Lamentations 3
1 I am a man who has seen misery under the rod of Yahweh's fury.
I am the man that hath seen affliction by the rod of his wrath.
2 He drove me away and caused me to walk in darkness rather than light.
He hath led me, and brought me into darkness, but not into light.
3 Surely he turned his hand against me again and again, the whole day long.
Surely against me is he turned; he turneth his hand against me all the day.
4 He made my flesh and my skin waste away; he broke my bones.
My flesh and my skin hath he made old; he hath broken my bones.
5 He built up siege works against me, and surrounded me with bitterness and hardship.
He hath builded against me, and compassed me with gall and travail.
6 He made me live in dark places, like those who died long ago.
He hath set me in dark places, as they that be dead of old.
7 He built a wall around me and I cannot escape. He made my chains heavy
He hath hedged me about, that I cannot get out: he hath made my chain heavy.
8 and though I call out and cry for help, he shut out my prayer.
Also when I cry and shout, he shutteth out my prayer.
9 He blocked my path with a wall of hewn stone; he made my paths crooked.
He hath inclosed my ways with hewn stone, he hath made my paths crooked.
10 He is like a bear waiting to ambush me, a lion in hiding;
He was unto me as a bear lying in wait, and as a lion in secret places.
11 he turned aside my paths, he has made me desolate.
He hath turned aside my ways, and pulled me in pieces: he hath made me desolate.
12 He bent his bow and set me as a target for his arrow.
He hath bent his bow, and set me as a mark for the arrow.
13 He pierced my kidneys with the arrows of his quiver.
He hath caused the arrows of his quiver to enter into my reins.
14 I became a laughingstock to all my people, the object of their taunting all day long.
I was a derision to all my people; and their song all the day.
15 He filled me with bitterness and forced me to drink wormwood.
He hath filled me with bitterness, he hath made me drunken with wormwood.
16 He has made my teeth grind with gravel, and he made me cower in the ashes.
He hath also broken my teeth with gravel stones, he hath covered me with ashes.
17 My soul is deprived of peace; I have forgotten what happiness is.
And thou hast removed my soul far off from peace: I forgat prosperity.
18 So I say, “My endurance has perished and so has my hope in Yahweh.”
And I said, My strength and my hope is perished from Yhwh:
19 Remember my affliction and my wanderings, the wormwood and bitterness.
Remembering mine affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall.
20 I continually remember it and I am bowed down within me.
My soul hath them still in remembrance, and is humbled in me.
21 But I call this to mind and therefore I have hope:
This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope.
22 The steadfast love of Yahweh never ceases and his compassions never end,
It is of Yhwh's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.
23 they are new every morning; your faithfulness is great.
They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.
24 “Yahweh is my inheritance,” I said, therefore I will hope in him.
Yhwh is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him.
25 Yahweh is good to those who wait for him, to the one who seeks him.
Yhwh is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him.
26 It is good to wait silently for the salvation of Yahweh.
It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of Yhwh.
27 It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth.
It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth.
28 Let him sit alone in silence, when it is laid upon him.
He sitteth alone and keepeth silence, because he hath borne it upon him.
29 Let him put his mouth in the dust—there may yet be hope.
He putteth his mouth in the dust; if so be there may be hope.
30 Let him offer his cheek to the one who strikes him, and let him be filled to the full with reproach.
He giveth his cheek to him that smiteth him: he is filled full with reproach.
31 For the Lord will not reject us forever,
For the Lord will not cast off for ever:
32 but though he causes grief, he will have compassion according to the abundance of his steadfast love.
But though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies.
33 For he does not afflict from his heart or torment the children of mankind.
For he doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men.
34 To crush underfoot all the prisoners of the earth,
To crush under his feet all the prisoners of the earth,
35 to deny a man justice in the presence of the Most High,
To turn aside the right of a man before the face of the most High,
36 to deny justice to a person—the Lord would not approve such things!
To subvert a man in his cause, the Lord approveth not.
37 Who has spoken and it came to pass, unless the Lord decreed it?
Who is he that saith, and it cometh to pass, when the Lord commandeth it not?
38 Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that both calamities and the good come?
Out of the mouth of the most High proceedeth not evil and good?
39 How can any person alive complain? How can a person complain about the punishment for his sins?
Wherefore doth a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins?
40 Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to Yahweh.
Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to Yhwh.
41 Let us lift up our hearts and our hands to God in the heavens:
Let us lift up our heart with our hands unto God in the heavens.
42 “We have transgressed and rebelled, and you have not forgiven.
We have transgressed and have rebelled: thou hast not pardoned.
43 You have covered yourself with anger and pursued us, you have killed and you have not spared.
Thou hast covered with anger, and persecuted us: thou hast slain, thou hast not pitied.
44 You have covered yourself with a cloud so that no prayer can pass through.
Thou hast covered thyself with a cloud, that our prayer should not pass through.
45 You have made us like filthy scum and refuse among the nations.
Thou hast made us as the offscouring and refuse in the midst of the people.
46 All our enemies curse us,
All our enemies have opened their mouths against us.
47 panic and pitfall have come upon us, ruin and destruction.
Fear and a snare is come upon us, desolation and destruction.
48 My eyes flow with streams of tears because my people are destroyed.
Mine eye runneth down with rivers of water for the destruction of the daughter of my people.
49 My eyes will shed tears without ceasing, without relief,
Mine eye trickleth down, and ceaseth not, without any intermission,
50 until Yahweh from heaven looks down and sees.
Till Yhwh look down, and behold from heaven.
51 My eyes cause me grief because of all the daughters of my city.
Mine eye affecteth mine heart because of all the daughters of my city.
52 I have been hunted like a bird by those who were my enemies; they hunted me without a reason.
Mine enemies chased me sore, like a bird, without cause.
53 They cast me into a pit and they threw a stone on me,
They have cut off my life in the dungeon, and cast a stone upon me.
54 and they caused waters to overflow, covering my head. I said, 'I have been cut off!'
Waters flowed over mine head; then I said, I am cut off.
55 I called on your name, Yahweh, from the depths of the pit.
I called upon thy name, O Yhwh, out of the low dungeon.
56 You heard my voice when I said, 'Do not close your ear to my cry for help.'
Thou hast heard my voice: hide not thine ear at my breathing, at my cry.
57 You came near on the day I called on you; you said, 'Do not fear.'
Thou drewest near in the day that I called upon thee: thou saidst, Fear not.
58 Lord, you defended my case, you saved my life!
O Lord, thou hast pleaded the causes of my soul; thou hast redeemed my life.
59 Yahweh, you have seen the wrong they have done to me; judge my case.
O Yhwh, thou hast seen my wrong: judge thou my cause.
60 You have seen their insults, all their plots against me—
Thou hast seen all their vengeance and all their imaginations against me.
61 You have heard their scorn, Yahweh, and all their plans regarding me.
Thou hast heard their reproach, O Yhwh, and all their imaginations against me;
62 The lips and the accusations of my enemies come against me all the day.
The lips of those that rose up against me, and their device against me all the day.
63 Look at how they sit and then rise up; they mock me with their songs.
Behold their sitting down, and their rising up; I am their musick.
64 Pay back to them, Yahweh, according to what they have done.
Render unto them a recompence, O Yhwh, according to the work of their hands.
65 You will let their hearts be shameless! May your condemnation be upon them!
Give them sorrow of heart, thy curse unto them.
66 You pursue them in anger and destroy them from under the heavens, Yahweh!”
Persecute and destroy them in anger from under the heavens of Yhwh.
