Lamentations 3
1 Aleph. I am a man seynge my pouert in the yerde of his indignacioun.
[ALEPH-BET] I [am] the man [who] has seen affliction By the rod of His wrath.
2 Aleph. He droof me, and brouyte in to derknessis, and not in to liyt.
He has led me, and causes to go [in] darkness, and without light.
3 Aleph. Oneli he turnede in to me, and turnede togidere his hond al dai.
Surely against me He turns back, He turns His hand all the day.
4 Beth. He made eld my skyn, and my fleisch; he al to-brak my boonys.
He has worn out my flesh and my skin. He has broken my bones.
5 Beth. He bildid in my cumpas, and he cumpasside me with galle and trauel.
He has built up against me, And sets around poverty and weariness.
6 Beth. He settide me in derk places, as euerlastynge deed men.
In dark places He has caused me to dwell, As the dead of old.
7 Gymel. He bildide aboute ayens me, that Y go not out; he aggregide my gyues.
He has hedged me in, and I do not go out, He has made heavy my chain.
8 Gymel. But and whanne Y crie and preye, he hath excludid my preier.
Also when I call and cry out, He has shut out my prayer.
9 Gymel. He closide togidere my weies with square stoonus; he distriede my pathis.
He has hedged my ways with hewn work, My paths He has made crooked.
10 Deleth. He is maad a bere settinge aspies to me, a lioun in hid places.
A bear lying in wait He [is] to me, A lion in secret hiding places.
11 Deleth. He distriede my pathis, and brak me; he settide me desolat.
My ways He is turning aside, and He pulls me in pieces, He has made me a desolation.
12 Deleth. He bente his bowe, and settide me as a signe to an arowe.
He has bent His bow, And sets me up as a mark for an arrow.
13 He. He sente in my reynes the douytris of his arowe caas.
He has caused to enter into my reins The sons of His quiver.
14 He. Y am maad in to scorn to al the puple, the song of hem al dai.
I have been a derision to all my people, Their song all the day.
15 He. He fillide me with bitternesses; he gretli fillide me with wermod.
He has filled me with bitter things, He has filled me [with] wormwood.
16 Vau. He brak at noumbre my teeth; he fedde me with aische.
And He breaks with gravel my teeth, He has covered me with ashes.
17 Vau. And my soule is putte awei; Y haue foryete goodis.
And You cast off my soul from peace, I have forgotten prosperity.
18 Vau. And Y seide, Myn ende perischide, and myn hope fro the Lord.
And I say, My strength and my hope have perished from YHWH.
19 Zai. Haue thou mynde on my pouert and goyng ouer, and on wermod and galle.
Remember my affliction and my mourning, Wormwood and gall!
20 Zai. Bi mynde Y schal be myndeful; and my soule schal faile in me.
Remember well, and my soul bows down in me.
21 Zai. Y bithenkynge these thingis in myn herte, schal hope in God.
This I turn to my heart—therefore I hope.
22 Heth. The mercies of the Lord ben manye, for we ben not wastid; for whi hise merciful doyngis failiden not.
The kindnesses of YHWH! For we have not been consumed, For His mercies have not ended.
23 Heth. Y knew in the morewtid; thi feith is miche.
New every morning, abundant [is] Your faithfulness.
24 Heth. My soule seide, The Lord is my part; therfor Y schal abide hym.
My portion [is] YHWH, my soul has said, Therefore I hope for Him.
25 Teth. The Lord is good to hem that hopen in to hym, to a soule sekynge hym.
YHWH [is] good to those waiting for Him, To the soul [that] seeks Him.
26 Teth. It is good to abide with stilnesse the helthe of God.
[It is] good when one stays and stands still For the salvation of YHWH.
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 bears a yoke in his youth.
28 Joth. He schal sitte aloone, and he schal be stille; for he reiside hym silf aboue hym silf.
He sits alone, and is silent, For He has laid [it] on him.
29 Joth. He schal sette his mouth in dust, if perauenture hope is.
He puts his mouth in the dust, if so be, there is hope.
30 Joth. He schal yyue the cheke to a man that smytith hym; he schal be fillid with schenschipis.
He gives to his striker the cheek, He is filled with reproach.
31 Caph. For the Lord schal not putte awei with outen ende.
For the Lord does not cast off for all time.
32 Caph. For if he castide awei, and he schal do merci bi the multitude of hise mercies.
For though He afflicted, yet He has pitied, According to the abundance of His kindness.
33 Caph. For he makide not low of his herte; and castide not awei the sones of men. Lameth.
For He has not afflicted with His heart, Nor does He grieve the sons of men.
