< 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, by the rod of his indignation;
2 He has led me, and causes to go [in] darkness, and without light.
Me, hath he driven out and brought into darkness, and not light;
3 Surely against me He turns back, He turns His hand all the day.
Surely, against me, doth he again and again, turn his hand all the day.
4 He has worn out my flesh and my skin. He has broken my bones.
He hath worn out my flesh and my skin, hath broken my bones;
5 He has built up against me, And sets around poverty and weariness.
He hath built up against me, and carried round me, fortifications and a trench;
6 In dark places He has caused me to dwell, As the dead of old.
In dark places, hath he made me sit, like the dead of age-past times.
7 He has hedged me in, and I do not go out, He has made heavy my chain.
He hath walled up around me, that I cannot get out, hath weighted my fetter;
8 Also when I call and cry out, He has shut out my prayer.
Yea, when I make outcry and implore, he hath shut out my prayer;
9 He has hedged my ways with hewn work, My paths He has made crooked.
He hath walled in my ways with hewn stone, my paths, hath he caused to wind back.
10 A bear lying in wait He [is] to me, A lion in secret hiding places.
A bear lying in wait, he is to me, a lion, in secret places;
11 My ways He is turning aside, and He pulls me in pieces, He has made me a desolation.
My ways, hath he turned aside, and hath torn me in pieces, hath made me desolate;
12 He has bent His bow, And sets me up as a mark for an arrow.
He hath trodden his bow, and set me up, as a mark for the arrow.
13 He has caused to enter into my reins The sons of His quiver.
He hath caused to enter my reins, the sons of his quiver;
14 I have been a derision to all my people, Their song all the day.
I have become a derision 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 sated me with bitter things, hath drenched me with wormwood.
16 And He breaks with gravel my teeth, He has covered me with ashes.
And he hath crushed, with gravel-stones, my teeth, hath made me cower in ashes;
17 And You cast off my soul from peace, I have forgotten prosperity.
And thou hast thrust away from welfare, my soul, I have forgotten prosperity;
18 And I say, My strength and my hope have perished from YHWH.
And I said, Vanished is mine endurance, even mine expectation, from Yahweh.
19 Remember my affliction and my mourning, Wormwood and gall!
Remember my humiliation and my fleeings, the wormwood and poison;
20 Remember well, and my soul bows down in me.
Thou wilt, indeed remember, that, bowed down concerning myself, is my soul;
21 This I turn to my heart—therefore I hope.
This, will I bring back to my heart, therefore, will I hope.
22 The kindnesses of YHWH! For we have not been consumed, For His mercies have not ended.
The lovingkindnesses of Yahweh, verily they are not exhausted, Verily! not at an end, are his compassions:
23 New every morning, abundant [is] Your faithfulness.
New things for the mornings! Abundant is thy faithfulness:
24 My portion [is] YHWH, my soul has said, Therefore I hope for Him.
My portion, is Yahweh, saith my soul, For this cause, will I wait for him.
25 YHWH [is] good to those waiting for Him, To the soul [that] seeks Him.
Good is Yahweh, to them who wait for him, to the soul that will seek him;
26 [It is] good when one stays and stands still For the salvation of YHWH.
Good it is—both to wait and to be silent, for the deliverance of Yahweh;
27 [It is] good for a man that he bears a yoke in his youth.
Good it is for a man, that he should bear the yoke in his youth.
28 He sits alone, and is silent, For He has laid [it] on him.
Let him sit alone, and keep silence, because he took it upon himself:
29 He puts his mouth in the dust, if so be, there is hope.
Let him put, in the dust, his mouth, peradventure, there is hope!
30 He gives to his striker the cheek, He is filled with reproach.
Let him give, to him that smiteth him, his cheek, let him be sated with reproach.
31 For the Lord does not cast off for all time.
Surely My Lord, will not cast off, unto times age-abiding;
32 For though He afflicted, yet He has pitied, According to the abundance of His kindness.
Surely, though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion, according to the multitude of his lovingkindnesses;
33 For He has not afflicted with His heart, Nor does He grieve the sons of men.
Surely he hath not afflicted from his heart, nor caused sorrow to the sons of men.
