Lamentations 3
1 I am a man who has seen misery under the rod of Yahweh's fury.
I [am] the man [who] hath seen affliction By the rod of His wrath.
2 He drove me away and caused me to walk in darkness rather than light.
Me He hath led, and causeth to go [in] darkness, and without light.
3 Surely he turned his hand against me again and again, the whole day long.
Surely against me He turneth back, He turneth His hand all the day.
4 He made my flesh and my skin waste away; he broke my bones.
He hath worn out my flesh and my skin. He hath broken my bones.
5 He built up siege works against me, and surrounded me with bitterness and hardship.
He hath built up against me, And setteth round poverty and weariness.
6 He made me live in dark places, like those who died long ago.
In dark places He hath caused me to dwell, As the dead of old.
7 He built a wall around me and I cannot escape. He made my chains heavy
He hath hedged me about, and I go not out, He hath made heavy my fetter.
8 and though I call out and cry for help, he shut out my prayer.
Also when I call and cry out, He hath shut out my prayer.
9 He blocked my path with a wall of hewn stone; he made my paths crooked.
He hath hedged my ways with hewn work, My paths He hath made crooked.
10 He is like a bear waiting to ambush me, a lion in hiding;
A bear lying in wait He [is] to me, A lion in secret hiding-places.
11 he turned aside my paths, he has made me desolate.
My ways He is turning aside, and He pulleth me in pieces, He hath made me a desolation.
12 He bent his bow and set me as a target for his arrow.
He hath trodden His bow, And setteth me up as a mark for an arrow.
13 He pierced my kidneys with the arrows of his quiver.
He hath caused to enter into my reins The sons of His quiver.
14 I became a laughingstock to all my people, the object of their taunting all day long.
I have been a derision to all my people, Their song all the day.
15 He filled me with bitterness and forced me to drink wormwood.
He hath filled me with bitter things, He hath filled me [with] wormwood.
16 He has made my teeth grind with gravel, and he made me cower in the ashes.
And He breaketh with gravel my teeth, He hath covered me with ashes.
17 My soul is deprived of peace; I have forgotten what happiness is.
And Thou castest off from peace my soul, I have forgotten prosperity.
18 So I say, “My endurance has perished and so has my hope in Yahweh.”
And I say, Perished hath my strength and my hope from Jehovah.
19 Remember my affliction and my wanderings, the wormwood and bitterness.
Remember my affliction and my mourning, Wormwood and gall!
20 I continually remember it and I am bowed down within me.
Remember well, and bow down doth my soul in me.
21 But I call this to mind and therefore I have hope:
This I turn to my heart — therefore I hope.
22 The steadfast love of Yahweh never ceases and his compassions never end,
The kindnesses of Jehovah! For we have not been consumed, For not ended have His mercies.
23 they are new every morning; your faithfulness is great.
New every morning, abundant [is] thy faithfulness.
24 “Yahweh is my inheritance,” I said, therefore I will hope in him.
My portion [is] Jehovah, hath my soul said, Therefore I hope for Him.
25 Yahweh is good to those who wait for him, to the one who seeks him.
Good [is] Jehovah to those waiting for Him, To the soul [that] seeketh Him.
26 It is good to wait silently for the salvation of Yahweh.
Good! when one doth stay and stand still For the salvation of Jehovah.
27 It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth.
Good for a man that he beareth a yoke in his youth.
28 Let him sit alone in silence, when it is laid upon him.
He sitteth alone, and is silent, For He hath laid [it] upon him.
29 Let him put his mouth in the dust—there may yet be hope.
He putteth in the dust his mouth, if so be there is 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 to his smiter the cheek, He is filled with reproach.
31 For the Lord will not reject us forever,
For the Lord doth not cast off to the age.
32 but though he causes grief, he will have compassion according to the abundance of his steadfast love.
For though He afflicted, yet He hath pitied, According to the abundance of His kindness.
33 For he does not afflict from his heart or torment the children of mankind.
For He hath not afflicted with His heart, Nor doth He grieve the sons of men.
34 To crush underfoot all the prisoners of the earth,
To bruise under one's feet any bound ones of earth,
35 to deny a man justice in the presence of the Most High,
To turn aside the judgment of a man, Over-against 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 hath not approved.
37 Who has spoken and it came to pass, unless the Lord decreed it?
Who [is] this — he hath said, and it is, [And] the Lord hath not commanded [it]?
38 Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that both calamities and the good come?
From the mouth of the Most High Go not forth the evils and the good.
39 How can any person alive complain? How can a person complain about the punishment for his sins?
What — sigh habitually doth a living man, A man for his sin?
40 Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to Yahweh.
We search our ways, and investigate, And turn back unto Jehovah.
41 Let us lift up our hearts and our hands to God in the heavens:
We lift up our heart on the hands unto God in the heavens.
42 “We have transgressed and rebelled, and you have not forgiven.
We — we have transgressed and rebelled, Thou — Thou hast not forgiven.
43 You have covered yourself with anger and pursued us, you have killed and you have not spared.
Thou hast covered Thyself with anger, And dost pursue 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, So that prayer doth not pass through.
45 You have made us like filthy scum and refuse among the nations.
Offscouring and refuse Thou dost make us In the midst of the peoples.
46 All our enemies curse us,
Opened against us their mouth have all our enemies.
47 panic and pitfall have come upon us, ruin and destruction.
Fear and a snare hath been for us, Desolation and destruction.
48 My eyes flow with streams of tears because my people are destroyed.
Rivulets of water go down my eye, For the destruction of the daughter of my people.
49 My eyes will shed tears without ceasing, without relief,
Mine eye is poured out, And doth not cease without intermission,
50 until Yahweh from heaven looks down and sees.
Till Jehovah looketh and seeth from the heavens,
51 My eyes cause me grief because of all the daughters of my city.
My eye affecteth 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.
Hunted me sore as a bird have my enemies without cause.
53 They cast me into a pit and they threw a stone on me,
They have cut off in a pit my life, And they cast a stone against me.
54 and they caused waters to overflow, covering my head. I said, 'I have been cut off!'
Flowed have waters over my head, I have said, I have been cut off.
55 I called on your name, Yahweh, from the depths of the pit.
I called Thy name, O Jehovah, from the lower pit.
56 You heard my voice when I said, 'Do not close your ear to my cry for help.'
My voice Thou hast heard, 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 hast drawn near in the day I call Thee, Thou hast said, Fear not.
58 Lord, you defended my case, you saved my life!
Thou hast pleaded, O Lord, the pleadings of my soul, Thou hast redeemed my life.
59 Yahweh, you have seen the wrong they have done to me; judge my case.
Thou hast seen, O Jehovah, my overthrow, Judge Thou my cause.
60 You have seen their insults, all their plots against me—
Thou hast seen all their vengeance, All their thoughts of me.
61 You have heard their scorn, Yahweh, and all their plans regarding me.
Thou hast heard their reproach, O Jehovah, All their thoughts against me,
62 The lips and the accusations of my enemies come against me all the day.
The lips of my withstanders, Even their meditation against me all the day.
63 Look at how they sit and then rise up; they mock me with their songs.
Their sitting down, and their rising up, Behold attentively, I [am] their song.
64 Pay back to them, Yahweh, according to what they have done.
Thou returnest to them the deed, O Jehovah, According to the work of their hands.
65 You will let their hearts be shameless! May your condemnation be upon them!
Thou givest to them a covered heart, Thy curse to them.
66 You pursue them in anger and destroy them from under the heavens, Yahweh!”
Thou pursuest in anger, and destroyest them, From under the heavens of Jehovah!
