Lamentations 3
1 [ALEPH-BET] I [am] the man [who] has seen affliction By the rod of His wrath.
I am the man that hath seen affliction under the rod of His wrath;
2 He has led me, and causes to go [in] darkness, and without light.
He hath led me and brought me into darkness, and not into light;
3 Surely against me He turns back, He turns His hand all the day.
Yea, against me doth he again and again turn his hand all the day long.
4 He has worn out my flesh and my skin. He has broken my bones.
My flesh and my skin hath he made old; he hath broken my bones.
5 He has built up against me, And sets around poverty and weariness.
He hath builded against me, and encompassed me with bitterness and woe.
6 In dark places He has caused me to dwell, As the dead of old.
He hath set me in dark places, as those that have long been dead.
7 He has hedged me in, and I do not go out, He has made heavy my chain.
He hath hedged me about, so that I cannot get out; he hath made my chain heavy;
8 Also when I call and cry out, He has shut out my prayer.
Yea, when I cry and call aloud, he shutteth out my prayer.
9 He has hedged my ways with hewn work, My paths He has made crooked.
He blocketh up my way with hewn stone; he maketh my paths crooked.
10 A bear lying in wait He [is] to me, A lion in secret hiding places.
A bear lying in wait hath he been to me, a lion in lurking-places.
11 My ways He is turning aside, and He pulls me in pieces, He has made me a desolation.
He hath turned aside my ways, and torn me in pieces; he hath made me desolate.
12 He has bent His bow, And sets me up as a mark for an arrow.
He hath 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 hath caused the sons of his quiver to pierce my reins.
14 I have been a derision to all my people, Their song all the day.
I have been a laughing-stock to all my people, their song all the day.
15 He has filled me with bitter things, He has filled me [with] wormwood.
He hath filled me with bitterness; he hath made me drunk with wormwood.
16 And He breaks with gravel my teeth, He has covered me with ashes.
He hath also broken my teeth with gravel-stones; He hath covered me with ashes.
17 And You cast off my soul from peace, I have forgotten prosperity.
Yea, thou hast removed my soul far from peace; I have forgotten prosperity.
18 And I say, My strength and my hope have perished from YHWH.
And I say, “My confidence and my hope in Jehovah are gone!”
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.
Yea, thou wilt remember them, for my soul sinketh within me!
21 This I turn to my heart—therefore I hope.
This I recall to my mind; therefore have I hope;
22 The kindnesses of YHWH! For we have not been consumed, For His mercies have not ended.
It is of the mercy of Jehovah that we are not consumed; yea, his compassion faileth not;
23 New every morning, abundant [is] Your faithfulness.
It is new every morning; great is thy faithfulness.
24 My portion [is] YHWH, my soul has said, Therefore I hope for Him.
Jehovah is my portion, saith my soul, therefore do I hope in him.
25 YHWH [is] good to those waiting for Him, To the soul [that] seeks Him.
Jehovah is good to them that trust in him, to the soul that seeketh him.
26 [It is] good when one stays and stands still For the salvation of YHWH.
It is good that a man hope, and quietly wait for salvation from Jehovah.
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 in his youth;
28 He sits alone, and is silent, For He has laid [it] on him.
That he sit alone and keep silence, since He layeth it upon him;
29 He puts his mouth in the dust, if so be, there is hope.
That he put his mouth in the dust, [[saying to himself, ]] “Perhaps there may be hope!”
30 He gives to his striker the cheek, He is filled with reproach.
That he offer his cheek to the smiter; that he be filled with reproach.
31 For the Lord does not cast off for all time.
For the Lord will not cast off forever;
32 For though He afflicted, yet He has pitied, According to the abundance of His kindness.
For though he cause grief, yet doth he have compassion according to his great mercy;
33 For He has not afflicted with His heart, Nor does He grieve the sons of men.
For he doth not willingly afflict and grieve the children of men.
