Lamentations 3
1 I am the man, that hath seene affliction in the rod of his indignation.
I, am the man, that hath seen affliction, by the rod of his indignation;
2 He hath ledde mee, and brought me into darkenes, but not to light.
Me, hath he driven out and brought into darkness, and not light;
3 Surely he is turned against me: he turneth his hand against me all the day.
Surely, against me, doth he again and again, turn his hand all the day.
4 My flesh and my skinne hath he caused to waxe olde, and he hath broken my bones.
He hath worn out my flesh and my skin, hath broken my bones;
5 He hath builded against me, and compassed me with gall, and labour.
He hath built up against me, and carried round me, fortifications and a trench;
6 He hath set me in darke places, as they that be dead for euer.
In dark places, hath he made me sit, like the dead of age-past times.
7 He hath hedged about mee, that I cannot get out: he hath made my chaines heauy.
He hath walled up around me, that I cannot get out, hath weighted my fetter;
8 Also when I cry and showte, hee shutteth out my prayer.
Yea, when I make outcry and implore, he hath shut out my prayer;
9 He hath stopped vp my wayes with hewen stone, and turned away my paths.
He hath walled in my ways with hewn stone, my paths, hath he caused to wind back.
10 He was vnto me as a beare lying in waite, and as a Lion in secret places.
A bear lying in wait, he is to me, a lion, in secret places;
11 He hath stopped my wayes, and pulled me in pieces: he hath made me desolate.
My ways, hath he turned aside, and hath torn me in pieces, hath made me desolate;
12 He hath bent his bow and made me a marke for the arrow.
He hath trodden his bow, and set me up, as a mark for the arrow.
13 Hee caused the arrowes of his quiuer to enter into my reines.
He hath caused to enter my reins, the sons of his quiver;
14 I was a derision to all my people, and their song all the day.
I have become a derision to all my people, their song all the day;
15 He hath filled me with bitternes, and made me drunken with wormewood.
He hath sated me with bitter things, hath drenched me with wormwood.
16 He hath also broken my teeth with stones, and hath couered me with ashes.
And he hath crushed, with gravel-stones, my teeth, hath made me cower in ashes;
17 Thus my soule was farre off from peace: I forgate prosperitie,
And thou hast thrust away from welfare, my soul, I have forgotten prosperity;
18 And I saide, My strength and mine hope is perished from the Lord,
And I said, Vanished is mine endurance, even mine expectation, from Yahweh.
19 Remembring mine affliction, and my mourning, the wormewood and the gall.
Remember my humiliation and my fleeings, the wormwood and poison;
20 My soule hath them in remembrance, and is humbled in me.
Thou wilt, indeed remember, that, bowed down concerning myself, is my soul;
21 I consider this in mine heart: therefore haue I hope.
This, will I bring back to my heart, therefore, will I hope.
22 It is the Lordes mercies that wee are not consumed, because his compassions faile not.
The lovingkindnesses of Yahweh, verily they are not exhausted, Verily! not at an end, are his compassions:
23 They are renued euery morning: great is thy faithfulnesse.
New things for the mornings! Abundant is thy faithfulness:
24 The Lord is my portion, sayth my soule: therefore wil I hope in him.
My portion, is Yahweh, saith my soul, For this cause, will I wait for him.
25 The Lord is good vnto them, that trust in him, and to the soule that seeketh him.
Good is Yahweh, to them who wait for him, to the soul that will seek him;
26 It is good both to trust, and to waite for the saluation of the Lord.
Good it is—both to wait and to be silent, for the deliverance of Yahweh;
27 It is good for a man that he beare the yoke in his youth.
Good it is for a man, that he should bear the yoke in his youth.
28 He sitteth alone, and keepeth silence, because he hath borne it vpon him.
Let him sit alone, and keep silence, because he took it upon himself:
29 He putteth his mouth in the dust, if there may be hope.
Let him put, in the dust, his mouth, peradventure, there is hope!
30 Hee giueth his cheeke to him that smiteth him: he is filled full with reproches.
Let him give, to him that smiteth him, his cheek, let him be sated with reproach.
31 For the Lord will not forsake for euer.
Surely My Lord, will not cast off, unto times age-abiding;
32 But though he sende affliction, yet will he haue compassion according to the multitude of his mercies.
Surely, though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion, according to the multitude of his lovingkindnesses;
33 For he doeth not punish willingly, nor afflict the children of men,
Surely he hath not afflicted from his heart, nor caused sorrow to the sons of men.
