Lamentations 3
1 I am the man who hath seen affliction by the rod of his wrath.
I am the man that has seen affliction by the rod of his wrath.
2 Me hath he driven out, and led into darkness, but not into light.
He has led me and caused me to walk in darkness, and not in light.
3 Surely against me doth he turn again and again his hand all the day.
Surely against me he turns his hand again and again all the day.
4 He hath caused my flesh and my skin to wear out, he hath broken my bones.
My flesh and my skin he has made old; he has broken my bones.
5 He hath built around me, and encompassed me with poison and hardship.
He has built against me, and surrounded me with bitterness and hardship.
6 In dark places hath he set me to dwell, like the dead of olden times.
He has made me to dwell in dark places, like those that have been long dead.
7 He hath placed a fence round about me, that I cannot get out; he hath made heavy my chain.
He has walled me in, so I can't escape; he has made my chains heavy.
8 Also when I cry aloud and make entreaty, he shutteth out my prayer.
Yes, when I cry, and call for help, he shuts out my prayer.
9 He hath fenced up my ways with hewn stone, my paths hath he made crooked.
He has walled up my ways with cut stone; he has made my paths crooked.
10 A bear lying in wait is he to me, a lion in secret places.
He is to me as a bear lying in wait, as a lion in hiding.
11 On my ways hath he placed thorns, and torn me in pieces: he hath made me desolate.
He has obstructed my path, and torn me in pieces; he has made me desolate.
12 He hath bent his bow, and placed me as a mark for the arrow.
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 pierce my inward parts.
14 I am become a laughing-stock to all my people, their [jeering] song all the day.
I have become a laughingstock to all peoples, and their song all the day.
15 He hath sated me with bitter things, he hath made me drunken with wormwood.
He has filled me with bitterness, he has given me in full measure wormwood.
16 He hath also broken my teeth with gravel-stones, he hath covered me with ashes.
He has also broken my teeth with gravel; he has pressed me down in the dust.
17 And my soul hath given up all thoughts of peace: I forget happiness.
You have removed my soul far away from peace; I have forgotten what prosperity is.
18 And I said, Lost is my strength, my expectation also from the Lord.
And I said, "My strength and my hope has perished from the LORD."
19 Remembering my affliction and [the cause of] my complaint, wormwood and poison.
Remember my affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall.
20 Remembering [this] continually my soul is bowed down deeply within me.
My soul considers them, and is depressed.
21 [Yet] this answer will I give to my heart: therefore will I wait [in confidence].
But this I call to my mind; therefore I have hope:
22 It is through the Lord's kindness that we are not consumed, because his mercies have no end;
The LORD's faithful love does not cease; his compassion does not fail.
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 I will hope in him."
25 The Lord is good unto those that hope in him, to the soul that seeketh him.
The LORD is good to those who wait for him, to the soul that seeks him.
26 It is good that one should wait and this in silence for the salvation of the Lord.
It is good that a man should hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD.
27 It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth;
It is good for a man that he bear the yoke while he is young.
28 That he sit in solitude and be silent; because He hath laid it upon him;
Let him sit alone and keep silence when he is disciplining him.
29 That he put his mouth in the dust; perhaps there still is hope;
Let him put his mouth to the dust, there may yet be hope.
30 That he offer his cheek to him that smiteth him; that he be satisfied with reproach.
Let him give his cheek to him who strikes him; let him be filled with insults.
31 For the Lord will not cast off for ever;
For the LORD will not reject forever.
32 But though he have caused grief, yet will he have mercy according to the abundance of his kindnesses.
For though he may cause grief, yet he will have compassion according to the abundance of his loving kindness.
33 For he doth not afflict of his own will, and aggrieve the children of men.
For he is not predisposed to bring affliction or suffering to human beings.
34 To crush under his feet all the prisoners of the earth,
To crush under foot all the prisoners of the earth;
35 To pervert the justice [due to man] before the face of the Most High.
to deprive a man of justice before the face of the Most High,
36 To subvert a man in his contest—should the Lord not see this?
to subvert a man in his cause, the LORD does not approve.
