Lamentations 3
1 I AM the man that has seen affliction by the rod of his wrath.
I am a man who has seen misery under the rod of Yahweh's fury.
2 He has led me, and brought me into darkness, but not into light.
He drove me away and caused me to walk in darkness rather than light.
3 Surely against me is he turned; he turns his hand against me all the day.
Surely he turned his hand against me again and again, the whole day long.
4 My flesh and my skin has he made old; he has broken my bones.
He made my flesh and my skin waste away; he broke my bones.
5 He has built against me, and compassed me with gall and travail.
He built up siege works against me, and surrounded me with bitterness and hardship.
6 He has set me in dark places, as they that be dead of old.
He made me live in dark places, like those who died long ago.
7 He has hedged me about, that I cannot get out: he has made my chain heavy.
He built a wall around me and I cannot escape. He made my chains heavy
8 Also when I cry and shout, he shuts out my prayer.
and though I call out and cry for help, he shut out my prayer.
9 He has enclosed my ways with hewn stone, he has made my paths crooked.
He blocked my path with a wall of hewn stone; he made my paths crooked.
10 He was to me as a bear lying in wait, and as a lion in secret places.
He is like a bear waiting to ambush me, a lion in hiding;
11 He has turned aside my ways, and pulled me in pieces: he has made me desolate.
he turned aside my paths, he has made me desolate.
12 He has bent his bow, and set me as a mark for the arrow.
He bent his bow and set me as a target for his arrow.
13 He has caused the arrows of his quiver to enter into my reins.
He pierced my kidneys with the arrows of his quiver.
14 I was a derision to all my people; and their song all the day.
I became a laughingstock to all my people, the object of their taunting all day long.
15 He has filled me with bitterness, he has made me drunken with wormwood.
He filled me with bitterness and forced me to drink wormwood.
16 He has also broken my teeth with gravel stones, he has covered me with ashes.
He has made my teeth grind with gravel, and he made me cower in the ashes.
17 And you have removed my soul far off from peace: I forgot prosperity.
My soul is deprived of peace; I have forgotten what happiness is.
18 And I said, My strength and my hope is perished from the LORD:
So I say, “My endurance has perished and so has my hope in Yahweh.”
19 Remembering my affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall.
Remember my affliction and my wanderings, the wormwood and bitterness.
20 My soul has them still in remembrance, and is humbled in me.
I continually remember it and I am bowed down within me.
21 This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope.
But I call this to mind and therefore I have hope:
22 It is of the LORD’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.
The steadfast love of Yahweh never ceases and his compassions never end,
23 They are new every morning: great is your faithfulness.
they are new every morning; your faithfulness is great.
24 The LORD is my portion, says my soul; therefore will I hope in him.
“Yahweh is my inheritance,” I said, therefore I will hope in him.
25 The LORD is good to them that wait for him, to the soul that seeks him.
Yahweh is good to those who wait for him, to the one who seeks him.
26 It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD.
It is good to wait silently for the salvation of Yahweh.
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.
Let him sit alone in silence, when it is laid upon him.
29 He puts his mouth in the dust; if so be there may be hope.
Let him put his mouth in the dust—there may yet be hope.
30 He gives his cheek to him that smites him: he is filled full with reproach.
Let him offer his cheek to the one who strikes him, and let him be filled to the full with reproach.
31 For the LORD will not cast off for ever:
For the Lord will not reject us forever,
32 But though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies.
but though he causes grief, he will have compassion according to the abundance of his steadfast love.
33 For he does not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men.
For he does not afflict from his heart or torment the children of mankind.
34 To crush under his feet all the prisoners of the earth.
To crush underfoot all the prisoners of the earth,
35 To turn aside the right of a man before the face of the most High,
to deny a man justice in the presence of the Most High,
36 To subvert a man in his cause, the LORD approves not.
to deny justice to a person—the Lord would not approve such things!
37 Who is he that says, and it comes to pass, when the Lord commands it not?
Who has spoken and it came to pass, unless the Lord decreed it?
38 Out of the mouth of the most High proceeds not evil and good?
Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that both calamities and the good come?
39 Why does a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins?
How can any person alive complain? How can a person complain about the punishment for his sins?
40 Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the LORD.
Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to Yahweh.
41 Let us lift up our heart with our hands to God in the heavens.
Let us lift up our hearts and our hands to God in the heavens:
42 We have transgressed and have rebelled: you have not pardoned.
“We have transgressed and rebelled, and you have not forgiven.
43 You have covered with anger, and persecuted us: you have slain, you have not pitied.
You have covered yourself with anger and pursued us, you have killed and you have not spared.
44 You have covered yourself with a cloud, that our prayer should not pass through.
You have covered yourself with a cloud so that no prayer can pass through.
45 You have made us as the offscouring and refuse in the middle of the people.
You have made us like filthy scum and refuse among the nations.
46 All our enemies have opened their mouths against us.
All our enemies curse us,
47 Fear and a snare is come on us, desolation and destruction.
panic and pitfall have come upon us, ruin and destruction.
48 My eye runs down with rivers of water for the destruction of the daughter of my people.
My eyes flow with streams of tears because my people are destroyed.
49 My eye trickles down, and ceases not, without any intermission.
My eyes will shed tears without ceasing, without relief,
50 Till the LORD look down, and behold from heaven.
until Yahweh from heaven looks down and sees.
51 My eye affects my heart because of all the daughters of my city.
My eyes cause me grief because of all the daughters of my city.
52 My enemies chased me sore, like a bird, without cause.
I have been hunted like a bird by those who were my enemies; they hunted me without a reason.
53 They have cut off my life in the dungeon, and cast a stone on me.
They cast me into a pit and they threw a stone on me,
54 Waters flowed over my head; then I said, I am cut off.
and they caused waters to overflow, covering my head. I said, 'I have been cut off!'
55 I called on your name, O LORD, out of the low dungeon.
I called on your name, Yahweh, from the depths of the pit.
56 You have heard my voice: hide not your ear at my breathing, at my cry.
You heard my voice when I said, 'Do not close your ear to my cry for help.'
57 You drew near in the day that I called on you: you said, Fear not.
You came near on the day I called on you; you said, 'Do not fear.'
58 O LORD, you have pleaded the causes of my soul; you have redeemed my life.
Lord, you defended my case, you saved my life!
59 O LORD, you have seen my wrong: judge you my cause.
Yahweh, you have seen the wrong they have done to me; judge my case.
60 You have seen all their vengeance and all their imaginations against me.
You have seen their insults, all their plots against me—
61 You have heard their reproach, O LORD, and all their imaginations against me;
You have heard their scorn, Yahweh, and all their plans regarding me.
62 The lips of those that rose up against me, and their device against me all the day.
The lips and the accusations of my enemies come against me all the day.
63 Behold their sitting down, and their rising up; I am their music.
Look at how they sit and then rise up; they mock me with their songs.
64 Render to them a recompense, O LORD, according to the work of their hands.
Pay back to them, Yahweh, according to what they have done.
65 Give them sorrow of heart, your curse to them.
You will let their hearts be shameless! May your condemnation be upon them!
66 Persecute and destroy them in anger from under the heavens of the LORD.
You pursue them in anger and destroy them from under the heavens, Yahweh!”
