Lamentations 3
1 ALEPH. I am the man that sees poverty, through the rod of his wrath upon me.
I am the man, that hath seene affliction in the rod of his indignation.
2 He has taken me, and led me away into darkness, and not [into] light.
He hath ledde mee, and brought me into darkenes, but not to light.
3 Nay, against me has he turned his hand all the day.
Surely he is turned against me: he turneth his hand against me all the day.
4 He has made old my flesh and my skin; he has broken my bones.
My flesh and my skinne hath he caused to waxe olde, and he hath broken my bones.
5 BETH. He has built against me, and compassed my head, and brought travail [upon me].
He hath builded against me, and compassed me with gall, and labour.
6 He has set me in dark places, as them that have long been dead.
He hath set me in darke places, as they that be dead for euer.
7 He has builded against me, and I can’t come forth: he has made my brazen [chain] heavy.
He hath hedged about mee, that I cannot get out: he hath made my chaines heauy.
8 GIMEL. Yes, [though] I cry and shout, he shuts out my prayer.
Also when I cry and showte, hee shutteth out my prayer.
9 DALETH. He has built up my ways, he has hedged my paths;
He hath stopped vp my wayes with hewen stone, and turned away my paths.
10 he has troubled me, [as] a she-bear lying in wait: he is to me [as] a lion in secret places.
He was vnto me as a beare lying in waite, and as a Lion in secret places.
11 He pursued [me] after I departed, and brought me to a stand: he has utterly ruined me.
He hath stopped my wayes, and pulled me in pieces: he hath made me desolate.
12 HE. He has bent his bow, and set me as a mark for the arrow.
He hath bent his bow and made me a marke for the arrow.
13 He has caused the arrows of his quiver to enter into my reins.
Hee caused the arrowes of his quiuer to enter into my reines.
14 I became a laughing stock to all my people; and their song all the day.
I was a derision to all my people, and their song all the day.
15 VAU. He has filled me with bitterness, he has drenched me with gall.
He hath filled me with bitternes, and made me drunken with wormewood.
16 And he has dashed out my teeth with gravel, he has fed me with ashes.
He hath also broken my teeth with stones, and hath couered me with ashes.
17 He has also removed my soul from peace: I forgot prosperity.
Thus my soule was farre off from peace: I forgate prosperitie,
18 Therefore my success has perished, and my hope from the Lord.
And I saide, My strength and mine hope is perished from the Lord,
19 ZAIN. I remembered by reason of my poverty, and because of persecution my bitterness and gall shall be remembered;
Remembring mine affliction, and my mourning, the wormewood and the gall.
20 and my soul shall meditate with me.
My soule hath them in remembrance, and is humbled in me.
21 This will I lay up in my heart, therefore I will endure.
I consider this in mine heart: therefore haue I hope.
22 HETH. [It is] the mercies of the Lord, that he has not failed me, because his compassions are not exhausted. Pity [us], O Lord, early [every] month: for we are not brought to an end, because his compassions are not exhausted.
It is the Lordes mercies that wee are not consumed, because his compassions faile not.
23 [They are] new every morning: great is your faithfulness.
They are renued euery morning: great is thy faithfulnesse.
24 The Lord is my portion, says my soul; therefore will I wait for him.
The Lord is my portion, sayth my soule: therefore wil I hope in him.
25 TETH. The Lord is good to them that wait for him: the soul which shall seek him
The Lord is good vnto them, that trust in him, and to the soule that seeketh him.
26 [is] good, and shall wait for, and quietly expect salvation of the Lord.
It is good both to trust, and to waite for the saluation of the Lord.
27 TETH. [It is] good for a man when he bears a yoke in his youth.
It is good for a man that he beare the yoke in his youth.
28 He will sit alone, and be silent, because he has borne [it] upon him.
He sitteth alone, and keepeth silence, because he hath borne it vpon him.
He putteth his mouth in the dust, if there may be hope.
30 JOD. He will give [his] cheek to him that smites him: he will be filled full with reproaches.
Hee giueth his cheeke to him that smiteth him: he is filled full with reproches.
31 For the Lord will not reject for ever.
For the Lord will not forsake for euer.
32 CHAPH. For he that has brought down will pity, and [that] according to the abundance of his mercy.
But though he sende affliction, yet will he haue compassion according to the multitude of his mercies.
