Lamentations 3
1 I, am the man, that hath seen affliction, by the rod of his indignation;
Aleph. I am a man seynge my pouert in the yerde of his indignacioun.
2 Me, hath he driven out and brought into darkness, and not light;
Aleph. He droof me, and brouyte in to derknessis, and not in to liyt.
3 Surely, against me, doth he again and again, turn his hand all the day.
Aleph. Oneli he turnede in to me, and turnede togidere his hond al dai.
4 He hath worn out my flesh and my skin, hath broken my bones;
Beth. He made eld my skyn, and my fleisch; he al to-brak my boonys.
5 He hath built up against me, and carried round me, fortifications and a trench;
Beth. He bildid in my cumpas, and he cumpasside me with galle and trauel.
6 In dark places, hath he made me sit, like the dead of age-past times.
Beth. He settide me in derk places, as euerlastynge deed men.
7 He hath walled up around me, that I cannot get out, hath weighted my fetter;
Gymel. He bildide aboute ayens me, that Y go not out; he aggregide my gyues.
8 Yea, when I make outcry and implore, he hath shut out my prayer;
Gymel. But and whanne Y crie and preye, he hath excludid my preier.
9 He hath walled in my ways with hewn stone, my paths, hath he caused to wind back.
Gymel. He closide togidere my weies with square stoonus; he distriede my pathis.
10 A bear lying in wait, he is to me, a lion, in secret places;
Deleth. He is maad a bere settinge aspies to me, a lioun in hid places.
11 My ways, hath he turned aside, and hath torn me in pieces, hath made me desolate;
Deleth. He distriede my pathis, and brak me; he settide me desolat.
12 He hath trodden his bow, and set me up, as a mark for the arrow.
Deleth. He bente his bowe, and settide me as a signe to an arowe.
13 He hath caused to enter my reins, the sons of his quiver;
He. He sente in my reynes the douytris of his arowe caas.
14 I have become a derision to all my people, their song all the day;
He. Y am maad in to scorn to al the puple, the song of hem al dai.
15 He hath sated me with bitter things, hath drenched me with wormwood.
He. He fillide me with bitternesses; he gretli fillide me with wermod.
16 And he hath crushed, with gravel-stones, my teeth, hath made me cower in ashes;
Vau. He brak at noumbre my teeth; he fedde me with aische.
17 And thou hast thrust away from welfare, my soul, I have forgotten prosperity;
Vau. And my soule is putte awei; Y haue foryete goodis.
18 And I said, Vanished is mine endurance, even mine expectation, from Yahweh.
Vau. And Y seide, Myn ende perischide, and myn hope fro the Lord.
19 Remember my humiliation and my fleeings, the wormwood and poison;
Zai. Haue thou mynde on my pouert and goyng ouer, and on wermod and galle.
20 Thou wilt, indeed remember, that, bowed down concerning myself, is my soul;
Zai. Bi mynde Y schal be myndeful; and my soule schal faile in me.
21 This, will I bring back to my heart, therefore, will I hope.
Zai. Y bithenkynge these thingis in myn herte, schal hope in God.
22 The lovingkindnesses of Yahweh, verily they are not exhausted, Verily! not at an end, are his compassions:
Heth. The mercies of the Lord ben manye, for we ben not wastid; for whi hise merciful doyngis failiden not.
23 New things for the mornings! Abundant is thy faithfulness:
Heth. Y knew in the morewtid; thi feith is miche.
24 My portion, is Yahweh, saith my soul, For this cause, will I wait for him.
Heth. My soule seide, The Lord is my part; therfor Y schal abide hym.
25 Good is Yahweh, to them who wait for him, to the soul that will seek him;
Teth. The Lord is good to hem that hopen in to hym, to a soule sekynge hym.
26 Good it is—both to wait and to be silent, for the deliverance of Yahweh;
Teth. It is good to abide with stilnesse the helthe of God.
27 Good it is for a man, that he should bear the yoke in his youth.
Teth. It is good to a man, whanne he hath bore the yok fro his yongthe.
28 Let him sit alone, and keep silence, because he took it upon himself:
Joth. He schal sitte aloone, and he schal be stille; for he reiside hym silf aboue hym silf.
29 Let him put, in the dust, his mouth, peradventure, there is hope!
Joth. He schal sette his mouth in dust, if perauenture hope is.
30 Let him give, to him that smiteth him, his cheek, let him be sated with reproach.
Joth. He schal yyue the cheke to a man that smytith hym; he schal be fillid with schenschipis.
31 Surely My Lord, will not cast off, unto times age-abiding;
Caph. For the Lord schal not putte awei with outen ende.
32 Surely, though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion, according to the multitude of his lovingkindnesses;
Caph. For if he castide awei, and he schal do merci bi the multitude of hise mercies.
33 Surely he hath not afflicted from his heart, nor caused sorrow to the sons of men.
Caph. For he makide not low of his herte; and castide not awei the sones of men. Lameth.
34 To crush, under his feet, any of the prisoners of the earth;
That he schulde al to-foule vndur hise feet alle the boundun men of erthe. Lameth.
