Lamentations 3
1 I [the] great man to see: see affliction in/on/with tribe: staff fury his
I [, the one who am writing this, ] am a man who has been afflicted/punished [MTY] by Yahweh because he was angry.
2 [obj] me to lead and to go: take darkness and not light
[It was as though] he caused me to walk in a very dark place without any light [at all].
3 surely in/on/with me to return: return to overturn hand his all [the] day
He has punished [IDM] me many times, all day, [every] day.
4 to become old flesh my and skin my to break bone my
He has caused my skin and my flesh to become old. He has broken my bones.
5 to build upon me and to surround poison and hardship
He has surrounded me [DOU] with bitterness and suffering.
6 in/on/with darkness to dwell me like/as to die forever: antiquity
[It is as though] he has buried me in a dark place like [SIM] [the graves of] those who have been dead for a long time.
7 to wall up/off about/through/for me and not to come out: come to honor: heavy bronze my
[It is as though] [MET] he has built a wall around me, and fastened/tied me with heavy chains, and I cannot escape.
8 also for to cry out and to cry to stopper prayer my
Although I call out and cry out for him to help me, he does not pay attention to my prayers.
9 to wall up/off way: road my in/on/with cutting path my to twist
[It is as though] he has blocked my path with a [high] stone [wall] and has caused my path to become crooked.
10 bear to ambush he/she/it to/for me (lion *Q(K)*) in/on/with hiding
He has waited to attack me like [SIM] a bear or a lion hides and waits [to attack other animals].
11 way: journey my to turn aside: turn aside and to tear me to set: make me devastated
[It is as though] he has dragged me off the path and (mauled me/torn me into pieces), and left me without help.
12 to tread (bow his *L(abh)*) and to stand me like/as guardhouse to/for arrow
[It is as though] [MET] he bent his bow and caused me to become the target [at which he shot] his arrows.
13 to come (in): bring in/on/with kidney my son: type of quiver his
[It is as though] he shot his arrows deep into my body.
14 to be laughter to/for all people my music their all [the] day
All my relatives laugh at me; all day, [every] day they sing songs that make fun of me.
15 to satisfy me in/on/with bitterness to quench me wormwood
He has filled me with (bitterness/great suffering), [like] [MET] someone who drinks a very bitter liquid suffers.
16 and to break in/on/with gravel tooth my to cower me in/on/with ashes
[It is as though] he has caused me to chew gravel that broke my teeth, and he has trampled me in the dirt.
17 and to reject from peace soul my to forget welfare
Things no longer go well for me; I no longer remember being prosperous.
18 and to say to perish perpetuity my and hope my from LORD
I [continued to] say [to myself], “I no longer expect to live much longer; I no longer confidently expect [to receive good things] from Yahweh!”
19 to remember affliction my and wandering my wormwood and poison
When I think about my suffering and my wandering [away from home], [it is like drinking] a very bitter [DOU] liquid.
20 to remember to remember (and to sink *Q(K)*) upon me soul my
I will never forget this time when I feel very depressed/discouraged [IDM].
21 this to return: recall to(wards) heart my upon so to wait: hope
However, I confidently expect [Yahweh to do good things for me again] when I think about this:
22 kindness LORD for not to finish for not to end: finish compassion his
Yahweh never stops faithfully loving [us], and he never stops being kind to us.
23 new to/for morning many faithfulness your
[He is the one whom we can] always trust/lean on. Every morning he is merciful [to us again].
24 portion my LORD to say soul my upon so to wait: hope to/for him
[So] I say to myself, “Yahweh is all that I need; so I will confidently wait for him [to do good things for me].”
25 pleasant LORD (to/for to await him *Q(K)*) to/for soul to seek him
Yahweh is good to [all] those who depend on him, to those who seek his [help].
26 pleasant and waiting and silence to/for deliverance: salvation LORD
[So] it is good for us to wait quietly for Yahweh to save/rescue [us].
27 pleasant to/for great man for to lift: bear yoke in/on/with youth his
And it is good for us to [patiently] endure [suffering] while we are young.
28 to dwell isolation and to silence: silent for to lift upon him
Those [who seek his help] should sit by themselves, silently, [knowing that] it is Yahweh who has allowed/caused them to suffer.
29 to give: put in/on/with dust lip his perhaps there hope
They should lie in the dirt, with their faces on the ground, [because] they can still hope [that Yahweh will help them].
30 to give: give to/for to smite him jaw to satisfy in/on/with reproach
If someone strikes us on one cheek, we should turn the other cheek toward that person [in order that he may strike it, too], and accept/endure it when we are insulted.
31 for not to reject to/for forever: enduring Lord
Yahweh does not abandon [us his people] forever.
32 that if: except if: except to suffer and to have compassion like/as abundance (kindness his *Q(K)*)
Sometimes he causes us to suffer, but sometimes he is kind [to us] because he continually and faithfully loves [us].
