Lamentations 3
1 I am the man that hath seen affliction by the rod of his wrath.
I, am the man, that hath seen affliction, by the rod of his indignation;
2 He hath led me, and brought me into darkness, but not into light.
Me, hath he driven out and brought into darkness, and not light;
3 Surely against me is he turned; he turneth his hand against me all the day.
Surely, against me, doth he again and again, turn his hand all the day.
4 My flesh and my skin hath he made old; he hath broken my bones.
He hath worn out my flesh and my skin, hath broken my bones;
5 He hath besieged me, and surrounded me with gall and travail.
He hath built up against me, and carried round me, fortifications and a trench;
6 He hath set me in dark places, as they that are dead of old.
In dark places, hath he made me sit, like the dead of age-past times.
7 He hath hedged me about, that I cannot get out: he hath made my chain heavy.
He hath walled up around me, that I cannot get out, hath weighted my fetter;
8 Also when I cry and shout, he shutteth out my prayer.
Yea, when I make outcry and implore, he hath shut out my prayer;
9 He hath inclosed my ways with hewn stone, he hath made my paths crooked.
He hath walled in my ways with hewn stone, my paths, hath he caused to wind back.
10 He was to me as a bear lying in wait, and as a lion in secret places.
A bear lying in wait, he is to me, a lion, in secret places;
11 He hath turned aside my ways, and pulled me in pieces: he hath made me desolate.
My ways, hath he turned aside, and hath torn me in pieces, hath made me desolate;
12 He hath bent his bow, and set me as a mark for the arrow.
He hath trodden his bow, and set me up, as a mark for the arrow.
13 He hath caused the arrows of his quiver to enter into my reins.
He hath caused to enter my reins, the sons of his quiver;
14 I was a derision to all my people; and their song all the day.
I have become a derision to all my people, their song all the day;
15 He hath filled me with bitterness, he hath made me drunk with wormwood.
He hath sated me with bitter things, hath drenched me with wormwood.
16 He hath also broken my teeth with gravel stones, he hath covered me with ashes.
And he hath crushed, with gravel-stones, my teeth, hath made me cower in ashes;
17 And thou hast removed my soul far off from peace: I forgot prosperity.
And thou hast thrust away from welfare, my soul, I have forgotten prosperity;
18 And I said, My strength and my hope hath perished from the LORD:
And I said, Vanished is mine endurance, even mine expectation, from Yahweh.
19 Remembering my affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall.
Remember my humiliation and my fleeings, the wormwood and poison;
20 My soul hath them still in remembrance, and is humbled in me.
Thou wilt, indeed remember, that, bowed down concerning myself, is my soul;
21 This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope.
This, will I bring back to my heart, therefore, will I hope.
22 It is of the LORD’S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.
The lovingkindnesses of Yahweh, verily they are not exhausted, Verily! not at an end, are his compassions:
23 They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.
New things for the mornings! Abundant is thy faithfulness:
24 The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him.
My portion, is Yahweh, saith my soul, For this cause, will I wait for him.
25 The LORD is good to them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him.
Good is Yahweh, to them who wait for him, to the soul that will seek him;
26 It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD.
Good it is—both to wait and to be silent, for the deliverance of Yahweh;
27 It is good for a man that he should bear the yoke in his youth.
Good it is for a man, that he should bear the yoke in his youth.
28 He sitteth alone and keepeth silence, because he hath borne it upon him.
Let him sit alone, and keep silence, because he took it upon himself:
29 He putteth his mouth in the dust; if there may be hope.
Let him put, in the dust, his mouth, peradventure, there is hope!
30 He giveth his cheek to him that smiteth him: he is filled full with reproach.
Let him give, to him that smiteth him, his cheek, let him be sated with reproach.
31 For the Lord will not cast off for ever:
Surely My Lord, will not cast off, unto times age-abiding;
32 But though he causeth grief, yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies.
Surely, though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion, according to the multitude of his lovingkindnesses;
33 For he doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men.
Surely he hath not afflicted from his heart, nor caused sorrow to the sons of men.
34 To crush under his feet all the prisoners of the earth,
To crush, under his feet, any of the prisoners of the earth;
35 To turn aside the right of a man before the face of the most High,
To turn aside the right of a man, before the face of the Most High;
36 To subvert a man in his cause, the Lord approveth not.
To oppress a son of earth in his cause, My Lord, hath made no provision.
