Lamentations 3
1 I [, the one who am writing this, ] am a man who has been afflicted/punished [MTY] by Yahweh because he was angry.
ALEPH. I am the man that sees poverty, through the rod of his wrath upon me.
2 [It was as though] he caused me to walk in a very dark place without any light [at all].
He has taken me, and led me away into darkness, and not [into] light.
3 He has punished [IDM] me many times, all day, [every] day.
Nay, against me has he turned his hand all the day.
4 He has caused my skin and my flesh to become old. He has broken my bones.
He has made old my flesh and my skin; he has broken my bones.
5 He has surrounded me [DOU] with bitterness and suffering.
BETH. He has built against me, and compassed my head, and brought travail [upon me].
6 [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.
He has set me in dark places, as them that have long been dead.
7 [It is as though] [MET] he has built a wall around me, and fastened/tied me with heavy chains, and I cannot escape.
He has builded against me, and I can’t come forth: he has made my brazen [chain] heavy.
8 Although I call out and cry out for him to help me, he does not pay attention to my prayers.
GIMEL. Yes, [though] I cry and shout, he shuts out my prayer.
9 [It is as though] he has blocked my path with a [high] stone [wall] and has caused my path to become crooked.
DALETH. He has built up my ways, he has hedged my paths;
10 He has waited to attack me like [SIM] a bear or a lion hides and waits [to attack other animals].
he has troubled me, [as] a she-bear lying in wait: he is to me [as] a lion in secret places.
11 [It is as though] he has dragged me off the path and (mauled me/torn me into pieces), and left me without help.
He pursued [me] after I departed, and brought me to a stand: he has utterly ruined me.
12 [It is as though] [MET] he bent his bow and caused me to become the target [at which he shot] his arrows.
HE. He has bent his bow, and set me as a mark for the arrow.
13 [It is as though] he shot his arrows deep into my body.
He has caused the arrows of his quiver to enter into my reins.
14 All my relatives laugh at me; all day, [every] day they sing songs that make fun of me.
I became a laughing stock to all my people; and their song all the day.
15 He has filled me with (bitterness/great suffering), [like] [MET] someone who drinks a very bitter liquid suffers.
VAU. He has filled me with bitterness, he has drenched me with gall.
16 [It is as though] he has caused me to chew gravel that broke my teeth, and he has trampled me in the dirt.
And he has dashed out my teeth with gravel, he has fed me with ashes.
17 Things no longer go well for me; I no longer remember being prosperous.
He has also removed my soul from peace: I forgot prosperity.
18 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!”
Therefore my success has perished, and my hope from the Lord.
19 When I think about my suffering and my wandering [away from home], [it is like drinking] a very bitter [DOU] liquid.
ZAIN. I remembered by reason of my poverty, and because of persecution my bitterness and gall shall be remembered;
20 I will never forget this time when I feel very depressed/discouraged [IDM].
and my soul shall meditate with me.
21 However, I confidently expect [Yahweh to do good things for me again] when I think about this:
This will I lay up in my heart, therefore I will endure.
22 Yahweh never stops faithfully loving [us], and he never stops being kind to us.
HETH. [It is] the mercies of the Lord, that he has not failed me, because his compassions are not exhausted. Pity [us], O Lord, early [every] month: for we are not brought to an end, because his compassions are not exhausted.
23 [He is the one whom we can] always trust/lean on. Every morning he is merciful [to us again].
[They are] new every morning: great is your faithfulness.
24 [So] I say to myself, “Yahweh is all that I need; so I will confidently wait for him [to do good things for me].”
The Lord is my portion, says my soul; therefore will I wait for him.
25 Yahweh is good to [all] those who depend on him, to those who seek his [help].
TETH. The Lord is good to them that wait for him: the soul which shall seek him
26 [So] it is good for us to wait quietly for Yahweh to save/rescue [us].
[is] good, and shall wait for, and quietly expect salvation of the Lord.
27 And it is good for us to [patiently] endure [suffering] while we are young.
TETH. [It is] good for a man when he bears a yoke in his youth.
28 Those [who seek his help] should sit by themselves, silently, [knowing that] it is Yahweh who has allowed/caused them to suffer.
He will sit alone, and be silent, because he has borne [it] upon him.
29 They should lie in the dirt, with their faces on the ground, [because] they can still hope [that Yahweh will help them].
30 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.
JOD. He will give [his] cheek to him that smites him: he will be filled full with reproaches.
31 Yahweh does not abandon [us his people] forever.
For the Lord will not reject for ever.
32 Sometimes he causes us to suffer, but sometimes he is kind [to us] because he continually and faithfully loves [us].
CHAPH. For he that has brought down will pity, and [that] according to the abundance of his mercy.