37 Who is he that saith aught, and it cometh to pass, when the Lord hath not ordained it?
Who can speak a thing and have it come to pass, unless the LORD has commanded it?
38 Do not out of the mouth of the Most High come both the evil things and the good?
Doesn't both calamity and good come out of the mouth of the Most High?
39 Wherefore should a living man complain? let every man complain because of his sins.
Why does a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins?
40 Let us search through and investigate our ways, and let us return to the Lord.
Let us examine and search our ways, and return to the LORD.
41 Let us lift up our heart with our hands unto God in the heavens.
Let us lift up our heart with our hands to God in the heavens.
42 We have indeed transgressed and rebelled: thou hast truly not pardoned.
We have transgressed and have rebelled, and you have not forgiven.
43 Thou hast covered [us] with thy anger, and made pursuit after us: thou hast slain, thou hast not pitied.
You have covered yourself with anger and pursued us; you killed without sparing.
44 Thou hast covered thyself with a cloud, that no prayer should pass through.
You have covered yourself with a cloud, so that no prayer can pass through.
45 As something loathsome and rejected hast thou rendered us in the midst of the people.
You have made us rubbish and refuse in the midst of the peoples.
46 Wide have all our enemies opened against us their mouth.
All our enemies have opened their mouth wide against us.
47 Terror and a snare are come upon us, [with] desolation and breaches.
Fear and the pit have come on us, devastation and destruction.
48 With streams of water runneth my eye down, because of the breach of the daughter of my people.
Streams of tears run down from my eyes because of the destruction of the daughter of my people.
49 My eye trickleth down, and resteth not, without any intermission,
My tears flow and do not cease, without respite,
50 Till the Lord look down, and behold from heaven.
until the LORD looks down and sees from heaven.
51 My eye affecteth my soul because of all the daughters of my city.
My eyes bring my soul grief, because of all the daughters of my city.
52 Those who are my enemies, without a cause, have chased me about like a bird.
They have chased me relentlessly like a bird, those who are my enemies without cause.
53 They have shut up in the dungeon my life, and have cast stones upon me.
They have cut off my life in a pit, and have cast a stone on me.
54 Waters streamed over my head: I said, I am cut off.
Waters flowed over my head; I said, 'I am finished.'
55 I called on thy name, O Lord, out of the dungeon of the lowest depth.
I called on your name, LORD, out of the depths of the pit.
56 Thou didst hear my voice: hide not thy ear to give me enlargement at my cry.
You heard my voice; do not hide your ear at my sighs, to my cry.
57 Thou wast ever near on the day that I called on thee: thou saidst, Fear not.
You drew near in the day that I called on you; you said, "Do not be afraid."
58 Thou didst plead, O Lord, the causes of my soul: thou didst [before this] redeem my life.
LORD, you have taken up the case for my soul; you have redeemed my life.
59 Thou hast [now] seen, O Lord, the wrong I suffer: judge thou my cause.
You have seen, LORD, the wrong done to me; judge my case.
60 Thou hast seen all their vengeance, all their plans against me.
You have seen all their vengeance and all their plots against me.
61 Thou hast heard their reviling, O Lord, all their plans against me,
You have heard their insults, LORD, and all their plots against me.
62 The speeches of these that rise up against me, and their device against me all the day.
The lips of those that rose up against me, and their plots against me all day long.
63 Oh look upon their sitting down, and their rising up: I am their [jeering] song.
Look their sitting down, and their rising up; I am their mocking song.
64 Render unto them a recompense, O Lord, according to the work of their hands.
You will render to them what they deserve, LORD, according to the work of their hands.
65 Give them confusion of heart, thy curse he upon them.
You will give them hardness of heart as your curse to them.
66 Pursue them in anger and destroy from under the heavens of the Lord.
You will pursue them in anger, and destroy them from under the heavens of the LORD.
