< Lamentations 3 >

1 I AM the man that hath seen affliction by the rod of his wrath.
I [am] the man [who] hath seen affliction By the rod of His wrath.
2 He hath led me and caused me to walk in darkness and not in light.
Me He hath led, and causeth to go [in] darkness, and without light.
3 Surely against me he turneth his hand again and again all the day.
Surely against me He turneth back, He turneth His hand all the day.
4 My flesh and my skin hath he made old; he hath broken my bones.
He hath worn out my flesh and my skin. He hath broken my bones.
5 He hath builded against me, and compassed me with gall and travail.
He hath built up against me, And setteth round poverty and weariness.
6 He hath made me to dwell in dark places, as those that have been long dead.
In dark places He hath caused me to dwell, As the dead of old.
7 He hath fenced me about, that I cannot go forth; he hath made my chain heavy.
He hath hedged me about, and I go not out, He hath made heavy my fetter.
8 Yea, when I cry and call for help, he shutteth out my prayer.
Also when I call and cry out, He hath shut out my prayer.
9 He hath fenced up my ways with hewn stone, he hath made my paths crooked.
He hath hedged my ways with hewn work, My paths He hath made crooked.
10 He is unto me as a bear lying in wait, as a lion in secret places.
A bear lying in wait He [is] to me, A lion in secret hiding-places.
11 He hath turned aside my ways, and pulled me in pieces; he hath made me desolate.
My ways He is turning aside, and He pulleth me in pieces, He hath made me a desolation.
12 He hath bent his bow, and set me as a mark for the arrow.
He hath trodden His bow, And setteth me up as a mark for an arrow.
13 He hath caused the shafts of his quiver to enter into my reins.
He hath caused to enter into my reins The sons of His quiver.
14 I am become a derision to all my people; and their song all the day.
I have been a derision to all my people, Their song all the day.
15 He hath filled me with bitterness, he hath sated me with wormwood.
He hath filled me with bitter things, He hath filled me [with] wormwood.
16 He hath also broken my teeth with gravel stones, he hath covered me with ashes.
And He breaketh with gravel my teeth, He hath covered me with ashes.
17 And thou hast removed my soul far off from peace; I forgat prosperity.
And Thou castest off from peace my soul, I have forgotten prosperity.
18 And I said, My strength is perished, and mine expectation from the LORD.
And I say, Perished hath my strength and my hope from Jehovah.
19 Remember mine affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall.
Remember my affliction and my mourning, Wormwood and gall!
20 My soul hath them still in remembrance, and is bowed down within me.
Remember well, and bow down doth my soul in me.
21 This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope.
This I turn to my heart — therefore I hope.
22 [It is of] the LORD’S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.
The kindnesses of Jehovah! For we have not been consumed, For not ended have His mercies.
23 They are new every morning; great is thy faithfulness.
New every morning, abundant [is] thy faithfulness.
24 The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him.
My portion [is] Jehovah, hath my soul said, Therefore I hope for Him.
25 The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him.
Good [is] Jehovah to those waiting for Him, To the soul [that] seeketh Him.
26 It is good that a man should hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD.
Good! when one doth stay and stand still For the salvation of Jehovah.
27 It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth.
Good for a man that he beareth a yoke in his youth.
28 Let him sit alone and keep silence, because he hath laid it upon him.
He sitteth alone, and is silent, For He hath laid [it] upon him.
29 Let him put his mouth in the dust; if so be there may he hope.
He putteth in the dust his mouth, if so be there is hope.
30 Let him give his cheek to him that smiteth him; let him be filled full with reproach.
He giveth to his smiter the cheek, He is filled with reproach.
31 For the Lord will not cast off for ever.
For the Lord doth not cast off to the age.
32 For though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies.
For though He afflicted, yet He hath pitied, According to the abundance of His kindness.
33 For he doth not afflict willingly, nor grieve the children of men.
For He hath not afflicted with His heart, Nor doth He grieve the sons of men.
34 To crush under foot all the prisoners of the earth,
To bruise under one's feet any bound ones of 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, Over-against the face of the Most High,
36 To subvert a man in his cause, the Lord approveth not.
To subvert a man in his cause, the Lord hath not approved.
