< 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 a man who has seen misery under the rod of Yahweh's fury.
2 [It was as though] he caused me to walk in a very dark place without any light [at all].
He drove me away and caused me to walk in darkness rather than light.
3 He has punished [IDM] me many times, all day, [every] day.
Surely he turned his hand against me again and again, the whole day long.
4 He has caused my skin and my flesh to become old. He has broken my bones.
He made my flesh and my skin waste away; he broke my bones.
5 He has surrounded me [DOU] with bitterness and suffering.
He built up siege works against me, and surrounded me with bitterness 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.
He made me live in dark places, like those who died long ago.
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 built a wall around me and I cannot escape. He made my chains heavy
8 Although I call out and cry out for him to help me, he does not pay attention to my prayers.
and though I call out and cry for help, he 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 blocked my path with a wall of hewn stone; he made my paths crooked.
10 He has waited to attack me like [SIM] a bear or a lion hides and waits [to attack other animals].
He is like a bear waiting to ambush me, a lion in hiding;
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 turned aside my paths, he has 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 bent his bow and set me as a target for his arrow.
13 [It is as though] he shot his arrows deep into my body.
He pierced my kidneys with the arrows of his quiver.
14 All my relatives laugh at me; all day, [every] day they sing songs that make fun of me.
I became a laughingstock to all my people, the object of their taunting all day long.
15 He has filled me with (bitterness/great suffering), [like] [MET] someone who drinks a very bitter liquid suffers.
He filled me with bitterness and forced me to drink 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 has made my teeth grind with gravel, and he made me cower in the ashes.
17 Things no longer go well for me; I no longer remember being prosperous.
My soul is deprived of peace; I have forgotten what happiness is.
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!”
So I say, “My endurance has perished and so has my hope in Yahweh.”
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 wanderings, the wormwood and bitterness.
20 I will never forget this time when I feel very depressed/discouraged [IDM].
I continually remember it and I am bowed down within me.
21 However, I confidently expect [Yahweh to do good things for me again] when I think about this:
But I call this to mind and therefore I have hope:
22 Yahweh never stops faithfully loving [us], and he never stops being kind to us.
The steadfast love of Yahweh never ceases and his compassions never 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; your faithfulness is great.
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].”
“Yahweh is my inheritance,” I said, therefore I will hope in him.
25 Yahweh is good to [all] those who depend on him, to those who seek his [help].
Yahweh is good to those who wait for him, to the one who seeks him.
26 [So] it is good for us to wait quietly for Yahweh to save/rescue [us].
It is good to wait silently for the salvation of Yahweh.
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.
Let him sit alone in silence, when it is laid 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].
Let him put his mouth in the dust—there may yet be 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.
Let him offer his cheek to the one who strikes him, and let him be filled to the full with reproach.
31 Yahweh does not abandon [us his people] forever.
For the Lord will not reject us forever,
32 Sometimes he causes us to suffer, but sometimes he is kind [to us] because he continually and faithfully loves [us].
but though he causes grief, he will have compassion according to the abundance of his steadfast love.
33 And he is not happy about causing human beings to suffer or to be sad.
For he does not afflict from his heart or torment the children of mankind.
34 If people (mistreat all the prisoners/crush all the prisoners under their feet)
To crush underfoot 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 deny a man justice in the presence 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 deny justice to a person—the Lord would not approve such things!
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 spoken and it came to pass, unless the Lord decreed it?
38 God in heaven [MTY] is [RHQ] the one who causes disasters to happen, and he [also] causes good things to happen.
Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that both calamities and the good come?
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.
How can any person alive complain? How can a person complain about the punishment for his sins?
40 Instead, we should (examine/think carefully about) our behavior; we should turn back to Yahweh.
Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to Yahweh.
41 We should pray [IDM] sincerely and lift up our arms toward God in heaven, [and say, ]
Let us lift up our hearts and our hands to God in the heavens:
42 “We have sinned and rebelled [against you], and you have not forgiven [us].
“We have transgressed and rebelled, and 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 pursued us, you have killed and you have not spared.
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 no prayer can pass through.
45 You have caused [the people of other] nations to consider us to be only garbage [DOU].
You have made us like filthy scum and refuse among the nations.
46 All our enemies have insulted us.
All our enemies curse us,
47 We are constantly afraid [DOU], [because] we have experienced disasters and ruin [DOU].”
panic and pitfall have come upon us, ruin and destruction.
48 I cry a lot because my people have been destroyed.
My eyes flow with streams of tears because my people are destroyed.
49 My tears continually flow; they will not stop
My eyes will shed tears without ceasing, without relief,
50 until Yahweh looks down from heaven and sees [us].
until Yahweh from heaven looks down and sees.
51 I am very grieved because of [what has happened to] the women of my city.
My eyes cause me grief 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].
I have been hunted like a bird by those who were my enemies; they hunted me without a reason.
53 They threw me into a pit to kill me, and they threw stones on top of me.
They cast me into a pit and they threw a stone on me,
54 The water [in the pit] rose above my head, and I said [to myself], “I am about to die/drown!”
and they caused waters to overflow, covering my head. I 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 on your name, Yahweh, from the depths of the pit.
56 I pleaded with you, “Do not refuse to heed [MTY] me while I cry out to you!”
You heard my voice when I said, 'Do not close your ear to my cry for help.'
57 Then you answered me and said, “Do not be afraid!”
You came near on the day I called on you; you said, 'Do not fear.'
58 Yahweh, you defended me; you did not allow me to die.
Lord, you defended my case, you saved 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]!
Yahweh, you have seen the wrong they have done to me; judge my case.
60 You know the evil things that they have planned to do to me.
You have seen their insults, all their plots against me—
61 Yahweh, you have heard them insult [me] and what they have planned to do to me.
You have heard their scorn, Yahweh, and all their plans regarding me.
62 Every day they whisper and mutter things about me, all day long.
The lips and the accusations of my enemies come 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.
Look at how they sit and then rise up; they mock me with their songs.
64 Yahweh, cause them to suffer in return for their causing [me] to suffer!
Pay back to them, Yahweh, according to what they have done.
65 Curse them [IDM] [for] their being very stubborn [IDM].
You will let their hearts be shameless! May your condemnation be upon 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 them in anger and destroy them from under the heavens, Yahweh!”

< Lamentations 3 >