34 To bruise under one’s feet any bound ones of earth,
Doth one trample under foot all the prisoners of the earth,
35 To turn aside the judgment of a man, Before the face of the Most High,
Doth he bend the right of a man before the face of the Most High,
36 To subvert a man in his cause, the Lord has not approved.
Doth he subvert a man in his cause, and shall not the Lord behold it?
37 Who [is] this—he has spoken, and it is, [And] the Lord has not commanded [it]?
Who is he that saith, and it cometh to pass, when the Lord hath not commanded?
38 From the mouth of the Most High does not go forth the evils and the good.
Cometh not evil, as well as good, from the mouth of the Most High?
39 Why does a living man sigh habitually, A man for his sin?
Wherefore then murmureth the living man? Let him murmur at his own sin!
40 We search our ways, and investigate, And turn back to YHWH.
Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to Jehovah!
41 We lift up our heart on the hands to God in the heavens.
Let us lift up our hearts with our hands to God in the heavens!
42 We have transgressed and been rebellious, You have not forgiven.
We have transgressed; we have rebelled; thou hast not forgiven!
43 You have covered Yourself with anger, And pursue us; You have slain—You have not pitied.
Thou hast hidden thyself in anger, and hast pursued us; thou hast slain and hast not spared;
44 You have covered Yourself with a cloud, So that prayer does not pass through.
Thou hast hidden thyself in a cloud, that our prayer may not pass through;
45 Outcast and refuse You make us In the midst of the peoples.
Thou hast made us the offscouring and refuse in the midst of the nations.
46 Opened against us their mouth have all our enemies.
All our enemies have opened their mouths against us;
47 Fear and a snare has been for us, Desolation and destruction.
Terror and the pit have come upon us, desolation and destruction;
48 Streams of water go down my eye, For the destruction of the daughter of my people.
Mine eye runneth down with streams of water for the destruction of the daughter of my people.
49 My eye is poured out, And does not cease without intermission,
Mine eye trickleth down and ceaseth not, without any intermission,
50 Until YHWH looks and sees from the heavens,
Until Jehovah look down and behold from heaven.
51 My eye affects my soul, Because of all the daughters of my city.
Mine eye is painful to me on account of all the daughters of my city.
52 Hunting—my enemies have hunted me without cause like the bird.
They that are my enemies without cause hunt me down like a bird;
53 They have cut off my life in a pit, And they cast a stone against me.
They take away my life in the dungeon; they cast a stone upon me;
54 Waters have flowed over my head, I have said, I have been cut off.
Waters flow over my head; I say, “I am undone!”
55 I called Your Name, O YHWH, from the lower pit.
I call upon thy name, O Jehovah, from the deep dungeon;
56 You have heard my voice, do not hide Your ear at my breathing—at my cry.
Hear thou my voice! hide not thine ear from my cry for relief!
57 You have drawn near in the day I call You, You have said, Do not fear.
Be near to me, when I call upon thee! Say, “Fear not!”
58 You have pleaded, O Lord, the pleadings of my soul, You have redeemed my life.
Thou maintainest my cause, O Lord; thou redeemest my life!
59 You have seen, O YHWH, my overthrow, Judge my cause.
Thou, O Jehovah, seest the wrong done to me; Maintain thou my cause!
60 You have seen all their vengeance, All their thoughts of me.
Thou seest all their vengeance, all their devices against me.
61 You have heard their reproach, O YHWH, All their thoughts against me,
Thou hearest their reproach, O Jehovah, all their devices against me,
62 The lips of my withstanders, Even their meditation against me all the day.
The words of my adversaries, and their machinations against me all the day long!
63 Their sitting down, and their rising up, Behold attentively, I [am] their song.
Behold their sitting down and their rising up! I am their song.
64 You return to them the deed, O YHWH, According to the work of their hands.
Render to them a recompense, O Jehovah, according to the work of their hands!
65 You give to them a covered heart, Your curse to them.
Give them blindness of mind! thy curse be upon them!
66 You pursue in anger, and destroy them, From under the heavens of YHWH!
Pursue them in thine anger, and destroy them from under Jehovah's heaven!