33 And he is not happy about causing human beings to suffer or to be sad.
He has not answered [in anger] from his heart, though he has brought low the children of a man.
34 If people (mistreat all the prisoners/crush all the prisoners under their feet)
LAMED. To bring down under his feet all the prisoners of the earth,
35 or if they rebel against God by refusing to give to people the things that it is right for them [to receive],
to turn aside the judgment of a man before the face of the Most High,
36 or if they cause judges to decide matters unjustly, (does Yahweh not see all those things?/Yahweh certainly sees all those things!) [RHQ]
to condemn a man [unjustly] in his judgment, the Lord has not given commandment.
37 No one can [RHQ] command something to happen [and then cause it to happen] if Yahweh has not already decided that it should happen.
Who has thus spoken, and it has come to pass? the Lord has not commanded it.
38 God in heaven [MTY] is [RHQ] the one who causes disasters to happen, and he [also] causes good things to happen.
Out of the mouth of the Most High there shall not come forth evil and good.
39 [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.
MEM. Why should a living man complain, a man concerning his sin?
40 Instead, we should (examine/think carefully about) our behavior; we should turn back to Yahweh.
NUN. Our way has been searched out and examined, and we will turn to the Lord.
41 We should pray [IDM] sincerely and lift up our arms toward God in heaven, [and say, ]
Let us lift up our hearts with [our] hand to the lofty One in heaven.
42 “We have sinned and rebelled [against you], and you have not forgiven [us].
We have sinned, we have transgressed; and you have not pardoned.
43 You have surrounded us with your anger and pursued us; you have slaughtered [us] without pitying us.
SAMECH. You has visited [us] in wrath, and driven us away: you has slain, you has not pitied.
44 You have hidden yourself in a cloud, with the result that you do not hear [us] when we pray.
You have veiled yourself with a cloud because of prayer, that I might be blind,
45 You have caused [the people of other] nations to consider us to be only garbage [DOU].
and be cast off. AIN. You have set us [alone] in the midst of the nations.
46 All our enemies have insulted us.
All our enemies have opened their mouth against us.
47 We are constantly afraid [DOU], [because] we have experienced disasters and ruin [DOU].”
Fear and wrath are come upon us, suspense and destruction.
48 I cry a lot because my people have been destroyed.
Mine eye shall pour down torrents of water, for the destruction of the daughter of my people.
49 My tears continually flow; they will not stop
PHE. Mine eye is drowned [with tears], and I will not be silent, so that there shall be no rest,
50 until Yahweh looks down from heaven and sees [us].
until the Lord look down, and behold from heaven.
51 I am very grieved because of [what has happened to] the women of my city.
Mine eye shall prey upon my soul, because of all the daughters of the city.
52 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].
TSADE. The fowlers chased me as a sparrow, all mine enemies destroyed my life in a pit without cause,
53 They threw me into a pit to kill me, and they threw stones on top of me.
and laid a stone upon me.
54 The water [in the pit] rose above my head, and I said [to myself], “I am about to die/drown!”
Water flowed over my head: I said, I am cut off.
55 But from the bottom of the pit I cried out to you [MTY], “Yahweh, [help me]!”
KOPH. I called upon your name, O Lord, out of the lowest dungeon.
56 I pleaded with you, “Do not refuse to heed [MTY] me while I cry out to you!”
You heard my voice: close not your ears to my supplication.
57 Then you answered me and said, “Do not be afraid!”
You drew near to my help: in the day wherein I called upon you you said to me, Fear not.
58 Yahweh, you defended me; you did not allow me to die.
RECHS. O Lord, you has pleaded the causes of my soul; you has redeemed my life.
59 [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]!
You have seen, O Lord, my troubles: you have judged my cause.
60 You know the evil things that they have planned to do to me.
You have seen all their vengeance, [you have looked] on all their devices against me.
61 Yahweh, you have heard them insult [me] and what they have planned to do to me.
CHSEN. You have heard their reproach [and] all their devices against me;
62 Every day they whisper and mutter things about me, all day long.
the lips of them that rose up against me, and their plots against me all the day;
63 Look at them! Whether they are standing or sitting they make fun of me with the songs that they sing.
their sitting down and their rising up: look you upon their eyes.
64 Yahweh, cause them to suffer in return for their causing [me] to suffer!
You will render them a recompense, O Lord, according to the works of their hands.
65 Curse them [IDM] [for] their being very stubborn [IDM].
THAU. You will give them [as] a covering, the grief of my heart.
66 Because you are angry with them, pursue them and get rid of them, [until none of them remain] on the earth.
You will persecute them in anger, and will consume them from under the heaven, O Lord.
