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 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 caused me to walk in darkness, and not in light.
3 Aleph. Oneli he turnede in to me, and turnede togidere his hond al dai.
Surely he turns his hand against me again and again all day long.
4 Beth. He made eld my skyn, and my fleisch; he al to-brak my boonys.
He has made my flesh and my skin old. He has broken my bones.
5 Beth. He bildid in my cumpas, and he cumpasside me with galle and trauel.
He has built against 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 dark places, as those who have been long dead.
7 Gymel. He bildide aboute ayens me, that Y go not out; he aggregide my gyues.
He has walled me about, so that I can’t go out. He has made my chain heavy.
8 Gymel. But and whanne Y crie and preye, he hath excludid my preier.
Yes, when I cry, and call for help, he shuts out my prayer.
9 Gymel. He closide togidere my weies with square stoonus; he distriede my pathis.
He has walled up my ways with cut stone. He has made my paths crooked.
10 Deleth. He is maad a bere settinge aspies to me, a lioun in hid places.
He is to me as a bear lying in wait, as a lion in hiding.
11 Deleth. He distriede my pathis, and brak me; he settide me desolat.
He has turned away my path, and pulled me in pieces. He has made me desolate.
12 Deleth. He bente his bowe, and settide me as a signe to an arowe.
He has 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 has caused the shafts of his quiver to enter into my kidneys.
14 He. Y am maad in to scorn to al the puple, the song of hem al dai.
I have become a derision to all my people, and their 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 stuffed me with wormwood.
16 Vau. He brak at noumbre my teeth; he fedde me with aische.
He has also broken my teeth with gravel. He has covered me with ashes.
17 Vau. And my soule is putte awei; Y haue foryete goodis.
You have removed my soul far away from peace. I forgot prosperity.
18 Vau. And Y seide, Myn ende perischide, and myn hope fro the Lord.
I said, “My strength has perished, along with my expectation from the LORD.”
19 Zai. Haue thou mynde on my pouert and goyng ouer, and on wermod and galle.
Remember my affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the bitterness.
20 Zai. Bi mynde Y schal be myndeful; and my soule schal faile in me.
My soul still remembers them, and is bowed down within me.
21 Zai. Y bithenkynge these thingis in myn herte, schal hope in God.
This I recall to my mind; 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.
It is because of The LORD’s loving kindnesses that we are not consumed, because his mercies don’t 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 that a man should 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.
Let him sit alone and keep silence, because he has laid it on him.
29 Joth. He schal sette his mouth in dust, if perauenture hope is.
Let him put his mouth in the dust, if it is so that there may be hope.
30 Joth. He schal yyue the cheke to a man that smytith hym; he schal be fillid with schenschipis.
Let him give his cheek to him who strikes him. Let him be filled full of reproach.
31 Caph. For the Lord schal not putte awei with outen ende.
For the Lord will not cast off forever.
32 Caph. For if he castide awei, and he schal do merci bi the multitude of hise mercies.
For though he causes grief, yet he will have compassion according to the multitude of his loving kindnesses.
33 Caph. For he makide not low of his herte; and castide not awei the sones of men. Lameth.
For he does 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 foot 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 away 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 doesn’t approve.
37 Men. Who is this that seide, that a thing schulde be don, whanne the Lord comaundide not?
Who is he who says, and it comes to pass, when the Lord doesn’t command it?
38 Men. Nether goodis nether yuels schulen go out of the mouth of the hiyeste.
Doesn’t evil and good come out of the mouth of the Most High?
39 Men. What grutchide a man lyuynge, a man for hise synnes?
Why should 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’s lift up our heart with our 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 have rebelled. You have not pardoned.
43 Sameth. Thou hilidist in stronge veniaunce, and smitidist vs; thou killidist, and sparidist not.
“You have covered us with anger and pursued us. You have killed. 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 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 an off-scouring and refuse in the middle of the peoples.
46 Ayn. Alle enemyes openyden her mouth on vs.
“All our enemies have opened their mouth wide against us.
47 Ayn. Inward drede and snare is maad to vs, profesie and defoulyng.
Terror and the pit have come on us, devastation and destruction.”
48 Ayn. Myn iyen ledden doun departyngis of watris, for the defoulyng of the douyter of my puple.
My eye runs down with streams 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.
My eye pours down and doesn’t cease, without any intermission,
50 Phe. Vntil the Lord bihelde, and siy fro heuenes.
until the LORD looks down, and sees from heaven.
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.
They have chased me relentlessly like a bird, those who are my enemies 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 have cast a stone on me.
54 Sade. Watris flowiden ouer myn heed; Y seide, Y perischide.
Waters flowed over my head. I said, “I am cut off.”
55 Coph. Lord, Y clepide to help thi name, fro the laste lake.
I called on your name, LORD, out of the lowest dungeon.
56 Coph. Thou herdist my vois; turne thou not awei thin eere fro my sobbyng and cries.
You heard my voice: “Don’t hide your ear from my sighing, and my cry.”
57 Coph. Thou neiyidist to me in the dai, wherynne Y clepide thee to help; thou seidist, Drede thou not.
You came near in the day that I called on you. You said, “Don’t be afraid.”
58 Res. Lord, ayenbiere of my lijf, thou demydist the cause of my soule.
Lord, you have pleaded the causes of my soul. You have redeemed my life.
59 Res. Lord, thou siest the wickidnesse of hem ayens me; deme thou my doom.
LORD, you have seen my wrong. Judge my cause.
60 Res. Thou siest al the woodnesse, alle the thouytis of hem ayenus me.
You have seen all their vengeance and all their plans against me.
61 Syn. Lord, thou herdist the schenshipis of hem; alle the thouytis of hem ayens me.
You have heard their reproach, LORD, and all their plans 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 plots against me all day long.
63 Syn. Se thou the sittynge and risyng ayen of hem; Y am the salm of hem.
You see their sitting down and their rising up. I am their song.
64 Thau. Lord, thou schalt yelde while to hem, bi the werkis of her hondis.
You will pay them back, LORD, according to the work of their hands.
65 Tau. Thou schalt yyue to hem the scheeld of herte, thi trauel.
You will give them hardness of heart, your curse to 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 destroy them from under the heavens of the LORD.
