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.
I am the man who hath seen affliction by the rod of his wrath.
2 [It was as though] he caused me to walk in a very dark place without any light [at all].
Me hath he driven out, and led into darkness, but not into light.
3 He has punished [IDM] me many times, all day, [every] day.
Surely against me doth he turn again and again his hand all the day.
4 He has caused my skin and my flesh to become old. He has broken my bones.
He hath caused my flesh and my skin to wear out, he hath broken my bones.
5 He has surrounded me [DOU] with bitterness and suffering.
He hath built around me, and encompassed me with poison and hardship.
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.
In dark places hath he set me to dwell, like the dead of olden times.
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 hath placed a fence round about me, that I cannot get out; he hath made heavy my chain.
8 Although I call out and cry out for him to help me, he does not pay attention to my prayers.
Also when I cry aloud and make entreaty, he shutteth 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.
He hath fenced up my ways with hewn stone, my paths hath he made crooked.
10 He has waited to attack me like [SIM] a bear or a lion hides and waits [to attack other animals].
A bear lying in wait is he to me, 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.
On my ways hath he placed thorns, and torn me in pieces: he hath made me desolate.
12 [It is as though] [MET] he bent his bow and caused me to become the target [at which he shot] his arrows.
He hath bent his bow, and placed me as a mark for the arrow.
13 [It is as though] he shot his arrows deep into my body.
He hath caused to enter into my reins the children of his quiver.
14 All my relatives laugh at me; all day, [every] day they sing songs that make fun of me.
I am become a laughing-stock to all my people, their [jeering] song all the day.
15 He has filled me with (bitterness/great suffering), [like] [MET] someone who drinks a very bitter liquid suffers.
He hath sated me with bitter things, he hath made me drunken with wormwood.
16 [It is as though] he has caused me to chew gravel that broke my teeth, and he has trampled me in the dirt.
He hath also broken my teeth with gravel-stones, he hath covered me with ashes.
17 Things no longer go well for me; I no longer remember being prosperous.
And my soul hath given up all thoughts of peace: I forget happiness.
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!”
And I said, Lost is my strength, my expectation also 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.
Remembering my affliction and [the cause of] my complaint, wormwood and poison.
20 I will never forget this time when I feel very depressed/discouraged [IDM].
Remembering [this] continually my soul is bowed down deeply within me.
21 However, I confidently expect [Yahweh to do good things for me again] when I think about this:
[Yet] this answer will I give to my heart: therefore will I wait [in confidence].
22 Yahweh never stops faithfully loving [us], and he never stops being kind to us.
It is through the Lord's kindness that we are not consumed, because his mercies have no end;
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 thy 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, saith 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].
The Lord is good unto those that hope in him, to the soul that seeketh him.
26 [So] it is good for us to wait quietly for Yahweh to save/rescue [us].
It is good that one should wait and this in silence for the salvation of the Lord.
27 And it is good for us to [patiently] endure [suffering] while we are young.
It is good for a man that he bear the 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.
That he sit in solitude and be silent; because He hath laid 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].
That he put his mouth in the dust; perhaps there still is hope;
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.
That he offer his cheek to him that smiteth him; that he be satisfied with reproach.
31 Yahweh does not abandon [us his people] forever.
For the Lord will not cast off for ever;
32 Sometimes he causes us to suffer, but sometimes he is kind [to us] because he continually and faithfully loves [us].
But though he have caused grief, yet will he have mercy according to the abundance of his kindnesses.
33 And he is not happy about causing human beings to suffer or to be sad.
For he doth not afflict of his own will, and aggrieve the children of men.
34 If people (mistreat all the prisoners/crush all the prisoners under their feet)
To crush 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 pervert the justice [due to 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 subvert a man in his contest—should the Lord not see this?
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 is he that saith aught, and it cometh to pass, when the Lord hath not ordained it?
38 God in heaven [MTY] is [RHQ] the one who causes disasters to happen, and he [also] causes good things to happen.
Do not out of the mouth of the Most High come both the evil things and the 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.
Wherefore should a living man complain? let every man complain because of his sins.
40 Instead, we should (examine/think carefully about) our behavior; we should turn back to Yahweh.
Let us search through and investigate our ways, and let us return 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 heart with our hands unto God in the heavens.
42 “We have sinned and rebelled [against you], and you have not forgiven [us].
We have indeed transgressed and rebelled: thou hast truly not pardoned.
43 You have surrounded us with your anger and pursued us; you have slaughtered [us] without pitying us.
Thou hast covered [us] with thy anger, and made pursuit after us: thou hast slain, thou hast not pitied.
44 You have hidden yourself in a cloud, with the result that you do not hear [us] when we pray.
Thou hast covered thyself with a cloud, that no prayer should pass through.
45 You have caused [the people of other] nations to consider us to be only garbage [DOU].
As something loathsome and rejected hast thou rendered us in the midst of the people.
46 All our enemies have insulted us.
Wide have all our enemies opened against us their mouth.
47 We are constantly afraid [DOU], [because] we have experienced disasters and ruin [DOU].”
Terror and a snare are come upon us, [with] desolation and breaches.
48 I cry a lot because my people have been destroyed.
With streams of water runneth my eye down, because of the breach of the daughter of my people.
49 My tears continually flow; they will not stop
My eye trickleth down, and resteth not, without any intermission,
50 until Yahweh looks down from heaven and sees [us].
Till the Lord look down, and behold from heaven.
51 I am very grieved because of [what has happened to] the women of my city.
My eye affecteth my soul because of all the daughters of my 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].
Those who are my enemies, without a cause, have chased me about like a bird.
53 They threw me into a pit to kill me, and they threw stones on top of me.
They have shut up in the dungeon my life, and have cast stones upon me.
54 The water [in the pit] rose above my head, and I said [to myself], “I am about to die/drown!”
Waters streamed 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]!”
I called on thy name, O Lord, out of the dungeon of the lowest depth.
56 I pleaded with you, “Do not refuse to heed [MTY] me while I cry out to you!”
Thou didst hear my voice: hide not thy ear to give me enlargement at my cry.
57 Then you answered me and said, “Do not be afraid!”
Thou wast ever near on the day that I called on thee: thou saidst, Fear not.
58 Yahweh, you defended me; you did not allow me to die.
Thou didst plead, O Lord, the causes of my soul: thou didst [before this] redeem 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]!
Thou hast [now] seen, O Lord, the wrong I suffer: judge thou my cause.
60 You know the evil things that they have planned to do to me.
Thou hast seen all their vengeance, all their plans against me.
61 Yahweh, you have heard them insult [me] and what they have planned to do to me.
Thou hast heard their reviling, O Lord, all their plans against me,
62 Every day they whisper and mutter things about me, all day long.
The speeches of these that rise up against me, and their device 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.
Oh look upon their sitting down, and their rising up: I am their [jeering] song.
64 Yahweh, cause them to suffer in return for their causing [me] to suffer!
Render unto them a recompense, O Lord, according to the work of their hands.
65 Curse them [IDM] [for] their being very stubborn [IDM].
Give them confusion of heart, thy curse he upon them.
66 Because you are angry with them, pursue them and get rid of them, [until none of them remain] on the earth.
Pursue them in anger and destroy from under the heavens of the Lord.
