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-BET] I [am] the man [who] has 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].
He has led me, and causes to go [in] darkness, and without light.
3 He has punished [IDM] me many times, all day, [every] day.
Surely against me He turns back, He turns His hand all the day.
4 He has caused my skin and my flesh to become old. He has broken my bones.
He has worn out my flesh and my skin. He has broken my bones.
5 He has surrounded me [DOU] with bitterness and suffering.
He has built up against me, And sets around poverty and weariness.
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 He has caused me to dwell, As the dead of old.
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 hedged me in, and I do not go out, He has 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 call and cry out, He has shut 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 has hedged my ways with hewn work, My paths He has 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 He [is] to me, A lion in secret hiding 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.
My ways He is turning aside, and He pulls me in pieces, He has made me a desolation.
12 [It is as though] [MET] he bent his bow and caused me to become the target [at which he shot] his arrows.
He has bent His bow, And sets me up as a mark for an arrow.
13 [It is as though] he shot his arrows deep into my body.
He has caused to enter into my reins The sons of His quiver.
14 All my relatives laugh at me; all day, [every] day they sing songs that make fun of me.
I have been a derision to all my people, Their song all the day.
15 He has filled me with (bitterness/great suffering), [like] [MET] someone who drinks a very bitter liquid suffers.
He has filled me with bitter things, He has filled me [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.
And He breaks with gravel my teeth, He has covered me with ashes.
17 Things no longer go well for me; I no longer remember being prosperous.
And You cast off my soul from peace, I have forgotten 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!”
And I say, My strength and my hope have perished from YHWH.
19 When I think about my suffering and my wandering [away from home], [it is like drinking] a very bitter [DOU] liquid.
Remember my affliction and my mourning, Wormwood and gall!
20 I will never forget this time when I feel very depressed/discouraged [IDM].
Remember well, and my soul bows down in me.
21 However, I confidently expect [Yahweh to do good things for me again] when I think about this:
This I turn to my heart—therefore I hope.
22 Yahweh never stops faithfully loving [us], and he never stops being kind to us.
The kindnesses of YHWH! For we have not been consumed, For His mercies have not ended.
23 [He is the one whom we can] always trust/lean on. Every morning he is merciful [to us again].
New every morning, abundant [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].”
My portion [is] YHWH, my soul has said, Therefore I hope for Him.
25 Yahweh is good to [all] those who depend on him, to those who seek his [help].
YHWH [is] good to those waiting for Him, To the soul [that] seeks Him.
26 [So] it is good for us to wait quietly for Yahweh to save/rescue [us].
[It is] good when one stays and stands still For the salvation of YHWH.
27 And it is good for us to [patiently] endure [suffering] while we are young.
[It is] good for a man that 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 sits alone, and is silent, For He has laid [it] on him.
29 They should lie in the dirt, with their faces on the ground, [because] they can still hope [that Yahweh will help them].
He puts his mouth in the dust, if so be, there 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.
He gives to his striker the cheek, He is filled with reproach.
31 Yahweh does not abandon [us his people] forever.
For the Lord does not cast off for all time.
32 Sometimes he causes us to suffer, but sometimes he is kind [to us] because he continually and faithfully loves [us].
For though He afflicted, yet He has pitied, According to the abundance of His kindness.
33 And he is not happy about causing human beings to suffer or to be sad.
For He has not afflicted with His heart, Nor does He grieve the sons of men.
34 If people (mistreat all the prisoners/crush all the prisoners under their feet)
To bruise under one’s feet any bound ones of 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 subvert a man in his cause, the Lord has not approved.
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] this—he has spoken, and it is, [And] 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.
From the mouth of the Most High does not go forth the evils 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.
Why does a living man sigh habitually, A man for his sin?
40 Instead, we should (examine/think carefully about) our behavior; we should turn back to Yahweh.
We search our ways, and investigate, And turn back to YHWH.
41 We should pray [IDM] sincerely and lift up our arms toward God in heaven, [and say, ]
We lift up our heart on the hands to God in the heavens.
42 “We have sinned and rebelled [against you], and you have not forgiven [us].
We have transgressed and been rebellious, You have not forgiven.
43 You have surrounded us with your anger and pursued us; you have slaughtered [us] without pitying us.
You have covered Yourself with anger, And pursue us; You have slain—You have not pitied.
44 You have hidden yourself in a cloud, with the result that you do not hear [us] when we pray.
You have covered Yourself with a cloud, So that prayer does not pass through.
45 You have caused [the people of other] nations to consider us to be only garbage [DOU].
Outcast and refuse You make us In the midst of the peoples.
46 All our enemies have insulted us.
Opened against us their mouth have all our enemies.
47 We are constantly afraid [DOU], [because] we have experienced disasters and ruin [DOU].”
Fear and a snare has been for us, Desolation and destruction.
48 I cry a lot because my people have been destroyed.
Streams of water go down my eye, For the destruction of the daughter of my people.
49 My tears continually flow; they will not stop
My eye is poured out, And does not cease without intermission,
50 until Yahweh looks down from heaven and sees [us].
Until YHWH looks and sees from the heavens,
51 I am very grieved because of [what has happened to] the women of my city.
My eye affects 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].
Hunting—my enemies have hunted me without cause like the bird.
53 They threw me into a pit to kill me, and they threw stones on top of me.
They have cut off my life in a pit, And they cast a stone against me.
54 The water [in the pit] rose above my head, and I said [to myself], “I am about to die/drown!”
Waters have flowed over my head, I have said, I have been cut off.
55 But from the bottom of the pit I cried out to you [MTY], “Yahweh, [help me]!”
I called Your Name, O YHWH, from the lower pit.
56 I pleaded with you, “Do not refuse to heed [MTY] me while I cry out to you!”
You have heard my voice, do not hide Your ear at my breathing—at my cry.
57 Then you answered me and said, “Do not be afraid!”
You have drawn near in the day I call You, You have said, Do not fear.
58 Yahweh, you defended me; you did not allow me to die.
You have pleaded, O Lord, the pleadings of my soul, You have 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 YHWH, my overthrow, Judge my cause.
60 You know the evil things that they have planned to do to me.
You have seen all their vengeance, All their thoughts of me.
61 Yahweh, you have heard them insult [me] and what they have planned to do to me.
You have heard their reproach, O YHWH, All their thoughts against me,
62 Every day they whisper and mutter things about me, all day long.
The lips of my withstanders, Even their meditation 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, Behold attentively, I [am] their song.
64 Yahweh, cause them to suffer in return for their causing [me] to suffer!
You return to them the deed, O YHWH, According to the work of their hands.
65 Curse them [IDM] [for] their being very stubborn [IDM].
You give to them a covered heart, Your curse to them.
66 Because you are angry with them, pursue them and get rid of them, [until none of them remain] on the earth.
You pursue in anger, and destroy them, From under the heavens of YHWH!
