Lamentations 3
1 I am the man who hath seen affliction by the rod of his wrath.
ALEPH. I am the man that sees poverty, through the rod of his wrath upon me.
2 Me hath he driven out, and led into darkness, but not into light.
He has taken me, and led me away into darkness, and not [into] light.
3 Surely against me doth he turn again and again his hand all the day.
Nay, against me has he turned his hand all the day.
4 He hath caused my flesh and my skin to wear out, he hath broken my bones.
He has made old my flesh and my skin; he has broken my bones.
5 He hath built around me, and encompassed me with poison and hardship.
BETH. He has built against me, and compassed my head, and brought travail [upon me].
6 In dark places hath he set me to dwell, like the dead of olden times.
He has set me in dark places, as them that have long been dead.
7 He hath placed a fence round about me, that I cannot get out; he hath made heavy my chain.
He has builded against me, and I can’t come forth: he has made my brazen [chain] heavy.
8 Also when I cry aloud and make entreaty, he shutteth out my prayer.
GIMEL. Yes, [though] I cry and shout, he shuts out my prayer.
9 He hath fenced up my ways with hewn stone, my paths hath he made crooked.
DALETH. He has built up my ways, he has hedged my paths;
10 A bear lying in wait is he to me, a lion in secret places.
he has troubled me, [as] a she-bear lying in wait: he is to me [as] a lion in secret places.
11 On my ways hath he placed thorns, and torn me in pieces: he hath made me desolate.
He pursued [me] after I departed, and brought me to a stand: he has utterly ruined me.
12 He hath bent his bow, and placed me as a mark for the arrow.
HE. He has bent his bow, and set me as a mark for the arrow.
13 He hath caused to enter into my reins the children of his quiver.
He has caused the arrows of his quiver to enter into my reins.
14 I am become a laughing-stock to all my people, their [jeering] song all the day.
I became a laughing stock to all my people; and their song all the day.
15 He hath sated me with bitter things, he hath made me drunken with wormwood.
VAU. He has filled me with bitterness, he has drenched me with gall.
16 He hath also broken my teeth with gravel-stones, he hath covered me with ashes.
And he has dashed out my teeth with gravel, he has fed me with ashes.
17 And my soul hath given up all thoughts of peace: I forget happiness.
He has also removed my soul from peace: I forgot prosperity.
18 And I said, Lost is my strength, my expectation also from the Lord.
Therefore my success has perished, and my hope from the Lord.
19 Remembering my affliction and [the cause of] my complaint, wormwood and poison.
ZAIN. I remembered by reason of my poverty, and because of persecution my bitterness and gall shall be remembered;
20 Remembering [this] continually my soul is bowed down deeply within me.
and my soul shall meditate with me.
21 [Yet] this answer will I give to my heart: therefore will I wait [in confidence].
This will I lay up in my heart, therefore I will endure.
22 It is through the Lord's kindness that we are not consumed, because his mercies have no end;
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.
23 They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.
[They are] new every morning: great is your faithfulness.
24 The Lord is my portion, saith my soul, therefore will I wait for him.
The Lord is my portion, says my soul; therefore will I wait for him.
25 The Lord is good unto those that hope in him, to the soul that seeketh him.
TETH. The Lord is good to them that wait for him: the soul which shall seek him
26 It is good that one should wait and this in silence for the salvation of the Lord.
[is] good, and shall wait for, and quietly expect salvation of the Lord.
27 It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth;
TETH. [It is] good for a man when he bears a yoke in his youth.
28 That he sit in solitude and be silent; because He hath laid it upon him;
He will sit alone, and be silent, because he has borne [it] upon him.
29 That he put his mouth in the dust; perhaps there still is hope;
30 That he offer his cheek to him that smiteth him; that he be satisfied with reproach.
JOD. He will give [his] cheek to him that smites him: he will be filled full with reproaches.
31 For the Lord will not cast off for ever;
For the Lord will not reject for ever.
32 But though he have caused grief, yet will he have mercy according to the abundance of his kindnesses.
CHAPH. For he that has brought down will pity, and [that] according to the abundance of his mercy.
33 For he doth not afflict of his own will, and aggrieve the children of men.
He has not answered [in anger] from his heart, though he has brought low the children of a man.
