Lamentations 3
1 I am the man, that hath seene affliction in the rod of his indignation.
I [, the one who am writing this, ] am a man who has been afflicted/punished [MTY] by Yahweh because he was angry.
2 He hath ledde mee, and brought me into darkenes, but not to light.
[It was as though] he caused me to walk in a very dark place without any light [at all].
3 Surely he is turned against me: he turneth his hand against me all the day.
He has punished [IDM] me many times, all day, [every] day.
4 My flesh and my skinne hath he caused to waxe olde, and he hath broken my bones.
He has caused my skin and my flesh to become old. He has broken my bones.
5 He hath builded against me, and compassed me with gall, and labour.
He has surrounded me [DOU] with bitterness and suffering.
6 He hath set me in darke places, as they that be dead for euer.
[It is as though] he has buried me in a dark place like [SIM] [the graves of] those who have been dead for a long time.
7 He hath hedged about mee, that I cannot get out: he hath made my chaines heauy.
[It is as though] [MET] he has built a wall around me, and fastened/tied me with heavy chains, and I cannot escape.
8 Also when I cry and showte, hee shutteth out my prayer.
Although I call out and cry out for him to help me, he does not pay attention to my prayers.
9 He hath stopped vp my wayes with hewen stone, and turned away my paths.
[It is as though] he has blocked my path with a [high] stone [wall] and has caused my path to become crooked.
10 He was vnto me as a beare lying in waite, and as a Lion in secret places.
He has waited to attack me like [SIM] a bear or a lion hides and waits [to attack other animals].
11 He hath stopped my wayes, and pulled me in pieces: he hath made me desolate.
[It is as though] he has dragged me off the path and (mauled me/torn me into pieces), and left me without help.
12 He hath bent his bow and made me a marke for the arrow.
[It is as though] [MET] he bent his bow and caused me to become the target [at which he shot] his arrows.
13 Hee caused the arrowes of his quiuer to enter into my reines.
[It is as though] he shot his arrows deep into my body.
14 I was a derision to all my people, and their song all the day.
All my relatives laugh at me; all day, [every] day they sing songs that make fun of me.
15 He hath filled me with bitternes, and made me drunken with wormewood.
He has filled me with (bitterness/great suffering), [like] [MET] someone who drinks a very bitter liquid suffers.
16 He hath also broken my teeth with stones, and hath couered me with ashes.
[It is as though] he has caused me to chew gravel that broke my teeth, and he has trampled me in the dirt.
17 Thus my soule was farre off from peace: I forgate prosperitie,
Things no longer go well for me; I no longer remember being prosperous.
18 And I saide, My strength and mine hope is perished from the Lord,
I [continued to] say [to myself], “I no longer expect to live much longer; I no longer confidently expect [to receive good things] from Yahweh!”
19 Remembring mine affliction, and my mourning, the wormewood and the gall.
When I think about my suffering and my wandering [away from home], [it is like drinking] a very bitter [DOU] liquid.
20 My soule hath them in remembrance, and is humbled in me.
I will never forget this time when I feel very depressed/discouraged [IDM].
21 I consider this in mine heart: therefore haue I hope.
However, I confidently expect [Yahweh to do good things for me again] when I think about this:
22 It is the Lordes mercies that wee are not consumed, because his compassions faile not.
Yahweh never stops faithfully loving [us], and he never stops being kind to us.
23 They are renued euery morning: great is thy faithfulnesse.
[He is the one whom we can] always trust/lean on. Every morning he is merciful [to us again].
24 The Lord is my portion, sayth my soule: therefore wil I hope in him.
[So] I say to myself, “Yahweh is all that I need; so I will confidently wait for him [to do good things for me].”
25 The Lord is good vnto them, that trust in him, and to the soule that seeketh him.
Yahweh is good to [all] those who depend on him, to those who seek his [help].
26 It is good both to trust, and to waite for the saluation of the Lord.
[So] it is good for us to wait quietly for Yahweh to save/rescue [us].
27 It is good for a man that he beare the yoke in his youth.
And it is good for us to [patiently] endure [suffering] while we are young.
28 He sitteth alone, and keepeth silence, because he hath borne it vpon him.
Those [who seek his help] should sit by themselves, silently, [knowing that] it is Yahweh who has allowed/caused them to suffer.
29 He putteth his mouth in the dust, if there may be hope.
They should lie in the dirt, with their faces on the ground, [because] they can still hope [that Yahweh will help them].
30 Hee giueth his cheeke to him that smiteth him: he is filled full with reproches.
If someone strikes us on one cheek, we should turn the other cheek toward that person [in order that he may strike it, too], and accept/endure it when we are insulted.
31 For the Lord will not forsake for euer.
Yahweh does not abandon [us his people] forever.
32 But though he sende affliction, yet will he haue compassion according to the multitude of his mercies.
Sometimes he causes us to suffer, but sometimes he is kind [to us] because he continually and faithfully loves [us].