34 To bruise under one’s feet any bound ones of earth,
To crush, under his feet, any of the prisoners of the earth;
35 To turn aside the judgment of a man, Before the face of the Most High,
To turn aside 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.
To oppress a son of earth in his cause, My Lord, hath made no provision.
37 Who [is] this—he has spoken, and it is, [And] the Lord has not commanded [it]?
Who was it that spake, and it was done, [when], My Lord, had not commanded?
38 From the mouth of the Most High does not go forth the evils and the good.
Out of the mouth of the Most High, Proceed there not misfortunes and blessing?
39 Why does a living man sigh habitually, A man for his sin?
Why should a living son of earth complain, [Let] a man [complain] because of his sins?
40 We search our ways, and investigate, And turn back to YHWH.
Let us search out our ways, and examine them well, and let us return unto Yahweh;
41 We lift up our heart on the hands to God in the heavens.
Let us lift up our heart, to the opened palms, to the Mighty One in the heavens;
42 We have transgressed and been rebellious, You have not forgiven.
We, have trespassed and rebelled, Thou, hast not pardoned.
43 You have covered Yourself with anger, And pursue us; You have slain—You have not pitied.
Thou hast covered thyself with anger, and pursued us, hast slain—hast not spared;
44 You have covered Yourself with a cloud, So that prayer does not pass through.
Thou hast screened thyself with the clouds, that prayer, should not pass through;
45 Outcast and refuse You make us In the midst of the peoples.
Offscouring and refuse, dost thou make us, in the midst of the peoples.
46 Opened against us their mouth have all our enemies.
With their mouth, opened wide over us, [stand] all our foes.
47 Fear and a snare has been for us, Desolation and destruction.
Terror and a pit, have befallen us, tumult and grievous injury;
48 Streams of water go down my eye, For the destruction of the daughter of my people.
With streams of water, mine eye runneth down, over the grievous injury of the daughter of my people.
49 My eye is poured out, And does not cease without intermission,
Mine eye, poureth itself out and ceaseth not, without relief;
50 Until YHWH looks and sees from the heavens,
Until Yahweh out of the heavens shall look forth, and see,
51 My eye affects my soul, Because of all the daughters of my city.
Mine eye dealeth severely with my soul, because of all the daughters of my city.
52 Hunting—my enemies have hunted me without cause like the bird.
They, have laid snares, for me as a bird, who are mine enemies without cause:
53 They have cut off my life in a pit, And they cast a stone against me.
They have cut off, in the dungeon, my life, and have cast a stone upon 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 cut off!
55 I called Your Name, O YHWH, from the lower pit.
I have called upon thy Name, O Yahweh, out of the dungeon below;
56 You have heard my voice, do not hide Your ear at my breathing—at my cry.
My voice, thou hast heard, —do not close thine ear to my respite, to mine outcry;
57 You have drawn near in the day I call You, You have said, Do not fear.
Thou drewest near, in the day I kept calling on thee, thou saidst, Do not fear!
58 You have pleaded, O Lord, the pleadings of my soul, You have redeemed my life.
Thou hast pleaded, O My Lord, the pleas of my soul, hast redeemed my life;
59 You have seen, O YHWH, my overthrow, Judge my cause.
Thou hast beheld, O Yahweh, my failure to get justice, Pronounce thou my sentence;
60 You have seen all their vengeance, All their thoughts of me.
Thou hast seen all their vindictiveness, all their plots against me.
61 You have heard their reproach, O YHWH, All their thoughts against me,
Thou hast heard their reproach, O Yahweh, all their plots against me;
62 The lips of my withstanders, Even their meditation against me all the day.
The lips of mine assailants, and their mutterings, are against me, all the day;
63 Their sitting down, and their rising up, Behold attentively, I [am] their song.
On their downsitting and their uprising, do thou look, I, am their song.
64 You return to them the deed, O YHWH, According to the work of their hands.
Thou wilt render to them a recompense, O Yahweh, according to the work of their hands;
65 You give to them a covered heart, Your curse to them.
Thou wilt suffer them a veiling of heart, thy curse to them;
66 You pursue in anger, and destroy them, From under the heavens of YHWH!
Thou wilt pursue in anger, and wilt destroy them, from under the heavens of Yahweh.