Lamentations 3
1 I am the man that has seen affliction by the rod of his wrath.
I am the man who has experienced suffering under the rod of God's anger.
2 He has led me and caused me to walk in darkness, and not in light.
He has driven me away, forcing me to walk in darkness instead of the light.
3 Surely against me he turns his hand again and again all the day.
In fact he hits me again and again all day long.
4 My flesh and my skin he has made old; he has broken my bones.
He has worn me out; he has broken me in pieces.
5 He has built against me, and surrounded me with bitterness and hardship.
He has besieged me, surrounding me with bitterness and misery.
6 He has made me to dwell in dark places, like those that have been long dead.
He has forced me to live in darkness like those long dead.
7 He has walled me in, so I can't escape; he has made my chains heavy.
He has built a wall around me so I can't escape; he has bound me with heavy chains.
8 Yes, when I cry, and call for help, he shuts out my prayer.
Even when I keep on crying out for help, he refuses to listen to my prayer.
9 He has walled up my ways with cut stone; he has made my paths crooked.
He has put stone blocks in my way and sends me down crooked paths.
10 He is to me as a bear lying in wait, as a lion in hiding.
He is a bear that lies in wait for me, a lion in hiding ready to attack,
11 He has obstructed my path, and torn me in pieces; he has made me desolate.
He dragged me from my path and ripped me to pieces, leaving me helpless.
12 He has bent his bow, and set me as a mark for the arrow.
He loaded his bow with an arrow and used me as his target,
13 He has caused the arrows of his quiver to pierce my inward parts.
He shot me in my kidneys with his arrows.
14 I have become a laughingstock to all peoples, and their song all the day.
Now everyone laughs at me, singing songs that mock me all day long.
15 He has filled me with bitterness, he has given me in full measure wormwood.
He has filled me with bitterness; he has filled me up with bitter wormwood.
16 He has also broken my teeth with gravel; he has pressed me down in the dust.
He has broken my teeth with grit; he has trampled me in the dust.
17 You have removed my soul far away from peace; I have forgotten what prosperity is.
Peace has been torn away from me; I've forgotten all that's good in life.
18 And I said, "My strength and my hope has perished from the LORD."
That's why I say, “My expectation of a long life is gone, along with all that I hoped for from Lord.
19 Remember my affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall.
Don't forget everything I've suffered in my wandering, as bitters as wormwood and poison.
20 My soul considers them, and is depressed.
I certainly haven't forgotten. I remember it all too well, so I sink into depression.
21 But this I call to my mind; therefore I have hope:
But I still hope when I think about this:
22 The LORD's faithful love does not cease; his compassion does not fail.
It's because of the Lord's trustworthy love that our lives are not finished, for through his merciful actions he never lets us down.
23 They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
He renews them every morning. How wonderfully trustworthy you are, Lord!
24 "The LORD is my portion," says my soul, "therefore I will hope in him."
The Lord is all I need,” I tell myself, “so I will put my hope in him.”
25 The LORD is good to those who wait for him, to the soul that seeks him.
The Lord is good to those who trust in him, to anyone who seeks to follow him.
26 It is good that a man should hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD.
It is good to wait quietly for the Lord's salvation.
27 It is good for a man that he bear the yoke while he is young.
It is good for people to learn to patiently bear discipline while they're still young.
28 Let him sit alone and keep silence when he is disciplining him.
They should sit by themselves in silence, because it's God who has disciplined them.
29 Let him put his mouth to the dust, there may yet be hope.
They should bow low with their faces to the ground, for there may still be hope.
30 Let him give his cheek to him who strikes him; let him be filled with insults.
They should turn a cheek to someone who wants to slap them; they should take the insults of others.
31 For the LORD will not reject forever.
For the Lord won't abandon us forever.
32 For though he may cause grief, yet he will have compassion according to the abundance of his loving kindness.
Even though he may bring sadness, he shows us mercy because his trustworthy love is so great.
33 For he is not predisposed to bring affliction or suffering to human beings.
For he doesn't willingly hurt people, or cause them grief.
