Lamentations 3
1 [ALEPH-BET] I [am] the man [who] has seen affliction By the rod of His wrath.
Aleph. I am a man seynge my pouert in the yerde of his indignacioun.
2 He has led me, and causes to go [in] darkness, and without light.
Aleph. He droof me, and brouyte in to derknessis, and not in to liyt.
3 Surely against me He turns back, He turns His hand all the day.
Aleph. Oneli he turnede in to me, and turnede togidere his hond al dai.
4 He has worn out my flesh and my skin. He has broken my bones.
Beth. He made eld my skyn, and my fleisch; he al to-brak my boonys.
5 He has built up against me, And sets around poverty and weariness.
Beth. He bildid in my cumpas, and he cumpasside me with galle and trauel.
6 In dark places He has caused me to dwell, As the dead of old.
Beth. He settide me in derk places, as euerlastynge deed men.
7 He has hedged me in, and I do not go out, He has made heavy my chain.
Gymel. He bildide aboute ayens me, that Y go not out; he aggregide my gyues.
8 Also when I call and cry out, He has shut out my prayer.
Gymel. But and whanne Y crie and preye, he hath excludid my preier.
9 He has hedged my ways with hewn work, My paths He has made crooked.
Gymel. He closide togidere my weies with square stoonus; he distriede my pathis.
10 A bear lying in wait He [is] to me, A lion in secret hiding places.
Deleth. He is maad a bere settinge aspies to me, a lioun in hid places.
11 My ways He is turning aside, and He pulls me in pieces, He has made me a desolation.
Deleth. He distriede my pathis, and brak me; he settide me desolat.
12 He has bent His bow, And sets me up as a mark for an arrow.
Deleth. He bente his bowe, and settide me as a signe to an arowe.
13 He has caused to enter into my reins The sons of His quiver.
He. He sente in my reynes the douytris of his arowe caas.
14 I have been a derision to all my people, Their song all the day.
He. Y am maad in to scorn to al the puple, the song of hem al dai.
15 He has filled me with bitter things, He has filled me [with] wormwood.
He. He fillide me with bitternesses; he gretli fillide me with wermod.
16 And He breaks with gravel my teeth, He has covered me with ashes.
Vau. He brak at noumbre my teeth; he fedde me with aische.
17 And You cast off my soul from peace, I have forgotten prosperity.
Vau. And my soule is putte awei; Y haue foryete goodis.
18 And I say, My strength and my hope have perished from YHWH.
Vau. And Y seide, Myn ende perischide, and myn hope fro the Lord.
19 Remember my affliction and my mourning, Wormwood and gall!
Zai. Haue thou mynde on my pouert and goyng ouer, and on wermod and galle.
20 Remember well, and my soul bows down in me.
Zai. Bi mynde Y schal be myndeful; and my soule schal faile in me.
21 This I turn to my heart—therefore I hope.
Zai. Y bithenkynge these thingis in myn herte, schal hope in God.
22 The kindnesses of YHWH! For we have not been consumed, For His mercies have not ended.
Heth. The mercies of the Lord ben manye, for we ben not wastid; for whi hise merciful doyngis failiden not.
23 New every morning, abundant [is] Your faithfulness.
Heth. Y knew in the morewtid; thi feith is miche.
24 My portion [is] YHWH, my soul has said, Therefore I hope for Him.
Heth. My soule seide, The Lord is my part; therfor Y schal abide hym.
25 YHWH [is] good to those waiting for Him, To the soul [that] seeks Him.
Teth. The Lord is good to hem that hopen in to hym, to a soule sekynge hym.
26 [It is] good when one stays and stands still For the salvation of YHWH.
Teth. It is good to abide with stilnesse the helthe of God.
27 [It is] good for a man that he bears a yoke in his youth.
Teth. It is good to a man, whanne he hath bore the yok fro his yongthe.
28 He sits alone, and is silent, For He has laid [it] on him.
Joth. He schal sitte aloone, and he schal be stille; for he reiside hym silf aboue hym silf.
29 He puts his mouth in the dust, if so be, there is hope.
Joth. He schal sette his mouth in dust, if perauenture hope is.
30 He gives to his striker the cheek, He is filled with reproach.
Joth. He schal yyue the cheke to a man that smytith hym; he schal be fillid with schenschipis.
31 For the Lord does not cast off for all time.
Caph. For the Lord schal not putte awei with outen ende.
32 For though He afflicted, yet He has pitied, According to the abundance of His kindness.
Caph. For if he castide awei, and he schal do merci bi the multitude of hise mercies.
33 For He has not afflicted with His heart, Nor does He grieve the sons of men.
Caph. For he makide not low of his herte; and castide not awei the sones of men. Lameth.
34 To bruise under one’s feet any bound ones of earth,
That he schulde al to-foule vndur hise feet alle the boundun men of erthe. Lameth.