34 In stamping vnder his feete all the prisoners of the earth,
To crush, under his feet, any of the prisoners of the earth;
35 In ouerthrowing the right 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 In subuerting a man in his cause: the Lord seeth it not.
To oppress a son of earth in his cause, My Lord, hath made no provision.
37 Who is he then that sayth, and it commeth to passe, and the Lord commandeth it not?
Who was it that spake, and it was done, [when], My Lord, had not commanded?
38 Out of the mouth of the most high proceedeth not euill and good?
Out of the mouth of the Most High, Proceed there not misfortunes and blessing?
39 Wherefore then is the liuing man sorowfull? man suffreth for his sinne.
Why should a living son of earth complain, [Let] a man [complain] because of his sins?
40 Let vs search and try our wayes, and turne againe to the Lord.
Let us search out our ways, and examine them well, and let us return unto Yahweh;
41 Let vs lift vp our hearts with our handes vnto God in the heauens.
Let us lift up our heart, to the opened palms, to the Mighty One in the heavens;
42 We haue sinned, and haue rebelled, therefore thou hast not spared.
We, have trespassed and rebelled, Thou, hast not pardoned.
43 Thou hast couered vs with wrath, and persecuted vs: thou hast slaine and not spared.
Thou hast covered thyself with anger, and pursued us, hast slain—hast not spared;
44 Thou hast couered thy selfe with a cloude, that our prayer should not passe through.
Thou hast screened thyself with the clouds, that prayer, should not pass through;
45 Thou hast made vs as the ofscouring and refuse in the middes of the people.
Offscouring and refuse, dost thou make us, in the midst of the peoples.
46 All our enemies haue opened their mouth against vs.
With their mouth, opened wide over us, [stand] all our foes.
47 Feare, and a snare is come vpon vs with desolation and destruction.
Terror and a pit, have befallen us, tumult and grievous injury;
48 Mine eye casteth out riuers of water, for the destruction of the daughter of my people.
With streams of water, mine eye runneth down, over the grievous injury of the daughter of my people.
49 Mine eye droppeth without stay and ceaseth not,
Mine eye, poureth itself out and ceaseth not, without relief;
50 Till the Lord looke downe, and beholde from heauen.
Until Yahweh out of the heavens shall look forth, and see,
51 Mine eye breaketh mine heart because of all the daughters of my citie.
Mine eye dealeth severely with my soul, because of all the daughters of my city.
52 Mine enemies chased me sore like a birde, without cause.
They, have laid snares, for me as a bird, who are mine enemies without cause:
53 They haue shut vp my life in the dungeon, and cast a stone vpon me.
They have cut off, in the dungeon, my life, and have cast a stone upon me;
54 Waters flowed ouer mine head, then thought I, I am destroyed.
Waters, flowed over, my head, I said, I am cut off!
55 I called vpon thy Name, O Lord, out of the lowe dungeon.
I have called upon thy Name, O Yahweh, out of the dungeon below;
56 Thou hast heard my voyce: stoppe not thine eare from my sigh and from my cry.
My voice, thou hast heard, —do not close thine ear to my respite, to mine outcry;
57 Thou drewest neere in the day that I called vpon thee: thou saydest, Feare not.
Thou drewest near, in the day I kept calling on thee, thou saidst, Do not fear!
58 O Lord, thou hast maintained the cause of my soule, and hast redeemed my life.
Thou hast pleaded, O My Lord, the pleas of my soul, hast redeemed my life;
59 O Lord, thou hast seene my wrong, iudge thou my cause.
Thou hast beheld, O Yahweh, my failure to get justice, Pronounce thou my sentence;
60 Thou hast seene all their vengeance, and all their deuises against me.
Thou hast seen all their vindictiveness, all their plots against me.
61 Thou hast heard their reproch, O Lord, and all their imaginations against me:
Thou hast heard their reproach, O Yahweh, all their plots against me;
62 The lippes also of those that rose against me, and their whispering against me continually.
The lips of mine assailants, and their mutterings, are against me, all the day;
63 Behold, their sitting downe and their rising vp, how I am their song.
On their downsitting and their uprising, do thou look, I, am their song.
64 Giue them a recompence, O Lord, according to the worke of their handes.
Thou wilt render to them a recompense, O Yahweh, according to the work of their hands;
65 Giue them sorow of heart, euen thy curse to them.
Thou wilt suffer them a veiling of heart, thy curse to them;
66 Persecute with wrath and destroy them from vnder the heauen, O Lord.
Thou wilt pursue in anger, and wilt destroy them, from under the heavens of Yahweh.
