Lamentations 3
1 Aleph. I am the man that see my poverty by the rod of his indignation.
Aleph. I am a man seynge my pouert in the yerde of his indignacioun.
2 Aleph. He hath led me, and brought me into darkness, and not into light.
Aleph. He droof me, and brouyte in to derknessis, and not in to liyt.
3 Aleph. Only against me he hath turned, and turned again his hand all the day.
Aleph. Oneli he turnede in to me, and turnede togidere his hond al dai.
4 Beth. My skin and my flesh he hath made old, he hath broken my bones.
Beth. He made eld my skyn, and my fleisch; he al to-brak my boonys.
5 Beth. He hath built round about me, and he hath compassed me with gall and labour.
Beth. He bildid in my cumpas, and he cumpasside me with galle and trauel.
6 Beth. He hath set me in dark places as those that are dead for ever.
Beth. He settide me in derk places, as euerlastynge deed men.
7 Ghimel. He hath built against me round about, that I may not get out: he hath made my fetters heavy.
Gymel. He bildide aboute ayens me, that Y go not out; he aggregide my gyues.
8 Ghimel. Yea, and when I cry, and entreat, he hath shut out my prayer.
Gymel. But and whanne Y crie and preye, he hath excludid my preier.
9 Ghimel. He hath shut up my ways with square stones, he hath turned my paths upside down.
Gymel. He closide togidere my weies with square stoonus; he distriede my pathis.
10 Daleth. He is become to me as a bear lying in wait: as a lion in secret places.
Deleth. He is maad a bere settinge aspies to me, a lioun in hid places.
11 Daleth. He hath turned aside my paths, and hath broken me in pieces, he hath made me desolate.
Deleth. He distriede my pathis, and brak me; he settide me desolat.
12 Daleth. He hath bent his bow, and set me as a mark for his arrows.
Deleth. He bente his bowe, and settide me as a signe to an arowe.
13 He. He hath shot into my reins the daughters of his quiver.
He. He sente in my reynes the douytris of his arowe caas.
14 He. I am made a derision to all my people, their song all the day long.
He. Y am maad in to scorn to al the puple, the song of hem al dai.
15 He. He hath filled me with bitterness, he hath inebriated me with wormwood.
He. He fillide me with bitternesses; he gretli fillide me with wermod.
16 Vau. And he hath broken my teeth one by one, he hath fed me with ashes.
Vau. He brak at noumbre my teeth; he fedde me with aische.
17 Vau. And my soul is removed far off from peace, I have forgotten good things.
Vau. And my soule is putte awei; Y haue foryete goodis.
18 Vau. And I said: My end and my hope is perished from the Lord.
Vau. And Y seide, Myn ende perischide, and myn hope fro the Lord.
19 Zain. Remember my poverty, and transgression, the wormwood, and the gall.
Zai. Haue thou mynde on my pouert and goyng ouer, and on wermod and galle.
20 Zain. I will be mindful and remember, and my soul shall languish within me.
Zai. Bi mynde Y schal be myndeful; and my soule schal faile in me.
21 Zain. These things I shall think over in my heart, therefore will I hope.
Zai. Y bithenkynge these thingis in myn herte, schal hope in God.
22 Heth. The mercies of the Lord that we are not consumed: because his commiserations have not failed.
Heth. The mercies of the Lord ben manye, for we ben not wastid; for whi hise merciful doyngis failiden not.
23 Heth. They are new every morning, great is thy faithfulness.
Heth. Y knew in the morewtid; thi feith is miche.
24 Heth. The Lord is my portion, said my soul: therefore will I wait for him.
Heth. My soule seide, The Lord is my part; therfor Y schal abide hym.
25 Teth. The Lord is good to them that hope in him, to the soul that seeketh him.
Teth. The Lord is good to hem that hopen in to hym, to a soule sekynge hym.
26 Teth. It is good to wait with silence for the salvation of God.
Teth. It is good to abide with stilnesse the helthe of God.
27 Teth. It is good for a man, when he hath borne the yoke from his youth.
Teth. It is good to a man, whanne he hath bore the yok fro his yongthe.
28 Jod. He shall sit solitary, and hold his peace: because he hath taken it up upon himself.
Joth. He schal sitte aloone, and he schal be stille; for he reiside hym silf aboue hym silf.
29 Jod. He shall put his mouth in the dust, if so be there may be hope.
Joth. He schal sette his mouth in dust, if perauenture hope is.
30 Jod. He shall give his cheek to him that striketh him, he shall be filled with reproaches.
Joth. He schal yyue the cheke to a man that smytith hym; he schal be fillid with schenschipis.
31 Caph. For the Lord will not cast off for ever.
Caph. For the Lord schal not putte awei with outen ende.
32 Caph. For if he hath cast off, he will also have mercy, according to the multitude of his mercies.
Caph. For if he castide awei, and he schal do merci bi the multitude of hise mercies.
33 Caph. For he hath not willingly afflicted, nor cast off the children of men.
Caph. For he makide not low of his herte; and castide not awei the sones of men. Lameth.
34 Lamed. To crush under his feet all the prisoners of the land,
That he schulde al to-foule vndur hise feet alle the boundun men of erthe. Lameth.
