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 ego vir videns paupertatem meam in virga indignationis eius
2 [It was as though] he caused me to walk in a very dark place without any light [at all].
ALEPH me minavit et adduxit in tenebris et non in lucem
3 He has punished [IDM] me many times, all day, [every] day.
ALEPH tantum in me vertit et convertit manum suam tota die
4 He has caused my skin and my flesh to become old. He has broken my bones.
BETH vetustam fecit pellem meam et carnem meam contrivit ossa mea
5 He has surrounded me [DOU] with bitterness and suffering.
BETH aedificavit in gyro meo et circumdedit me felle et labore
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.
BETH in tenebrosis conlocavit me quasi mortuos sempiternos
7 [It is as though] [MET] he has built a wall around me, and fastened/tied me with heavy chains, and I cannot escape.
GIMEL circumaedificavit adversum me ut non egrediar adgravavit conpedem meam
8 Although I call out and cry out for him to help me, he does not pay attention to my prayers.
GIMEL sed et cum clamavero et rogavero exclusit orationem meam
9 [It is as though] he has blocked my path with a [high] stone [wall] and has caused my path to become crooked.
GIMEL conclusit vias meas lapidibus quadris semitas meas subvertit
10 He has waited to attack me like [SIM] a bear or a lion hides and waits [to attack other animals].
DELETH ursus insidians factus est mihi leo in absconditis
11 [It is as though] he has dragged me off the path and (mauled me/torn me into pieces), and left me without help.
DELETH semitas meas subvertit et confregit me posuit me desolatam
12 [It is as though] [MET] he bent his bow and caused me to become the target [at which he shot] his arrows.
DELETH tetendit arcum suum et posuit me quasi signum ad sagittam
13 [It is as though] he shot his arrows deep into my body.
HE misit in renibus meis filias faretrae suae
14 All my relatives laugh at me; all day, [every] day they sing songs that make fun of me.
HE factus sum in derisu omni populo meo canticum eorum tota die
15 He has filled me with (bitterness/great suffering), [like] [MET] someone who drinks a very bitter liquid suffers.
HE replevit me amaritudinibus inebriavit me absinthio
16 [It is as though] he has caused me to chew gravel that broke my teeth, and he has trampled me in the dirt.
VAV et fregit ad numerum dentes meos cibavit me cinere
17 Things no longer go well for me; I no longer remember being prosperous.
VAV et repulsa est anima mea oblitus sum bonorum
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!”
VAV et dixi periit finis meus et spes mea a Domino
19 When I think about my suffering and my wandering [away from home], [it is like drinking] a very bitter [DOU] liquid.
ZAI recordare paupertatis et transgressionis meae absinthii et fellis
20 I will never forget this time when I feel very depressed/discouraged [IDM].
ZAI memoria memor ero et tabescet in me anima mea
21 However, I confidently expect [Yahweh to do good things for me again] when I think about this:
ZAI hoc recolens in corde meo ideo sperabo
22 Yahweh never stops faithfully loving [us], and he never stops being kind to us.
HETH misericordiae Domini quia non sumus consumpti quia non defecerunt miserationes eius
23 [He is the one whom we can] always trust/lean on. Every morning he is merciful [to us again].
HETH novae diluculo multa est fides tua
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].”
HETH pars mea Dominus dixit anima mea propterea expectabo eum
25 Yahweh is good to [all] those who depend on him, to those who seek his [help].
TETH bonus est Dominus sperantibus in eum animae quaerenti illum
26 [So] it is good for us to wait quietly for Yahweh to save/rescue [us].
TETH bonum est praestolari cum silentio salutare Domini
27 And it is good for us to [patiently] endure [suffering] while we are young.
TETH bonum est viro cum portaverit iugum ab adulescentia sua
28 Those [who seek his help] should sit by themselves, silently, [knowing that] it is Yahweh who has allowed/caused them to suffer.
IOTH sedebit solitarius et tacebit quia levavit super se
29 They should lie in the dirt, with their faces on the ground, [because] they can still hope [that Yahweh will help them].
IOTH ponet in pulvere os suum si forte sit spes
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.
