Lamentations 3
1 Aleph. I am a man seynge my pouert in the yerde of his indignacioun.
I [am] the man [that] hath seen affliction by the rod of his wrath.
2 Aleph. He droof me, and brouyte in to derknessis, and not in to liyt.
He hath led me, and brought [me into] darkness, but not [into] light.
3 Aleph. Oneli he turnede in to me, and turnede togidere his hond al dai.
Surely against me is he turned; he turneth his hand [against me] all the day.
4 Beth. He made eld my skyn, and my fleisch; he al to-brak my boonys.
My flesh and my skin hath he made old; he hath broken my bones.
5 Beth. He bildid in my cumpas, and he cumpasside me with galle and trauel.
He hath builded against me, and compassed [me] with gall and travail.
6 Beth. He settide me in derk places, as euerlastynge deed men.
He hath set me in dark places, as [they that be] dead of old.
7 Gymel. He bildide aboute ayens me, that Y go not out; he aggregide my gyues.
He hath hedged me about, that I cannot get out: he hath made my chain heavy.
8 Gymel. But and whanne Y crie and preye, he hath excludid my preier.
Also when I cry and shout, he shutteth out my prayer.
9 Gymel. He closide togidere my weies with square stoonus; he distriede my pathis.
He hath inclosed my ways with hewn stone, he hath made my paths crooked.
10 Deleth. He is maad a bere settinge aspies to me, a lioun in hid places.
He [was] unto me [as] a bear lying in wait, [and as] a lion in secret places.
11 Deleth. He distriede my pathis, and brak me; he settide me desolat.
He hath turned aside my ways, and pulled me in pieces: he hath made me desolate.
12 Deleth. He bente his bowe, and settide me as a signe to an arowe.
He hath bent his bow, and set me as a mark for the arrow.
13 He. He sente in my reynes the douytris of his arowe caas.
He hath caused the arrows of his quiver to enter into my reins.
14 He. Y am maad in to scorn to al the puple, the song of hem al dai.
I was a derision to all my people; [and] their song all the day.
15 He. He fillide me with bitternesses; he gretli fillide me with wermod.
He hath filled me with bitterness, he hath made me drunken with wormwood.
16 Vau. He brak at noumbre my teeth; he fedde me with aische.
He hath also broken my teeth with gravel stones, he hath covered me with ashes.
17 Vau. And my soule is putte awei; Y haue foryete goodis.
And thou hast removed my soul far off from peace: I forgat prosperity.
18 Vau. And Y seide, Myn ende perischide, and myn hope fro the Lord.
And I said, My strength and my hope is perished from the LORD:
19 Zai. Haue thou mynde on my pouert and goyng ouer, and on wermod and galle.
Remembering mine affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall.
20 Zai. Bi mynde Y schal be myndeful; and my soule schal faile in me.
My soul hath [them] still in remembrance, and is humbled in me.
21 Zai. Y bithenkynge these thingis in myn herte, schal hope in God.
This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope.
22 Heth. The mercies of the Lord ben manye, for we ben not wastid; for whi hise merciful doyngis failiden not.
[It is of] the LORD’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.
23 Heth. Y knew in the morewtid; thi feith is miche.
[They are] new every morning: great [is] thy faithfulness.
24 Heth. My soule seide, The Lord is my part; therfor Y schal abide hym.
The LORD [is] my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I 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 unto them that wait for him, to the soul [that] seeketh him.
26 Teth. It is good to abide with stilnesse the helthe of God.
[It is] good that [a man] should both hope and quietly wait 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 that he bear the yoke in his youth.
28 Joth. He schal sitte aloone, and he schal be stille; for he reiside hym silf aboue hym silf.
He sitteth alone and keepeth silence, because he hath borne [it] upon him.
29 Joth. He schal sette his mouth in dust, if perauenture hope is.
He putteth his mouth in the dust; if so be there may be hope.
30 Joth. He schal yyue the cheke to a man that smytith hym; he schal be fillid with schenschipis.
He giveth [his] cheek to him that smiteth him: he is filled full with reproach.
31 Caph. For the Lord schal not putte awei with outen ende.
For the Lord will not cast off for ever:
32 Caph. For if he castide awei, and he schal do merci bi the multitude of hise mercies.
But though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies.
33 Caph. For he makide not low of his herte; and castide not awei the sones of men. Lameth.
For he doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men.
34 That he schulde al to-foule vndur hise feet alle the boundun men of erthe. Lameth.
To crush under his feet all the prisoners of the earth,
35 That he schulde bowe doun the dom of man, in the siyt of the cheer of the hiyeste.
To turn aside the right of a man before the face of the most High,
36 Lameth. That he schulde peruerte a man in his dom, the Lord knew not.
To subvert a man in his cause, the Lord approveth not.
