Lamentations 3
1 I [am] the man [who] hath seen affliction By the rod of His wrath.
I am the man that has seen affliction by the rod of his wrath.
2 Me He hath led, and causeth to go [in] darkness, and without light.
He has led me and caused me to walk in darkness, and not in light.
3 Surely against me He turneth back, He turneth His hand all the day.
Surely against me he turns his hand again and again all the day.
4 He hath worn out my flesh and my skin. He hath broken my bones.
My flesh and my skin he has made old; he has broken my bones.
5 He hath built up against me, And setteth round poverty and weariness.
He has built against me, and surrounded me with bitterness and hardship.
6 In dark places He hath caused me to dwell, As the dead of old.
He has made me to dwell in dark places, like those that have been long dead.
7 He hath hedged me about, and I go not out, He hath made heavy my fetter.
He has walled me in, so I can't escape; he has made my chains heavy.
8 Also when I call and cry out, He hath shut out my prayer.
Yes, when I cry, and call for help, he shuts out my prayer.
9 He hath hedged my ways with hewn work, My paths He hath made crooked.
He has walled up my ways with cut stone; he has made my paths crooked.
10 A bear lying in wait He [is] to me, A lion in secret hiding-places.
He is to me as a bear lying in wait, as a lion in hiding.
11 My ways He is turning aside, and He pulleth me in pieces, He hath made me a desolation.
He has obstructed my path, and torn me in pieces; he has made me desolate.
12 He hath trodden His bow, And setteth me up as a mark for an arrow.
He has bent his bow, and set me as a mark for the arrow.
13 He hath caused to enter into my reins The sons of His quiver.
He has caused the arrows of his quiver to pierce my inward parts.
14 I have been a derision to all my people, Their song all the day.
I have become a laughingstock to all peoples, and their song all the day.
15 He hath filled me with bitter things, He hath filled me [with] wormwood.
He has filled me with bitterness, he has given me in full measure wormwood.
16 And He breaketh with gravel my teeth, He hath covered me with ashes.
He has also broken my teeth with gravel; he has pressed me down in the dust.
17 And Thou castest off from peace my soul, I have forgotten prosperity.
You have removed my soul far away from peace; I have forgotten what prosperity is.
18 And I say, Perished hath my strength and my hope from Jehovah.
And I said, "My strength and my hope has perished from the LORD."
19 Remember my affliction and my mourning, Wormwood and gall!
Remember my affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall.
20 Remember well, and bow down doth my soul in me.
My soul considers them, and is depressed.
21 This I turn to my heart — therefore I hope.
But this I call to my mind; therefore I have hope:
22 The kindnesses of Jehovah! For we have not been consumed, For not ended have His mercies.
The LORD's faithful love does not cease; his compassion does not fail.
23 New every morning, abundant [is] thy faithfulness.
They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
24 My portion [is] Jehovah, hath my soul said, Therefore I hope for Him.
"The LORD is my portion," says my soul, "therefore I will hope in him."
25 Good [is] Jehovah to those waiting for Him, To the soul [that] seeketh Him.
The LORD is good to those who wait for him, to the soul that seeks him.
26 Good! when one doth stay and stand still For the salvation of Jehovah.
It is good that a man should hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD.
27 Good for a man that he beareth a yoke in his youth.
It is good for a man that he bear the yoke while he is young.
28 He sitteth alone, and is silent, For He hath laid [it] upon him.
Let him sit alone and keep silence when he is disciplining him.
29 He putteth in the dust his mouth, if so be there is hope.
Let him put his mouth to the dust, there may yet be hope.
30 He giveth to his smiter the cheek, He is filled with reproach.
Let him give his cheek to him who strikes him; let him be filled with insults.
31 For the Lord doth not cast off to the age.
For the LORD will not reject forever.
32 For though He afflicted, yet He hath pitied, According to the abundance of His kindness.
For though he may cause grief, yet he will have compassion according to the abundance of his loving kindness.
33 For He hath not afflicted with His heart, Nor doth He grieve the sons of men.
For he is not predisposed to bring affliction or suffering to human beings.