34 To crush under his feet all the prisoners of the earth,
LAMED. To bring down under his feet all the prisoners of the earth,
35 To pervert the justice [due to man] before the face of the Most High.
to turn aside the judgement of a man before the face of the Most High,
36 To subvert a man in his contest—should the Lord not see this?
to condemn a man [unjustly] in his judgement, the Lord has not given commandment.
37 Who is he that saith aught, and it cometh to pass, when the Lord hath not ordained it?
Who has thus spoken, and it has come to pass? the Lord has not commanded it.
38 Do not out of the mouth of the Most High come both the evil things and the good?
Out of the mouth of the Most High there shall not come forth evil and good.
39 Wherefore should a living man complain? let every man complain because of his sins.
MEM. Why should a living man complain, a man concerning his sin?
40 Let us search through and investigate our ways, and let us return to the Lord.
NUN. Our way has been searched out and examined, and we will turn to the Lord.
41 Let us lift up our heart with our hands unto God in the heavens.
Let us lift up our hearts with [our] hand to the lofty One in heaven.
42 We have indeed transgressed and rebelled: thou hast truly not pardoned.
We have sinned, we have transgressed; and you have not pardoned.
43 Thou hast covered [us] with thy anger, and made pursuit after us: thou hast slain, thou hast not pitied.
SAMECH. You has visited [us] in wrath, and driven us away: you has slain, you has not pitied.
44 Thou hast covered thyself with a cloud, that no prayer should pass through.
You have veiled yourself with a cloud because of prayer, that I might be blind,
45 As something loathsome and rejected hast thou rendered us in the midst of the people.
and be cast off. AIN. You have set us [alone] in the midst of the nations.
46 Wide have all our enemies opened against us their mouth.
All our enemies have opened their mouth against us.
47 Terror and a snare are come upon us, [with] desolation and breaches.
Fear and wrath are come upon us, suspense and destruction.
48 With streams of water runneth my eye down, because of the breach of the daughter of my people.
Mine eye shall pour down torrents of water, for the destruction of the daughter of my people.
49 My eye trickleth down, and resteth not, without any intermission,
PHE. Mine eye is drowned [with tears], and I will not be silent, so that there shall be no rest,
50 Till the Lord look down, and behold from heaven.
until the Lord look down, and behold from heaven.
51 My eye affecteth my soul because of all the daughters of my city.
Mine eye shall prey upon my soul, because of all the daughters of the city.
52 Those who are my enemies, without a cause, have chased me about like a bird.
TSADE. The fowlers chased me as a sparrow, all mine enemies destroyed my life in a pit without cause,
53 They have shut up in the dungeon my life, and have cast stones upon me.
and laid a stone upon me.
54 Waters streamed over my head: I said, I am cut off.
Water flowed over my head: I said, I am cut off.
55 I called on thy name, O Lord, out of the dungeon of the lowest depth.
KOPH. I called upon your name, O Lord, out of the lowest dungeon.
56 Thou didst hear my voice: hide not thy ear to give me enlargement at my cry.
You heard my voice: close not your ears to my supplication.
57 Thou wast ever near on the day that I called on thee: thou saidst, Fear not.
You drew near to my help: in the day wherein I called upon you you said to me, Fear not.
58 Thou didst plead, O Lord, the causes of my soul: thou didst [before this] redeem my life.
RECHS. O Lord, you has pleaded the causes of my soul; you has redeemed my life.
59 Thou hast [now] seen, O Lord, the wrong I suffer: judge thou my cause.
You have seen, O Lord, my troubles: you have judged my cause.
60 Thou hast seen all their vengeance, all their plans against me.
You have seen all their vengeance, [you have looked] on all their devices against me.
61 Thou hast heard their reviling, O Lord, all their plans against me,
CHSEN. You have heard their reproach [and] all their devices against me;
62 The speeches of these that rise up against me, and their device against me all the day.
the lips of them that rose up against me, and their plots against me all the day;
63 Oh look upon their sitting down, and their rising up: I am their [jeering] song.
their sitting down and their rising up: look you upon their eyes.
64 Render unto them a recompense, O Lord, according to the work of their hands.
You will render them a recompense, O Lord, according to the works of their hands.
65 Give them confusion of heart, thy curse he upon them.
THAU. You will give them [as] a covering, the grief of my heart.
66 Pursue them in anger and destroy from under the heavens of the Lord.
You will persecute them in anger, and will consume them from under the heaven, O Lord.