IOTH dabit percutienti se maxillam saturabitur obprobriis
31 Yahweh does not abandon [us his people] forever.
CAPH quia non repellet in sempiternum Dominus
32 Sometimes he causes us to suffer, but sometimes he is kind [to us] because he continually and faithfully loves [us].
CAPH quia si abiecit et miserebitur secundum multitudinem misericordiarum suarum
33 And he is not happy about causing human beings to suffer or to be sad.
CAPH non enim humiliavit ex corde suo et abiecit filios hominis
34 If people (mistreat all the prisoners/crush all the prisoners under their feet)
LAMED ut contereret sub pedibus suis omnes vinctos terrae
35 or if they rebel against God by refusing to give to people the things that it is right for them [to receive],
LAMED ut declinaret iudicium viri in conspectu vultus Altissimi
36 or if they cause judges to decide matters unjustly, (does Yahweh not see all those things?/Yahweh certainly sees all those things!) [RHQ]
LAMED ut perverteret hominem in iudicio suo Dominus ignoravit
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.
MEM quis est iste qui dixit ut fieret Domino non iubente
38 God in heaven [MTY] is [RHQ] the one who causes disasters to happen, and he [also] causes good things to happen.
MEM ex ore Altissimi non egredientur nec mala nec bona
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 quid murmuravit homo vivens vir pro peccatis suis
40 Instead, we should (examine/think carefully about) our behavior; we should turn back to Yahweh.
NUN scrutemur vias nostras et quaeramus et revertamur ad Dominum
41 We should pray [IDM] sincerely and lift up our arms toward God in heaven, [and say, ]
NUN levemus corda nostra cum manibus ad Dominum in caelos
42 “We have sinned and rebelled [against you], and you have not forgiven [us].
NUN nos inique egimus et ad iracundiam provocavimus idcirco tu inexorabilis es
43 You have surrounded us with your anger and pursued us; you have slaughtered [us] without pitying us.
SAMECH operuisti in furore et percussisti nos occidisti nec pepercisti
44 You have hidden yourself in a cloud, with the result that you do not hear [us] when we pray.
SAMECH opposuisti nubem tibi ne transeat oratio
45 You have caused [the people of other] nations to consider us to be only garbage [DOU].
SAMECH eradicationem et abiectionem posuisti me in medio populorum
46 All our enemies have insulted us.
FE aperuerunt super nos os suum omnes inimici
47 We are constantly afraid [DOU], [because] we have experienced disasters and ruin [DOU].”
FE formido et laqueus facta est nobis vaticinatio et contritio
48 I cry a lot because my people have been destroyed.
FE divisiones aquarum deduxit oculus meus in contritione filiae populi mei
49 My tears continually flow; they will not stop
AIN oculus meus adflictus est nec tacuit eo quod non esset requies
50 until Yahweh looks down from heaven and sees [us].
AIN donec respiceret et videret Dominus de caelis
51 I am very grieved because of [what has happened to] the women of my city.
AIN oculus meus depraedatus est animam meam in cunctis filiabus urbis meae
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].
SADE venatione ceperunt me quasi avem inimici mei gratis
53 They threw me into a pit to kill me, and they threw stones on top of me.
SADE lapsa est in lacu vita mea et posuerunt lapidem super me
54 The water [in the pit] rose above my head, and I said [to myself], “I am about to die/drown!”
SADE inundaverunt aquae super caput meum dixi perii
55 But from the bottom of the pit I cried out to you [MTY], “Yahweh, [help me]!”
COPH invocavi nomen tuum Domine de lacis novissimis
56 I pleaded with you, “Do not refuse to heed [MTY] me while I cry out to you!”
COPH vocem meam audisti ne avertas aurem tuam a singultu meo et clamoribus
57 Then you answered me and said, “Do not be afraid!”
COPH adpropinquasti in die quando invocavi te dixisti ne timeas
58 Yahweh, you defended me; you did not allow me to die.
RES iudicasti Domine causam animae meae redemptor vitae meae
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]!
RES vidisti Domine iniquitatem adversum me iudica iudicium meum
60 You know the evil things that they have planned to do to me.
RES vidisti omnem furorem universas cogitationes eorum adversum me
61 Yahweh, you have heard them insult [me] and what they have planned to do to me.
SEN audisti obprobria eorum Domine omnes cogitationes eorum adversum me
62 Every day they whisper and mutter things about me, all day long.
SEN labia insurgentium mihi et meditationes eorum adversum me tota die
63 Look at them! Whether they are standing or sitting they make fun of me with the songs that they sing.
SEN sessionem eorum et resurrectionem eorum vide ego sum psalmus eorum
64 Yahweh, cause them to suffer in return for their causing [me] to suffer!
THAU reddes eis vicem Domine iuxta opera manuum suarum
65 Curse them [IDM] [for] their being very stubborn [IDM].
THAU dabis eis scutum cordis laborem tuum
66 Because you are angry with them, pursue them and get rid of them, [until none of them remain] on the earth.
THAU persequeris in furore et conteres eos sub caelis Domine