33 for not to afflict from heart his and to suffer (son: child *L(abh)*) man
And he is not happy about causing human beings to suffer or to be sad.
34 to/for to crush underneath: under foot his all prisoner land: country/planet
If people (mistreat all the prisoners/crush all the prisoners under their feet)
35 to/for to stretch justice great man before face Most High
or if they rebel against God by refusing to give to people the things that it is right for them [to receive],
36 to/for to pervert man in/on/with strife his Lord not to see: select
or if they cause judges to decide matters unjustly, (does Yahweh not see all those things?/Yahweh certainly sees all those things!) [RHQ]
37 who? this to say and to be Lord not to command
No one can [RHQ] command something to happen [and then cause it to happen] if Yahweh has not already decided that it should happen.
38 from lip Most High not to come out: come [the] distress: harm and [the] pleasant
God in heaven [MTY] is [RHQ] the one who causes disasters to happen, and he [also] causes good things to happen.
39 what? to complain man alive great man upon (sin his *Q(K)*)
[So] it is certainly not [RHQ] right for us, who are only humans, to complain when he punishes us for the sins that we have committed.
40 to search way: conduct our and to search and to return: return till LORD
Instead, we should (examine/think carefully about) our behavior; we should turn back to Yahweh.
41 to lift: trust heart our to(wards) palm to(wards) God in/on/with heaven
We should pray [IDM] sincerely and lift up our arms toward God in heaven, [and say, ]
42 we to transgress and to rebel you(m. s.) not to forgive
“We have sinned and rebelled [against you], and you have not forgiven [us].
43 to cover in/on/with face: anger and to pursue us to kill not to spare
You have surrounded us with your anger and pursued us; you have slaughtered [us] without pitying us.
44 to cover in/on/with cloud to/for you from to pass prayer
You have hidden yourself in a cloud, with the result that you do not hear [us] when we pray.
45 offscouring and refuse to set: make us in/on/with entrails: among [the] people
You have caused [the people of other] nations to consider us to be only garbage [DOU].
46 to open upon us lip their all enemy our
All our enemies have insulted us.
47 dread and pit to be to/for us [the] devastation and [the] breaking
We are constantly afraid [DOU], [because] we have experienced disasters and ruin [DOU].”
48 stream water to go down eye my upon breaking daughter people my
I cry a lot because my people have been destroyed.
49 eye my to pour and not to cease from nothing cessation
My tears continually flow; they will not stop
50 till to look and to see: see LORD from heaven
until Yahweh looks down from heaven and sees [us].
51 eye my to abuse to/for soul: myself my from all daughter city my
I am very grieved because of [what has happened to] the women of my city.
52 to hunt to hunt me like/as bird enemy my for nothing
Those who are my enemies hunted for me like [SIM] [people hunt for] a bird [to kill it] [even though] there was no reason [for them to do that].
53 to destroy in/on/with pit life my and to give thanks stone in/on/with me
They threw me into a pit to kill me, and they threw stones on top of me.
54 to flow water upon head my to say to cut
The water [in the pit] rose above my head, and I said [to myself], “I am about to die/drown!”
55 to call: call to name your LORD from pit lower
But from the bottom of the pit I cried out to you [MTY], “Yahweh, [help me]!”
56 voice my to hear: hear not to conceal ear your to/for relief my to/for cry my
I pleaded with you, “Do not refuse to heed [MTY] me while I cry out to you!”
57 to present: come in/on/with day to call: call to you to say not to fear
Then you answered me and said, “Do not be afraid!”
58 to contend Lord strife soul: myself my to redeem: redeem life my
Yahweh, you defended me; you did not allow me to die.
59 to see: see LORD oppression my to judge [emph?] justice my
[Now], Yahweh, you have seen the evil things that my enemies have done to me, [so] decide my case [and show that I am right]!
60 to see: see all vengeance their all plot their to/for me
You know the evil things that they have planned to do to me.
61 to hear: hear reproach their LORD all plot their upon me
Yahweh, you have heard them insult [me] and what they have planned to do to me.
62 lips to arise: attack me and meditation their upon me all [the] day
Every day they whisper and mutter things about me, all day long.
63 seat their and rising their to look [emph?] I mocking their
Look at them! Whether they are standing or sitting they make fun of me with the songs that they sing.
64 to return: pay to/for them recompense LORD like/as deed: work hand their
Yahweh, cause them to suffer in return for their causing [me] to suffer!
65 to give: give to/for them covering heart curse your to/for them
Curse them [IDM] [for] their being very stubborn [IDM].
66 to pursue in/on/with face: anger and to destroy them from underneath: under heaven LORD
Because you are angry with them, pursue them and get rid of them, [until none of them remain] on the earth.
