Lamentations 3
1 I am the man who has seen affliction by the rod of his wrath.
I am the man who has experienced suffering under the rod of God's anger.
2 He has led me and caused me to walk in darkness, and not in light.
He has driven me away, forcing me to walk in darkness instead of the light.
3 Surely he turns his hand against me again and again all day long.
In fact he hits me again and again all day long.
4 He has made my flesh and my skin old. He has broken my bones.
He has worn me out; he has broken me in pieces.
5 He has built against me, and surrounded me with bitterness and hardship.
He has besieged me, surrounding me with bitterness and misery.
6 He has made me dwell in dark places, as those who have been long dead.
He has forced me to live in darkness like those long dead.
7 He has walled me about, so that I can’t go out. He has made my chain heavy.
He has built a wall around me so I can't escape; he has bound me with heavy chains.
8 Yes, when I cry, and call for help, he shuts out my prayer.
Even when I keep on crying out for help, he refuses to listen to my prayer.
9 He has walled up my ways with cut stone. He has made my paths crooked.
He has put stone blocks in my way and sends me down crooked paths.
10 He is to me as a bear lying in wait, as a lion in hiding.
He is a bear that lies in wait for me, a lion in hiding ready to attack,
11 He has turned away my path, and pulled me in pieces. He has made me desolate.
He dragged me from my path and ripped me to pieces, leaving me helpless.
12 He has bent his bow, and set me as a mark for the arrow.
He loaded his bow with an arrow and used me as his target,
13 He has caused the shafts of his quiver to enter into my kidneys.
He shot me in my kidneys with his arrows.
14 I have become a derision to all my people, and their song all day long.
Now everyone laughs at me, singing songs that mock me all day long.
15 He has filled me with bitterness. He has stuffed me with wormwood.
He has filled me with bitterness; he has filled me up with bitter wormwood.
16 He has also broken my teeth with gravel. He has covered me with ashes.
He has broken my teeth with grit; he has trampled me in the dust.
17 You have removed my soul far away from peace. I forgot prosperity.
Peace has been torn away from me; I've forgotten all that's good in life.
18 I said, “My strength has perished, along with my expectation from Yahweh.”
That's why I say, “My expectation of a long life is gone, along with all that I hoped for from Lord.
19 Remember my affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the bitterness.
Don't forget everything I've suffered in my wandering, as bitters as wormwood and poison.
20 My soul still remembers them, and is bowed down within me.
I certainly haven't forgotten. I remember it all too well, so I sink into depression.
21 This I recall to my mind; therefore I have hope.
But I still hope when I think about this:
22 It is because of Yahweh’s loving kindnesses that we are not consumed, because his mercies don’t fail.
It's because of the Lord's trustworthy love that our lives are not finished, for through his merciful actions he never lets us down.
23 They are new every morning. Great is your faithfulness.
He renews them every morning. How wonderfully trustworthy you are, Lord!
24 “Yahweh is my portion,” says my soul. “Therefore I will hope in him.”
The Lord is all I need,” I tell myself, “so I will put my hope in him.”
25 Yahweh is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him.
The Lord is good to those who trust in him, to anyone who seeks to follow him.
26 It is good that a man should hope and quietly wait for the salvation of Yahweh.
It is good to wait quietly for the Lord's salvation.
27 It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth.
It is good for people to learn to patiently bear discipline while they're still young.
28 Let him sit alone and keep silence, because he has laid it on him.
They should sit by themselves in silence, because it's God who has disciplined them.
29 Let him put his mouth in the dust, if it is so that there may be hope.
They should bow low with their faces to the ground, for there may still be hope.
30 Let him give his cheek to him who strikes him. Let him be filled full of reproach.
They should turn a cheek to someone who wants to slap them; they should take the insults of others.
31 For the Lord will not cast off forever.
For the Lord won't abandon us forever.
32 For though he causes grief, yet he will have compassion according to the multitude of his loving kindnesses.
Even though he may bring sadness, he shows us mercy because his trustworthy love is so great.
