Lamentations 3
1 I am the man that hath seen affliction by the rod of His wrath.
I am the man who hath seen affliction by the rod of his wrath.
2 He hath led me and caused me to walk in darkness and not in light.
Me hath he driven out, and led into darkness, but not into light.
3 Surely against me He turneth His hand again and again all the day.
Surely against me doth he turn again and again his hand all the day.
4 My flesh and my skin hath He worn out; He hath broken my bones.
He hath caused my flesh and my skin to wear out, he hath broken my bones.
5 He hath builded against me, and compassed me with gall and travail.
He hath built around me, and encompassed me with poison and hardship.
6 He hath made me to dwell in dark places, as those that have been long dead.
In dark places hath he set me to dwell, like the dead of olden times.
7 He hath hedged me about, that I cannot go forth; He hath made my chain heavy.
He hath placed a fence round about me, that I cannot get out; he hath made heavy my chain.
8 Yea, when I cry and call for help, He shutteth out my prayer.
Also when I cry aloud and make entreaty, he shutteth out my prayer.
9 He hath enclosed my ways with hewn stone, He hath made my paths crooked.
He hath fenced up my ways with hewn stone, my paths hath he made crooked.
10 He is unto 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 He hath turned aside my ways, and pulled 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 He hath bent His bow, and set me as a mark for the arrow.
He hath bent his bow, and placed me as a mark for the arrow.
13 He hath caused the arrows of His quiver to enter into my reins.
He hath caused to enter into my reins the children of his quiver.
14 I am become a derision to all my people, and their song all the day.
I am become a laughing-stock to all my people, their [jeering] song all the day.
15 He hath filled me with bitterness, He hath sated me with wormwood.
He hath sated me with bitter things, he hath made me drunken with wormwood.
16 He hath also broken my teeth with gravel stones, He hath made me to wallow in ashes.
He hath also broken my teeth with gravel-stones, he hath covered me with ashes.
17 And my soul is removed far off from peace, I forgot prosperity.
And my soul hath given up all thoughts of peace: I forget happiness.
18 And I said: 'My strength is perished, and mine expectation from the LORD.'
And I said, Lost is my strength, my expectation also from the Lord.
19 Remember mine affliction and mine anguish, the wormwood and the gall.
Remembering my affliction and [the cause of] my complaint, wormwood and poison.
20 My soul hath them still in remembrance, and is bowed down within me.
Remembering [this] continually my soul is bowed down deeply within me.
21 This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope.
[Yet] this answer will I give to my heart: therefore will I wait [in confidence].
22 Surely the LORD'S mercies are not consumed, surely His compassions fail not.
It is through the Lord's kindness that we are not consumed, because his mercies have no end;
23 They are new every morning; great is Thy faithfulness.
They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.
24 'The LORD is my portion', saith my soul; 'Therefore will I hope in Him.'
The Lord is my portion, saith my soul, therefore will I wait for him.
25 The LORD is good unto them that wait for Him, to the soul that seeketh Him.
The Lord is good unto those that hope in him, to the soul that seeketh him.
26 It is good that a man should quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD.
It is good that one should wait and this in silence for the salvation of the Lord.
27 It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth.
It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth;
28 Let him sit alone and keep silence, because He hath laid it upon him.
That he sit in solitude and be silent; because He hath laid it upon him;
29 Let him 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 Let him give his cheek to him that smiteth him, let him be filled full with reproach.
That he offer his cheek to him that smiteth him; that he be satisfied with reproach.
31 For the Lord will not cast off for ever.
For the Lord will not cast off for ever;
32 For though He cause grief, yet will He have compassion 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 For He doth not afflict willingly, nor grieve the children of men.
For he doth not afflict of his own will, and aggrieve the children of men.
34 To crush under foot all the prisoners of the earth,
To crush under his feet all the prisoners of the earth,
35 To turn aside the right 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 To subvert a man in his cause, the Lord approveth not.
To subvert a man in his contest—should the Lord not see this?
37 Who is he that saith, and it cometh to pass, 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 Out of the mouth of the Most High proceedeth not evil and good?
Do not out of the mouth of the Most High come both the evil things and the good?
39 Wherefore doth a living man complain, a strong man because of his sins?
Wherefore should a living man complain? let every man complain because of his sins.
40 Let us search and try our ways, and return to the LORD.
Let us search through and investigate our ways, and let us return to the Lord.
41 Let us lift up our heart with our hands unto God in the heavens.
Let us lift up our heart with our hands unto God in the heavens.
42 We have transgressed and have rebelled; Thou hast not pardoned.
We have indeed transgressed and rebelled: thou hast truly not pardoned.
43 Thou hast covered with anger and pursued us; Thou hast slain unsparingly.
Thou hast covered [us] with thy anger, and made pursuit after us: thou hast slain, thou hast not pitied.
44 Thou hast covered Thyself with a cloud, so that no prayer can pass through.
Thou hast covered thyself with a cloud, that no prayer should pass through.
45 Thou hast made us as the offscouring and refuse in the midst of the peoples.
As something loathsome and rejected hast thou rendered us in the midst of the people.
46 All our enemies have opened their mouth wide against us.
Wide have all our enemies opened against us their mouth.
47 Terror and the pit are come upon us, desolation and destruction.
Terror and a snare are come upon us, [with] desolation and breaches.
48 Mine eye runneth down with rivers of water, for the breach 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 Mine eye is poured out, and ceaseth not, without any intermission,
My eye trickleth down, and resteth not, without any intermission,
50 Till the LORD look forth, and behold from heaven.
Till the Lord look down, and behold from heaven.
51 Mine eye affected my soul, because of all the daughters of my city.
My eye affecteth my soul because of all the daughters of my city.
52 They have chased me sore like a bird, that are mine enemies without cause.
Those who are my enemies, without a cause, have chased me about like a bird.
53 They have cut off my life in the dungeon, and have cast stones upon me.
They have shut up in the dungeon my life, and have cast stones upon me.
54 Waters flowed over my head; I said: 'I am cut off.'
Waters streamed over my head: I said, I am cut off.
55 I called upon Thy name, O LORD, Out of the lowest dungeon.
I called on thy name, O Lord, out of the dungeon of the lowest depth.
56 Thou heardest my voice; hide not Thine ear at my sighing, at my cry.
Thou didst hear my voice: hide not thy ear to give me enlargement at my cry.
57 Thou drewest near in the day that 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 O Lord, Thou hast pleaded the causes of my soul; Thou hast redeemed my life.
Thou didst plead, O Lord, the causes of my soul: thou didst [before this] redeem my life.
59 O LORD, Thou hast seen my wrong; judge Thou my cause.
Thou hast [now] seen, O Lord, the wrong I suffer: judge thou my cause.
60 Thou hast seen all their vengeance and all their devices against me.
Thou hast seen all their vengeance, all their plans against me.
61 Thou hast heard their taunt, O LORD, and all their devices against me;
Thou hast heard their reviling, O Lord, all their plans against me,
62 The lips of those that rose up against me, and their muttering against me all the day.
The speeches of these that rise up against me, and their device against me all the day.
63 Behold Thou 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 Thou wilt render unto them a recompense, O LORD, according to the work of their hands.
Render unto them a recompense, O Lord, according to the work of their hands.
65 Thou wilt give them hardness of heart, Thy curse unto them.
Give them confusion of heart, thy curse he upon them.
66 Thou wilt pursue them in anger, and destroy them from under the heavens of the LORD.
Pursue them in anger and destroy from under the heavens of the Lord.
