Lamentations 3
1 I am the man who hath seen affliction by the rod of his wrath.
I [am] the man [who] hath seen affliction By the rod of His wrath.
2 Me hath he driven out, and led into darkness, but not into light.
Me He hath led, and causeth to go [in] darkness, and without light.
3 Surely against me doth he turn again and again his hand all the day.
Surely against me He turneth back, He turneth His hand all the day.
4 He hath caused my flesh and my skin to wear out, he hath broken my bones.
He hath worn out my flesh and my skin. He hath broken my bones.
5 He hath built around me, and encompassed me with poison and hardship.
He hath built up against me, And setteth round poverty and weariness.
6 In dark places hath he set me to dwell, like the dead of olden times.
In dark places He hath caused me to dwell, As the dead of old.
7 He hath placed a fence round about me, that I cannot get out; he hath made heavy my chain.
He hath hedged me about, and I go not out, He hath made heavy my fetter.
8 Also when I cry aloud and make entreaty, he shutteth out my prayer.
Also when I call and cry out, He hath shut out my prayer.
9 He hath fenced up my ways with hewn stone, my paths hath he made crooked.
He hath hedged my ways with hewn work, My paths He hath made crooked.
10 A bear lying in wait is he to me, a lion in secret places.
A bear lying in wait He [is] to me, A lion in secret hiding-places.
11 On my ways hath he placed thorns, and torn 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 placed 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 to enter into my reins the children of his quiver.
He hath caused to enter into my reins The sons of His quiver.
14 I am become a laughing-stock to all my people, their [jeering] song all the day.
I have been a derision to all my people, Their song all the day.
15 He hath sated me with bitter things, 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 my soul hath given up all thoughts of peace: I forget happiness.
And Thou castest off from peace my soul, I have forgotten prosperity.
18 And I said, Lost is my strength, my expectation also from the Lord.
And I say, Perished hath my strength and my hope from Jehovah.
19 Remembering my affliction and [the cause of] my complaint, wormwood and poison.
Remember my affliction and my mourning, Wormwood and gall!
20 Remembering [this] continually my soul is bowed down deeply within me.
Remember well, and bow down doth my soul in me.
21 [Yet] this answer will I give to my heart: therefore will I wait [in confidence].
This I turn to my heart — therefore I hope.
22 It is through the Lord's kindness that we are not consumed, because his mercies have no end;
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 wait for him.
My portion [is] Jehovah, hath my soul said, Therefore I hope for Him.
25 The Lord is good unto those that hope in 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 one should wait and this in silence 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 That he sit in solitude and be silent; because He hath laid it upon him;
He sitteth alone, and is silent, For He hath laid [it] upon him.
29 That he put his mouth in the dust; perhaps there still is hope;
He putteth in the dust his mouth, if so be there is hope.
30 That he offer his cheek to him that smiteth him; that he be satisfied 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 have caused grief, yet will he have mercy according to the abundance of his kindnesses.
For though He afflicted, yet He hath pitied, According to the abundance of His kindness.
33 For he doth not afflict of his own will, and aggrieve 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 pervert the justice [due to 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 contest—should the Lord not see this?
To subvert a man in his cause, the Lord hath not approved.
37 Who is he that saith aught, and it cometh to pass, when the Lord hath not ordained it?
Who [is] this — he hath said, and it is, [And] the Lord hath not commanded [it]?
38 Do not out of the mouth of the Most High come both the evil things and the good?
From the mouth of the Most High Go not forth the evils and the good.
39 Wherefore should a living man complain? let every man complain because of his sins.
What — sigh habitually doth a living man, A man for his sin?
40 Let us search through and investigate our ways, and let us return 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 indeed transgressed and rebelled: thou hast truly not pardoned.
We — we have transgressed and rebelled, Thou — Thou hast not forgiven.
43 Thou hast covered [us] with thy anger, and made pursuit after 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 no prayer should pass through.
Thou hast covered Thyself with a cloud, So that prayer doth not pass through.
45 As something loathsome and rejected hast thou rendered us in the midst of the people.
Offscouring and refuse Thou dost make us In the midst of the peoples.
46 Wide have all our enemies opened against us their mouth.
Opened against us their mouth have all our enemies.
47 Terror and a snare are come upon us, [with] desolation and breaches.
Fear and a snare hath been for us, Desolation and destruction.
48 With streams of water runneth my eye down, because of the breach of the daughter of my people.
Rivulets of water go down my eye, For the destruction of the daughter of my people.
49 My eye trickleth down, and resteth 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 My eye affecteth my soul because of all the daughters of my city.
My eye affecteth my soul, Because of all the daughters of my city.
52 Those who are my enemies, without a cause, have chased me about like a bird.
Hunted me sore as a bird have my enemies without cause.
53 They have shut up in the dungeon my life, and have cast stones upon me.
They have cut off in a pit my life, And they cast a stone against me.
54 Waters streamed over my head: I said, I am cut off.
Flowed have waters over my head, I have said, I have been cut off.
55 I called on thy name, O Lord, out of the dungeon of the lowest depth.
I called Thy name, O Jehovah, from the lower pit.
56 Thou didst hear my voice: hide not thy ear to give me enlargement at my cry.
My voice Thou hast heard, Hide not Thine ear at my breathing — at my cry.
57 Thou wast ever near on the day that I called on thee: thou saidst, Fear not.
Thou hast drawn near in the day I call Thee, Thou hast said, Fear not.
58 Thou didst plead, O Lord, the causes of my soul: thou didst [before this] redeem my life.
Thou hast pleaded, O Lord, the pleadings of my soul, Thou hast redeemed my life.
59 Thou hast [now] seen, O Lord, the wrong I suffer: judge thou my cause.
Thou hast seen, O Jehovah, my overthrow, Judge Thou my cause.
60 Thou hast seen all their vengeance, all their plans against me.
Thou hast seen all their vengeance, All their thoughts of me.
61 Thou hast heard their reviling, O Lord, all their plans against me,
Thou hast heard their reproach, O Jehovah, All their thoughts against me,
62 The speeches of these that rise 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 Oh look upon their sitting down, and their rising up: I am their [jeering] song.
Their sitting down, and their rising up, Behold attentively, I [am] their song.
64 Render unto them a recompense, 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 confusion of heart, thy curse he upon them.
Thou givest to them a covered heart, Thy curse to them.
66 Pursue them in anger and destroy from under the heavens of the Lord.
Thou pursuest in anger, and destroyest them, From under the heavens of Jehovah!