35 To turn aside the right of a man, before the face of the Most High;
That he schulde bowe doun the dom of man, in the siyt of the cheer of the hiyeste.
36 To oppress a son of earth in his cause, My Lord, hath made no provision.
Lameth. That he schulde peruerte a man in his dom, the Lord knew not.
37 Who was it that spake, and it was done, [when], My Lord, had not commanded?
Men. Who is this that seide, that a thing schulde be don, whanne the Lord comaundide not?
38 Out of the mouth of the Most High, Proceed there not misfortunes and blessing?
Men. Nether goodis nether yuels schulen go out of the mouth of the hiyeste.
39 Why should a living son of earth complain, [Let] a man [complain] because of his sins?
Men. What grutchide a man lyuynge, a man for hise synnes?
40 Let us search out our ways, and examine them well, and let us return unto Yahweh;
Nun. Serche we oure weies, and seke we, and turne we ayen to the Lord.
41 Let us lift up our heart, to the opened palms, to the Mighty One in the heavens;
Nun. Reise we oure hertis with hondis, to the Lord in to heuenes.
42 We, have trespassed and rebelled, Thou, hast not pardoned.
Nun. We han do wickidli, and han terrid thee to wraththe; therfor thou art not able to be preied.
43 Thou hast covered thyself with anger, and pursued us, hast slain—hast not spared;
Sameth. Thou hilidist in stronge veniaunce, and smitidist vs; thou killidist, and sparidist not.
44 Thou hast screened thyself with the clouds, that prayer, should not pass through;
Sameth. Thou settidist a clowde to thee, that preier passe not.
45 Offscouring and refuse, dost thou make us, in the midst of the peoples.
Sameth. Thou settidist me, drawing vp bi the roote, and castynge out, in the myddis of puplis.
46 With their mouth, opened wide over us, [stand] all our foes.
Ayn. Alle enemyes openyden her mouth on vs.
47 Terror and a pit, have befallen us, tumult and grievous injury;
Ayn. Inward drede and snare is maad to vs, profesie and defoulyng.
48 With streams of water, mine eye runneth down, over the grievous injury of the daughter of my people.
Ayn. Myn iyen ledden doun departyngis of watris, for the defoulyng of the douyter of my puple.
49 Mine eye, poureth itself out and ceaseth not, without relief;
Phe. Myn iye was turmentid, and was not stille; for no reste was.
50 Until Yahweh out of the heavens shall look forth, and see,
Phe. Vntil the Lord bihelde, and siy fro heuenes.
51 Mine eye dealeth severely with my soul, because of all the daughters of my city.
Phe. Myn iye robbide my soule in alle the douytris of my citee.
52 They, have laid snares, for me as a bird, who are mine enemies without cause:
Sade. Myn enemyes token me with out cause, bi huntyng as a brid.
53 They have cut off, in the dungeon, my life, and have cast a stone upon me;
Sade. My lijf slood in to a lake; and thei puttiden a stoon on me.
54 Waters, flowed over, my head, I said, I am cut off!
Sade. Watris flowiden ouer myn heed; Y seide, Y perischide.
55 I have called upon thy Name, O Yahweh, out of the dungeon below;
Coph. Lord, Y clepide to help thi name, fro the laste lake.
56 My voice, thou hast heard, —do not close thine ear to my respite, to mine outcry;
Coph. Thou herdist my vois; turne thou not awei thin eere fro my sobbyng and cries.
57 Thou drewest near, in the day I kept calling on thee, thou saidst, Do not fear!
Coph. Thou neiyidist to me in the dai, wherynne Y clepide thee to help; thou seidist, Drede thou not.
58 Thou hast pleaded, O My Lord, the pleas of my soul, hast redeemed my life;
Res. Lord, ayenbiere of my lijf, thou demydist the cause of my soule.
59 Thou hast beheld, O Yahweh, my failure to get justice, Pronounce thou my sentence;
Res. Lord, thou siest the wickidnesse of hem ayens me; deme thou my doom.
60 Thou hast seen all their vindictiveness, all their plots against me.
Res. Thou siest al the woodnesse, alle the thouytis of hem ayenus me.
61 Thou hast heard their reproach, O Yahweh, all their plots against me;
Syn. Lord, thou herdist the schenshipis of hem; alle the thouytis of hem ayens me.
62 The lips of mine assailants, and their mutterings, are against me, all the day;
Syn. The lippis of men risynge ayens me, and the thouytis of hem ayens me al dai.
63 On their downsitting and their uprising, do thou look, I, am their song.
Syn. Se thou the sittynge and risyng ayen of hem; Y am the salm of hem.
64 Thou wilt render to them a recompense, O Yahweh, according to the work of their hands;
Thau. Lord, thou schalt yelde while to hem, bi the werkis of her hondis.
65 Thou wilt suffer them a veiling of heart, thy curse to them;
Tau. Thou schalt yyue to hem the scheeld of herte, thi trauel.
66 Thou wilt pursue in anger, and wilt destroy them, from under the heavens of Yahweh.
Tau. Lord, thou schalt pursue hem in thi strong veniaunce, and thou schalt defoule hem vndur heuenes.
