< 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 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 turneth 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 hath he made old; he hath broken my bones.
He hath worn out my flesh and my skin. He hath broken my bones.
5 He hath builded against me, and compassed [me] with gall and travail.
He hath built up against me, And setteth round poverty and weariness.
6 He hath 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 hath hedged me about, that I cannot get out: he hath 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 shutteth out my prayer.
Also when I call and cry out, He hath shut out my prayer.
9 He hath inclosed my ways with hewn stone, he hath made my paths crooked.
He hath hedged my ways with hewn work, My paths He hath 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 pulleth me in pieces, He hath made me a desolation.
12 He hath 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 hath 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 hath filled me with bitterness, he hath made me drunken with wormwood.
He hath filled me with bitter things, He hath filled me [with] wormwood.
16 He hath also broken my teeth with gravel stones, he hath covered me with ashes.
And He breaketh with gravel my teeth, He hath covered me with ashes.
17 And thou hast removed my soul far off from peace: I forgat 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 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 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] thy faithfulness.
New every morning, abundant [is] thy faithfulness.
24 The LORD [is] my portion, saith 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 unto them that wait for him, to the soul [that] seeketh 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 in his youth.
Good for a man that he beareth a yoke in his youth.
28 He sitteth alone and keepeth silence, because he hath borne [it] upon him.
He sitteth alone, and is silent, For He hath laid [it] upon him.
29 He putteth 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 giveth [his] cheek to him that smiteth 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 doth 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 approveth not.
To subvert a man in his cause, the Lord hath not approved.
37 Who [is] he [that] saith, and it cometh to pass, [when] the Lord commandeth [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 proceedeth not evil and good?
From the mouth of the Most High Go not forth the evils and the good.
39 Wherefore doth 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 unto God in the heavens.
We lift up our heart on the hands unto God in the heavens.
42 We have transgressed and have rebelled: thou hast not pardoned.
We — we have transgressed and rebelled, Thou — Thou hast not forgiven.
43 Thou hast covered with anger, and persecuted us: thou hast slain, thou hast not pitied.
Thou hast covered Thyself with anger, And dost pursue us; Thou hast slain — Thou hast not pitied.
44 Thou hast covered thyself 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 Thou hast made us [as] the offscouring and refuse in the midst 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 upon us, desolation and destruction.
Fear and a snare hath been for us, Desolation and destruction.
48 Mine eye runneth 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 Mine eye trickleth down, and ceaseth 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 Mine eye affecteth mine heart because of all the daughters of my city.
My eye affecteth my soul, Because of all the daughters of my city.
52 Mine 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 upon me.
They have cut off in a pit my life, And they cast a stone against me.
54 Waters flowed over mine 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 upon thy name, O LORD, out of the low dungeon.
I called Thy name, O Jehovah, from the lower pit.
56 Thou hast heard my voice: hide not thine ear at my breathing, at my cry.
My voice Thou hast heard, Hide not Thine ear at my breathing — at my cry.
57 Thou drewest near in the day [that] I called upon thee: thou saidst, Fear not.
Thou hast drawn near in the day I call Thee, Thou hast said, Fear not.
58 O Lord, thou hast pleaded the causes of my soul; thou hast redeemed my life.
Thou hast pleaded, O Lord, the pleadings of my soul, Thou hast redeemed my life.
59 O LORD, thou hast seen my wrong: judge thou my cause.
Thou hast seen, O Jehovah, my overthrow, Judge Thou my cause.
60 Thou hast seen all their vengeance [and] all their imaginations against me.
Thou hast seen all their vengeance, All their thoughts of me.
61 Thou hast 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 musick.
Their sitting down, and their rising up, Behold attentively, I [am] their song.
64 Render unto them a recompence, 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, thy curse unto 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!

< Lamentations 3 >