34 That he schulde al to-foule vndur hise feet alle the boundun men of erthe. Lameth.
To bruise under one’s feet any bound ones of earth,
35 That he schulde bowe doun the dom of man, in the siyt of the cheer of the hiyeste.
To turn aside the judgment 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 has not approved.
37 Men. Who is this that seide, that a thing schulde be don, whanne the Lord comaundide not?
Who [is] this—he has spoken, and it is, [And] the Lord has not commanded [it]?
38 Men. Nether goodis nether yuels schulen go out of the mouth of the hiyeste.
From the mouth of the Most High does not go forth the evils and the good.
39 Men. What grutchide a man lyuynge, a man for hise synnes?
Why does a living man sigh habitually, A man for his sin?
40 Nun. Serche we oure weies, and seke we, and turne we ayen to the Lord.
We search our ways, and investigate, And turn back to YHWH.
41 Nun. Reise we oure hertis with hondis, to the Lord in to heuenes.
We lift up our heart on the hands to 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 been rebellious, You have not forgiven.
43 Sameth. Thou hilidist in stronge veniaunce, and smitidist vs; thou killidist, and sparidist not.
You have covered Yourself with anger, And pursue us; You have slain—You have not pitied.
44 Sameth. Thou settidist a clowde to thee, that preier passe not.
You have covered Yourself with a cloud, So that prayer does not pass through.
45 Sameth. Thou settidist me, drawing vp bi the roote, and castynge out, in the myddis of puplis.
Outcast and refuse You make us In the midst of the peoples.
46 Ayn. Alle enemyes openyden her mouth on vs.
Opened against us their mouth have all our enemies.
47 Ayn. Inward drede and snare is maad to vs, profesie and defoulyng.
Fear and a snare has been for us, Desolation and destruction.
48 Ayn. Myn iyen ledden doun departyngis of watris, for the defoulyng of the douyter of my puple.
Streams of water go down my eye, For the destruction of the daughter of my people.
49 Phe. Myn iye was turmentid, and was not stille; for no reste was.
My eye is poured out, And does not cease without intermission,
50 Phe. Vntil the Lord bihelde, and siy fro heuenes.
Until YHWH looks and sees from the heavens,
51 Phe. Myn iye robbide my soule in alle the douytris of my citee.
My eye affects my soul, Because of all the daughters of my city.
52 Sade. Myn enemyes token me with out cause, bi huntyng as a brid.
Hunting—my enemies have hunted me without cause like the bird.
53 Sade. My lijf slood in to a lake; and thei puttiden a stoon on me.
They have cut off my life in a pit, And they cast a stone against me.
54 Sade. Watris flowiden ouer myn heed; Y seide, Y perischide.
Waters have flowed over my head, I have said, I have been cut off.
55 Coph. Lord, Y clepide to help thi name, fro the laste lake.
I called Your Name, O YHWH, from the lower pit.
56 Coph. Thou herdist my vois; turne thou not awei thin eere fro my sobbyng and cries.
You have heard my voice, do not hide Your 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.
You have drawn near in the day I call You, You have said, Do not fear.
58 Res. Lord, ayenbiere of my lijf, thou demydist the cause of my soule.
You have pleaded, O Lord, the pleadings of my soul, You have redeemed my life.
59 Res. Lord, thou siest the wickidnesse of hem ayens me; deme thou my doom.
You have seen, O YHWH, my overthrow, Judge my cause.
60 Res. Thou siest al the woodnesse, alle the thouytis of hem ayenus me.
You have seen all their vengeance, All their thoughts of me.
61 Syn. Lord, thou herdist the schenshipis of hem; alle the thouytis of hem ayens me.
You have heard their reproach, O YHWH, All their thoughts against me,
62 Syn. The lippis of men risynge ayens me, and the thouytis of hem ayens me al dai.
The lips of my withstanders, Even their meditation against me all the day.
63 Syn. Se thou the sittynge and risyng ayen of hem; Y am the salm of hem.
Their sitting down, and their rising up, Behold attentively, I [am] their song.
64 Thau. Lord, thou schalt yelde while to hem, bi the werkis of her hondis.
You return to them the deed, O YHWH, According to the work of their hands.
65 Tau. Thou schalt yyue to hem the scheeld of herte, thi trauel.
You give to them a covered heart, Your curse to them.
66 Tau. Lord, thou schalt pursue hem in thi strong veniaunce, and thou schalt defoule hem vndur heuenes.
You pursue in anger, and destroy them, From under the heavens of YHWH!
