Lamentations 3
1 I am the man, that hath seene affliction in the rod of his indignation.
I am the man who has seen affliction under the rod of God’s wrath.
2 He hath ledde mee, and brought me into darkenes, but not to light.
He has driven me away and made me walk in darkness instead of light.
3 Surely he is turned against me: he turneth his hand against me all the day.
Indeed, He keeps turning His hand against me all day long.
4 My flesh and my skinne hath he caused to waxe olde, and he hath broken my bones.
He has worn away my flesh and skin; He has shattered my bones.
5 He hath builded against me, and compassed me with gall, and labour.
He has besieged me and surrounded me with bitterness and hardship.
6 He hath set me in darke places, as they that be dead for euer.
He has made me dwell in darkness like those dead for ages.
7 He hath hedged about mee, that I cannot get out: he hath made my chaines heauy.
He has walled me in so I cannot escape; He has weighed me down with chains.
8 Also when I cry and showte, hee shutteth out my prayer.
Even when I cry out and plead for help, He shuts out my prayer.
9 He hath stopped vp my wayes with hewen stone, and turned away my paths.
He has barred my ways with cut stones; He has made my paths crooked.
10 He was vnto me as a beare lying in waite, and as a Lion in secret places.
He is a bear lying in wait, a lion hiding in ambush.
11 He hath stopped my wayes, and pulled me in pieces: he hath made me desolate.
He forced me off my path and tore me to pieces; He left me without help.
12 He hath bent his bow and made me a marke for the arrow.
He bent His bow and set me as the target for His arrow.
13 Hee caused the arrowes of his quiuer to enter into my reines.
He pierced my kidneys with His arrows.
14 I was a derision to all my people, and their song all the day.
I am a laughingstock to all my people; they mock me in song all day long.
15 He hath filled me with bitternes, and made me drunken with wormewood.
He has filled me with bitterness; He has intoxicated me with wormwood.
16 He hath also broken my teeth with stones, and hath couered me with ashes.
He has ground my teeth with gravel and trampled me in the dust.
17 Thus my soule was farre off from peace: I forgate prosperitie,
My soul has been deprived of peace; I have forgotten what prosperity is.
18 And I saide, My strength and mine hope is perished from the Lord,
So I say, “My strength has perished, along with my hope from the LORD.”
19 Remembring mine affliction, and my mourning, the wormewood and the gall.
Remember my affliction and wandering, the wormwood and the gall.
20 My soule hath them in remembrance, and is humbled in me.
Surely my soul remembers and is humbled within me.
21 I consider this in mine heart: therefore haue I hope.
Yet I call this to mind, and therefore I have hope:
22 It is the Lordes mercies that wee are not consumed, because his compassions faile not.
Because of the loving devotion of the LORD we are not consumed, for His mercies never fail.
23 They are renued euery morning: great is thy faithfulnesse.
They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness!
24 The Lord is my portion, sayth my soule: therefore wil I hope in him.
“The LORD is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in Him.”
25 The Lord is good vnto them, that trust in him, and to the soule that seeketh him.
The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him.
26 It is good both to trust, and to waite for the saluation of the Lord.
It is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD.
27 It is good for a man that he beare the yoke in his youth.
It is good for a man to bear the yoke while he is still young.
28 He sitteth alone, and keepeth silence, because he hath borne it vpon him.
Let him sit alone in silence, for God has disciplined him.
29 He putteth his mouth in the dust, if there may be hope.
Let him bury his face in the dust— perhaps there is still hope.
30 Hee giueth his cheeke to him that smiteth him: he is filled full with reproches.
Let him offer his cheek to the one who would strike him; let him be filled with reproach.
31 For the Lord will not forsake for euer.
For the Lord will not cast us off forever.
32 But though he sende affliction, yet will he haue compassion according to the multitude of his mercies.
Even if He causes grief, He will show compassion according to His abundant loving devotion.
33 For he doeth not punish willingly, nor afflict the children of men,
For He does not willingly afflict or grieve the sons of men.