35 To turn aside the judgment of a man, Before the face of the Most High,
That he schulde bowe doun the dom of man, in the siyt of the cheer of the hiyeste.
36 To subvert a man in his cause, the Lord has not approved.
Lameth. That he schulde peruerte a man in his dom, the Lord knew not.
37 Who [is] this—he has spoken, and it is, [And] the Lord has not commanded [it]?
Men. Who is this that seide, that a thing schulde be don, whanne the Lord comaundide not?
38 From the mouth of the Most High does not go forth the evils and the good.
Men. Nether goodis nether yuels schulen go out of the mouth of the hiyeste.
39 Why does a living man sigh habitually, A man for his sin?
Men. What grutchide a man lyuynge, a man for hise synnes?
40 We search our ways, and investigate, And turn back to YHWH.
Nun. Serche we oure weies, and seke we, and turne we ayen to the Lord.
41 We lift up our heart on the hands to God in the heavens.
Nun. Reise we oure hertis with hondis, to the Lord in to heuenes.
42 We have transgressed and been rebellious, You have not forgiven.
Nun. We han do wickidli, and han terrid thee to wraththe; therfor thou art not able to be preied.
43 You have covered Yourself with anger, And pursue us; You have slain—You have not pitied.
Sameth. Thou hilidist in stronge veniaunce, and smitidist vs; thou killidist, and sparidist not.
44 You have covered Yourself with a cloud, So that prayer does not pass through.
Sameth. Thou settidist a clowde to thee, that preier passe not.
45 Outcast and refuse You make us In the midst of the peoples.
Sameth. Thou settidist me, drawing vp bi the roote, and castynge out, in the myddis of puplis.
46 Opened against us their mouth have all our enemies.
Ayn. Alle enemyes openyden her mouth on vs.
47 Fear and a snare has been for us, Desolation and destruction.
Ayn. Inward drede and snare is maad to vs, profesie and defoulyng.
48 Streams of water go down my eye, For the destruction of the daughter of my people.
Ayn. Myn iyen ledden doun departyngis of watris, for the defoulyng of the douyter of my puple.
49 My eye is poured out, And does not cease without intermission,
Phe. Myn iye was turmentid, and was not stille; for no reste was.
50 Until YHWH looks and sees from the heavens,
Phe. Vntil the Lord bihelde, and siy fro heuenes.
51 My eye affects my soul, Because of all the daughters of my city.
Phe. Myn iye robbide my soule in alle the douytris of my citee.
52 Hunting—my enemies have hunted me without cause like the bird.
Sade. Myn enemyes token me with out cause, bi huntyng as a brid.
53 They have cut off my life in a pit, And they cast a stone against me.
Sade. My lijf slood in to a lake; and thei puttiden a stoon on me.
54 Waters have flowed over my head, I have said, I have been cut off.
Sade. Watris flowiden ouer myn heed; Y seide, Y perischide.
55 I called Your Name, O YHWH, from the lower pit.
Coph. Lord, Y clepide to help thi name, fro the laste lake.
56 You have heard my voice, do not hide Your ear at my breathing—at my cry.
Coph. Thou herdist my vois; turne thou not awei thin eere fro my sobbyng and cries.
57 You have drawn near in the day I call You, You have said, Do not fear.
Coph. Thou neiyidist to me in the dai, wherynne Y clepide thee to help; thou seidist, Drede thou not.
58 You have pleaded, O Lord, the pleadings of my soul, You have redeemed my life.
Res. Lord, ayenbiere of my lijf, thou demydist the cause of my soule.
59 You have seen, O YHWH, my overthrow, Judge my cause.
Res. Lord, thou siest the wickidnesse of hem ayens me; deme thou my doom.
60 You have seen all their vengeance, All their thoughts of me.
Res. Thou siest al the woodnesse, alle the thouytis of hem ayenus me.
61 You have heard their reproach, O YHWH, All their thoughts against me,
Syn. Lord, thou herdist the schenshipis of hem; alle the thouytis of hem ayens me.
62 The lips of my withstanders, Even their meditation against me all the day.
Syn. The lippis of men risynge ayens me, and the thouytis of hem ayens me al dai.
63 Their sitting down, and their rising up, Behold attentively, I [am] their song.
Syn. Se thou the sittynge and risyng ayen of hem; Y am the salm of hem.
64 You return to them the deed, O YHWH, According to the work of their hands.
Thau. Lord, thou schalt yelde while to hem, bi the werkis of her hondis.
65 You give to them a covered heart, Your curse to them.
Tau. Thou schalt yyue to hem the scheeld of herte, thi trauel.
66 You pursue in anger, and destroy them, From under the heavens of YHWH!
Tau. Lord, thou schalt pursue hem in thi strong veniaunce, and thou schalt defoule hem vndur heuenes.
