Lamentations 3
1 I, am the man, that hath seen affliction, by the rod of his indignation;
I am the man who has seen affliction by the rod of his wrath.
2 Me, hath he driven out and brought into darkness, and not light;
He has led me and caused me to walk in darkness, and not in light.
3 Surely, against me, doth he again and again, turn his hand all the day.
Surely he turns his hand against me again and again all day long.
4 He hath worn out my flesh and my skin, hath broken my bones;
He has made my flesh and my skin old. He has broken my bones.
5 He hath built up against me, and carried round me, fortifications and a trench;
He has built against me, and surrounded me with bitterness and hardship.
6 In dark places, hath he made me sit, like the dead of age-past times.
He has made me dwell in dark places, as those who have been long dead.
7 He hath walled up around me, that I cannot get out, hath weighted my fetter;
He has walled me about, so that I can’t go out. He has made my chain heavy.
8 Yea, when I make outcry and implore, he hath shut out my prayer;
Yes, when I cry, and call for help, he shuts out my prayer.
9 He hath walled in my ways with hewn stone, my paths, hath he caused to wind back.
He has walled up my ways with cut stone. He has made my paths crooked.
10 A bear lying in wait, he is to me, a lion, in secret places;
He is to me as a bear lying in wait, as a lion in hiding.
11 My ways, hath he turned aside, and hath torn me in pieces, hath made me desolate;
He has turned away my path, and pulled me in pieces. He has made me desolate.
12 He hath trodden his bow, and set me up, as a mark for the arrow.
He has bent his bow, and set me as a mark for the arrow.
13 He hath caused to enter my reins, the sons of his quiver;
He has caused the shafts of his quiver to enter into my kidneys.
14 I have become a derision to all my people, their song all the day;
I have become a derision to all my people, and their song all day long.
15 He hath sated me with bitter things, hath drenched me with wormwood.
He has filled me with bitterness. He has stuffed me with wormwood.
16 And he hath crushed, with gravel-stones, my teeth, hath made me cower in ashes;
He has also broken my teeth with gravel. He has covered me with ashes.
17 And thou hast thrust away from welfare, my soul, I have forgotten prosperity;
You have removed my soul far away from peace. I forgot prosperity.
18 And I said, Vanished is mine endurance, even mine expectation, from Yahweh.
I said, “My strength has perished, along with my expectation from the LORD.”
19 Remember my humiliation and my fleeings, the wormwood and poison;
Remember my affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the bitterness.
20 Thou wilt, indeed remember, that, bowed down concerning myself, is my soul;
My soul still remembers them, and is bowed down within me.
21 This, will I bring back to my heart, therefore, will I hope.
This I recall to my mind; therefore I have hope.
22 The lovingkindnesses of Yahweh, verily they are not exhausted, Verily! not at an end, are his compassions:
It is because of the LORD’s loving kindnesses that we are not consumed, because his mercies don’t fail.
23 New things for the mornings! Abundant is thy faithfulness:
They are new every morning. Great is your faithfulness.
24 My portion, is Yahweh, saith my soul, For this cause, will I wait for him.
“The LORD is my portion,” says my soul. “Therefore I will hope in him.”
25 Good is Yahweh, to them who wait for him, to the soul that will seek him;
The LORD is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him.
26 Good it is—both to wait and to be silent, for the deliverance of Yahweh;
It is good that a man should hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD.
27 Good it is for a man, that he should bear the yoke in his youth.
It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth.
28 Let him sit alone, and keep silence, because he took it upon himself:
Let him sit alone and keep silence, because he has laid it on him.
29 Let him put, in the dust, his mouth, peradventure, there is hope!
Let him put his mouth in the dust, if it is so that there may be hope.
30 Let him give, to him that smiteth him, his cheek, let him be sated with reproach.
Let him give his cheek to him who strikes him. Let him be filled full of reproach.
31 Surely My Lord, will not cast off, unto times age-abiding;
For the Lord will not cast off forever.
32 Surely, though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion, according to the multitude of his lovingkindnesses;
For though he causes grief, yet he will have compassion according to the multitude of his loving kindnesses.
