Lamentations 3
1 I am the man that hath seen affliction under the rod of His wrath;
I am the man who has seen affliction by the rod of his wrath.
2 He hath led me and brought me into darkness, and not into light;
He has led me and caused me to walk in darkness, and not in light.
3 Yea, against me doth he again and again turn his hand all the day long.
Surely he turns his hand against me, again and again all the day.
4 My flesh and my skin hath he made old; he hath broken my bones.
He has made my flesh and my skin old. He has broken my bones.
5 He hath builded against me, and encompassed me with bitterness and woe.
He has built against me, and encompassed me with gall and travail.
6 He hath set me in dark places, as those that have long been dead.
He has made me to dwell in dark places, as those who have long been dead.
7 He hath hedged me about, so that I cannot get out; he hath made my chain heavy;
He has walled me around, that I cannot go forth. He has made my chain heavy.
8 Yea, when I cry and call aloud, he shutteth out my prayer.
Yea, when I cry, and call for help, he shuts out my prayer.
9 He blocketh up my way with hewn stone; he maketh my paths crooked.
He has walled up my ways with hewn stone. He has made my paths crooked.
10 A bear lying in wait hath he been to me, a lion in lurking-places.
He is to me as a bear lying in wait, as a lion in concealed places.
11 He hath turned aside my ways, and torn me in pieces; he hath made me desolate.
He has turned aside my ways, and pulled me in pieces. He has made me desolate.
12 He hath bent his bow, and set me as a mark for the arrow.
He has bent his bow, and set me as a mark for the arrow.
13 He hath caused the sons of his quiver to pierce my reins.
He has caused the shafts of his quiver to enter into my reins.
14 I have been a laughing-stock to all my people, their song all the day.
I have become a derision to all my people, and their song all the day.
15 He hath filled me with bitterness; he hath made me drunk with wormwood.
He has filled me with bitterness. He has sated me with wormwood.
16 He hath also broken my teeth with gravel-stones; He hath covered me with ashes.
He has also broken my teeth with gravel stones. He has covered me with ashes.
17 Yea, thou hast removed my soul far from peace; I have forgotten prosperity.
And thou have removed my soul far off from peace. I forgot prosperity.
18 And I say, “My confidence and my hope in Jehovah are gone!”
And I said, My strength is perished, and my expectation from Jehovah.
19 Remember my affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall!
Remember my affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall.
20 Yea, thou wilt remember them, for my soul sinketh within me!
My soul still has them in remembrance, and is bowed down within me.
21 This I recall to my mind; therefore have I hope;
This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope:
22 It is of the mercy of Jehovah that we are not consumed; yea, his compassion faileth not;
It is of Jehovah's loving kindnesses that we are not consumed, because his compassions do not fail.
23 It is new every morning; great is thy faithfulness.
They are new every morning. Great is thy faithfulness.
24 Jehovah is my portion, saith my soul, therefore do I hope in him.
Jehovah is my portion, says my soul, therefore I will hope in him.
25 Jehovah is good to them that trust in him, to the soul that seeketh him.
Jehovah is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him.
26 It is good that a man hope, and quietly wait for salvation from Jehovah.
It is good that a man should hope and quietly wait for the salvation of Jehovah.
27 It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth;
It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth.
28 That he sit alone and keep silence, since He layeth it upon him;
Let him sit alone and keep silence, because he has laid it upon him.
29 That he put his mouth in the dust, [[saying to himself, ]] “Perhaps there may be hope!”
Let him put his mouth in the dust, if so be there may be hope.
30 That he offer his cheek to the smiter; that he be filled with reproach.
Let him give his cheek to him who smites him. Let him be filled full with reproach.
31 For the Lord will not cast off forever;
For the Lord will not cast off forever.
32 For though he cause grief, yet doth he have compassion according to his great mercy;
For though he causes grief, yet he will have compassion according to the multitude of his loving kindnesses.
33 For he doth not willingly afflict and grieve the children of men.
For he does not afflict willingly, nor grieve the sons of men.
