Lamentations 3
1 I am the man who has seen affliction by the rod of his wrath.
I AM the man that has seen affliction by the rod of his wrath.
2 He has led me and caused me to walk in darkness, and not in light.
He has led me, and brought me into darkness, but not into light.
3 Surely he turns his hand against me again and again all day long.
Surely against me is he turned; he turns his hand against me all the day.
4 He has made my flesh and my skin old. He has broken my bones.
My flesh and my skin has he made old; he has broken my bones.
5 He has built against me, and surrounded me with bitterness and hardship.
He has built against me, and compassed me with gall and travail.
6 He has made me dwell in dark places, as those who have been long dead.
He has set me in dark places, as they that be dead of old.
7 He has walled me about, so that I can’t go out. He has made my chain heavy.
He has hedged me about, that I cannot get out: he has made my chain heavy.
8 Yes, when I cry, and call for help, he shuts out my prayer.
Also when I cry and shout, he shuts out my prayer.
9 He has walled up my ways with cut stone. He has made my paths crooked.
He has enclosed my ways with hewn stone, he has made my paths crooked.
10 He is to me as a bear lying in wait, as a lion in hiding.
He was to me as a bear lying in wait, and as a lion in secret places.
11 He has turned away my path, and pulled me in pieces. He has made me desolate.
He has turned aside my ways, and pulled me in pieces: he has made me desolate.
12 He has bent his bow, and set me as a mark for the arrow.
He has bent his bow, and set me as a mark for the arrow.
13 He has caused the shafts of his quiver to enter into my kidneys.
He has caused the arrows of his quiver to enter into my reins.
14 I have become a derision to all my people, and their song all day long.
I was a derision to all my people; and their song all the day.
15 He has filled me with bitterness. He has stuffed me with wormwood.
He has filled me with bitterness, he has made me drunken with wormwood.
16 He has also broken my teeth with gravel. He has covered me with ashes.
He has also broken my teeth with gravel stones, he has covered me with ashes.
17 You have removed my soul far away from peace. I forgot prosperity.
And you have removed my soul far off from peace: I forgot prosperity.
18 I said, “My strength has perished, along with my expectation from the LORD.”
And I said, My strength and my hope is perished from the LORD:
19 Remember my affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the bitterness.
Remembering my affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall.
20 My soul still remembers them, and is bowed down within me.
My soul has them still in remembrance, and is humbled in me.
21 This I recall to my mind; therefore I have hope.
This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope.
22 It is because of the LORD’s loving kindnesses that we are not consumed, because his mercies don’t fail.
It is of the LORD’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.
23 They are new every morning. Great is your faithfulness.
They are new every morning: great is your faithfulness.
24 “The LORD is my portion,” says my soul. “Therefore I will hope in him.”
The LORD is my portion, says my soul; therefore will I hope in him.
25 The LORD is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him.
The LORD is good to them that wait for him, to the soul that seeks him.
26 It is good that a man should hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD.
It is good that a man should both 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 of his youth.
28 Let him sit alone and keep silence, because he has laid it on him.
He sits alone and keeps silence, because he has borne it on him.
29 Let him put his mouth in the dust, if it is so that there may be hope.
He puts his mouth in the dust; if so be there may be hope.
30 Let him give his cheek to him who strikes him. Let him be filled full of reproach.
He gives his cheek to him that smites him: he is filled full with reproach.
31 For the Lord will not cast off forever.
For the LORD will not cast off for ever:
32 For though he causes grief, yet he will have compassion according to the multitude of his loving kindnesses.
But though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies.
33 For he does not afflict willingly, nor grieve the children of men.
For he does not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men.
34 To crush under foot all the prisoners of the earth,
To crush under his feet all the prisoners of the earth.
35 to turn away 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 doesn’t approve.
To subvert a man in his cause, the LORD approves not.
37 Who is he who says, and it comes to pass, when the Lord doesn’t command it?
Who is he that says, and it comes to pass, when the Lord commands it not?
38 Doesn’t evil and good come out of the mouth of the Most High?
Out of the mouth of the most High proceeds not evil and good?
39 Why should a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins?
Why does a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins?
40 Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the LORD.
Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the LORD.
41 Let’s lift up our heart with our hands to God in the heavens.
Let us lift up our heart with our hands to God in the heavens.
42 “We have transgressed and have rebelled. You have not pardoned.
We have transgressed and have rebelled: you have not pardoned.
43 “You have covered us with anger and pursued us. You have killed. You have not pitied.
You have covered with anger, and persecuted us: you have slain, 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, that our prayer should not pass through.
45 You have made us an off-scouring and refuse in the middle of the peoples.
You have made us as the offscouring and refuse in the middle of the people.
46 “All our enemies have opened their mouth wide against us.
All our enemies have opened their mouths against us.
47 Terror and the pit have come on us, devastation and destruction.”
Fear and a snare is come on us, desolation and destruction.
48 My eye runs down with streams of water, for the destruction of the daughter of my people.
My eye runs down with rivers of water for the destruction of the daughter of my people.
49 My eye pours down and doesn’t cease, without any intermission,
My eye trickles down, and ceases not, without any intermission.
50 until the LORD looks down, and sees from heaven.
Till the LORD look down, and behold from heaven.
51 My eye affects my soul, because of all the daughters of my city.
My eye affects my heart because of all the daughters of my city.
52 They have chased me relentlessly like a bird, those who are my enemies without cause.
My enemies chased me sore, like a bird, without cause.
53 They have cut off my life in the dungeon, and have cast a stone on me.
They have cut off my life in the dungeon, and cast a stone on me.
54 Waters flowed over my head. I said, “I am cut off.”
Waters flowed over my head; then I said, I am cut off.
55 I called on your name, LORD, out of the lowest dungeon.
I called on your name, O LORD, out of the low dungeon.
56 You heard my voice: “Don’t hide your ear from my sighing, and my cry.”
You have heard my voice: hide not your ear at my breathing, at my cry.
57 You came near in the day that I called on you. You said, “Don’t be afraid.”
You drew near in the day that I called on you: you said, Fear not.
58 Lord, you have pleaded the causes of my soul. You have redeemed my life.
O LORD, you have pleaded the causes of my soul; you have redeemed my life.
59 LORD, you have seen my wrong. Judge my cause.
O LORD, you have seen my wrong: judge you my cause.
60 You have seen all their vengeance and all their plans against me.
You have seen all their vengeance and all their imaginations against me.
61 You have heard their reproach, LORD, and all their plans against me,
You have heard their reproach, O LORD, and all their imaginations against me;
62 the lips of those that rose up against me, and their plots against me all day long.
The lips of those that rose up against me, and their device against me all the day.
63 You see their sitting down and their rising up. I am their song.
Behold their sitting down, and their rising up; I am their music.
64 You will pay them back, LORD, according to the work of their hands.
Render to them a recompense, O LORD, according to the work of their hands.
65 You will give them hardness of heart, your curse to them.
Give them sorrow of heart, your curse to them.
66 You will pursue them in anger, and destroy them from under the heavens of the LORD.
Persecute and destroy them in anger from under the heavens of the LORD.
