Lamentations 3
1 I AM the man that has seen affliction by the rod of his wrath.
I am the man who hath seen affliction by the rod of his wrath.
2 He has led me, and brought me into darkness, but not into light.
Me hath he driven out, and led into darkness, but not into light.
3 Surely against me is he turned; he turns his hand against me all the day.
Surely against me doth he turn again and again his hand all the day.
4 My flesh and my skin has he made old; he has broken my bones.
He hath caused my flesh and my skin to wear out, he hath broken my bones.
5 He has built against me, and compassed me with gall and travail.
He hath built around me, and encompassed me with poison and hardship.
6 He has set me in dark places, as they that be dead of old.
In dark places hath he set me to dwell, like the dead of olden times.
7 He has hedged me about, that I cannot get out: he has made my chain heavy.
He hath placed a fence round about me, that I cannot get out; he hath made heavy my chain.
8 Also when I cry and shout, he shuts out my prayer.
Also when I cry aloud and make entreaty, he shutteth out my prayer.
9 He has enclosed my ways with hewn stone, he has made my paths crooked.
He hath fenced up my ways with hewn stone, my paths hath he made crooked.
10 He was to me as a bear lying in wait, and as a lion in secret places.
A bear lying in wait is he to me, a lion in secret places.
11 He has turned aside my ways, and pulled me in pieces: he has made me desolate.
On my ways hath he placed thorns, and torn me in pieces: he hath made me desolate.
12 He has 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 has 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 was 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 has filled me with bitterness, he has made me drunken with wormwood.
He hath sated me with bitter things, he hath made me drunken with wormwood.
16 He has also broken my teeth with gravel stones, he has covered me with ashes.
He hath also broken my teeth with gravel-stones, he hath covered me with ashes.
17 And you have removed my soul 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 and my hope is perished from the LORD:
And I said, Lost is my strength, my expectation also from the Lord.
19 Remembering my affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall.
Remembering my affliction and [the cause of] my complaint, wormwood and poison.
20 My soul has them still in remembrance, and is humbled in 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 It is of the LORD’s mercies that we are not consumed, because 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 your faithfulness.
They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.
24 The LORD is my portion, says 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 to them that wait for him, to the soul that seeks 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 both hope and 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 of his youth.
It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth;
28 He sits alone and keeps silence, because he has borne it on him.
That he sit in solitude and be silent; because He hath laid it upon him;
29 He puts 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 He gives his cheek to him that smites him: he is 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 But 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 does 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 his feet 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 approves not.
To subvert a man in his contest—should the Lord not see this?
37 Who is he that says, and it comes to pass, when the Lord commands 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 proceeds not evil and good?
Do not out of the mouth of the Most High come both the evil things and the good?
39 Why does a living man complain, a man for the punishment 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 turn again 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 to 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: you have not pardoned.
We have indeed transgressed and rebelled: thou hast truly not pardoned.
43 You have covered with anger, and persecuted us: you have slain, you have not pitied.
Thou hast covered [us] with thy anger, and made pursuit after us: thou hast slain, thou hast not pitied.
44 You have covered yourself with a cloud, that our prayer should not pass through.
Thou hast covered thyself with a cloud, that no prayer should pass through.
45 You have made us as the offscouring and refuse in the middle of the people.
As something loathsome and rejected hast thou rendered us in the midst of the people.
46 All our enemies have opened their mouths against us.
Wide have all our enemies opened against us their mouth.
47 Fear and a snare is come on us, desolation and destruction.
Terror and a snare are come upon us, [with] desolation and breaches.
48 My eye runs down with rivers of water for the destruction 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 My eye trickles down, and ceases not, without any intermission.
My eye trickleth down, and resteth not, without any intermission,
50 Till the LORD look down, and behold from heaven.
Till the Lord look down, and behold from heaven.
51 My eye affects my heart because of all the daughters of my city.
My eye affecteth my soul because of all the daughters of my city.
52 My enemies chased me sore, like a bird, 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 cast a stone on me.
They have shut up in the dungeon my life, and have cast stones upon me.
54 Waters flowed over my head; then I said, I am cut off.
Waters streamed over my head: I said, I am cut off.
55 I called on your name, O LORD, out of the low dungeon.
I called on thy name, O Lord, out of the dungeon of the lowest depth.
56 You have heard my voice: hide not your ear at my breathing, at my cry.
Thou didst hear my voice: hide not thy ear to give me enlargement at my cry.
57 You drew near in the day that I called on you: you said, Fear not.
Thou wast ever near on the day that I called on thee: thou saidst, Fear not.
58 O LORD, you have pleaded the causes of my soul; you have redeemed my life.
Thou didst plead, O Lord, the causes of my soul: thou didst [before this] redeem my life.
59 O LORD, you have seen my wrong: judge you my cause.
Thou hast [now] seen, O Lord, the wrong I suffer: judge thou my cause.
60 You have seen all their vengeance and all their imaginations against me.
Thou hast seen all their vengeance, all their plans against me.
61 You have heard their reproach, O LORD, and all their imaginations 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 device against me all the day.
The speeches of these that rise up against me, and their device against me all the day.
63 Behold their sitting down, and their rising up; I am their music.
Oh look upon their sitting down, and their rising up: I am their [jeering] song.
64 Render to 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 Give them sorrow of heart, your curse to them.
Give them confusion of heart, thy curse he upon them.
66 Persecute and destroy them in anger from under the heavens of the LORD.
Pursue them in anger and destroy from under the heavens of the Lord.
