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 He hath led, and causeth to go [in] darkness, and without light.
3 Surely against me is he turned; he turns his hand against me all the day.
Surely against me He turneth back, He turneth His hand all the day.
4 My flesh and my skin has he made old; he has broken my bones.
He hath worn out my flesh and my skin. He hath broken my bones.
5 He has built against me, and compassed me with gall and travail.
He hath built up against me, And setteth round poverty and weariness.
6 He has set me in dark places, as they that be dead of old.
In dark places He hath caused me to dwell, As the dead of old.
7 He has hedged me about, that I cannot get out: he has made my chain heavy.
He hath hedged me about, and I go not out, He hath made heavy my fetter.
8 Also when I cry and shout, he shuts out my prayer.
Also when I call and cry out, He hath shut out my prayer.
9 He has enclosed my ways with hewn stone, he has made my paths crooked.
He hath hedged my ways with hewn work, My paths He hath 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 He [is] to me, A lion in secret hiding-places.
11 He has turned aside my ways, and pulled me in pieces: he has made me desolate.
My ways He is turning aside, and He pulleth me in pieces, He hath made me a desolation.
12 He has bent his bow, and set me as a mark for the arrow.
He hath trodden His bow, And setteth me up as a mark for an arrow.
13 He has caused the arrows of his quiver to enter into my reins.
He hath caused to enter into my reins The sons of His quiver.
14 I was a derision to all my people; and their song all the day.
I have been a derision to all my people, Their song all the day.
15 He has filled me with bitterness, he has made me drunken with wormwood.
He hath filled me with bitter things, He hath filled me [with] wormwood.
16 He has also broken my teeth with gravel stones, he has covered me with ashes.
And He breaketh with gravel my teeth, He hath covered me with ashes.
17 And you have removed my soul far off from peace: I forgot prosperity.
And Thou castest off from peace my soul, I have forgotten prosperity.
18 And I said, My strength and my hope is perished from the LORD:
And I say, Perished hath my strength and my hope from Jehovah.
19 Remembering my affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall.
Remember my affliction and my mourning, Wormwood and gall!
20 My soul has them still in remembrance, and is humbled in me.
Remember well, and bow down doth my soul in me.
21 This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope.
This I turn to my heart — therefore I hope.
22 It is of the LORD’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.
The kindnesses of Jehovah! For we have not been consumed, For not ended have His mercies.
23 They are new every morning: great is your faithfulness.
New every morning, abundant [is] thy faithfulness.
24 The LORD is my portion, says my soul; therefore will I hope in him.
My portion [is] Jehovah, hath my soul said, Therefore I hope for Him.
25 The LORD is good to them that wait for him, to the soul that seeks him.
Good [is] Jehovah to those waiting for 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.
Good! when one doth stay and stand still For the salvation of Jehovah.
27 It is good for a man that he bear the yoke of his youth.
Good for a man that he beareth a yoke in his youth.
28 He sits alone and keeps silence, because he has borne it on him.
He sitteth alone, and is silent, For He hath laid [it] upon him.
29 He puts his mouth in the dust; if so be there may be hope.
He putteth in the dust his mouth, if so be there is hope.
30 He gives his cheek to him that smites him: he is filled full with reproach.
He giveth to his smiter the cheek, He is filled with reproach.
31 For the LORD will not cast off for ever:
For the Lord doth not cast off to the age.
32 But though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies.
For though He afflicted, yet He hath pitied, According to the abundance of His kindness.
33 For he does not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men.
For He hath not afflicted with His heart, Nor doth He grieve the sons of men.
34 To crush under his feet all the prisoners of the earth.
To bruise under one's feet any bound ones of earth,
35 To turn aside the right of a man before the face of the most High,
To turn aside the judgment of a man, Over-against the face of the Most High,
36 To subvert a man in his cause, the LORD approves not.
To subvert a man in his cause, the Lord hath not approved.
37 Who is he that says, and it comes to pass, when the Lord commands it not?
Who [is] this — he hath said, and it is, [And] the Lord hath not commanded [it]?
38 Out of the mouth of the most High proceeds not evil and good?
From the mouth of the Most High Go not forth the evils and the good.
39 Why does a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins?
What — sigh habitually doth a living man, A man for his sin?
40 Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the LORD.
We search our ways, and investigate, And turn back unto Jehovah.
41 Let us lift up our heart with our hands to God in the heavens.
We lift up our heart on the hands unto God in the heavens.
42 We have transgressed and have rebelled: you have not pardoned.
We — we have transgressed and rebelled, Thou — Thou hast not forgiven.
43 You have covered with anger, and persecuted us: you have slain, you have not pitied.
Thou hast covered Thyself with anger, And dost pursue 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, So that prayer doth not pass through.
45 You have made us as the offscouring and refuse in the middle of the people.
Offscouring and refuse Thou dost make us In the midst of the peoples.
46 All our enemies have opened their mouths against us.
Opened against us their mouth have all our enemies.
47 Fear and a snare is come on us, desolation and destruction.
Fear and a snare hath been for us, Desolation and destruction.
48 My eye runs down with rivers of water for the destruction of the daughter of my people.
Rivulets of water go down my eye, For the destruction of the daughter of my people.
49 My eye trickles down, and ceases not, without any intermission.
Mine eye is poured out, And doth not cease without intermission,
50 Till the LORD look down, and behold from heaven.
Till Jehovah looketh and seeth from the heavens,
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.
Hunted me sore as a bird have my enemies without cause.
53 They have cut off my life in the dungeon, and cast a stone on me.
They have cut off in a pit my life, And they cast a stone against me.
54 Waters flowed over my head; then I said, I am cut off.
Flowed have waters over my head, I have said, I have been cut off.
55 I called on your name, O LORD, out of the low dungeon.
I called Thy name, O Jehovah, from the lower pit.
56 You have heard my voice: hide not your ear at my breathing, at my cry.
My voice Thou hast heard, Hide not Thine ear at my breathing — at my cry.
57 You drew near in the day that I called on you: you said, Fear not.
Thou hast drawn near in the day I call Thee, Thou hast said, Fear not.
58 O LORD, you have pleaded the causes of my soul; you have redeemed my life.
Thou hast pleaded, O Lord, the pleadings of my soul, Thou hast redeemed my life.
59 O LORD, you have seen my wrong: judge you my cause.
Thou hast seen, O Jehovah, my overthrow, 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 thoughts of me.
61 You have heard their reproach, O LORD, and all their imaginations against me;
Thou hast heard their reproach, O Jehovah, All their thoughts against me,
62 The lips of those that rose up against me, and their device against me all the day.
The lips of my withstanders, Even their meditation against me all the day.
63 Behold their sitting down, and their rising up; I am their music.
Their sitting down, and their rising up, Behold attentively, I [am] their song.
64 Render to them a recompense, O LORD, according to the work of their hands.
Thou returnest to them the deed, O Jehovah, According to the work of their hands.
65 Give them sorrow of heart, your curse to them.
Thou givest to them a covered heart, Thy curse to them.
66 Persecute and destroy them in anger from under the heavens of the LORD.
Thou pursuest in anger, and destroyest them, From under the heavens of Jehovah!
