Lamentations 3
1 I, am the man, that hath seen affliction, by the rod of his indignation;
Aleph. I am the man that see my poverty by the rod of his indignation.
2 Me, hath he driven out and brought into darkness, and not light;
Aleph. He hath led me, and brought me into darkness, and not into light.
3 Surely, against me, doth he again and again, turn his hand all the day.
Aleph. Only against me he hath turned, and turned again his hand all the day.
4 He hath worn out my flesh and my skin, hath broken my bones;
Beth. My skin and my flesh he hath made old, he hath broken my bones.
5 He hath built up against me, and carried round me, fortifications and a trench;
Beth. He hath built round about me, and he hath compassed me with gall and labour.
6 In dark places, hath he made me sit, like the dead of age-past times.
Beth. He hath set me in dark places as those that are dead for ever.
7 He hath walled up around me, that I cannot get out, hath weighted my fetter;
Ghimel. He hath built against me round about, that I may not get out: he hath made my fetters heavy.
8 Yea, when I make outcry and implore, he hath shut out my prayer;
Ghimel. Yea, and when I cry, and entreat, he hath shut out my prayer.
9 He hath walled in my ways with hewn stone, my paths, hath he caused to wind back.
Ghimel. He hath shut up my ways with square stones, he hath turned my paths upside down.
10 A bear lying in wait, he is to me, a lion, in secret places;
Daleth. He is become to me as a bear lying in wait: as a lion in secret places.
11 My ways, hath he turned aside, and hath torn me in pieces, hath made me desolate;
Daleth. He hath turned aside my paths, and hath broken me in pieces, he hath made me desolate.
12 He hath trodden his bow, and set me up, as a mark for the arrow.
Daleth. He hath bent his bow, and set me as a mark for his arrows.
13 He hath caused to enter my reins, the sons of his quiver;
He. He hath shot into my reins the daughters of his quiver.
14 I have become a derision to all my people, their song all the day;
He. I am made a derision to all my people, their song all the day long.
15 He hath sated me with bitter things, hath drenched me with wormwood.
He. He hath filled me with bitterness, he hath inebriated me with wormwood.
16 And he hath crushed, with gravel-stones, my teeth, hath made me cower in ashes;
Vau. And he hath broken my teeth one by one, he hath fed me with ashes.
17 And thou hast thrust away from welfare, my soul, I have forgotten prosperity;
Vau. And my soul is removed far off from peace, I have forgotten good things.
18 And I said, Vanished is mine endurance, even mine expectation, from Yahweh.
Vau. And I said: My end and my hope is perished from the Lord.
19 Remember my humiliation and my fleeings, the wormwood and poison;
Zain. Remember my poverty, and transgression, the wormwood, and the gall.
20 Thou wilt, indeed remember, that, bowed down concerning myself, is my soul;
Zain. I will be mindful and remember, and my soul shall languish within me.
21 This, will I bring back to my heart, therefore, will I hope.
Zain. These things I shall think over in my heart, therefore will I hope.
22 The lovingkindnesses of Yahweh, verily they are not exhausted, Verily! not at an end, are his compassions:
Heth. The mercies of the Lord that we are not consumed: because his commiserations have not failed.
23 New things for the mornings! Abundant is thy faithfulness:
Heth. They are new every morning, great is thy faithfulness.
24 My portion, is Yahweh, saith my soul, For this cause, will I wait for him.
Heth. The Lord is my portion, said my soul: therefore will I wait for him.
25 Good is Yahweh, to them who wait for him, to the soul that will seek him;
Teth. The Lord is good to them that hope in him, to the soul that seeketh him.
26 Good it is—both to wait and to be silent, for the deliverance of Yahweh;
Teth. It is good to wait with silence for the salvation of God.
27 Good it is for a man, that he should bear the yoke in his youth.
Teth. It is good for a man, when he hath borne the yoke from his youth.
28 Let him sit alone, and keep silence, because he took it upon himself:
Jod. He shall sit solitary, and hold his peace: because he hath taken it up upon himself.
29 Let him put, in the dust, his mouth, peradventure, there is hope!
Jod. He shall put his mouth in the dust, if so be there may be hope.
30 Let him give, to him that smiteth him, his cheek, let him be sated with reproach.
Jod. He shall give his cheek to him that striketh him, he shall be filled with reproaches.
31 Surely My Lord, will not cast off, unto times age-abiding;
Caph. For the Lord will not cast off for ever.
32 Surely, though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion, according to the multitude of his lovingkindnesses;
Caph. For if he hath cast off, he will also have mercy, according to the multitude of his mercies.
33 Surely he hath not afflicted from his heart, nor caused sorrow to the sons of men.
Caph. For he hath not willingly afflicted, nor cast off the children of men.