34 To bruise under one's feet any bound ones of earth,
To crush under foot all the prisoners of the earth;
35 To turn aside the judgment of a man, Over-against the face of the Most High,
to deprive a man of justice before the face of the Most High,
36 To subvert a man in his cause, the Lord hath not approved.
to subvert a man in his cause, the LORD does not approve.
37 Who [is] this — he hath said, and it is, [And] the Lord hath not commanded [it]?
Who can speak a thing and have it come to pass, unless the LORD has commanded it?
38 From the mouth of the Most High Go not forth the evils and the good.
Doesn't both calamity and good come out of the mouth of the Most High?
39 What — sigh habitually doth a living man, A man for his sin?
Why does a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins?
40 We search our ways, and investigate, And turn back unto Jehovah.
Let us examine and search our ways, and return to the LORD.
41 We lift up our heart on the hands unto God in the heavens.
Let us lift up our heart with our hands to God in the heavens.
42 We — we have transgressed and rebelled, Thou — Thou hast not forgiven.
We have transgressed and have rebelled, and you have not forgiven.
43 Thou hast covered Thyself with anger, And dost pursue us; Thou hast slain — Thou hast not pitied.
You have covered yourself with anger and pursued us; you killed without sparing.
44 Thou hast covered Thyself with a cloud, So that prayer doth not pass through.
You have covered yourself with a cloud, so that no prayer can pass through.
45 Offscouring and refuse Thou dost make us In the midst of the peoples.
You have made us rubbish and refuse in the midst of the peoples.
46 Opened against us their mouth have all our enemies.
All our enemies have opened their mouth wide against us.
47 Fear and a snare hath been for us, Desolation and destruction.
Fear and the pit have come on us, devastation and destruction.
48 Rivulets of water go down my eye, For the destruction of the daughter of my people.
Streams of tears run down from my eyes because of the destruction of the daughter of my people.
49 Mine eye is poured out, And doth not cease without intermission,
My tears flow and do not cease, without respite,
50 Till Jehovah looketh and seeth from the heavens,
until the LORD looks down and sees from heaven.
51 My eye affecteth my soul, Because of all the daughters of my city.
My eyes bring my soul grief, because of all the daughters of my city.
52 Hunted me sore as a bird have my enemies without cause.
They have chased me relentlessly like a bird, those who are my enemies without cause.
53 They have cut off in a pit my life, And they cast a stone against me.
They have cut off my life in a pit, and have cast a stone on me.
54 Flowed have waters over my head, I have said, I have been cut off.
Waters flowed over my head; I said, 'I am finished.'
55 I called Thy name, O Jehovah, from the lower pit.
I called on your name, LORD, out of the depths of the pit.
56 My voice Thou hast heard, Hide not Thine ear at my breathing — at my cry.
You heard my voice; do not hide your ear at my sighs, to my cry.
57 Thou hast drawn near in the day I call Thee, Thou hast said, Fear not.
You drew near in the day that I called on you; you said, "Do not be afraid."
58 Thou hast pleaded, O Lord, the pleadings of my soul, Thou hast redeemed my life.
LORD, you have taken up the case for my soul; you have redeemed my life.
59 Thou hast seen, O Jehovah, my overthrow, Judge Thou my cause.
You have seen, LORD, the wrong done to me; judge my case.
60 Thou hast seen all their vengeance, All their thoughts of me.
You have seen all their vengeance and all their plots against me.
61 Thou hast heard their reproach, O Jehovah, All their thoughts against me,
You have heard their insults, LORD, and all their plots against me.
62 The lips of my withstanders, Even their meditation against me all the day.
The lips of those that rose up against me, and their plots against me all day long.
63 Their sitting down, and their rising up, Behold attentively, I [am] their song.
Look their sitting down, and their rising up; I am their mocking song.
64 Thou returnest to them the deed, O Jehovah, According to the work of their hands.
You will render to them what they deserve, LORD, according to the work of their hands.
65 Thou givest to them a covered heart, Thy curse to them.
You will give them hardness of heart as your curse to them.
66 Thou pursuest in anger, and destroyest them, From under the heavens of Jehovah!
You will pursue them in anger, and destroy them from under the heavens of the LORD.
