Lamentations 3
1 ALEPH. I am the man that sees poverty, through the rod of his wrath upon me.
Aleph. I am a man seynge my pouert in the yerde of his indignacioun.
2 He has taken me, and led me away into darkness, and not [into] light.
Aleph. He droof me, and brouyte in to derknessis, and not in to liyt.
3 Nay, against me has he turned his hand all the day.
Aleph. Oneli he turnede in to me, and turnede togidere his hond al dai.
4 He has made old my flesh and my skin; he has broken my bones.
Beth. He made eld my skyn, and my fleisch; he al to-brak my boonys.
5 BETH. He has built against me, and compassed my head, and brought travail [upon me].
Beth. He bildid in my cumpas, and he cumpasside me with galle and trauel.
6 He has set me in dark places, as them that have long been dead.
Beth. He settide me in derk places, as euerlastynge deed men.
7 He has builded against me, and I can’t come forth: he has made my brazen [chain] heavy.
Gymel. He bildide aboute ayens me, that Y go not out; he aggregide my gyues.
8 GIMEL. Yes, [though] I cry and shout, he shuts out my prayer.
Gymel. But and whanne Y crie and preye, he hath excludid my preier.
9 DALETH. He has built up my ways, he has hedged my paths;
Gymel. He closide togidere my weies with square stoonus; he distriede my pathis.
10 he has troubled me, [as] a she-bear lying in wait: he is to me [as] a lion in secret places.
Deleth. He is maad a bere settinge aspies to me, a lioun in hid places.
11 He pursued [me] after I departed, and brought me to a stand: he has utterly ruined me.
Deleth. He distriede my pathis, and brak me; he settide me desolat.
12 HE. He has bent his bow, and set me as a mark for the arrow.
Deleth. He bente his bowe, and settide me as a signe to an arowe.
13 He has caused the arrows of his quiver to enter into my reins.
He. He sente in my reynes the douytris of his arowe caas.
14 I became a laughing stock to all my people; and their song all the day.
He. Y am maad in to scorn to al the puple, the song of hem al dai.
15 VAU. He has filled me with bitterness, he has drenched me with gall.
He. He fillide me with bitternesses; he gretli fillide me with wermod.
16 And he has dashed out my teeth with gravel, he has fed me with ashes.
Vau. He brak at noumbre my teeth; he fedde me with aische.
17 He has also removed my soul from peace: I forgot prosperity.
Vau. And my soule is putte awei; Y haue foryete goodis.
18 Therefore my success has perished, and my hope from the Lord.
Vau. And Y seide, Myn ende perischide, and myn hope fro the Lord.
19 ZAIN. I remembered by reason of my poverty, and because of persecution my bitterness and gall shall be remembered;
Zai. Haue thou mynde on my pouert and goyng ouer, and on wermod and galle.
20 and my soul shall meditate with me.
Zai. Bi mynde Y schal be myndeful; and my soule schal faile in me.
21 This will I lay up in my heart, therefore I will endure.
Zai. Y bithenkynge these thingis in myn herte, schal hope in God.
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.
Heth. The mercies of the Lord ben manye, for we ben not wastid; for whi hise merciful doyngis failiden not.
23 [They are] new every morning: great is your faithfulness.
Heth. Y knew in the morewtid; thi feith is miche.
24 The Lord is my portion, says my soul; therefore will I wait for him.
Heth. My soule seide, The Lord is my part; therfor Y schal abide hym.
25 TETH. The Lord is good to them that wait for him: the soul which shall seek him
Teth. The Lord is good to hem that hopen in to hym, to a soule sekynge hym.
26 [is] good, and shall wait for, and quietly expect salvation of the Lord.
Teth. It is good to abide with stilnesse the helthe of God.
27 TETH. [It is] good for a man when he bears a yoke in his youth.
Teth. It is good to a man, whanne he hath bore the yok fro his yongthe.
28 He will sit alone, and be silent, because he has borne [it] upon him.
Joth. He schal sitte aloone, and he schal be stille; for he reiside hym silf aboue hym silf.
Joth. He schal sette his mouth in dust, if perauenture hope is.
30 JOD. He will give [his] cheek to him that smites him: he will be filled full with reproaches.
Joth. He schal yyue the cheke to a man that smytith hym; he schal be fillid with schenschipis.
31 For the Lord will not reject for ever.
Caph. For the Lord schal not putte awei with outen ende.
32 CHAPH. For he that has brought down will pity, and [that] according to the abundance of his mercy.
Caph. For if he castide awei, and he schal do merci bi the multitude of hise mercies.
33 He has not answered [in anger] from his heart, though he has brought low the children of a man.
Caph. For he makide not low of his herte; and castide not awei the sones of men. Lameth.
34 LAMED. To bring down under his feet all the prisoners of the earth,
That he schulde al to-foule vndur hise feet alle the boundun men of erthe. Lameth.
