Lamentations 3
1 I am the man that hath seen affliction by the rod of his wrath.
[ALEPH-BET] I [am] the man [who] has seen affliction By the rod of His wrath.
2 He hath led me, and brought me into darkness, but not into light.
He has led me, and causes to go [in] darkness, and without light.
3 Surely against me is he turned; he turneth his hand against me all the day.
Surely against me He turns back, He turns His hand all the day.
4 My flesh and my skin hath he made old; he hath broken my bones.
He has worn out my flesh and my skin. He has broken my bones.
5 He hath builded against me, and compassed me with gall and travail.
He has built up against me, And sets around poverty and weariness.
6 He hath set me in dark places, as they that be dead of old.
In dark places He has caused me to dwell, As the dead of old.
7 He hath hedged me about, that I cannot get out: he hath made my chain heavy.
He has hedged me in, and I do not go out, He has made heavy my chain.
8 Also when I cry and shout, he shutteth out my prayer.
Also when I call and cry out, He has shut out my prayer.
9 He hath inclosed my ways with hewn stone, he hath made my paths crooked.
He has hedged my ways with hewn work, My paths He has made crooked.
10 He was unto 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 hath turned aside my ways, and pulled me in pieces: he hath made me desolate.
My ways He is turning aside, and He pulls me in pieces, He has made me a desolation.
12 He hath bent his bow, and set me as a mark for the arrow.
He has bent His bow, And sets me up as a mark for an arrow.
13 He hath caused the arrows of his quiver to enter into my reins.
He has 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 hath filled me with bitterness, he hath made me drunken with wormwood.
He has filled me with bitter things, He has filled me [with] wormwood.
16 He hath also broken my teeth with gravel stones, he hath covered me with ashes.
And He breaks with gravel my teeth, He has covered me with ashes.
17 And thou hast removed my soul far off from peace: I forgat prosperity.
And You cast off my soul from peace, I have forgotten prosperity.
18 And I said, My strength and my hope is perished from Yhwh:
And I say, My strength and my hope have perished from YHWH.
19 Remembering mine affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall.
Remember my affliction and my mourning, Wormwood and gall!
20 My soul hath them still in remembrance, and is humbled in me.
Remember well, and my soul bows down 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 Yhwh's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.
The kindnesses of YHWH! For we have not been consumed, For His mercies have not ended.
23 They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.
New every morning, abundant [is] Your faithfulness.
24 Yhwh is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him.
My portion [is] YHWH, my soul has said, Therefore I hope for Him.
25 Yhwh is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him.
YHWH [is] good to those waiting for Him, To the soul [that] seeks Him.
26 It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of Yhwh.
[It is] good when one stays and stands still For the salvation of YHWH.
27 It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth.
[It is] good for a man that he bears a yoke in his youth.
28 He sitteth alone and keepeth silence, because he hath borne it upon him.
He sits alone, and is silent, For He has laid [it] on him.
29 He putteth his mouth in the dust; if so be there may be hope.
He puts his mouth in the dust, if so be, there is hope.
30 He giveth his cheek to him that smiteth him: he is filled full with reproach.
He gives to his striker the cheek, He is filled with reproach.
31 For the Lord will not cast off for ever:
For the Lord does not cast off for all time.
32 But though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies.
For though He afflicted, yet He has pitied, According to the abundance of His kindness.
33 For he doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men.
For He has not afflicted with His heart, Nor does 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, 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 cause, the Lord has not approved.
37 Who is he that saith, and it cometh to pass, when the Lord commandeth it not?
Who [is] this—he has spoken, and it is, [And] the Lord has not commanded [it]?
38 Out of the mouth of the most High proceedeth not evil and good?
From the mouth of the Most High does not go forth the evils and the good.
39 Wherefore doth a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins?
Why does a living man sigh habitually, A man for his sin?
40 Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to Yhwh.
We search our ways, and investigate, And turn back to YHWH.
41 Let us lift up our heart with our hands unto God in the heavens.
We lift up our heart on the hands to God in the heavens.
42 We have transgressed and have rebelled: thou hast not pardoned.
We have transgressed and been rebellious, You have not forgiven.
43 Thou hast covered with anger, and persecuted us: thou hast slain, thou hast not pitied.
You have covered Yourself with anger, And pursue us; You have slain—You have not pitied.
44 Thou hast covered thyself with a cloud, that our prayer should not pass through.
You have covered Yourself with a cloud, So that prayer does not pass through.
45 Thou hast made us as the offscouring and refuse in the midst of the people.
Outcast and refuse You 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 upon us, desolation and destruction.
Fear and a snare has been for us, Desolation and destruction.
48 Mine eye runneth down with rivers of water for the destruction of the daughter of my people.
Streams of water go down my eye, For the destruction of the daughter of my people.
49 Mine eye trickleth down, and ceaseth not, without any intermission,
My eye is poured out, And does not cease without intermission,
50 Till Yhwh look down, and behold from heaven.
Until YHWH looks and sees from the heavens,
51 Mine eye affecteth mine heart because of all the daughters of my city.
My eye affects my soul, Because of all the daughters of my city.
52 Mine enemies chased me sore, like a bird, without cause.
Hunting—my enemies have hunted me without cause like the bird.
53 They have cut off my life in the dungeon, and cast a stone upon me.
They have cut off my life in a pit, And they cast a stone against me.
54 Waters flowed over mine head; then I said, I am cut off.
Waters have flowed over my head, I have said, I have been cut off.
55 I called upon thy name, O Yhwh, out of the low dungeon.
I called Your Name, O YHWH, from the lower pit.
56 Thou hast heard my voice: hide not thine ear at my breathing, at my cry.
You have heard my voice, do not hide Your ear at my breathing—at my cry.
57 Thou drewest near in the day that I called upon thee: thou saidst, Fear not.
You have drawn near in the day I call You, You have said, Do not fear.
58 O Lord, thou hast pleaded the causes of my soul; thou hast redeemed my life.
You have pleaded, O Lord, the pleadings of my soul, You have redeemed my life.
59 O Yhwh, thou hast seen my wrong: judge thou my cause.
You have seen, O YHWH, my overthrow, Judge my cause.
60 Thou hast seen all their vengeance and all their imaginations against me.
You have seen all their vengeance, All their thoughts of me.
61 Thou hast heard their reproach, O Yhwh, and all their imaginations against me;
You have heard their reproach, O YHWH, 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 musick.
Their sitting down, and their rising up, Behold attentively, I [am] their song.
64 Render unto them a recompence, O Yhwh, according to the work of their hands.
You return to them the deed, O YHWH, According to the work of their hands.
65 Give them sorrow of heart, thy curse unto them.
You give to them a covered heart, Your curse to them.
66 Persecute and destroy them in anger from under the heavens of Yhwh.
You pursue in anger, and destroy them, From under the heavens of YHWH!