37 Who is he that saith, and it cometh to pass, when the Lord commandeth it not?
Who [is] this — he hath said, and it is, [And] the Lord hath not commanded [it]?
38 Out of the mouth of the Most High cometh there not evil and good?
From the mouth of the Most High Go not forth the evils and the good.
39 Wherefore doth a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins?
What — sigh habitually doth a living man, A man for his sin?
40 Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the LORD.
We search our ways, and investigate, And turn back unto Jehovah.
41 Let us lift up our heart with our hands unto God in the heavens.
We lift up our heart on the hands unto God in the heavens.
42 We have transgressed and have rebelled; thou hast not pardoned.
We — we have transgressed and rebelled, Thou — Thou hast not forgiven.
43 Thou hast covered with anger and pursued us; thou hast slain, thou hast not pitied.
Thou hast covered Thyself with anger, And dost pursue us; Thou hast slain — Thou hast not pitied.
44 Thou hast covered thyself with a cloud, that [our] prayer should not pass through.
Thou hast covered Thyself with a cloud, So that prayer doth not pass through.
45 Thou hast made us [as] the offscouring and refuse in the midst of the peoples.
Offscouring and refuse Thou dost make us In the midst of the peoples.
46 all our enemies have opened their mouth wide against us.
Opened against us their mouth have all our enemies.
47 Fear and the pit are come upon us, devastation and destruction.
Fear and a snare hath been for us, Desolation and destruction.
48 Mine eye runneth down with rivers of water, for the destruction of the daughter of my people.
Rivulets of water go down my eye, For the destruction of the daughter of my people.
49 Mine eye poureth down, and ceaseth not, without any intermission,
Mine eye is poured out, And doth not cease without intermission,
50 Till the LORD look down, and behold from heaven.
Till Jehovah looketh and seeth from the heavens,
51 Mine eye affecteth my soul, because of all the daughters of my city.
My eye affecteth my soul, Because of all the daughters of my city.
52 They have chased me sore like a bird, that are mine enemies without cause.
Hunted me sore as a bird have my enemies without cause.
53 They have cut off my life in the dungeon, and have cast a stone upon me.
They have cut off in a pit my life, And they cast a stone against me.
54 Waters flowed over mine head; I said, I am cut off.
Flowed have waters over my head, I have said, I have been cut off.
55 I called upon thy name, O LORD, out of the lowest dungeon.
I called Thy name, O Jehovah, from the lower pit.
56 Thou heardest my voice; hide not thine ear at my breathing, at my cry.
My voice Thou hast heard, Hide not Thine ear at my breathing — at my cry.
57 Thou drewest near in the day that I called upon thee: thou saidst, Fear not.
Thou hast drawn near in the day I call Thee, Thou hast said, Fear not.
58 O Lord, thou hast pleaded the causes of my soul; thou hast redeemed my life.
Thou hast pleaded, O Lord, the pleadings of my soul, Thou hast redeemed my life.
59 O LORD, thou hast seen my wrong; judge thou my cause.
Thou hast seen, O Jehovah, my overthrow, Judge Thou my cause.
60 Thou hast seen all their vengeance and all their devices against me.
Thou hast seen all their vengeance, All their thoughts of me.
61 Thou hast heard their reproach, O LORD, and all their devices against me;
Thou hast heard their reproach, O Jehovah, All their thoughts against me,
62 The lips of those that rose up against me, and their imagination against me all the day.
The lips of my withstanders, Even their meditation 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, Behold attentively, I [am] their song.
64 Thou wilt render unto them a recompence, O LORD, according to the work of their hands.
Thou returnest to them the deed, O Jehovah, According to the work of their hands.
65 Thou wilt give them hardness of heart, thy curse unto them.
Thou givest to them a covered heart, Thy curse to them.
66 Thou wilt pursue them in anger, and destroy them from under the heavens of the LORD.
Thou pursuest in anger, and destroyest them, From under the heavens of Jehovah!

< Lamentations 3 >