Lamentations 3
1 Aleph. I am a man seynge my pouert in the yerde of his indignacioun.
I am the man who has seen affliction under the rod of God’s wrath.
2 Aleph. He droof me, and brouyte in to derknessis, and not in to liyt.
He has driven me away and made me walk in darkness instead of light.
3 Aleph. Oneli he turnede in to me, and turnede togidere his hond al dai.
Indeed, He keeps turning His hand against me all day long.
4 Beth. He made eld my skyn, and my fleisch; he al to-brak my boonys.
He has worn away my flesh and skin; He has shattered my bones.
5 Beth. He bildid in my cumpas, and he cumpasside me with galle and trauel.
He has besieged me and surrounded me with bitterness and hardship.
6 Beth. He settide me in derk places, as euerlastynge deed men.
He has made me dwell in darkness like those dead for ages.
7 Gymel. He bildide aboute ayens me, that Y go not out; he aggregide my gyues.
He has walled me in so I cannot escape; He has weighed me down with chains.
8 Gymel. But and whanne Y crie and preye, he hath excludid my preier.
Even when I cry out and plead for help, He shuts out my prayer.
9 Gymel. He closide togidere my weies with square stoonus; he distriede my pathis.
He has barred my ways with cut stones; He has made my paths crooked.
10 Deleth. He is maad a bere settinge aspies to me, a lioun in hid places.
He is a bear lying in wait, a lion hiding in ambush.
11 Deleth. He distriede my pathis, and brak me; he settide me desolat.
He forced me off my path and tore me to pieces; He left me without help.
12 Deleth. He bente his bowe, and settide me as a signe to an arowe.
He bent His bow and set me as the target for His arrow.
13 He. He sente in my reynes the douytris of his arowe caas.
He pierced my kidneys with His arrows.
14 He. Y am maad in to scorn to al the puple, the song of hem al dai.
I am a laughingstock to all my people; they mock me in song all day long.
15 He. He fillide me with bitternesses; he gretli fillide me with wermod.
He has filled me with bitterness; He has intoxicated me with wormwood.
16 Vau. He brak at noumbre my teeth; he fedde me with aische.
He has ground my teeth with gravel and trampled me in the dust.
17 Vau. And my soule is putte awei; Y haue foryete goodis.
My soul has been deprived of peace; I have forgotten what prosperity is.
18 Vau. And Y seide, Myn ende perischide, and myn hope fro the Lord.
So I say, “My strength has perished, along with my hope from the LORD.”
19 Zai. Haue thou mynde on my pouert and goyng ouer, and on wermod and galle.
Remember my affliction and wandering, the wormwood and the gall.
20 Zai. Bi mynde Y schal be myndeful; and my soule schal faile in me.
Surely my soul remembers and is humbled within me.
21 Zai. Y bithenkynge these thingis in myn herte, schal hope in God.
Yet I call this to mind, and therefore I have hope:
22 Heth. The mercies of the Lord ben manye, for we ben not wastid; for whi hise merciful doyngis failiden not.
Because of the loving devotion of the LORD we are not consumed, for His mercies never fail.
23 Heth. Y knew in the morewtid; thi feith is miche.
They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness!
24 Heth. My soule seide, The Lord is my part; therfor Y schal abide hym.
“The LORD is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in Him.”
25 Teth. The Lord is good to hem that hopen in to hym, to a soule sekynge hym.
The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him.
26 Teth. It is good to abide with stilnesse the helthe of God.
It is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD.
27 Teth. It is good to a man, whanne he hath bore the yok fro his yongthe.
It is good for a man to bear the yoke while he is still young.
28 Joth. He schal sitte aloone, and he schal be stille; for he reiside hym silf aboue hym silf.
Let him sit alone in silence, for God has disciplined him.
29 Joth. He schal sette his mouth in dust, if perauenture hope is.
Let him bury his face in the dust— perhaps there is still hope.
30 Joth. He schal yyue the cheke to a man that smytith hym; he schal be fillid with schenschipis.
Let him offer his cheek to the one who would strike him; let him be filled with reproach.
31 Caph. For the Lord schal not putte awei with outen ende.
For the Lord will not cast us off forever.
32 Caph. For if he castide awei, and he schal do merci bi the multitude of hise mercies.
Even if He causes grief, He will show compassion according to His abundant loving devotion.
33 Caph. For he makide not low of his herte; and castide not awei the sones of men. Lameth.
For He does not willingly afflict or grieve the sons of men.
