Lamentations 3
1 I AM the man that hath 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 hath 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 turneth 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 hath he made old; he hath broken my bones.
He has made old my flesh and my skin; he has broken my bones.
5 He hath builded against me, and compassed me with gall and travail.
BETH. He has built against me, and compassed my head, and brought travail [upon me].
6 He hath made me to dwell in dark places, as those that have been long dead.
He has set me in dark places, as them that have long been dead.
7 He hath fenced me about, that I cannot go forth; he hath made my chain heavy.
He has builded against me, and I cannot come forth: he has made my brazen [chain] heavy.
8 Yea, when I cry and call for help, he shutteth out my prayer.
GIMEL. Yea, [though] I cry and shout, he shuts out my prayer.
9 He hath fenced up my ways with hewn stone, he hath made my paths crooked.
DALETH. He has built up my ways, he has hedged my paths;
10 He is unto me as a bear lying in wait, as a lion in secret places.
he has troubled me, [as] a she-bear lying in wait: he is to me [as] a lion in secret places.
11 He hath turned aside my ways, and pulled me in pieces; he hath made me desolate.
He pursued [me] after I departed, and brought me to a stand: he has utterly ruined me.
12 He hath 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 hath caused the shafts of his quiver to enter into my reins.
He has caused the arrows of his quiver to enter into my reins.
14 I am become a derision to all my people; and their song all the day.
I became a laughing-stock to all my people; and their song all the day.
15 He hath filled me with bitterness, he hath sated me with wormwood.
VAU. He has filled me with bitterness, he has drenched me with gall.
16 He hath also broken my teeth with gravel stones, he hath covered me with ashes.
And he has dashed out my teeth with gravel, he has fed me with ashes.
17 And thou hast removed my soul far off from peace; I forgat prosperity.
He has also removed my soul from peace: I forgot prosperity.
18 And I said, My strength is perished, and mine expectation from the LORD.
Therefore my success has perished, and my hope from the Lord.
19 Remember mine 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 hath them still in remembrance, and is bowed down within me.
and my soul shall meditate with me.
21 This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope.
This will I lay up in my heart, therefore I will endure.
22 [It is of] the LORD’S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.
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 thy faithfulness.
[They are] new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.
24 The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him.
The Lord is my portion, says my soul; therefore will I wait for him.
25 The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh 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 in his youth.
TETH. [It is] good for a man when he bears a yoke in his youth.
28 Let him sit alone and keep silence, because he hath laid it upon him.
He will sit alone, and be silent, because he has borne [it] upon him.
29 Let him put his mouth in the dust; if so be there may he hope.
30 Let him give his cheek to him that smiteth him; let him be filled full with reproach.
JOD. He will give [his] cheek to him that smites him: he will be filled full with reproaches.
31 For the Lord will not cast off for ever.
For the Lord will not reject for ever.
32 For though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies.
CHAPH. For he that has brought down will pity, and [that] according to the abundance of his mercy.
33 For he doth not afflict willingly, nor grieve the children of men.
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 turn aside the right of a man 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 approveth not.
to condemn a man [unjustly] in his judgment, the Lord has not given commandment.
37 Who is he that saith, and it cometh to pass, when the Lord commandeth it not?
Who has thus spoken, and it has come to pass? the Lord has not commanded it.
38 Out of the mouth of the Most High cometh there not evil and good?
Out of the mouth of the Most High there shall not come forth evil and good.
39 Wherefore doth 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 search and try our ways, and turn again 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 unto 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; thou hast not pardoned.
We have sinned, we have transgressed; and thou hast not pardoned.
43 Thou hast covered with anger and pursued us; thou hast slain, thou hast not pitied.
SAMECH. Thou has visited [us] in wrath, and driven us away: thou has slain, thou has not pitied.
44 Thou hast covered thyself with a cloud, that [our] prayer should not pass through.
Thou hast veiled thyself with a cloud because of prayer, that I might be blind,
45 Thou hast made us [as] the offscouring 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 are come upon us, devastation and destruction.
Fear and wrath are come upon us, suspense and destruction.
48 Mine eye runneth down with rivers of water, for 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 Mine eye poureth down, and ceaseth not, without any intermission,
PHE. Mine eye is drowned [with tears], and I will not be silent, so that there shall be no rest,
50 Till the LORD look down, and behold from heaven.
until the Lord look down, and behold from heaven.
51 Mine eye affecteth my soul, 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 sore like a bird, that are mine 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 the dungeon, and have cast a stone upon me.
and laid a stone upon me.
54 Waters flowed over mine head; I said, I am cut off.
Water flowed over my head: I said, I am cut off.
55 I called upon thy name, O LORD, out of the lowest dungeon.
KOPH. I called upon thy name, O Lord, out of the lowest dungeon.
56 Thou heardest my voice; hide not thine ear at my breathing, at my cry.
Thou heardest my voice: close not thine ears to my supplication.
57 Thou drewest near in the day that I called upon thee: thou saidst, Fear not.
Thou drewest nigh to my help: in the day wherein I called upon thee thou saidst to me, Fear not.
58 O Lord, thou hast pleaded the causes of my soul; thou hast redeemed my life.
RECHS. O Lord, thou has pleaded the causes of my soul; thou has redeemed my life.
59 O LORD, thou hast seen my wrong; judge thou my cause.
Thou hast seen, O Lord, my troubles: thou hast judged my cause.
60 Thou hast seen all their vengeance and all their devices against me.
Thou hast seen all their vengeance, [thou hast looked] on all their devices against me.
61 Thou hast heard their reproach, O LORD, and all their devices 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 imagination against me all the day.
the lips of them that rose up against me, and their plots against me all the day;
63 Behold thou their sitting down, and their rising up; I am their song.
their sitting down and their rising up: look thou upon their eyes.
64 Thou wilt render unto them a recompence, O LORD, according to the work of their hands.
Thou wilt render them a recompense, O Lord, according to the works of their hands.
65 Thou wilt give them hardness of heart, thy curse unto them.
THAU. Thou wilt give them [as] a covering, the grief of my heart.
66 Thou wilt 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.