33 He has not answered [in anger] from his heart, though he has brought low the children of a man.
For he doeth not punish willingly, nor afflict the children of men,
34 LAMED. To bring down under his feet all the prisoners of the earth,
In stamping vnder his feete all the prisoners of the earth,
35 to turn aside the judgment of a man before the face of the Most High,
In ouerthrowing the right of a man before the face of the most high,
36 to condemn a man [unjustly] in his judgment, the Lord has not given commandment.
In subuerting a man in his cause: the Lord seeth it not.
37 Who has thus spoken, and it has come to pass? the Lord has not commanded it.
Who is he then that sayth, and it commeth to passe, and the Lord commandeth it not?
38 Out of the mouth of the Most High there shall not come forth evil and good.
Out of the mouth of the most high proceedeth not euill and good?
39 MEM. Why should a living man complain, a man concerning his sin?
Wherefore then is the liuing man sorowfull? man suffreth for his sinne.
40 NUN. Our way has been searched out and examined, and we will turn to the Lord.
Let vs search and try our wayes, and turne againe to the Lord.
41 Let us lift up our hearts with [our] hand to the lofty One in heaven.
Let vs lift vp our hearts with our handes vnto God in the heauens.
42 We have sinned, we have transgressed; and you have not pardoned.
We haue sinned, and haue rebelled, therefore thou hast not spared.
43 SAMECH. You has visited [us] in wrath, and driven us away: you has slain, you has not pitied.
Thou hast couered vs with wrath, and persecuted vs: thou hast slaine and not spared.
44 You have veiled yourself with a cloud because of prayer, that I might be blind,
Thou hast couered thy selfe with a cloude, that our prayer should not passe through.
45 and be cast off. AIN. You have set us [alone] in the midst of the nations.
Thou hast made vs as the ofscouring and refuse in the middes of the people.
46 All our enemies have opened their mouth against us.
All our enemies haue opened their mouth against vs.
47 Fear and wrath are come upon us, suspense and destruction.
Feare, and a snare is come vpon vs with desolation and destruction.
48 Mine eye shall pour down torrents of water, for the destruction of the daughter of my people.
Mine eye casteth out riuers of water, for the destruction of the daughter of my people.
49 PHE. Mine eye is drowned [with tears], and I will not be silent, so that there shall be no rest,
Mine eye droppeth without stay and ceaseth not,
50 until the Lord look down, and behold from heaven.
Till the Lord looke downe, and beholde from heauen.
51 Mine eye shall prey upon my soul, because of all the daughters of the city.
Mine eye breaketh mine heart because of all the daughters of my citie.
52 TSADE. The fowlers chased me as a sparrow, all mine enemies destroyed my life in a pit without cause,
Mine enemies chased me sore like a birde, without cause.
53 and laid a stone upon me.
They haue shut vp my life in the dungeon, and cast a stone vpon me.
54 Water flowed over my head: I said, I am cut off.
Waters flowed ouer mine head, then thought I, I am destroyed.
55 KOPH. I called upon your name, O Lord, out of the lowest dungeon.
I called vpon thy Name, O Lord, out of the lowe dungeon.
56 You heard my voice: close not your ears to my supplication.
Thou hast heard my voyce: stoppe not thine eare from my sigh and from my cry.
57 You drew near to my help: in the day wherein I called upon you you said to me, Fear not.
Thou drewest neere in the day that I called vpon thee: thou saydest, Feare not.
58 RECHS. O Lord, you has pleaded the causes of my soul; you has redeemed my life.
O Lord, thou hast maintained the cause of my soule, and hast redeemed my life.
59 You have seen, O Lord, my troubles: you have judged my cause.
O Lord, thou hast seene my wrong, iudge thou my cause.
60 You have seen all their vengeance, [you have looked] on all their devices against me.
Thou hast seene all their vengeance, and all their deuises against me.
61 CHSEN. You have heard their reproach [and] all their devices against me;
Thou hast heard their reproch, O Lord, and all their imaginations against me:
62 the lips of them that rose up against me, and their plots against me all the day;
The lippes also of those that rose against me, and their whispering against me continually.
63 their sitting down and their rising up: look you upon their eyes.
Behold, their sitting downe and their rising vp, how I am their song.
64 You will render them a recompense, O Lord, according to the works of their hands.
Giue them a recompence, O Lord, according to the worke of their handes.
65 THAU. You will give them [as] a covering, the grief of my heart.
Giue them sorow of heart, euen thy curse to them.
66 You will persecute them in anger, and will consume them from under the heaven, O Lord.
Persecute with wrath and destroy them from vnder the heauen, O Lord.