34 That he schulde al to-foule vndur hise feet alle the boundun men of erthe. Lameth.
To crush underfoot all the prisoners of the land,
35 That he schulde bowe doun the dom of man, in the siyt of the cheer of the hiyeste.
to deny a man justice before the Most High,
36 Lameth. That he schulde peruerte a man in his dom, the Lord knew not.
to subvert a man in his lawsuit— of these the Lord does not approve.
37 Men. Who is this that seide, that a thing schulde be don, whanne the Lord comaundide not?
Who has spoken and it came to pass, unless the Lord has ordained it?
38 Men. Nether goodis nether yuels schulen go out of the mouth of the hiyeste.
Do not both adversity and good come from the mouth of the Most High?
39 Men. What grutchide a man lyuynge, a man for hise synnes?
Why should any mortal man complain, in view of his sins?
40 Nun. Serche we oure weies, and seke we, and turne we ayen to the Lord.
Let us examine and test our ways, and turn back to the LORD.
41 Nun. Reise we oure hertis with hondis, to the Lord in to heuenes.
Let us lift up our hearts and hands to God in heaven:
42 Nun. We han do wickidli, and han terrid thee to wraththe; therfor thou art not able to be preied.
“We have sinned and rebelled; You have not forgiven.”
43 Sameth. Thou hilidist in stronge veniaunce, and smitidist vs; thou killidist, and sparidist not.
You have covered Yourself in anger and pursued us; You have killed without pity.
44 Sameth. Thou settidist a clowde to thee, that preier passe not.
You have covered Yourself with a cloud that no prayer can pass through.
45 Sameth. Thou settidist me, drawing vp bi the roote, and castynge out, in the myddis of puplis.
You have made us scum and refuse among the nations.
46 Ayn. Alle enemyes openyden her mouth on vs.
All our enemies open their mouths against us.
47 Ayn. Inward drede and snare is maad to vs, profesie and defoulyng.
Panic and pitfall have come upon us— devastation and destruction.
48 Ayn. Myn iyen ledden doun departyngis of watris, for the defoulyng of the douyter of my puple.
Streams of tears flow from my eyes over the destruction of the daughter of my people.
49 Phe. Myn iye was turmentid, and was not stille; for no reste was.
My eyes overflow unceasingly, without relief,
50 Phe. Vntil the Lord bihelde, and siy fro heuenes.
until the LORD looks down from heaven and sees.
51 Phe. Myn iye robbide my soule in alle the douytris of my citee.
My eyes bring grief to my soul because of all the daughters of my city.
52 Sade. Myn enemyes token me with out cause, bi huntyng as a brid.
Without cause my enemies hunted me like a bird.
53 Sade. My lijf slood in to a lake; and thei puttiden a stoon on me.
They dropped me alive into a pit and cast stones upon me.
54 Sade. Watris flowiden ouer myn heed; Y seide, Y perischide.
The waters flowed over my head, and I thought I was going to die.
55 Coph. Lord, Y clepide to help thi name, fro the laste lake.
I called on Your name, O LORD, out of the depths of the Pit.
56 Coph. Thou herdist my vois; turne thou not awei thin eere fro my sobbyng and cries.
You heard my plea: “Do not ignore my cry for relief.”
57 Coph. Thou neiyidist to me in the dai, wherynne Y clepide thee to help; thou seidist, Drede thou not.
You drew near when I called on You; You said, “Do not be afraid.”
58 Res. Lord, ayenbiere of my lijf, thou demydist the cause of my soule.
You defend my cause, O Lord; You redeem my life.
59 Res. Lord, thou siest the wickidnesse of hem ayens me; deme thou my doom.
You have seen, O LORD, the wrong done to me; vindicate my cause!
60 Res. Thou siest al the woodnesse, alle the thouytis of hem ayenus me.
You have seen all their malice, all their plots against me.
61 Syn. Lord, thou herdist the schenshipis of hem; alle the thouytis of hem ayens me.
O LORD, You have heard their insults, all their plots against me—
62 Syn. The lippis of men risynge ayens me, and the thouytis of hem ayens me al dai.
the slander and murmuring of my assailants against me all day long.
63 Syn. Se thou the sittynge and risyng ayen of hem; Y am the salm of hem.
When they sit and when they rise, see how they mock me in song.
64 Thau. Lord, thou schalt yelde while to hem, bi the werkis of her hondis.
You will pay them back what they deserve, O LORD, according to the work of their hands.
65 Tau. Thou schalt yyue to hem the scheeld of herte, thi trauel.
Put a veil of anguish over their hearts; may Your curse be upon them!
66 Tau. Lord, thou schalt pursue hem in thi strong veniaunce, and thou schalt defoule hem vndur heuenes.
You will pursue them in anger and exterminate them from under Your heavens, O LORD.