33 For he does not afflict willingly, nor grieve the children of men.
For he doesn't willingly hurt people, or cause them grief.
34 To crush under foot all the prisoners of the earth,
Whether it's mistreating all the prisoners of the land,
35 to turn away the right of a man before the face of the Most High,
Or denying someone their rights as the Most High watches,
36 to subvert a man in his cause, the Lord doesn’t approve.
Or cheating someone in their legal case—these things the Lord doesn't approve of.
37 Who is he who says, and it comes to pass, when the Lord doesn’t command it?
Who spoke and it came into existence? Wasn't it the Lord who commanded it?
38 Doesn’t evil and good come out of the mouth of the Most High?
When the Most High speaks it can be a disaster or a blessing.
39 Why should a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins?
Why should any human being complain about the results of their sins?
40 Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to Yahweh.
We should look at ourselves, examine what we're doing, and return to the Lord.
41 Let’s lift up our heart with our hands to God in the heavens.
Let's not just hold up our hands to God in heaven, but our minds as well, saying,
42 “We have transgressed and have rebelled. You have not pardoned.
“We are the ones who sinned; we are the ones who rebelled; and you haven't forgiven us!”
43 “You have covered us with anger and pursued us. You have killed. You have not pitied.
You have wrapped yourself in anger and chased us down, killing without mercy. You have killed without pity.
44 You have covered yourself with a cloud, so that no prayer can pass through.
You have wrapped yourself with a cloud that no prayer can penetrate.
45 You have made us an off-scouring and refuse in the middle of the peoples.
You have made us waste and refuse to the nations around.
46 “All our enemies have opened their mouth wide against us.
All our enemies open their mouths to criticize us.
47 Terror and the pit have come on us, devastation and destruction.”
We're terrified and trapped, devastated and destroyed.
48 My eye runs down with streams of water, for the destruction of the daughter of my people.
Tears stream from my eyes over the death of my people.
49 My eye pours down and doesn’t cease, without any intermission,
My eyes overflow with tears all the time. They won't stop
50 until Yahweh looks down, and sees from heaven.
Until the Lord looks down from heaven and sees what's going on.
51 My eye affects my soul, because of all the daughters of my city.
What I've seen torments me because of what's happened to all the women in my city.
52 They have chased me relentlessly like a bird, those who are my enemies without cause.
For no reason my enemies trapped me like a bird.
53 They have cut off my life in the dungeon, and have cast a stone on me.
They tried to kill me by tossing me into a pit and throwing stones at me.
54 Waters flowed over my head. I said, “I am cut off.”
Water flooded over my head, and I thought I was going to die.
55 I called on your name, Yahweh, out of the lowest dungeon.
I called out for you, Lord, from deep inside the pit.
56 You heard my voice: “Don’t hide your ear from my sighing, and my cry.”
You heard me when I prayed, “Please don't ignore my cry for help.”
57 You came near in the day that I called on you. You said, “Don’t be afraid.”
You came to me when I called you, and you told me, “Don't be afraid!”
58 Lord, you have pleaded the causes of my soul. You have redeemed my life.
You have taken my case and defended me; you have saved my life!
59 Yahweh, you have seen my wrong. Judge my cause.
Lord, you have seen the injustices done to me; please vindicate me!
60 You have seen all their vengeance and all their plans against me.
You have observed how vengeful they are and how often they've plotted against me.
61 You have heard their reproach, Yahweh, and all their plans against me,
Lord, you have heard how they've insulted me, and what they've plotted against me,
62 the lips of those that rose up against me, and their plots against me all day long.
How my enemies talk against me and complain about me all the time!
63 You see their sitting down and their rising up. I am their song.
Just look! Whether they're sitting down and or standing up, they go on making fun of me in their songs.
64 You will pay them back, Yahweh, according to the work of their hands.
Pay them back as they deserve, Lord, for all they've done!
65 You will give them hardness of heart, your curse to them.
Give them a covering for their minds! May your curse be on them!
66 You will pursue them in anger, and destroy them from under the heavens of Yahweh.
Chase them down in your anger, Lord, and get rid of them from the earth!
