Lamentations 3
1 I am the man that hath seen affliction under the rod of His wrath;
I AM the man that 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 brought me into darkness, but not into light.
3 Yea, against me doth he again and again turn his hand all the day long.
Surely against me is he turned; he turns his hand against me all the day.
4 My flesh and my skin hath he made old; he hath broken my bones.
My flesh and my skin has he made 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 compassed me with gall and travail.
6 He hath set me in dark places, as those that have long been dead.
He has set me in dark places, as they that be dead of old.
7 He hath hedged me about, so that I cannot get out; he hath made my chain heavy;
He has hedged me about, that I cannot get out: he has made my chain heavy.
8 Yea, when I cry and call aloud, he shutteth out my prayer.
Also when I cry and shout, he shuts out my prayer.
9 He blocketh up my way with hewn stone; he maketh my paths crooked.
He has enclosed 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 was unto me as a bear lying in wait, and as a lion in secret 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 arrows 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 was 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 made me drunken 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 you have removed my soul far off from peace: I forgotten about prosperity.
18 And I say, “My confidence and my hope in Jehovah are gone!”
And I said, My strength and my hope is perished from the LORD:
19 Remember my affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall!
Remembering mine affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall.
20 Yea, thou wilt remember them, for my soul sinketh within me!
My soul has them still in remembrance, and is humbled in me.
21 This I recall to my mind; therefore have I hope;
This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope.
22 It is of the mercy of Jehovah that we are not consumed; yea, his compassion faileth not;
It is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.
23 It is new every morning; great is thy faithfulness.
They are new every morning: great is your faithfulness.
24 Jehovah is my portion, saith my soul, therefore do I hope in him.
The LORD is my portion, says my soul; therefore will I hope in him.
25 Jehovah is good to them that trust in him, to the soul that seeketh him.
The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeks him.
26 It is good that a man hope, and quietly wait for salvation from Jehovah.
It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD.
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 of his youth.
28 That he sit alone and keep silence, since He layeth it upon him;
He sits alone and keeps silence, because he has borne it upon him.
29 That he put his mouth in the dust, [[saying to himself, ]] “Perhaps there may be hope!”
He puts 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.
He gives his cheek to him that strikes him: he is filled full with reproach.
31 For the Lord will not cast off forever;
For the LORD will not cast off for ever:
32 For though he cause grief, yet doth he have compassion according to his great mercy;
But though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies.
33 For he doth not willingly afflict and grieve the children of men.
For he does not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men.
34 Doth one trample under foot all the prisoners of the earth,
To crush under his feet 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 approves not.
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 commands it not?
38 Cometh not evil, as well as good, from the mouth of the Most High?
Out of the mouth of the most High proceeds not evil and good?
39 Wherefore then murmureth the living man? Let him murmur at his own sin!
Wherefore 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 return to the LORD.
41 Let us lift up our hearts with our hands to God in the heavens!
Let us lift up our heart with our hands unto God in the heavens.
42 We have transgressed; we have rebelled; thou hast not forgiven!
We have transgressed and have rebelled: you have not pardoned.
43 Thou hast hidden thyself in anger, and hast pursued us; thou hast slain and hast not spared;
You have covered with anger, and persecuted us: you have slain, you have not pitied.
44 Thou hast hidden thyself in a cloud, that our prayer may not pass through;
You have covered yourself with a cloud, that our prayer should not pass through.
45 Thou hast made us the offscouring and refuse in the midst of the nations.
You have made us as the waste and refuse in the midst of the people.
46 All our enemies have opened their mouths against us;
All our enemies have opened their mouths against us.
47 Terror and the pit have come upon us, desolation and destruction;
Fear and a snare has come upon us, desolation and destruction.
48 Mine eye runneth down with streams of water for the destruction of the daughter of my people.
Mine eye runs down with rivers of water for the destruction of the daughter of my people.
49 Mine eye trickleth down and ceaseth not, without any intermission,
Mine eye trickes down, and ceases not, without any intermission.
50 Until Jehovah look down and behold from heaven.
Till the LORD look down, and behold from heaven.
51 Mine eye is painful to me on account of all the daughters of my city.
Mine eye affects mine heart because of all the daughters of my city.
52 They that are my enemies without cause hunt me down like a bird;
Mine enemies chased me sore, like a bird, 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 cast a stone upon me.
54 Waters flow over my head; I say, “I am undone!”
Waters flowed over mine head; then I said, I am cut off.
55 I call upon thy name, O Jehovah, from the deep dungeon;
I called upon your name, O LORD, out of the low dungeon.
56 Hear thou my voice! hide not thine ear from my cry for relief!
You have heard my voice: hide not your ear at my breathing, at my cry.
57 Be near to me, when I call upon thee! Say, “Fear not!”
You drew near in the day that I called upon you: you said, Fear not.
58 Thou maintainest my cause, O Lord; thou redeemest my life!
O LORD, you have pleaded the causes of my soul; you have redeemed my life.
59 Thou, O Jehovah, seest the wrong done to me; Maintain thou my cause!
O LORD, you have seen my wrong: judge you my cause.
60 Thou seest all their vengeance, all their devices against me.
You have seen all their vengeance and all their imaginations against me.
61 Thou hearest their reproach, O Jehovah, all their devices against me,
You have heard their reproach, O LORD, and all their imaginations against me;
62 The words of my adversaries, and their machinations against me all the day long!
The lips of those that 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 their sitting down, and their rising up; I am their music.
64 Render to them a recompense, O Jehovah, according to the work of their hands!
Render unto them a recompence, O LORD, according to the work of their hands.
65 Give them blindness of mind! thy curse be upon them!
Give them sorrow of heart, your curse unto them.
66 Pursue them in thine anger, and destroy them from under Jehovah's heaven!
Persecute and destroy them in anger from under the heavens of the LORD.