35 to turn aside the judgment of a man before the face of the Most High,
That he schulde bowe doun the dom of man, in the siyt of the cheer of the hiyeste.
36 to condemn a man [unjustly] in his judgment, the Lord has not given commandment.
Lameth. That he schulde peruerte a man in his dom, the Lord knew not.
37 Who has thus spoken, and it has come to pass? the Lord has not commanded it.
Men. Who is this that seide, that a thing schulde be don, whanne the Lord comaundide not?
38 Out of the mouth of the Most High there shall not come forth evil and good.
Men. Nether goodis nether yuels schulen go out of the mouth of the hiyeste.
39 MEM. Why should a living man complain, a man concerning his sin?
Men. What grutchide a man lyuynge, a man for hise synnes?
40 NUN. Our way has been searched out and examined, and we will turn to the Lord.
Nun. Serche we oure weies, and seke we, and turne we ayen to the Lord.
41 Let us lift up our hearts with [our] hand to the lofty One in heaven.
Nun. Reise we oure hertis with hondis, to the Lord in to heuenes.
42 We have sinned, we have transgressed; and you have not pardoned.
Nun. We han do wickidli, and han terrid thee to wraththe; therfor thou art not able to be preied.
43 SAMECH. You has visited [us] in wrath, and driven us away: you has slain, you has not pitied.
Sameth. Thou hilidist in stronge veniaunce, and smitidist vs; thou killidist, and sparidist not.
44 You have veiled yourself with a cloud because of prayer, that I might be blind,
Sameth. Thou settidist a clowde to thee, that preier passe not.
45 and be cast off. AIN. You have set us [alone] in the midst of the nations.
Sameth. Thou settidist me, drawing vp bi the roote, and castynge out, in the myddis of puplis.
46 All our enemies have opened their mouth against us.
Ayn. Alle enemyes openyden her mouth on vs.
47 Fear and wrath are come upon us, suspense and destruction.
Ayn. Inward drede and snare is maad to vs, profesie and defoulyng.
48 Mine eye shall pour down torrents of water, for the destruction of the daughter of my people.
Ayn. Myn iyen ledden doun departyngis of watris, for the defoulyng of the douyter of my puple.
49 PHE. Mine eye is drowned [with tears], and I will not be silent, so that there shall be no rest,
Phe. Myn iye was turmentid, and was not stille; for no reste was.
50 until the Lord look down, and behold from heaven.
Phe. Vntil the Lord bihelde, and siy fro heuenes.
51 Mine eye shall prey upon my soul, because of all the daughters of the city.
Phe. Myn iye robbide my soule in alle the douytris of my citee.
52 TSADE. The fowlers chased me as a sparrow, all mine enemies destroyed my life in a pit without cause,
Sade. Myn enemyes token me with out cause, bi huntyng as a brid.
53 and laid a stone upon me.
Sade. My lijf slood in to a lake; and thei puttiden a stoon on me.
54 Water flowed over my head: I said, I am cut off.
Sade. Watris flowiden ouer myn heed; Y seide, Y perischide.
55 KOPH. I called upon your name, O Lord, out of the lowest dungeon.
Coph. Lord, Y clepide to help thi name, fro the laste lake.
56 You heard my voice: close not your ears to my supplication.
Coph. Thou herdist my vois; turne thou not awei thin eere fro my sobbyng and cries.
57 You drew near to my help: in the day wherein I called upon you you said to me, Fear not.
Coph. Thou neiyidist to me in the dai, wherynne Y clepide thee to help; thou seidist, Drede thou not.
58 RECHS. O Lord, you has pleaded the causes of my soul; you has redeemed my life.
Res. Lord, ayenbiere of my lijf, thou demydist the cause of my soule.
59 You have seen, O Lord, my troubles: you have judged my cause.
Res. Lord, thou siest the wickidnesse of hem ayens me; deme thou my doom.
60 You have seen all their vengeance, [you have looked] on all their devices against me.
Res. Thou siest al the woodnesse, alle the thouytis of hem ayenus me.
61 CHSEN. You have heard their reproach [and] all their devices against me;
Syn. Lord, thou herdist the schenshipis of hem; alle the thouytis of hem ayens me.
62 the lips of them that rose up against me, and their plots against me all the day;
Syn. The lippis of men risynge ayens me, and the thouytis of hem ayens me al dai.
63 their sitting down and their rising up: look you upon their eyes.
Syn. Se thou the sittynge and risyng ayen of hem; Y am the salm of hem.
64 You will render them a recompense, O Lord, according to the works of their hands.
Thau. Lord, thou schalt yelde while to hem, bi the werkis of her hondis.
65 THAU. You will give them [as] a covering, the grief of my heart.
Tau. Thou schalt yyue to hem the scheeld of herte, thi trauel.
66 You will persecute them in anger, and will consume them from under the heaven, O Lord.
Tau. Lord, thou schalt pursue hem in thi strong veniaunce, and thou schalt defoule hem vndur heuenes.
