Lamentations 3
1 I am the man that has seen affliction by the rod of his wrath.
ALEPH. I am the man that sees poverty, through the rod of his wrath upon me.
2 He has led me and caused me to walk in darkness, and not in light.
He has taken me, and led me away into darkness, and not [into] light.
3 Surely against me he turns his hand again and again all the day.
Nay, against me has he turned his hand all the day.
4 My flesh and my skin he has made old; he has broken my bones.
He has made old my flesh and my skin; he has broken my bones.
5 He has built against me, and surrounded me with bitterness and hardship.
BETH. He has built against me, and compassed my head, and brought travail [upon me].
6 He has made me to dwell in dark places, like those that have been long dead.
He has set me in dark places, as them that have long been dead.
7 He has walled me in, so I can't escape; he has made my chains heavy.
He has builded against me, and I cannot come forth: he has made my brazen [chain] heavy.
8 Yes, when I cry, and call for help, he shuts out my prayer.
GIMEL. Yea, [though] I cry and shout, he shuts out my prayer.
9 He has walled up my ways with cut stone; he has made my paths crooked.
DALETH. He has built up my ways, he has hedged my paths;
10 He is to me as a bear lying in wait, as a lion in hiding.
he has troubled me, [as] a she-bear lying in wait: he is to me [as] a lion in secret places.
11 He has obstructed my path, and torn me in pieces; he has made me desolate.
He pursued [me] after I departed, and brought me to a stand: he has utterly ruined me.
12 He has bent his bow, and set me as a mark for the arrow.
HE. He has bent his bow, and set me as a mark for the arrow.
13 He has caused the arrows of his quiver to pierce my inward parts.
He has caused the arrows of his quiver to enter into my reins.
14 I have become a laughingstock to all peoples, and their song all the day.
I became a laughing-stock to all my people; and their song all the day.
15 He has filled me with bitterness, he has given me in full measure wormwood.
VAU. He has filled me with bitterness, he has drenched me with gall.
16 He has also broken my teeth with gravel; he has pressed me down in the dust.
And he has dashed out my teeth with gravel, he has fed me with ashes.
17 You have removed my soul far away from peace; I have forgotten what prosperity is.
He has also removed my soul from peace: I forgot prosperity.
18 And I said, "My strength and my hope has perished from the LORD."
Therefore my success has perished, and my hope from the Lord.
19 Remember my affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall.
ZAIN. I remembered by reason of my poverty, and because of persecution my bitterness and gall shall be remembered;
20 My soul considers them, and is depressed.
and my soul shall meditate with me.
21 But this I call to my mind; therefore I have hope:
This will I lay up in my heart, therefore I will endure.
22 The LORD's faithful love does not cease; his compassion does not fail.
HETH. [It is] the mercies of the Lord, that he has not failed me, because his compassions are not exhausted. Pity [us], O Lord, early [every] month: for we are not brought to an end, because his compassions are not exhausted.
23 They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
[They are] new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.
24 "The LORD is my portion," says my soul, "therefore I will hope in him."
The Lord is my portion, says my soul; therefore will I wait for him.
25 The LORD is good to those who wait for him, to the soul that seeks him.
TETH. The Lord is good to them that wait for him: the soul which shall seek him
26 It is good that a man should hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD.
[is] good, and shall wait for, and quietly expect salvation of the Lord.
27 It is good for a man that he bear the yoke while he is young.
TETH. [It is] good for a man when he bears a yoke in his youth.
28 Let him sit alone and keep silence when he is disciplining him.
He will sit alone, and be silent, because he has borne [it] upon him.
29 Let him put his mouth to the dust, there may yet be hope.
30 Let him give his cheek to him who strikes him; let him be filled with insults.
JOD. He will give [his] cheek to him that smites him: he will be filled full with reproaches.
31 For the LORD will not reject forever.
For the Lord will not reject for ever.
32 For though he may cause grief, yet he will have compassion according to the abundance of his loving kindness.
CHAPH. For he that has brought down will pity, and [that] according to the abundance of his mercy.
33 For he is not predisposed to bring affliction or suffering to human beings.
He has not answered [in anger] from his heart, though he has brought low the children of a man.
