< Lamentations 3 >
1 Aleph. I am a man seynge my pouert in the yerde of his indignacioun.
2 Aleph. He droof me, and brouyte in to derknessis, and not in to liyt.
3 Aleph. Oneli he turnede in to me, and turnede togidere his hond al dai.
4 Beth. He made eld my skyn, and my fleisch; he al to-brak my boonys.
5 Beth. He bildid in my cumpas, and he cumpasside me with galle and trauel.
6 Beth. He settide me in derk places, as euerlastynge deed men.
7 Gymel. He bildide aboute ayens me, that Y go not out; he aggregide my gyues.
8 Gymel. But and whanne Y crie and preye, he hath excludid my preier.
9 Gymel. He closide togidere my weies with square stoonus; he distriede my pathis.
10 Deleth. He is maad a bere settinge aspies to me, a lioun in hid places.
11 Deleth. He distriede my pathis, and brak me; he settide me desolat.
12 Deleth. He bente his bowe, and settide me as a signe to an arowe.
13 He. He sente in my reynes the douytris of his arowe caas.
14 He. Y am maad in to scorn to al the puple, the song of hem al dai.
15 He. He fillide me with bitternesses; he gretli fillide me with wermod.
16 Vau. He brak at noumbre my teeth; he fedde me with aische.
17 Vau. And my soule is putte awei; Y haue foryete goodis.
18 Vau. And Y seide, Myn ende perischide, and myn hope fro the Lord.
19 Zai. Haue thou mynde on my pouert and goyng ouer, and on wermod and galle.
20 Zai. Bi mynde Y schal be myndeful; and my soule schal faile in me.
21 Zai. Y bithenkynge these thingis in myn herte, schal hope in God.
22 Heth. The mercies of the Lord ben manye, for we ben not wastid; for whi hise merciful doyngis failiden not.
23 Heth. Y knew in the morewtid; thi feith is miche.
24 Heth. My soule seide, The Lord is my part; therfor Y schal abide hym.
25 Teth. The Lord is good to hem that hopen in to hym, to a soule sekynge hym.
26 Teth. It is good to abide with stilnesse the helthe of God.
27 Teth. It is good to a man, whanne he hath bore the yok fro his yongthe.
28 Joth. He schal sitte aloone, and he schal be stille; for he reiside hym silf aboue hym silf.
29 Joth. He schal sette his mouth in dust, if perauenture hope is.
30 Joth. He schal yyue the cheke to a man that smytith hym; he schal be fillid with schenschipis.
31 Caph. For the Lord schal not putte awei with outen ende.
32 Caph. For if he castide awei, and he schal do merci bi the multitude of hise mercies.
33 Caph. For he makide not low of his herte; and castide not awei the sones of men. Lameth.
34 That he schulde al to-foule vndur hise feet alle the boundun men of erthe. Lameth.
35 That he schulde bowe doun the dom of man, in the siyt of the cheer of the hiyeste.
36 Lameth. That he schulde peruerte a man in his dom, the Lord knew not.
37 Men. Who is this that seide, that a thing schulde be don, whanne the Lord comaundide not?
38 Men. Nether goodis nether yuels schulen go out of the mouth of the hiyeste.
39 Men. What grutchide a man lyuynge, a man for hise synnes?
40 Nun. Serche we oure weies, and seke we, and turne we ayen to the Lord.
41 Nun. Reise we oure hertis with hondis, to the Lord in to heuenes.
42 Nun. We han do wickidli, and han terrid thee to wraththe; therfor thou art not able to be preied.
43 Sameth. Thou hilidist in stronge veniaunce, and smitidist vs; thou killidist, and sparidist not.
44 Sameth. Thou settidist a clowde to thee, that preier passe not.
45 Sameth. Thou settidist me, drawing vp bi the roote, and castynge out, in the myddis of puplis.
46 Ayn. Alle enemyes openyden her mouth on vs.
47 Ayn. Inward drede and snare is maad to vs, profesie and defoulyng.
48 Ayn. Myn iyen ledden doun departyngis of watris, for the defoulyng of the douyter of my puple.
49 Phe. Myn iye was turmentid, and was not stille; for no reste was.
50 Phe. Vntil the Lord bihelde, and siy fro heuenes.
51 Phe. Myn iye robbide my soule in alle the douytris of my citee.
52 Sade. Myn enemyes token me with out cause, bi huntyng as a brid.
53 Sade. My lijf slood in to a lake; and thei puttiden a stoon on me.
54 Sade. Watris flowiden ouer myn heed; Y seide, Y perischide.
55 Coph. Lord, Y clepide to help thi name, fro the laste lake.
56 Coph. Thou herdist my vois; turne thou not awei thin eere fro my sobbyng and cries.
57 Coph. Thou neiyidist to me in the dai, wherynne Y clepide thee to help; thou seidist, Drede thou not.
58 Res. Lord, ayenbiere of my lijf, thou demydist the cause of my soule.
59 Res. Lord, thou siest the wickidnesse of hem ayens me; deme thou my doom.
60 Res. Thou siest al the woodnesse, alle the thouytis of hem ayenus me.
61 Syn. Lord, thou herdist the schenshipis of hem; alle the thouytis of hem ayens me.
62 Syn. The lippis of men risynge ayens me, and the thouytis of hem ayens me al dai.
63 Syn. Se thou the sittynge and risyng ayen of hem; Y am the salm of hem.
64 Thau. Lord, thou schalt yelde while to hem, bi the werkis of her hondis.
65 Tau. Thou schalt yyue to hem the scheeld of herte, thi trauel.
66 Tau. Lord, thou schalt pursue hem in thi strong veniaunce, and thou schalt defoule hem vndur heuenes.