35 Lamed. To turn aside the judgment of a man before the face of the most High,
That he schulde bowe doun the dom of man, in the siyt of the cheer of the hiyeste.
36 Lamed. To destroy a man wrongfully in his judgment, the Lord hath not approved.
Lameth. That he schulde peruerte a man in his dom, the Lord knew not.
37 Mem. Who is he that hath commanded a thing to be done, when the Lord commandeth it not?
Men. Who is this that seide, that a thing schulde be don, whanne the Lord comaundide not?
38 Mem. Shall not both evil and good proceed out of the mouth of the Highest?
Men. Nether goodis nether yuels schulen go out of the mouth of the hiyeste.
39 Mem. Why hath a living man murmured, man suffering for his sins?
Men. What grutchide a man lyuynge, a man for hise synnes?
40 Nun. Let us search our ways, and seek, and return to the Lord.
Nun. Serche we oure weies, and seke we, and turne we ayen to the Lord.
41 Nun. Let us lift up our hearts with our hands to the Lord in the heavens.
Nun. Reise we oure hertis with hondis, to the Lord in to heuenes.
42 Nun. We have done wickedly, and provoked thee to wrath: therefore thou art inexorable.
Nun. We han do wickidli, and han terrid thee to wraththe; therfor thou art not able to be preied.
43 Samech. Thou hast covered in thy wrath, and hast struck us: thou hast killed and hast not spared.
Sameth. Thou hilidist in stronge veniaunce, and smitidist vs; thou killidist, and sparidist not.
44 Samech. Thou hast set a cloud before thee, that our prayer may not pass through.
Sameth. Thou settidist a clowde to thee, that preier passe not.
45 Samech. Thou hast made me as an outcast, and refuse in the midst of the people.
Sameth. Thou settidist me, drawing vp bi the roote, and castynge out, in the myddis of puplis.
46 Phe. All our enemies have opened their mouths against us.
Ayn. Alle enemyes openyden her mouth on vs.
47 Phe. Prophecy is become to us a fear, and a snare, and destruction.
Ayn. Inward drede and snare is maad to vs, profesie and defoulyng.
48 Phe. My eye hath run down with streams of water, for the destruction of the daughter of my people.
Ayn. Myn iyen ledden doun departyngis of watris, for the defoulyng of the douyter of my puple.
49 Ain. My eye is afflicted, and hath not been quiet, because there was no rest:
Phe. Myn iye was turmentid, and was not stille; for no reste was.
50 Ain. Till the Lord regarded and looked down from the heavens.
Phe. Vntil the Lord bihelde, and siy fro heuenes.
51 Ain. My eye hath wasted my soul because of all the daughters of my city.
Phe. Myn iye robbide my soule in alle the douytris of my citee.
52 Sade. My enemies have chased me and caught me like a bird, without cause.
Sade. Myn enemyes token me with out cause, bi huntyng as a brid.
53 Sade. My life is fallen into the pit, and they have laid a stone over me.
Sade. My lijf slood in to a lake; and thei puttiden a stoon on me.
54 Sade. Waters have flowed over my head: I said: I am cut off.
Sade. Watris flowiden ouer myn heed; Y seide, Y perischide.
55 Coph. I have called upon thy name, O Lord, from the lowest pit.
Coph. Lord, Y clepide to help thi name, fro the laste lake.
56 Coph. Thou hast heard my voice: turn not away thy ear from my sighs, and cries.
Coph. Thou herdist my vois; turne thou not awei thin eere fro my sobbyng and cries.
57 Coph. Thou drewest near in the day, when I called upon thee, thou saidst: Fear not.
Coph. Thou neiyidist to me in the dai, wherynne Y clepide thee to help; thou seidist, Drede thou not.
58 Res. Thou hast judged, O Lord, the cause of my soul, thou the Redeemer of my life.
Res. Lord, ayenbiere of my lijf, thou demydist the cause of my soule.
59 Res. Thou hast seen, O Lord, their iniquity against me: judge thou my judgment.
Res. Lord, thou siest the wickidnesse of hem ayens me; deme thou my doom.
60 Res. Thou hast seen all their fury, and all their thoughts against me.
Res. Thou siest al the woodnesse, alle the thouytis of hem ayenus me.
61 Sin. Thou hast heard their reproach, O Lord, all their imaginations against me.
Syn. Lord, thou herdist the schenshipis of hem; alle the thouytis of hem ayens me.
62 Sin. The lips of them that rise up against me: and their devices against me all the day.
Syn. The lippis of men risynge ayens me, and the thouytis of hem ayens me al dai.
63 Sin. Behold their sitting down, and their rising up, I am their song.
Syn. Se thou the sittynge and risyng ayen of hem; Y am the salm of hem.
64 Thau. Thou shalt render them a recompense, O Lord, according to the works of their hands.
Thau. Lord, thou schalt yelde while to hem, bi the werkis of her hondis.
65 Thau. Thou shalt give them a buckler of heart, thy labour.
Tau. Thou schalt yyue to hem the scheeld of herte, thi trauel.
66 Thau. Thou shalt persecute them in anger, and shalt destroy them from under the heavens, O Lord.
Tau. Lord, thou schalt pursue hem in thi strong veniaunce, and thou schalt defoule hem vndur heuenes.
