to the nations around.
46 Phe. All our enemies have opened their mouths against us.
All our enemies open their mouths to criticize us.
47 Phe. Prophecy is become to us a fear, and a snare, and destruction.
We're terrified and trapped, devastated and destroyed.
48 Phe. My eye hath run down with streams of water, for the destruction of the daughter of my people.
Tears stream from my eyes over the death of my people.
49 Ain. My eye is afflicted, and hath not been quiet, because there was no rest:
My eyes overflow with tears all the time. They won't stop
50 Ain. Till the Lord regarded and looked down from the heavens.
Until the Lord looks down from heaven and sees what's going on.
51 Ain. My eye hath wasted my soul because of all the daughters of my city.
What I've seen torments me because of what's happened to all the women in my city.
52 Sade. My enemies have chased me and caught me like a bird, without cause.
For no reason my enemies trapped me like a bird.
53 Sade. My life is fallen into the pit, and they have laid a stone over me.
They tried to kill me by tossing me into a pit and throwing stones at me.
54 Sade. Waters have flowed over my head: I said: I am cut off.
Water flooded over my head, and I thought I was going to die.
55 Coph. I have called upon thy name, O Lord, from the lowest pit.
I called out for you, Lord, from deep inside the pit.
56 Coph. Thou hast heard my voice: turn not away thy ear from my sighs, and cries.
You heard me when I prayed, “Please don't ignore my cry for help.”
57 Coph. Thou drewest near in the day, when I called upon thee, thou saidst: Fear not.
You came to me when I called you, and you told me, “Don't be afraid!”
58 Res. Thou hast judged, O Lord, the cause of my soul, thou the Redeemer of my life.
You have taken my case and defended me; you have saved my life!
59 Res. Thou hast seen, O Lord, their iniquity against me: judge thou my judgment.
Lord, you have seen the injustices done to me; please vindicate me!
60 Res. Thou hast seen all their fury, and all their thoughts against me.
You have observed how vengeful they are and how often they've plotted against me.
61 Sin. Thou hast heard their reproach, O Lord, all their imaginations against me.
Lord, you have heard how they've insulted me, and what they've plotted against me,
62 Sin. The lips of them that rise up against me: and their devices against me all the day.
How my enemies talk against me and complain about me all the time!
63 Sin. Behold their sitting down, and their rising up, I am their song.
Just look! Whether they're sitting down and or standing up, they go on making fun of me in their songs.
64 Thau. Thou shalt render them a recompense, O Lord, according to the works of their hands.
Pay them back as they deserve, Lord, for all they've done!
65 Thau. Thou shalt give them a buckler of heart, thy labour.
Give them a covering for their minds! May your curse be on them!
66 Thau. Thou shalt persecute them in anger, and shalt destroy them from under the heavens, O Lord.
Chase them down in your anger, Lord, and get rid of them from the earth!
