Lamentations 3
1 I am the man that has seen affliction by the rod of his wrath.
I am a man who has seen misery under the rod of Yahweh's fury.
2 He has led me and caused me to walk in darkness, and not in light.
He drove me away and caused me to walk in darkness rather than light.
3 Surely against me he turns his hand again and again all the day.
Surely he turned his hand against me again and again, the whole day long.
4 My flesh and my skin he has made old; he has broken my bones.
He made my flesh and my skin waste away; he broke my bones.
5 He has built against me, and surrounded me with bitterness and hardship.
He built up siege works against me, and surrounded me with bitterness and hardship.
6 He has made me to dwell in dark places, like those that have been long dead.
He made me live in dark places, like those who died long ago.
7 He has walled me in, so I can't escape; he has made my chains heavy.
He built a wall around me and I cannot escape. He made my chains heavy
8 Yes, when I cry, and call for help, he shuts out my prayer.
and though I call out and cry for help, he shut out my prayer.
9 He has walled up my ways with cut stone; he has made my paths crooked.
He blocked my path with a wall of hewn stone; he made my paths crooked.
10 He is to me as a bear lying in wait, as a lion in hiding.
He is like a bear waiting to ambush me, a lion in hiding;
11 He has obstructed my path, and torn me in pieces; he has made me desolate.
he turned aside my paths, he has made me desolate.
12 He has bent his bow, and set me as a mark for the arrow.
He bent his bow and set me as a target for his arrow.
13 He has caused the arrows of his quiver to pierce my inward parts.
He pierced my kidneys with the arrows of his quiver.
14 I have become a laughingstock to all peoples, and their song all the day.
I became a laughingstock to all my people, the object of their taunting all day long.
15 He has filled me with bitterness, he has given me in full measure wormwood.
He filled me with bitterness and forced me to drink wormwood.
16 He has also broken my teeth with gravel; he has pressed me down in the dust.
He has made my teeth grind with gravel, and he made me cower in the ashes.
17 You have removed my soul far away from peace; I have forgotten what prosperity is.
My soul is deprived of peace; I have forgotten what happiness is.
18 And I said, "My strength and my hope has perished from the LORD."
So I say, “My endurance has perished and so has my hope in Yahweh.”
19 Remember my affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall.
Remember my affliction and my wanderings, the wormwood and bitterness.
20 My soul considers them, and is depressed.
I continually remember it and I am bowed down within me.
21 But this I call to my mind; therefore I have hope:
But I call this to mind and therefore I have hope:
22 The LORD's faithful love does not cease; his compassion does not fail.
The steadfast love of Yahweh never ceases and his compassions never end,
23 They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
they are new every morning; your faithfulness is great.
24 "The LORD is my portion," says my soul, "therefore I will hope in him."
“Yahweh is my inheritance,” I said, therefore I will hope in him.
25 The LORD is good to those who wait for him, to the soul that seeks him.
Yahweh is good to those who wait for him, to the one who seeks him.
26 It is good that a man should hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD.
It is good to wait silently for the salvation of Yahweh.
27 It is good for a man that he bear the yoke while he is young.
It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth.
28 Let him sit alone and keep silence when he is disciplining him.
Let him sit alone in silence, when it is laid upon him.
29 Let him put his mouth to the dust, there may yet be hope.
Let him put his mouth in the dust—there may yet be hope.
30 Let him give his cheek to him who strikes him; let him be filled with insults.
Let him offer his cheek to the one who strikes him, and let him be filled to the full with reproach.
31 For the LORD will not reject forever.
For the Lord will not reject us forever,
32 For though he may cause grief, yet he will have compassion according to the abundance of his loving kindness.
but though he causes grief, he will have compassion according to the abundance of his steadfast love.
33 For he is not predisposed to bring affliction or suffering to human beings.
For he does not afflict from his heart or torment the children of mankind.
34 To crush under foot all the prisoners of the earth;
To crush underfoot all the prisoners of the earth,
35 to deprive a man of justice before the face of the Most High,
to deny a man justice in the presence of the Most High,
36 to subvert a man in his cause, the LORD does not approve.
to deny justice to a person—the Lord would not approve such things!
37 Who can speak a thing and have it come to pass, unless the LORD has commanded it?
Who has spoken and it came to pass, unless the Lord decreed it?
38 Doesn't both calamity and good come out of the mouth of the Most High?
Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that both calamities and the good come?
39 Why does a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins?
How can any person alive complain? How can a person complain about the punishment for his sins?
40 Let us examine and search our ways, and return to the LORD.
Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to Yahweh.
41 Let us lift up our heart with our hands to God in the heavens.
Let us lift up our hearts and our hands to God in the heavens:
42 We have transgressed and have rebelled, and you have not forgiven.
“We have transgressed and rebelled, and you have not forgiven.
43 You have covered yourself with anger and pursued us; you killed without sparing.
You have covered yourself with anger and pursued us, you have killed and you have not spared.
44 You have covered yourself with a cloud, so that no prayer can pass through.
You have covered yourself with a cloud so that no prayer can pass through.
45 You have made us rubbish and refuse in the midst of the peoples.
You have made us like filthy scum and refuse among the nations.
46 All our enemies have opened their mouth wide against us.
All our enemies curse us,
47 Fear and the pit have come on us, devastation and destruction.
panic and pitfall have come upon us, ruin and destruction.
48 Streams of tears run down from my eyes because of the destruction of the daughter of my people.
My eyes flow with streams of tears because my people are destroyed.
49 My tears flow and do not cease, without respite,
My eyes will shed tears without ceasing, without relief,
50 until the LORD looks down and sees from heaven.
until Yahweh from heaven looks down and sees.
51 My eyes bring my soul grief, because of all the daughters of my city.
My eyes cause me grief because of all the daughters of my city.
52 They have chased me relentlessly like a bird, those who are my enemies without cause.
I have been hunted like a bird by those who were my enemies; they hunted me without a reason.
53 They have cut off my life in a pit, and have cast a stone on me.
They cast me into a pit and they threw a stone on me,
54 Waters flowed over my head; I said, 'I am finished.'
and they caused waters to overflow, covering my head. I said, 'I have been cut off!'
55 I called on your name, LORD, out of the depths of the pit.
I called on your name, Yahweh, from the depths of the pit.
56 You heard my voice; do not hide your ear at my sighs, to my cry.
You heard my voice when I said, 'Do not close your ear to my cry for help.'
57 You drew near in the day that I called on you; you said, "Do not be afraid."
You came near on the day I called on you; you said, 'Do not fear.'
58 LORD, you have taken up the case for my soul; you have redeemed my life.
Lord, you defended my case, you saved my life!
59 You have seen, LORD, the wrong done to me; judge my case.
Yahweh, you have seen the wrong they have done to me; judge my case.
60 You have seen all their vengeance and all their plots against me.
You have seen their insults, all their plots against me—
61 You have heard their insults, LORD, and all their plots against me.
You have heard their scorn, Yahweh, and all their plans regarding me.
62 The lips of those that rose up against me, and their plots against me all day long.
The lips and the accusations of my enemies come against me all the day.
63 Look their sitting down, and their rising up; I am their mocking song.
Look at how they sit and then rise up; they mock me with their songs.
64 You will render to them what they deserve, LORD, according to the work of their hands.
Pay back to them, Yahweh, according to what they have done.
65 You will give them hardness of heart as your curse to them.
You will let their hearts be shameless! May your condemnation be upon them!
66 You will pursue them in anger, and destroy them from under the heavens of the LORD.
You pursue them in anger and destroy them from under the heavens, Yahweh!”