34 To crush, under his feet, any of the prisoners of the earth;
Lamed. To crush under his feet all the prisoners of the land,
35 To turn aside the right of a man, before the face of the Most High;
Lamed. To turn aside the judgment of a man before the face of the most High,
36 To oppress a son of earth in his cause, My Lord, hath made no provision.
Lamed. To destroy a man wrongfully in his judgment, the Lord hath not approved.
37 Who was it that spake, and it was done, [when], My Lord, had not commanded?
Mem. Who is he that hath commanded a thing to be done, when the Lord commandeth it not?
38 Out of the mouth of the Most High, Proceed there not misfortunes and blessing?
Mem. Shall not both evil and good proceed out of the mouth of the Highest?
39 Why should a living son of earth complain, [Let] a man [complain] because of his sins?
Mem. Why hath a living man murmured, man suffering for his sins?
40 Let us search out our ways, and examine them well, and let us return unto Yahweh;
Nun. Let us search our ways, and seek, and return to the Lord.
41 Let us lift up our heart, to the opened palms, to the Mighty One in the heavens;
Nun. Let us lift up our hearts with our hands to the Lord in the heavens.
42 We, have trespassed and rebelled, Thou, hast not pardoned.
Nun. We have done wickedly, and provoked thee to wrath: therefore thou art inexorable.
43 Thou hast covered thyself with anger, and pursued us, hast slain—hast not spared;
Samech. Thou hast covered in thy wrath, and hast struck us: thou hast killed and hast not spared.
44 Thou hast screened thyself with the clouds, that prayer, should not pass through;
Samech. Thou hast set a cloud before thee, that our prayer may not pass through.
45 Offscouring and refuse, dost thou make us, in the midst of the peoples.
Samech. Thou hast made me as an outcast, and refuse in the midst of the people.
46 With their mouth, opened wide over us, [stand] all our foes.
Phe. All our enemies have opened their mouths against us.
47 Terror and a pit, have befallen us, tumult and grievous injury;
Phe. Prophecy is become to us a fear, and a snare, and destruction.
48 With streams of water, mine eye runneth down, over the grievous injury of the daughter of my people.
Phe. My eye hath run down with streams of water, for the destruction of the daughter of my people.
49 Mine eye, poureth itself out and ceaseth not, without relief;
Ain. My eye is afflicted, and hath not been quiet, because there was no rest:
50 Until Yahweh out of the heavens shall look forth, and see,
Ain. Till the Lord regarded and looked down from the heavens.
51 Mine eye dealeth severely with my soul, because of all the daughters of my city.
Ain. My eye hath wasted my soul because of all the daughters of my city.
52 They, have laid snares, for me as a bird, who are mine enemies without cause:
Sade. My enemies have chased me and caught me like a bird, without cause.
53 They have cut off, in the dungeon, my life, and have cast a stone upon me;
Sade. My life is fallen into the pit, and they have laid a stone over me.
54 Waters, flowed over, my head, I said, I am cut off!
Sade. Waters have flowed over my head: I said: I am cut off.
55 I have called upon thy Name, O Yahweh, out of the dungeon below;
Coph. I have called upon thy name, O Lord, from the lowest pit.
56 My voice, thou hast heard, —do not close thine ear to my respite, to mine outcry;
Coph. Thou hast heard my voice: turn not away thy ear from my sighs, and cries.
57 Thou drewest near, in the day I kept calling on thee, thou saidst, Do not fear!
Coph. Thou drewest near in the day, when I called upon thee, thou saidst: Fear not.
58 Thou hast pleaded, O My Lord, the pleas of my soul, hast redeemed my life;
Res. Thou hast judged, O Lord, the cause of my soul, thou the Redeemer of my life.
59 Thou hast beheld, O Yahweh, my failure to get justice, Pronounce thou my sentence;
Res. Thou hast seen, O Lord, their iniquity against me: judge thou my judgment.
60 Thou hast seen all their vindictiveness, all their plots against me.
Res. Thou hast seen all their fury, and all their thoughts against me.
61 Thou hast heard their reproach, O Yahweh, all their plots against me;
Sin. Thou hast heard their reproach, O Lord, all their imaginations against me.
62 The lips of mine assailants, and their mutterings, are against me, all the day;
Sin. The lips of them that rise up against me: and their devices against me all the day.
63 On their downsitting and their uprising, do thou look, I, am their song.
Sin. Behold their sitting down, and their rising up, I am their song.
64 Thou wilt render to them a recompense, O Yahweh, according to the work of their hands;
Thau. Thou shalt render them a recompense, O Lord, according to the works of their hands.
65 Thou wilt suffer them a veiling of heart, thy curse to them;
Thau. Thou shalt give them a buckler of heart, thy labour.
66 Thou wilt pursue in anger, and wilt destroy them, from under the heavens of Yahweh.
Thau. Thou shalt persecute them in anger, and shalt destroy them from under the heavens, O Lord.
