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.
ἐγὼ ἀνὴρ ὁ βλέπων πτωχείαν ἐν ῥάβδῳ θυμοῦ αὐτοῦ ἐπ’ ἐμέ
2 [It was as though] he caused me to walk in a very dark place without any light [at all].
παρέλαβέν με καὶ ἀπήγαγεν εἰς σκότος καὶ οὐ φῶς
3 He has punished [IDM] me many times, all day, [every] day.
πλὴν ἐν ἐμοὶ ἐπέστρεψεν χεῖρα αὐτοῦ ὅλην τὴν ἡμέραν
4 He has caused my skin and my flesh to become old. He has broken my bones.
ἐπαλαίωσεν σάρκας μου καὶ δέρμα μου ὀστέα μου συνέτριψεν
5 He has surrounded me [DOU] with bitterness and suffering.
ἀνῳκοδόμησεν κατ’ ἐμοῦ καὶ ἐκύκλωσεν κεφαλήν μου καὶ ἐμόχθησεν
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.
ἐν σκοτεινοῖς ἐκάθισέν με ὡς νεκροὺς αἰῶνος
7 [It is as though] [MET] he has built a wall around me, and fastened/tied me with heavy chains, and I cannot escape.
ἀνῳκοδόμησεν κατ’ ἐμοῦ καὶ οὐκ ἐξελεύσομαι ἐβάρυνεν χαλκόν μου
8 Although I call out and cry out for him to help me, he does not pay attention to my prayers.
καί γε κεκράξομαι καὶ βοήσω ἀπέφραξεν προσευχήν μου
9 [It is as though] he has blocked my path with a [high] stone [wall] and has caused my path to become crooked.
ἀνῳκοδόμησεν ὁδούς μου ἐνέφραξεν τρίβους μου ἐτάραξεν
10 He has waited to attack me like [SIM] a bear or a lion hides and waits [to attack other animals].
ἄρκος ἐνεδρεύουσα αὐτός μοι λέων ἐν κρυφαίοις
11 [It is as though] he has dragged me off the path and (mauled me/torn me into pieces), and left me without help.
κατεδίωξεν ἀφεστηκότα καὶ κατέπαυσέν με ἔθετό με ἠφανισμένην
12 [It is as though] [MET] he bent his bow and caused me to become the target [at which he shot] his arrows.
ἐνέτεινεν τόξον αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐστήλωσέν με ὡς σκοπὸν εἰς βέλος
13 [It is as though] he shot his arrows deep into my body.
εἰσήγαγεν τοῖς νεφροῖς μου ἰοὺς φαρέτρας αὐτοῦ
14 All my relatives laugh at me; all day, [every] day they sing songs that make fun of me.
ἐγενήθην γέλως παντὶ λαῷ μου ψαλμὸς αὐτῶν ὅλην τὴν ἡμέραν
15 He has filled me with (bitterness/great suffering), [like] [MET] someone who drinks a very bitter liquid suffers.
ἐχόρτασέν με πικρίας ἐμέθυσέν με χολῆς
16 [It is as though] he has caused me to chew gravel that broke my teeth, and he has trampled me in the dirt.
καὶ ἐξέβαλεν ψήφῳ ὀδόντας μου ἐψώμισέν με σποδόν
17 Things no longer go well for me; I no longer remember being prosperous.
καὶ ἀπώσατο ἐξ εἰρήνης ψυχήν μου ἐπελαθόμην ἀγαθὰ
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!”
καὶ εἶπα ἀπώλετο νεῖκός μου καὶ ἡ ἐλπίς μου ἀπὸ κυρίου
19 When I think about my suffering and my wandering [away from home], [it is like drinking] a very bitter [DOU] liquid.
ἐμνήσθην ἀπὸ πτωχείας μου καὶ ἐκ διωγμοῦ μου πικρίας καὶ χολῆς μου
20 I will never forget this time when I feel very depressed/discouraged [IDM].
μνησθήσεται καὶ καταδολεσχήσει ἐπ’ ἐμὲ ἡ ψυχή μου
21 However, I confidently expect [Yahweh to do good things for me again] when I think about this:
ταύτην τάξω εἰς τὴν καρδίαν μου διὰ τοῦτο ὑπομενῶ
22 Yahweh never stops faithfully loving [us], and he never stops being kind to us.
23 [He is the one whom we can] always trust/lean on. Every morning he is merciful [to us again].