33 Surely he hath not afflicted from his heart, nor caused sorrow to the sons of men.
For he does not afflict willingly, nor grieve the children of men.
34 To crush, under his feet, any of the prisoners of the earth;
To crush under foot all the prisoners of the earth,
35 To turn aside the right of a man, before the face of the Most High;
to turn away the right 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.
to subvert a man in his cause, the Lord doesn’t approve.
37 Who was it that spake, and it was done, [when], My Lord, had not commanded?
Who is he who says, and it comes to pass, when the Lord doesn’t command it?
38 Out of the mouth of the Most High, Proceed there not misfortunes and blessing?
Doesn’t evil and good come out of the mouth of the Most High?
39 Why should a living son of earth complain, [Let] a man [complain] because of his sins?
Why should a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins?
40 Let us search out our ways, and examine them well, and let us return unto Yahweh;
Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the LORD.
41 Let us lift up our heart, to the opened palms, to the Mighty One in the heavens;
Let’s lift up our heart with our hands to God in the heavens.
42 We, have trespassed and rebelled, Thou, hast not pardoned.
“We have transgressed and have rebelled. You have not pardoned.
43 Thou hast covered thyself with anger, and pursued us, hast slain—hast not spared;
“You have covered us with anger and pursued us. You have killed. You have not pitied.
44 Thou hast screened thyself with the clouds, that prayer, should not pass through;
You have covered yourself with a cloud, so that no prayer can pass through.
45 Offscouring and refuse, dost thou make us, in the midst of the peoples.
You have made us an off-scouring and refuse in the middle of the peoples.
46 With their mouth, opened wide over us, [stand] all our foes.
“All our enemies have opened their mouth wide against us.
47 Terror and a pit, have befallen us, tumult and grievous injury;
Terror and the pit have come on us, devastation and destruction.”
48 With streams of water, mine eye runneth down, over the grievous injury 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, poureth itself out and ceaseth not, without relief;
My eye pours down and doesn’t cease, without any intermission,
50 Until Yahweh out of the heavens shall look forth, and see,
until the LORD looks down, and sees from heaven.
51 Mine eye dealeth severely with my soul, because of all the daughters of my city.
My eye affects 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:
They have chased me relentlessly like a bird, those who are my enemies without cause.
53 They have cut off, in the dungeon, my life, and have cast a stone upon me;
They have cut off my life in the dungeon, and have cast a stone on me.
54 Waters, flowed over, my head, I said, I am cut off!
Waters flowed over my head. I said, “I am cut off.”
55 I have called upon thy Name, O Yahweh, out of the dungeon below;
I called on your name, LORD, out of the lowest dungeon.
56 My voice, thou hast heard, —do not close thine ear to my respite, to mine outcry;
You heard my voice: “Don’t hide your ear from my sighing, and my cry.”
57 Thou drewest near, in the day I kept calling on thee, thou saidst, Do not fear!
You came near in the day that I called on you. You said, “Don’t be afraid.”
58 Thou hast pleaded, O My Lord, the pleas of my soul, hast redeemed my life;
Lord, you have pleaded the causes of my soul. You have redeemed my life.
59 Thou hast beheld, O Yahweh, my failure to get justice, Pronounce thou my sentence;
LORD, you have seen my wrong. Judge my cause.
60 Thou hast seen all their vindictiveness, all their plots against me.
You have seen all their vengeance and all their plans against me.
61 Thou hast heard their reproach, O Yahweh, all their plots against me;
You have heard their reproach, LORD, and all their plans against me,
62 The lips of mine assailants, and their mutterings, are against me, all the day;
the lips of those that rose up against me, and their plots against me all day long.
63 On their downsitting and their uprising, do thou look, I, am their song.
You see 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;
You will pay them back, LORD, according to the work of their hands.
65 Thou wilt suffer them a veiling of heart, thy curse to them;
You will give them hardness of heart, your curse to them.
66 Thou wilt pursue in anger, and wilt destroy them, from under the heavens of Yahweh.
You will pursue them in anger, and destroy them from under the heavens of the LORD.