33 For he doeth not punish willingly, nor afflict the children of men,
And he is not happy about causing human beings to suffer or to be sad.
34 In stamping vnder his feete all the prisoners of the earth,
If people (mistreat all the prisoners/crush all the prisoners under their feet)
35 In ouerthrowing the right of a man before the face of the most high,
or if they rebel against God by refusing to give to people the things that it is right for them [to receive],
36 In subuerting a man in his cause: the Lord seeth it not.
or if they cause judges to decide matters unjustly, (does Yahweh not see all those things?/Yahweh certainly sees all those things!) [RHQ]
37 Who is he then that sayth, and it commeth to passe, and the Lord commandeth it not?
No one can [RHQ] command something to happen [and then cause it to happen] if Yahweh has not already decided that it should happen.
38 Out of the mouth of the most high proceedeth not euill and good?
God in heaven [MTY] is [RHQ] the one who causes disasters to happen, and he [also] causes good things to happen.
39 Wherefore then is the liuing man sorowfull? man suffreth for his sinne.
[So] it is certainly not [RHQ] right for us, who are only humans, to complain when he punishes us for the sins that we have committed.
40 Let vs search and try our wayes, and turne againe to the Lord.
Instead, we should (examine/think carefully about) our behavior; we should turn back to Yahweh.
41 Let vs lift vp our hearts with our handes vnto God in the heauens.
We should pray [IDM] sincerely and lift up our arms toward God in heaven, [and say, ]
42 We haue sinned, and haue rebelled, therefore thou hast not spared.
“We have sinned and rebelled [against you], and you have not forgiven [us].
43 Thou hast couered vs with wrath, and persecuted vs: thou hast slaine and not spared.
You have surrounded us with your anger and pursued us; you have slaughtered [us] without pitying us.
44 Thou hast couered thy selfe with a cloude, that our prayer should not passe through.
You have hidden yourself in a cloud, with the result that you do not hear [us] when we pray.
45 Thou hast made vs as the ofscouring and refuse in the middes of the people.
You have caused [the people of other] nations to consider us to be only garbage [DOU].
46 All our enemies haue opened their mouth against vs.
All our enemies have insulted us.
47 Feare, and a snare is come vpon vs with desolation and destruction.
We are constantly afraid [DOU], [because] we have experienced disasters and ruin [DOU].”
48 Mine eye casteth out riuers of water, for the destruction of the daughter of my people.
I cry a lot because my people have been destroyed.
49 Mine eye droppeth without stay and ceaseth not,
My tears continually flow; they will not stop
50 Till the Lord looke downe, and beholde from heauen.
until Yahweh looks down from heaven and sees [us].
51 Mine eye breaketh mine heart because of all the daughters of my citie.
I am very grieved because of [what has happened to] the women of my city.
52 Mine enemies chased me sore like a birde, without cause.
Those who are my enemies hunted for me like [SIM] [people hunt for] a bird [to kill it] [even though] there was no reason [for them to do that].
53 They haue shut vp my life in the dungeon, and cast a stone vpon me.
They threw me into a pit to kill me, and they threw stones on top of me.
54 Waters flowed ouer mine head, then thought I, I am destroyed.
The water [in the pit] rose above my head, and I said [to myself], “I am about to die/drown!”
55 I called vpon thy Name, O Lord, out of the lowe dungeon.
But from the bottom of the pit I cried out to you [MTY], “Yahweh, [help me]!”
56 Thou hast heard my voyce: stoppe not thine eare from my sigh and from my cry.
I pleaded with you, “Do not refuse to heed [MTY] me while I cry out to you!”
57 Thou drewest neere in the day that I called vpon thee: thou saydest, Feare not.
Then you answered me and said, “Do not be afraid!”
58 O Lord, thou hast maintained the cause of my soule, and hast redeemed my life.
Yahweh, you defended me; you did not allow me to die.
59 O Lord, thou hast seene my wrong, iudge thou my cause.
[Now], Yahweh, you have seen the evil things that my enemies have done to me, [so] decide my case [and show that I am right]!
60 Thou hast seene all their vengeance, and all their deuises against me.
You know the evil things that they have planned to do to me.
61 Thou hast heard their reproch, O Lord, and all their imaginations against me:
Yahweh, you have heard them insult [me] and what they have planned to do to me.
62 The lippes also of those that rose against me, and their whispering against me continually.
Every day they whisper and mutter things about me, all day long.
63 Behold, their sitting downe and their rising vp, how I am their song.
Look at them! Whether they are standing or sitting they make fun of me with the songs that they sing.
64 Giue them a recompence, O Lord, according to the worke of their handes.
Yahweh, cause them to suffer in return for their causing [me] to suffer!
65 Giue them sorow of heart, euen thy curse to them.
Curse them [IDM] [for] their being very stubborn [IDM].
66 Persecute with wrath and destroy them from vnder the heauen, O Lord.
Because you are angry with them, pursue them and get rid of them, [until none of them remain] on the earth.