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].”
25 Yahweh is good to [all] those who depend on him, to those who seek his [help].
ἀγαθὸς κύριος τοῖς ὑπομένουσιν αὐτόν ψυχῇ ἣ ζητήσει αὐτὸν ἀγαθὸν
26 [So] it is good for us to wait quietly for Yahweh to save/rescue [us].
καὶ ὑπομενεῖ καὶ ἡσυχάσει εἰς τὸ σωτήριον κυρίου
27 And it is good for us to [patiently] endure [suffering] while we are young.
ἀγαθὸν ἀνδρὶ ὅταν ἄρῃ ζυγὸν ἐν νεότητι αὐτοῦ
28 Those [who seek his help] should sit by themselves, silently, [knowing that] it is Yahweh who has allowed/caused them to suffer.
καθήσεται κατὰ μόνας καὶ σιωπήσεται ὅτι ἦρεν ἐφ’ ἑαυτῷ
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.
δώσει τῷ παίοντι αὐτὸν σιαγόνα χορτασθήσεται ὀνειδισμῶν
31 Yahweh does not abandon [us his people] forever.
ὅτι οὐκ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα ἀπώσεται κύριος
32 Sometimes he causes us to suffer, but sometimes he is kind [to us] because he continually and faithfully loves [us].
ὅτι ὁ ταπεινώσας οἰκτιρήσει κατὰ τὸ πλῆθος τοῦ ἐλέους αὐτοῦ
33 And he is not happy about causing human beings to suffer or to be sad.
ὅτι οὐκ ἀπεκρίθη ἀπὸ καρδίας αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐταπείνωσεν υἱοὺς ἀνδρός
34 If people (mistreat all the prisoners/crush all the prisoners under their feet)
τοῦ ταπεινῶσαι ὑπὸ τοὺς πόδας αὐτοῦ πάντας δεσμίους γῆς
35 or if they rebel against God by refusing to give to people the things that it is right for them [to receive],
τοῦ ἐκκλῖναι κρίσιν ἀνδρὸς κατέναντι προσώπου ὑψίστου
36 or if they cause judges to decide matters unjustly, (does Yahweh not see all those things?/Yahweh certainly sees all those things!) [RHQ]
καταδικάσαι ἄνθρωπον ἐν τῷ κρίνεσθαι αὐτὸν κύριος οὐκ εἶπεν
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.
τίς οὕτως εἶπεν καὶ ἐγενήθη κύριος οὐκ ἐνετείλατο
38 God in heaven [MTY] is [RHQ] the one who causes disasters to happen, and he [also] causes good things to happen.
ἐκ στόματος ὑψίστου οὐκ ἐξελεύσεται τὰ κακὰ καὶ τὸ ἀγαθόν
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.
τί γογγύσει ἄνθρωπος ζῶν ἀνὴρ περὶ τῆς ἁμαρτίας αὐτοῦ
40 Instead, we should (examine/think carefully about) our behavior; we should turn back to Yahweh.
ἐξηρευνήθη ἡ ὁδὸς ἡμῶν καὶ ἠτάσθη καὶ ἐπιστρέψωμεν ἕως κυρίου
41 We should pray [IDM] sincerely and lift up our arms toward God in heaven, [and say, ]
ἀναλάβωμεν καρδίας ἡμῶν ἐπὶ χειρῶν πρὸς ὑψηλὸν ἐν οὐρανῷ
42 “We have sinned and rebelled [against you], and you have not forgiven [us].
