Lamentations 3
1 [ALEPH-BET] I [am] the man [who] has seen affliction By the rod of His wrath.
I am the man that has seen affliction by the rod of his wrath.
2 He has led me, and causes to go [in] darkness, and without light.
He has led me and caused me to walk in darkness, and not in light.
3 Surely against me He turns back, He turns His hand all the day.
Surely against me he turns his hand again and again all the day.
4 He has worn out my flesh and my skin. He has broken my bones.
My flesh and my skin he has made old; he has broken my bones.
5 He has built up against me, And sets around poverty and weariness.
He has built against me, and surrounded me with bitterness and hardship.
6 In dark places He has caused me to dwell, As the dead of old.
He has made me to dwell in dark places, like those that have been long dead.
7 He has hedged me in, and I do not go out, He has made heavy my chain.
He has walled me in, so I can't escape; he has made my chains heavy.
8 Also when I call and cry out, He has shut out my prayer.
Yes, when I cry, and call for help, he shuts out my prayer.
9 He has hedged my ways with hewn work, My paths He has made crooked.
He has walled up my ways with cut stone; he has made my paths crooked.
10 A bear lying in wait He [is] to me, A lion in secret hiding places.
He is to me as a bear lying in wait, as a lion in hiding.
11 My ways He is turning aside, and He pulls me in pieces, He has made me a desolation.
He has obstructed my path, and torn me in pieces; he has made me desolate.
12 He has bent His bow, And sets me up as a mark for an arrow.
He has bent his bow, and set me as a mark for the arrow.
13 He has caused to enter into my reins The sons of His quiver.
He has caused the arrows of his quiver to pierce my inward parts.
14 I have been a derision to all my people, Their song all the day.
I have become a laughingstock to all peoples, and their song all the day.
15 He has filled me with bitter things, He has filled me [with] wormwood.
He has filled me with bitterness, he has given me in full measure wormwood.
16 And He breaks with gravel my teeth, He has covered me with ashes.
He has also broken my teeth with gravel; he has pressed me down in the dust.
17 And You cast off my soul from peace, I have forgotten prosperity.
You have removed my soul far away from peace; I have forgotten what prosperity is.
18 And I say, My strength and my hope have perished from YHWH.
And I said, "My strength and my hope has perished from the LORD."
19 Remember my affliction and my mourning, Wormwood and gall!
Remember my affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall.
20 Remember well, and my soul bows down in me.
My soul considers them, and is depressed.
21 This I turn to my heart—therefore I hope.
But this I call to my mind; therefore I have hope:
22 The kindnesses of YHWH! For we have not been consumed, For His mercies have not ended.
The LORD's faithful love does not cease; his compassion does not fail.
23 New every morning, abundant [is] Your faithfulness.
They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
24 My portion [is] YHWH, my soul has said, Therefore I hope for Him.
"The LORD is my portion," says my soul, "therefore I will hope in him."
25 YHWH [is] good to those waiting for Him, To the soul [that] seeks Him.
The LORD is good to those who wait for him, to the soul that seeks him.
26 [It is] good when one stays and stands still For the salvation of YHWH.
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 bears a yoke in his youth.
It is good for a man that he bear the yoke while he is young.
28 He sits alone, and is silent, For He has laid [it] on him.
Let him sit alone and keep silence when he is disciplining him.
29 He puts his mouth in the dust, if so be, there is hope.
Let him put his mouth to the dust, there may yet be hope.
30 He gives to his striker the cheek, He is filled with reproach.
Let him give his cheek to him who strikes him; let him be filled with insults.
31 For the Lord does not cast off for all time.
For the LORD will not reject forever.
32 For though He afflicted, yet He has pitied, According to the abundance of His kindness.
For though he may cause grief, yet he will have compassion according to the abundance of his loving kindness.
33 For He has not afflicted with His heart, Nor does He grieve the sons of men.
For he is not predisposed to bring affliction or suffering to human beings.
34 To bruise under one’s feet any bound ones of earth,
To crush under foot all the prisoners of the earth;
35 To turn aside the judgment of a 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 cause, the Lord has not approved.
to subvert a man in his cause, the LORD does not approve.
37 Who [is] this—he has spoken, and it is, [And] the Lord has not commanded [it]?
Who can speak a thing and have it come to pass, unless the LORD has commanded it?
38 From the mouth of the Most High does not go forth the evils and the good.
Doesn't both calamity and good come out of the mouth of the Most High?
39 Why does a living man sigh habitually, A man for his sin?
Why does a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins?
40 We search our ways, and investigate, And turn back to YHWH.
Let us examine and search our ways, and return to the LORD.
41 We lift up our heart on the hands to God in the heavens.
Let us lift up our heart with our hands to God in the heavens.
42 We have transgressed and been rebellious, You have not forgiven.
We have transgressed and have rebelled, and you have not forgiven.
43 You have covered Yourself with anger, And pursue us; You have slain—You have not pitied.
You have covered yourself with anger and pursued us; you killed without sparing.
44 You have covered Yourself with a cloud, So that prayer does not pass through.
You have covered yourself with a cloud, so that no prayer can pass through.
45 Outcast and refuse You make us In the midst of the peoples.
You have made us rubbish and refuse in the midst of the peoples.
46 Opened against us their mouth have all our enemies.
All our enemies have opened their mouth wide against us.
47 Fear and a snare has been for us, Desolation and destruction.
Fear and the pit have come on us, devastation and destruction.
48 Streams of water go down my eye, For the destruction 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 is poured out, And does not cease without intermission,
My tears flow and do not cease, without respite,
50 Until YHWH looks and sees from the heavens,
until the LORD looks down and sees from heaven.
51 My eye affects 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 Hunting—my enemies have hunted me without cause like the bird.
They have chased me relentlessly like a bird, those who are my enemies without cause.
53 They have cut off my life in a pit, And they cast a stone against me.
They have cut off my life in a pit, and have cast a stone on me.
54 Waters have flowed over my head, I have said, I have been cut off.
Waters flowed over my head; I said, 'I am finished.'
55 I called Your Name, O YHWH, from the lower pit.
I called on your name, LORD, out of the depths of the pit.
56 You have heard my voice, do not hide Your ear at my breathing—at my cry.
You heard my voice; do not hide your ear at my sighs, to my cry.
57 You have drawn near in the day I call You, You have said, Do not fear.
You drew near in the day that I called on you; you said, "Do not be afraid."
58 You have pleaded, O Lord, the pleadings of my soul, You have redeemed my life.
LORD, you have taken up the case for my soul; you have redeemed my life.
59 You have seen, O YHWH, my overthrow, Judge my cause.
You have seen, LORD, the wrong done to me; judge my case.
60 You have seen all their vengeance, All their thoughts of me.
You have seen all their vengeance and all their plots against me.
61 You have heard their reproach, O YHWH, All their thoughts against me,
You have heard their insults, LORD, and all their plots against me.
62 The lips of my withstanders, Even their meditation against me all the day.
The lips of those that rose up against me, and their plots against me all day long.
63 Their sitting down, and their rising up, Behold attentively, I [am] their song.
Look their sitting down, and their rising up; I am their mocking song.
64 You return to them the deed, O YHWH, According to the work of their hands.
You will render to them what they deserve, LORD, according to the work of their hands.
65 You give to them a covered heart, Your curse to them.
You will give them hardness of heart as your curse to them.
66 You pursue in anger, and destroy them, From under the heavens of YHWH!
You will pursue them in anger, and destroy them from under the heavens of the LORD.
