Lamentations 3
1 I am a man who has seen misery under the rod of Yahweh's fury.
I am the man who has seen affliction by the rod of his wrath.
2 He drove me away and caused me to walk in darkness rather than light.
He has led me and caused me to walk in darkness, and not in light.
3 Surely he turned his hand against me again and again, the whole day long.
Surely he turns his hand against me again and again all day long.
4 He made my flesh and my skin waste away; he broke my bones.
He has made my flesh and my skin old. He has broken my bones.
5 He built up siege works against me, and surrounded me with bitterness and hardship.
He has built against me, and surrounded me with bitterness and hardship.
6 He made me live in dark places, like those who died long ago.
He has made me dwell in dark places, as those who have been long dead.
7 He built a wall around me and I cannot escape. He made my chains heavy
He has walled me about, so that I can’t go out. He has made my chain heavy.
8 and though I call out and cry for help, he shut out my prayer.
Yes, when I cry, and call for help, he shuts out my prayer.
9 He blocked my path with a wall of hewn stone; he made my paths crooked.
He has walled up my ways with cut stone. He has made my paths crooked.
10 He is like a bear waiting to ambush me, a lion in hiding;
He is to me as a bear lying in wait, as a lion in hiding.
11 he turned aside my paths, he has made me desolate.
He has turned away my path, and pulled me in pieces. He has made me desolate.
12 He bent his bow and set me as a target for his arrow.
He has bent his bow, and set me as a mark for the arrow.
13 He pierced my kidneys with the arrows of his quiver.
He has caused the shafts of his quiver to enter into my kidneys.
14 I became a laughingstock to all my people, the object of their taunting all day long.
I have become a derision to all my people, and their song all day long.
15 He filled me with bitterness and forced me to drink wormwood.
He has filled me with bitterness. He has stuffed me with wormwood.
16 He has made my teeth grind with gravel, and he made me cower in the ashes.
He has also broken my teeth with gravel. He has covered me with ashes.
17 My soul is deprived of peace; I have forgotten what happiness is.
You have removed my soul far away from peace. I forgot prosperity.
18 So I say, “My endurance has perished and so has my hope in Yahweh.”
I said, “My strength has perished, along with my expectation from the LORD.”
19 Remember my affliction and my wanderings, the wormwood and bitterness.
Remember my affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the bitterness.
20 I continually remember it and I am bowed down within me.
My soul still remembers them, and is bowed down within me.
21 But I call this to mind and therefore I have hope:
This I recall to my mind; therefore I have hope.
22 The steadfast love of Yahweh never ceases and his compassions never end,
It is because of the LORD’s loving kindnesses that we are not consumed, because his mercies don’t fail.
23 they are new every morning; your faithfulness is great.
They are new every morning. Great is your faithfulness.
24 “Yahweh is my inheritance,” I said, therefore I will hope in him.
“The LORD is my portion,” says my soul. “Therefore I will hope in him.”
25 Yahweh is good to those who wait for him, to the one who seeks him.
The LORD is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him.
26 It is good to wait silently for the salvation of Yahweh.
It is good that a man should hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD.
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.
Let him sit alone and keep silence, because he has laid it on him.
29 Let him put his mouth in the dust—there may yet be hope.
Let him put his mouth in the dust, if it is so that 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.
Let him give his cheek to him who strikes him. Let him be filled full of reproach.
31 For the Lord will not reject us forever,
For the Lord will not cast off forever.
32 but though he causes grief, he will have compassion according to the abundance of his steadfast love.
For though he causes grief, yet he will have compassion according to the multitude of his loving kindnesses.
33 For he does not afflict from his heart or torment the children of mankind.
For he does not afflict willingly, nor grieve the children of men.
34 To crush underfoot all the prisoners of the earth,
To crush under foot all the prisoners of the earth,
35 to deny a man justice in the presence of the Most High,
to turn away 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 doesn’t approve.
37 Who has spoken and it came to pass, unless the Lord decreed it?
Who is he who says, and it comes to pass, when the Lord doesn’t command it?
38 Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that both calamities and the good come?
Doesn’t evil and good come out of the mouth of the Most High?
39 How can any person alive complain? How can a person complain about the punishment for his sins?
Why should 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 the LORD.
41 Let us lift up our hearts and our hands to God in the heavens:
Let’s lift up our heart with our hands to God in the heavens.
42 “We have transgressed and rebelled, and you have not forgiven.
“We have transgressed and have rebelled. You have not pardoned.
43 You have covered yourself with anger and pursued us, you have killed and you have not spared.
“You have covered us with anger and pursued us. You have killed. You have not pitied.
44 You have covered yourself with a cloud so that no prayer can pass through.
You have covered yourself with a cloud, so that no prayer can pass through.
45 You have made us like filthy scum and refuse among the nations.
You have made us an off-scouring and refuse in the middle of the peoples.
46 All our enemies curse us,
“All our enemies have opened their mouth wide against us.
47 panic and pitfall have come upon us, ruin and destruction.
Terror and the pit have come on us, devastation and destruction.”
48 My eyes flow with streams of tears because my people are destroyed.
My eye runs down with streams of water, for the destruction of the daughter of my people.
49 My eyes will shed tears without ceasing, without relief,
My eye pours down and doesn’t cease, without any intermission,
50 until Yahweh from heaven looks down and sees.
until the LORD looks down, and sees from heaven.
51 My eyes cause me grief because of all the daughters of my city.
My eye affects my soul, 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.
They have chased me relentlessly like a bird, those who are my enemies 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 have cast a stone on me.
54 and they caused waters to overflow, covering my head. I said, 'I have been cut off!'
Waters flowed over my head. I said, “I am cut off.”
55 I called on your name, Yahweh, from the depths of the pit.
I called on your name, LORD, out of the lowest dungeon.
56 You heard my voice when I said, 'Do not close your ear to my cry for help.'
You heard my voice: “Don’t hide your ear from my sighing, and my cry.”
57 You came near on the day I called on you; you said, 'Do not fear.'
You came near in the day that I called on you. You said, “Don’t be afraid.”
58 Lord, you defended my case, you saved my life!
Lord, you have pleaded the causes of my soul. You have redeemed my life.
59 Yahweh, you have seen the wrong they have done to me; judge my case.
LORD, you have seen my wrong. Judge my cause.
60 You have seen their insults, all their plots against me—
You have seen all their vengeance and all their plans against me.
61 You have heard their scorn, Yahweh, and all their plans regarding me.
You have heard their reproach, LORD, and all their plans 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 plots against me all day long.
63 Look at how they sit and then rise up; they mock me with their songs.
You see their sitting down and their rising up. I am their song.
64 Pay back to them, Yahweh, according to what they have done.
You will pay them back, LORD, according to the work of their hands.
65 You will let their hearts be shameless! May your condemnation be upon them!
You will give them hardness of heart, your curse to them.
66 You pursue them in anger and destroy them from under the heavens, Yahweh!”
You will pursue them in anger, and destroy them from under the heavens of the LORD.