ἡμαρτήσαμεν ἠσεβήσαμεν καὶ οὐχ ἱλάσθης
43 You have surrounded us with your anger and pursued us; you have slaughtered [us] without pitying us.
ἐπεσκέπασας ἐν θυμῷ καὶ ἀπεδίωξας ἡμᾶς ἀπέκτεινας οὐκ ἐφείσω
44 You have hidden yourself in a cloud, with the result that you do not hear [us] when we pray.
ἐπεσκέπασας νεφέλην σεαυτῷ εἵνεκεν προσευχῆς
45 You have caused [the people of other] nations to consider us to be only garbage [DOU].
καμμύσαι με καὶ ἀπωσθῆναι ἔθηκας ἡμᾶς ἐν μέσῳ τῶν λαῶν
46 All our enemies have insulted us.
διήνοιξαν ἐφ’ ἡμᾶς τὸ στόμα αὐτῶν πάντες οἱ ἐχθροὶ ἡμῶν
47 We are constantly afraid [DOU], [because] we have experienced disasters and ruin [DOU].”
φόβος καὶ θυμὸς ἐγενήθη ἡμῖν ἔπαρσις καὶ συντριβή
48 I cry a lot because my people have been destroyed.
ἀφέσεις ὑδάτων κατάξει ὁ ὀφθαλμός μου ἐπὶ τὸ σύντριμμα τῆς θυγατρὸς τοῦ λαοῦ μου
49 My tears continually flow; they will not stop
ὁ ὀφθαλμός μου κατεπόθη καὶ οὐ σιγήσομαι τοῦ μὴ εἶναι ἔκνηψιν
50 until Yahweh looks down from heaven and sees [us].
ἕως οὗ διακύψῃ καὶ ἴδῃ κύριος ἐξ οὐρανοῦ
51 I am very grieved because of [what has happened to] the women of my city.
ὁ ὀφθαλμός μου ἐπιφυλλιεῖ ἐπὶ τὴν ψυχήν μου παρὰ πάσας θυγατέρας πόλεως
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].
θηρεύοντες ἐθήρευσάν με ὡς στρουθίον οἱ ἐχθροί μου δωρεάν
53 They threw me into a pit to kill me, and they threw stones on top of me.
ἐθανάτωσαν ἐν λάκκῳ ζωήν μου καὶ ἐπέθηκαν λίθον ἐπ’ ἐμοί
54 The water [in the pit] rose above my head, and I said [to myself], “I am about to die/drown!”
ὑπερεχύθη ὕδωρ ἐπὶ κεφαλήν μου εἶπα ἀπῶσμαι
55 But from the bottom of the pit I cried out to you [MTY], “Yahweh, [help me]!”
ἐπεκαλεσάμην τὸ ὄνομά σου κύριε ἐκ λάκκου κατωτάτου
56 I pleaded with you, “Do not refuse to heed [MTY] me while I cry out to you!”
φωνήν μου ἤκουσας μὴ κρύψῃς τὰ ὦτά σου εἰς τὴν δέησίν μου
57 Then you answered me and said, “Do not be afraid!”
εἰς τὴν βοήθειάν μου ἤγγισας ἐν ᾗ σε ἡμέρᾳ ἐπεκαλεσάμην εἶπάς μοι μὴ φοβοῦ
58 Yahweh, you defended me; you did not allow me to die.
ἐδίκασας κύριε τὰς δίκας τῆς ψυχῆς μου ἐλυτρώσω τὴν ζωήν μου
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]!
εἶδες κύριε τὰς ταραχάς μου ἔκρινας τὴν κρίσιν μου
60 You know the evil things that they have planned to do to me.
εἶδες πᾶσαν τὴν ἐκδίκησιν αὐτῶν εἰς πάντας διαλογισμοὺς αὐτῶν ἐν ἐμοί
61 Yahweh, you have heard them insult [me] and what they have planned to do to me.
ἤκουσας τὸν ὀνειδισμὸν αὐτῶν πάντας τοὺς διαλογισμοὺς αὐτῶν κατ’ ἐμοῦ
62 Every day they whisper and mutter things about me, all day long.
χείλη ἐπανιστανομένων μοι καὶ μελέτας αὐτῶν κατ’ ἐμοῦ ὅλην τὴν ἡμέραν
63 Look at them! Whether they are standing or sitting they make fun of me with the songs that they sing.
καθέδραν αὐτῶν καὶ ἀνάστασιν αὐτῶν ἐπίβλεψον ἐπὶ τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς αὐτῶν
64 Yahweh, cause them to suffer in return for their causing [me] to suffer!
ἀποδώσεις αὐτοῖς ἀνταπόδομα κύριε κατὰ τὰ ἔργα τῶν χειρῶν αὐτῶν
65 Curse them [IDM] [for] their being very stubborn [IDM].
ἀποδώσεις αὐτοῖς ὑπερασπισμὸν καρδίας μόχθον σου αὐτοῖς
66 Because you are angry with them, pursue them and get rid of them, [until none of them remain] on the earth.
καταδιώξεις ἐν ὀργῇ καὶ ἐξαναλώσεις αὐτοὺς ὑποκάτω τοῦ οὐρανοῦ κύριε