34 To crush under foot all the prisoners of the earth;
LAMED. To bring down under his feet all the prisoners of the earth,
35 to deprive a man of justice before the face of the Most High,
to turn aside the judgment of a man before the face of the Most High,
36 to subvert a man in his cause, the LORD does not approve.
to condemn a man [unjustly] in his judgment, the Lord has not given commandment.
37 Who can speak a thing and have it come to pass, unless the LORD has commanded it?
Who has thus spoken, and it has come to pass? the Lord has not commanded it.
38 Doesn't both calamity and good come out of the mouth of the Most High?
Out of the mouth of the Most High there shall not come forth evil and good.
39 Why does a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins?
MEM. Why should a living man complain, a man concerning his sin?
40 Let us examine and search our ways, and return to the LORD.
NUN. Our way has been searched out and examined, and we will turn to the Lord.
41 Let us lift up our heart with our hands to God in the heavens.
Let us lift up our hearts with [our] hand to the lofty One in heaven.
42 We have transgressed and have rebelled, and you have not forgiven.
We have sinned, we have transgressed; and thou hast not pardoned.
43 You have covered yourself with anger and pursued us; you killed without sparing.
SAMECH. Thou has visited [us] in wrath, and driven us away: thou has slain, thou has not pitied.
44 You have covered yourself with a cloud, so that no prayer can pass through.
Thou hast veiled thyself with a cloud because of prayer, that I might be blind,
45 You have made us rubbish and refuse in the midst of the peoples.
and be cast off. AIN. Thou hast set us [alone] in the midst of the nations.
46 All our enemies have opened their mouth wide against us.
All our enemies have opened their mouth against us.
47 Fear and the pit have come on us, devastation and destruction.
Fear and wrath are come upon us, suspense and destruction.
48 Streams of tears run down from my eyes because of the destruction of the daughter of my people.
Mine eye shall pour down torrents of water, for the destruction of the daughter of my people.
49 My tears flow and do not cease, without respite,
PHE. Mine eye is drowned [with tears], and I will not be silent, so that there shall be no rest,
50 until the LORD looks down and sees from heaven.
until the Lord look down, and behold from heaven.
51 My eyes bring my soul grief, because of all the daughters of my city.
Mine eye shall prey upon my soul, because of all the daughters of the city.
52 They have chased me relentlessly like a bird, those who are my enemies without cause.
TSADE. The fowlers chased me as a sparrow, all mine enemies destroyed my life in a pit without cause,
53 They have cut off my life in a pit, and have cast a stone on me.
and laid a stone upon me.
54 Waters flowed over my head; I said, 'I am finished.'
Water flowed over my head: I said, I am cut off.
55 I called on your name, LORD, out of the depths of the pit.
KOPH. I called upon thy name, O Lord, out of the lowest dungeon.
56 You heard my voice; do not hide your ear at my sighs, to my cry.
Thou heardest my voice: close not thine ears to my supplication.
57 You drew near in the day that I called on you; you said, "Do not be afraid."
Thou drewest nigh to my help: in the day wherein I called upon thee thou saidst to me, Fear not.
58 LORD, you have taken up the case for my soul; you have redeemed my life.
RECHS. O Lord, thou has pleaded the causes of my soul; thou has redeemed my life.
59 You have seen, LORD, the wrong done to me; judge my case.
Thou hast seen, O Lord, my troubles: thou hast judged my cause.
60 You have seen all their vengeance and all their plots against me.
Thou hast seen all their vengeance, [thou hast looked] on all their devices against me.
61 You have heard their insults, LORD, and all their plots against me.
CHSEN. Thou hast heard their reproach [and] all their devices against me;
62 The lips of those that rose up against me, and their plots against me all day long.
the lips of them that rose up against me, and their plots against me all the day;
63 Look their sitting down, and their rising up; I am their mocking song.
their sitting down and their rising up: look thou upon their eyes.
64 You will render to them what they deserve, LORD, according to the work of their hands.
Thou wilt render them a recompense, O Lord, according to the works of their hands.
65 You will give them hardness of heart as your curse to them.
THAU. Thou wilt give them [as] a covering, the grief of my heart.
66 You will pursue them in anger, and destroy them from under the heavens of the LORD.
Thou wilt persecute them in anger, and wilt consume them from under the heaven, O Lord.