34 To crush under foot all the prisoners of the earth;
Whether it's mistreating all the prisoners of the land,
35 to deprive a man of justice before the face of the Most High,
Or denying someone their rights as the Most High watches,
36 to subvert a man in his cause, the LORD does not approve.
Or cheating someone in their legal case—these things the Lord doesn't approve of.
37 Who can speak a thing and have it come to pass, unless the LORD has commanded it?
Who spoke and it came into existence? Wasn't it the Lord who commanded it?
38 Doesn't both calamity and good come out of the mouth of the Most High?
When the Most High speaks it can be a disaster or a blessing.
39 Why does a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins?
Why should any human being complain about the results of their sins?
40 Let us examine and search our ways, and return to the LORD.
We should look at ourselves, examine what we're doing, and return to the Lord.
41 Let us lift up our heart with our hands to God in the heavens.
Let's not just hold up our hands to God in heaven, but our minds as well, saying,
42 We have transgressed and have rebelled, and you have not forgiven.
“We are the ones who sinned; we are the ones who rebelled; and you haven't forgiven us!”
43 You have covered yourself with anger and pursued us; you killed without sparing.
You have wrapped yourself in anger and chased us down, killing without mercy. You have killed without pity.
44 You have covered yourself with a cloud, so that no prayer can pass through.
You have wrapped yourself with a cloud that no prayer can penetrate.
45 You have made us rubbish and refuse in the midst of the peoples.
You have made us waste and refuse to the nations around.
46 All our enemies have opened their mouth wide against us.
All our enemies open their mouths to criticize us.
47 Fear and the pit have come on us, devastation and destruction.
We're terrified and trapped, devastated and destroyed.
48 Streams of tears run down from my eyes because of the destruction of the daughter of my people.
Tears stream from my eyes over the death of my people.
49 My tears flow and do not cease, without respite,
My eyes overflow with tears all the time. They won't stop
50 until the LORD looks down and sees from heaven.
Until the Lord looks down from heaven and sees what's going on.
51 My eyes bring my soul grief, because of all the daughters of my city.
What I've seen torments me because of what's happened to all the women in my city.
52 They have chased me relentlessly like a bird, those who are my enemies without cause.
For no reason my enemies trapped me like a bird.
53 They have cut off my life in a pit, and have cast a stone on me.
They tried to kill me by tossing me into a pit and throwing stones at me.
54 Waters flowed over my head; I said, 'I am finished.'
Water flooded over my head, and I thought I was going to die.
55 I called on your name, LORD, out of the depths of the pit.
I called out for you, Lord, from deep inside the pit.
56 You heard my voice; do not hide your ear at my sighs, to my cry.
You heard me when I prayed, “Please don't ignore my cry for help.”
57 You drew near in the day that I called on you; you said, "Do not be afraid."
You came to me when I called you, and you told me, “Don't be afraid!”
58 LORD, you have taken up the case for my soul; you have redeemed my life.
You have taken my case and defended me; you have saved my life!
59 You have seen, LORD, the wrong done to me; judge my case.
Lord, you have seen the injustices done to me; please vindicate me!
60 You have seen all their vengeance and all their plots against me.
You have observed how vengeful they are and how often they've plotted against me.
61 You have heard their insults, LORD, and all their plots against me.
Lord, you have heard how they've insulted me, and what they've plotted against me,
62 The lips of those that rose up against me, and their plots against me all day long.
How my enemies talk against me and complain about me all the time!
63 Look their sitting down, and their rising up; I am their mocking song.
Just look! Whether they're sitting down and or standing up, they go on making fun of me in their songs.
64 You will render to them what they deserve, LORD, according to the work of their hands.
Pay them back as they deserve, Lord, for all they've done!
65 You will give them hardness of heart as your curse to them.
Give them a covering for their minds! May your curse be on them!
66 You will pursue them in anger, and destroy them from under the heavens of the LORD.
Chase them down in your anger, Lord, and get rid of them from the earth!