37 Who is he that saith, and it cometh to pass, when the Lord commandeth it not?
Who was it that spake, and it was done, [when], My Lord, had not commanded?
38 Out of the mouth of the most High proceedeth not evil and good?
Out of the mouth of the Most High, Proceed there not misfortunes and blessing?
39 Why doth a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins?
Why should a living son of earth complain, [Let] a man [complain] because of his sins?
40 Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the LORD.
Let us search out our ways, and examine them well, and let us return unto Yahweh;
41 Let us lift up our heart with our hands to God in the heavens.
Let us lift up our heart, to the opened palms, to the Mighty One in the heavens;
42 We have transgressed and have rebelled: thou hast not pardoned.
We, have trespassed and rebelled, Thou, hast not pardoned.
43 Thou hast covered with anger, and persecuted us: thou hast slain, thou hast not pitied.
Thou hast covered thyself with anger, and pursued us, hast slain—hast not spared;
44 Thou hast covered thyself with a cloud, that our prayer should not pass through.
Thou hast screened thyself with the clouds, that prayer, should not pass through;
45 Thou hast made us as the offscouring and refuse in the midst of the people.
Offscouring and refuse, dost thou make us, in the midst of the peoples.
46 All our enemies have opened their mouths against us.
With their mouth, opened wide over us, [stand] all our foes.
47 Fear and a snare is come upon us, desolation and destruction.
Terror and a pit, have befallen us, tumult and grievous injury;
48 My eye runneth down with rivers of water for the destruction of the daughter of my people.
With streams of water, mine eye runneth down, over the grievous injury of the daughter of my people.
49 My eye trickleth down, and ceaseth not, without any intermission,
Mine eye, poureth itself out and ceaseth not, without relief;
50 Till the LORD shall look down, and behold from heaven.
Until Yahweh out of the heavens shall look forth, and see,
51 My eye affecteth my heart because of all the daughters of my city.
Mine eye dealeth severely with my soul, because of all the daughters of my city.
52 My enemies chased me hard, like a bird, without cause.
They, have laid snares, for me as a bird, who are mine enemies without cause:
53 They have cut off my life in the dungeon, and cast a stone upon me.
They have cut off, in the dungeon, my life, and have cast a stone upon me;
54 Waters flowed over my head; then I said, I am cut off.
Waters, flowed over, my head, I said, I am cut off!
55 I called upon thy name, O LORD, out of the low dungeon.
I have called upon thy Name, O Yahweh, out of the dungeon below;
56 Thou hast heard my voice: hide not thy ear at my breathing, at my cry.
My voice, thou hast heard, —do not close thine ear to my respite, to mine outcry;
57 Thou drewest near in the day that I called upon thee: thou saidst, Fear not.
Thou drewest near, in the day I kept calling on thee, thou saidst, Do not fear!
58 O Lord, thou hast pleaded the causes of my soul; thou hast redeemed my life.
Thou hast pleaded, O My Lord, the pleas of my soul, hast redeemed my life;
59 O LORD, thou hast seen my wrong: judge thou my cause.
Thou hast beheld, O Yahweh, my failure to get justice, Pronounce thou my sentence;
60 Thou hast seen all their vengeance and all their imaginations against me.
Thou hast seen all their vindictiveness, all their plots against me.
61 Thou hast heard their reproach, O LORD, and all their imaginations against me;
Thou hast heard their reproach, O Yahweh, all their plots against me;
62 The lips of those that rose up against me, and they plot against me all the day.
The lips of mine assailants, and their mutterings, are against me, all the day;
63 Behold their sitting down, and their rising up; I am their music.
On their downsitting and their uprising, do thou look, I, am their song.
64 Render to them a recompence, O LORD, according to the work of their hands.
Thou wilt render to them a recompense, O Yahweh, according to the work of their hands;
65 Give them sorrow of heart, thy curse to them.
Thou wilt suffer them a veiling of heart, thy curse to them;
66 Persecute and destroy them in anger from under the heavens of the LORD.
Thou wilt pursue in anger, and wilt destroy them, from under the heavens of Yahweh.