34 In stamping vnder his feete all the prisoners of the earth,
To crush underfoot all the prisoners of the land,
35 In ouerthrowing the right of a man before the face of the most high,
to deny a man justice before the Most High,
36 In subuerting a man in his cause: the Lord seeth it not.
to subvert a man in his lawsuit— of these the Lord does not approve.
37 Who is he then that sayth, and it commeth to passe, and the Lord commandeth it not?
Who has spoken and it came to pass, unless the Lord has ordained it?
38 Out of the mouth of the most high proceedeth not euill and good?
Do not both adversity and good come from the mouth of the Most High?
39 Wherefore then is the liuing man sorowfull? man suffreth for his sinne.
Why should any mortal man complain, in view of his sins?
40 Let vs search and try our wayes, and turne againe to the Lord.
Let us examine and test our ways, and turn back to the LORD.
41 Let vs lift vp our hearts with our handes vnto God in the heauens.
Let us lift up our hearts and hands to God in heaven:
42 We haue sinned, and haue rebelled, therefore thou hast not spared.
“We have sinned and rebelled; You have not forgiven.”
43 Thou hast couered vs with wrath, and persecuted vs: thou hast slaine and not spared.
You have covered Yourself in anger and pursued us; You have killed without pity.
44 Thou hast couered thy selfe with a cloude, that our prayer should not passe through.
You have covered Yourself with a cloud that no prayer can pass through.
45 Thou hast made vs as the ofscouring and refuse in the middes of the people.
You have made us scum and refuse among the nations.
46 All our enemies haue opened their mouth against vs.
All our enemies open their mouths against us.
47 Feare, and a snare is come vpon vs with desolation and destruction.
Panic and pitfall have come upon us— devastation and destruction.
48 Mine eye casteth out riuers of water, for the destruction of the daughter of my people.
Streams of tears flow from my eyes over the destruction of the daughter of my people.
49 Mine eye droppeth without stay and ceaseth not,
My eyes overflow unceasingly, without relief,
50 Till the Lord looke downe, and beholde from heauen.
until the LORD looks down from heaven and sees.
51 Mine eye breaketh mine heart because of all the daughters of my citie.
My eyes bring grief to my soul because of all the daughters of my city.
52 Mine enemies chased me sore like a birde, without cause.
Without cause my enemies hunted me like a bird.
53 They haue shut vp my life in the dungeon, and cast a stone vpon me.
They dropped me alive into a pit and cast stones upon me.
54 Waters flowed ouer mine head, then thought I, I am destroyed.
The waters flowed over my head, and I thought I was going to die.
55 I called vpon thy Name, O Lord, out of the lowe dungeon.
I called on Your name, O LORD, out of the depths of the Pit.
56 Thou hast heard my voyce: stoppe not thine eare from my sigh and from my cry.
You heard my plea: “Do not ignore my cry for relief.”
57 Thou drewest neere in the day that I called vpon thee: thou saydest, Feare not.
You drew near when I called on You; You said, “Do not be afraid.”
58 O Lord, thou hast maintained the cause of my soule, and hast redeemed my life.
You defend my cause, O Lord; You redeem my life.
59 O Lord, thou hast seene my wrong, iudge thou my cause.
You have seen, O LORD, the wrong done to me; vindicate my cause!
60 Thou hast seene all their vengeance, and all their deuises against me.
You have seen all their malice, all their plots against me.
61 Thou hast heard their reproch, O Lord, and all their imaginations against me:
O LORD, You have heard their insults, all their plots against me—
62 The lippes also of those that rose against me, and their whispering against me continually.
the slander and murmuring of my assailants against me all day long.
63 Behold, their sitting downe and their rising vp, how I am their song.
When they sit and when they rise, see how they mock me in song.
64 Giue them a recompence, O Lord, according to the worke of their handes.
You will pay them back what they deserve, O LORD, according to the work of their hands.
65 Giue them sorow of heart, euen thy curse to them.
Put a veil of anguish over their hearts; may Your curse be upon them!
66 Persecute with wrath and destroy them from vnder the heauen, O Lord.
You will pursue them in anger and exterminate them from under Your heavens, O LORD.