37 Men. Who is this that seide, that a thing schulde be don, whanne the Lord comaundide not?
Who [is] he [that] saith, and it cometh to pass, [when] the Lord commandeth [it] not?
38 Men. Nether goodis nether yuels schulen go out of the mouth of the hiyeste.
Out of the mouth of the most High proceedeth not evil and good?
39 Men. What grutchide a man lyuynge, a man for hise synnes?
Wherefore doth a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins?
40 Nun. Serche we oure weies, and seke we, and turne we ayen to the Lord.
Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the LORD.
41 Nun. Reise we oure hertis with hondis, to the Lord in to heuenes.
Let us lift up our heart with [our] hands unto God in the heavens.
42 Nun. We han do wickidli, and han terrid thee to wraththe; therfor thou art not able to be preied.
We have transgressed and have rebelled: thou hast not pardoned.
43 Sameth. Thou hilidist in stronge veniaunce, and smitidist vs; thou killidist, and sparidist not.
Thou hast covered with anger, and persecuted us: thou hast slain, thou hast not pitied.
44 Sameth. Thou settidist a clowde to thee, that preier passe not.
Thou hast covered thyself with a cloud, that [our] prayer should not pass through.
45 Sameth. Thou settidist me, drawing vp bi the roote, and castynge out, in the myddis of puplis.
Thou hast made us [as] the offscouring and refuse in the midst of the people.
46 Ayn. Alle enemyes openyden her mouth on vs.
All our enemies have opened their mouths against us.
47 Ayn. Inward drede and snare is maad to vs, profesie and defoulyng.
Fear and a snare is come upon us, desolation and destruction.
48 Ayn. Myn iyen ledden doun departyngis of watris, for the defoulyng of the douyter of my puple.
Mine eye runneth down with rivers of water for the destruction of the daughter of my people.
49 Phe. Myn iye was turmentid, and was not stille; for no reste was.
Mine eye trickleth down, and ceaseth not, without any intermission,
50 Phe. Vntil the Lord bihelde, and siy fro heuenes.
Till the LORD look down, and behold from heaven.
51 Phe. Myn iye robbide my soule in alle the douytris of my citee.
Mine eye affecteth mine heart because of all the daughters of my city.
52 Sade. Myn enemyes token me with out cause, bi huntyng as a brid.
Mine enemies chased me sore, like a bird, without cause.
53 Sade. My lijf slood in to a lake; and thei puttiden a stoon on me.
They have cut off my life in the dungeon, and cast a stone upon me.
54 Sade. Watris flowiden ouer myn heed; Y seide, Y perischide.
Waters flowed over mine head; [then] I said, I am cut off.
55 Coph. Lord, Y clepide to help thi name, fro the laste lake.
I called upon thy name, O LORD, out of the low dungeon.
56 Coph. Thou herdist my vois; turne thou not awei thin eere fro my sobbyng and cries.
Thou hast heard my voice: hide not thine ear at my breathing, at my cry.
57 Coph. Thou neiyidist to me in the dai, wherynne Y clepide thee to help; thou seidist, Drede thou not.
Thou drewest near in the day [that] I called upon thee: thou saidst, Fear not.
58 Res. Lord, ayenbiere of my lijf, thou demydist the cause of my soule.
O Lord, thou hast pleaded the causes of my soul; thou hast redeemed my life.
59 Res. Lord, thou siest the wickidnesse of hem ayens me; deme thou my doom.
O LORD, thou hast seen my wrong: judge thou my cause.
60 Res. Thou siest al the woodnesse, alle the thouytis of hem ayenus me.
Thou hast seen all their vengeance [and] all their imaginations against me.
61 Syn. Lord, thou herdist the schenshipis of hem; alle the thouytis of hem ayens me.
Thou hast heard their reproach, O LORD, [and] all their imaginations against me;
62 Syn. The lippis of men risynge ayens me, and the thouytis of hem ayens me al dai.
The lips of those that rose up against me, and their device against me all the day.
63 Syn. Se thou the sittynge and risyng ayen of hem; Y am the salm of hem.
Behold their sitting down, and their rising up; I [am] their musick.
64 Thau. Lord, thou schalt yelde while to hem, bi the werkis of her hondis.
Render unto them a recompence, O LORD, according to the work of their hands.
65 Tau. Thou schalt yyue to hem the scheeld of herte, thi trauel.
Give them sorrow of heart, thy curse unto them.
66 Tau. Lord, thou schalt pursue hem in thi strong veniaunce, and thou schalt defoule hem vndur heuenes.
Persecute and destroy them in anger from under the heavens of the LORD.