34 Doth one trample under foot all the prisoners of the earth,
To crush under foot all the prisoners of the earth,
35 Doth he bend the right 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 Doth he subvert a man in his cause, and shall not the Lord behold it?
to subvert a man in his cause, the Lord does not approve.
37 Who is he that saith, and it cometh to pass, when the Lord hath not commanded?
Who is he that says, and it comes to pass, when the Lord does not command it?
38 Cometh not evil, as well as good, from the mouth of the Most High?
Out of the mouth of the Most High does there not come evil and good?
39 Wherefore then murmureth the living man? Let him murmur at his own sin!
Why does a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins?
40 Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to Jehovah!
Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to Jehovah.
41 Let us lift up our hearts with our hands to God in the heavens!
Let us lift up our heart with our hands to God in the heavens.
42 We have transgressed; we have rebelled; thou hast not forgiven!
We have transgressed and have rebelled. Thou have not pardoned.
43 Thou hast hidden thyself in anger, and hast pursued us; thou hast slain and hast not spared;
Thou have covered with anger and pursued us. Thou have slain; thou have not pitied.
44 Thou hast hidden thyself in a cloud, that our prayer may not pass through;
Thou have covered thyself with a cloud, so that no prayer can pass through.
45 Thou hast made us the offscouring and refuse in the midst of the nations.
Thou have made us an off-scouring and refuse in the midst of the peoples.
46 All our enemies have opened their mouths against us;
All our enemies have opened their mouth wide against us.
47 Terror and the pit have come upon us, desolation and destruction;
Fear and the pit have come upon us, devastation and destruction.
48 Mine eye runneth down with streams of water for the destruction of the daughter of my people.
My eye runs down with streams of water, for the destruction of the daughter of my people.
49 Mine eye trickleth down and ceaseth not, without any intermission,
My eye pours down, and does not cease, without any intermission,
50 Until Jehovah look down and behold from heaven.
till Jehovah looks down, and beholds from heaven.
51 Mine eye is painful to me on account of all the daughters of my city.
My eye stirs my soul, because of all the daughters of my city.
52 They that are my enemies without cause hunt me down like a bird;
They have chased me grievously like a bird, those who are my enemies without cause.
53 They take away my life in the dungeon; they cast a stone upon me;
They have cut off my life in the dungeon, and have cast a stone upon me.
54 Waters flow over my head; I say, “I am undone!”
Waters flowed over my head. I said, I am cut off.
55 I call upon thy name, O Jehovah, from the deep dungeon;
I called upon thy name, O Jehovah, out of the lowest dungeon.
56 Hear thou my voice! hide not thine ear from my cry for relief!
Thou heard my voice. Hide not thine ear at my breathing, at my cry.
57 Be near to me, when I call upon thee! Say, “Fear not!”
Thou drew near in the day that I called upon thee. Thou said, Fear not.
58 Thou maintainest my cause, O Lord; thou redeemest my life!
O Lord, thou have pleaded the causes of my soul. Thou have redeemed my life.
59 Thou, O Jehovah, seest the wrong done to me; Maintain thou my cause!
O Jehovah, thou have seen my wrong. Judge thou my cause.
60 Thou seest all their vengeance, all their devices against me.
Thou have seen all their vengeance and all their devices against me.
61 Thou hearest their reproach, O Jehovah, all their devices against me,
Thou have heard their reproach, O Jehovah, and all their devices against me,
62 The words of my adversaries, and their machinations against me all the day long!
the lips of those who rose up against me, and their device against me all the day.
63 Behold their sitting down and their rising up! I am their song.
Behold thou their sitting down, and their rising up. I am their song.
64 Render to them a recompense, O Jehovah, according to the work of their hands!
Thou will render to them a recompense, O Jehovah, according to the work of their hands.
65 Give them blindness of mind! thy curse be upon them!
Thou will give them hardness of heart, thy curse to them.
66 Pursue them in thine anger, and destroy them from under Jehovah's heaven!
Thou will pursue them in anger, and destroy them from under the heavens of Jehovah.
