Lamentations 3
1 Aleph. I am the man that see my poverty by the rod of his indignation.
I am the man who 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 driven out, and led into darkness, but not into light.
3 Aleph. Only against me he hath turned, and turned again his hand all the day.
Surely against me doth he turn again and again his hand all the day.
4 Beth. My skin and my flesh he hath made old, he hath broken my bones.
He hath caused my flesh and my skin to wear out, 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 around me, and encompassed me with poison and hardship.
6 Beth. He hath set me in dark places as those that are dead for ever.
In dark places hath he set me to dwell, like the dead of olden times.
7 Ghimel. He hath built against me round about, that I may not get out: he hath made my fetters heavy.
He hath placed a fence round about me, that I cannot get out; he hath made heavy my chain.
8 Ghimel. Yea, and when I cry, and entreat, he hath shut out my prayer.
Also when I cry aloud and make entreaty, 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 fenced up my ways with hewn stone, my paths hath he made crooked.
10 Daleth. He is become to me as a bear lying in wait: as a lion in secret places.
A bear lying in wait is he to me, a lion in secret places.
11 Daleth. He hath turned aside my paths, and hath broken me in pieces, he hath made me desolate.
On my ways hath he placed thorns, and torn 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 placed me as a mark for the arrow.
13 He. He hath shot into my reins the daughters of his quiver.
He hath caused to enter into my reins the children of his quiver.
14 He. I am made a derision to all my people, their song all the day long.
I am become a laughing-stock to all my people, their [jeering] song all the day.
15 He. He hath filled me with bitterness, he hath inebriated me with wormwood.
He hath sated me with bitter things, he hath made me drunken 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 my soul hath given up all thoughts of peace: I forget happiness.
18 Vau. And I said: My end and my hope is perished from the Lord.
And I said, Lost is my strength, my expectation also from the Lord.
19 Zain. Remember my poverty, and transgression, the wormwood, and the gall.
Remembering my affliction and [the cause of] my complaint, wormwood and poison.
20 Zain. I will be mindful and remember, and my soul shall languish within me.
Remembering [this] continually my soul is bowed down deeply within me.
21 Zain. These things I shall think over in my heart, therefore will I hope.
[Yet] this answer will I give to my heart: therefore will I wait [in confidence].
22 Heth. The mercies of the Lord that we are not consumed: because his commiserations have not failed.
It is through the Lord's kindness that we are not consumed, because his mercies have no end;
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, saith 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.
The Lord is good unto those that hope in 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 wait and this in silence for the salvation of the Lord.
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.
That he sit in solitude and be silent; because He hath laid it upon him;
29 Jod. He shall put his mouth in the dust, if so be there may be hope.
That he put his mouth in the dust; perhaps there still is hope;
30 Jod. He shall give his cheek to him that striketh him, he shall be filled with reproaches.
That he offer his cheek to him that smiteth him; that he be satisfied 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 though he have caused grief, yet will he have mercy according to the abundance of his kindnesses.
33 Caph. For he hath not willingly afflicted, nor cast off the children of men.
For he doth not afflict of his own will, and aggrieve the children of men.
34 Lamed. To crush under his feet all the prisoners of the land,
To crush 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 pervert the justice [due to man] before the face of the Most High.
36 Lamed. To destroy a man wrongfully in his judgment, the Lord hath not approved.
To subvert a man in his contest—should the Lord not see this?
37 Mem. Who is he that hath commanded a thing to be done, when the Lord commandeth it not?
Who is he that saith aught, and it cometh to pass, when the Lord hath not ordained it?
38 Mem. Shall not both evil and good proceed out of the mouth of the Highest?
Do not out of the mouth of the Most High come both the evil things and the good?
39 Mem. Why hath a living man murmured, man suffering for his sins?
Wherefore should a living man complain? let every man complain because of his sins.
40 Nun. Let us search our ways, and seek, and return to the Lord.
Let us search through and investigate our ways, and let us return 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 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 indeed transgressed and rebelled: thou hast truly not pardoned.
43 Samech. Thou hast covered in thy wrath, and hast struck us: thou hast killed and hast not spared.
Thou hast covered [us] with thy anger, and made pursuit after us: thou hast slain, thou hast not pitied.
44 Samech. Thou hast set a cloud before thee, that our prayer may not pass through.
Thou hast covered thyself with a cloud, that no prayer should pass through.
45 Samech. Thou hast made me as an outcast, and refuse in the midst of the people.
As something loathsome and rejected hast thou rendered us in the midst of the people.
46 Phe. All our enemies have opened their mouths against us.
Wide have all our enemies opened against us their mouth.
47 Phe. Prophecy is become to us a fear, and a snare, and destruction.
Terror and a snare are come upon us, [with] desolation and breaches.
48 Phe. My eye hath run down with streams of water, for the destruction of the daughter of my people.
With streams of water runneth my eye down, because of the breach of the daughter of my people.
49 Ain. My eye is afflicted, and hath not been quiet, because there was no rest:
My eye trickleth down, and resteth not, without any intermission,
50 Ain. Till the Lord regarded and looked down from the heavens.
Till the Lord look down, and behold from heaven.
51 Ain. My eye hath wasted my soul because of all the daughters of my city.
My 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.
Those who are my enemies, without a cause, have chased me about like a bird.
53 Sade. My life is fallen into the pit, and they have laid a stone over me.
They have shut up in the dungeon my life, and have cast stones 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 on thy name, O Lord, out of the dungeon of the lowest depth.
56 Coph. Thou hast heard my voice: turn not away thy ear from my sighs, and cries.
Thou didst hear my voice: hide not thy ear to give me enlargement at my cry.
57 Coph. Thou drewest near in the day, when I called upon thee, thou saidst: Fear not.
Thou wast ever near on the day that I called on thee: thou saidst, Fear not.
58 Res. Thou hast judged, O Lord, the cause of my soul, thou the Redeemer of my life.
Thou didst plead, O Lord, the causes of my soul: thou didst [before this] redeem my life.
59 Res. Thou hast seen, O Lord, their iniquity against me: judge thou my judgment.
Thou hast [now] seen, O Lord, the wrong I suffer: 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 plans against me.
61 Sin. Thou hast heard their reproach, O Lord, all their imaginations against me.
Thou hast heard their reviling, O Lord, all their plans against me,
62 Sin. The lips of them that rise up against me: and their devices against me all the day.
The speeches of these that rise up against me, and their device against me all the day.
63 Sin. Behold their sitting down, and their rising up, I am their song.
Oh look upon their sitting down, and their rising up: I am their [jeering] song.
64 Thau. Thou shalt render them a recompense, O Lord, according to the works of their hands.
Render unto them a recompense, O Lord, according to the work of their hands.
65 Thau. Thou shalt give them a buckler of heart, thy labour.
Give them confusion of heart, thy curse he upon 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 from under the heavens of the Lord.
