Lamentations 3
1 I [am] the man [who] hath seen affliction By the rod of His wrath.
I [, the one who am writing this, ] am a man who has been afflicted/punished [MTY] by Yahweh because he was angry.
2 Me He hath led, and causeth to go [in] darkness, and without light.
[It was as though] he caused me to walk in a very dark place without any light [at all].
3 Surely against me He turneth back, He turneth His hand all the day.
He has punished [IDM] me many times, all day, [every] day.
4 He hath worn out my flesh and my skin. He hath broken my bones.
He has caused my skin and my flesh to become old. He has broken my bones.
5 He hath built up against me, And setteth round poverty and weariness.
He has surrounded me [DOU] with bitterness and suffering.
6 In dark places He hath caused me to dwell, As the dead of old.
[It is as though] he has buried me in a dark place like [SIM] [the graves of] those who have been dead for a long time.
7 He hath hedged me about, and I go not out, He hath made heavy my fetter.
[It is as though] [MET] he has built a wall around me, and fastened/tied me with heavy chains, and I cannot escape.
8 Also when I call and cry out, He hath shut out my prayer.
Although I call out and cry out for him to help me, he does not pay attention to my prayers.
9 He hath hedged my ways with hewn work, My paths He hath made crooked.
[It is as though] he has blocked my path with a [high] stone [wall] and has caused my path to become crooked.
10 A bear lying in wait He [is] to me, A lion in secret hiding-places.
He has waited to attack me like [SIM] a bear or a lion hides and waits [to attack other animals].
11 My ways He is turning aside, and He pulleth me in pieces, He hath made me a desolation.
[It is as though] he has dragged me off the path and (mauled me/torn me into pieces), and left me without help.
12 He hath trodden His bow, And setteth me up as a mark for an arrow.
[It is as though] [MET] he bent his bow and caused me to become the target [at which he shot] his arrows.
13 He hath caused to enter into my reins The sons of His quiver.
[It is as though] he shot his arrows deep into my body.
14 I have been a derision to all my people, Their song all the day.
All my relatives laugh at me; all day, [every] day they sing songs that make fun of me.
15 He hath filled me with bitter things, He hath filled me [with] wormwood.
He has filled me with (bitterness/great suffering), [like] [MET] someone who drinks a very bitter liquid suffers.
16 And He breaketh with gravel my teeth, He hath covered me with ashes.
[It is as though] he has caused me to chew gravel that broke my teeth, and he has trampled me in the dirt.
17 And Thou castest off from peace my soul, I have forgotten prosperity.
Things no longer go well for me; I no longer remember being prosperous.
18 And I say, Perished hath my strength and my hope from Jehovah.
I [continued to] say [to myself], “I no longer expect to live much longer; I no longer confidently expect [to receive good things] from Yahweh!”
19 Remember my affliction and my mourning, Wormwood and gall!
When I think about my suffering and my wandering [away from home], [it is like drinking] a very bitter [DOU] liquid.
20 Remember well, and bow down doth my soul in me.
I will never forget this time when I feel very depressed/discouraged [IDM].
21 This I turn to my heart — therefore I hope.
However, I confidently expect [Yahweh to do good things for me again] when I think about this:
22 The kindnesses of Jehovah! For we have not been consumed, For not ended have His mercies.
Yahweh never stops faithfully loving [us], and he never stops being kind to us.
23 New every morning, abundant [is] thy faithfulness.
[He is the one whom we can] always trust/lean on. Every morning he is merciful [to us again].
24 My portion [is] Jehovah, hath my soul said, Therefore I hope for Him.
[So] I say to myself, “Yahweh is all that I need; so I will confidently wait for him [to do good things for me].”
25 Good [is] Jehovah to those waiting for Him, To the soul [that] seeketh Him.
Yahweh is good to [all] those who depend on him, to those who seek his [help].
26 Good! when one doth stay and stand still For the salvation of Jehovah.
[So] it is good for us to wait quietly for Yahweh to save/rescue [us].
27 Good for a man that he beareth a yoke in his youth.
And it is good for us to [patiently] endure [suffering] while we are young.
28 He sitteth alone, and is silent, For He hath laid [it] upon him.
Those [who seek his help] should sit by themselves, silently, [knowing that] it is Yahweh who has allowed/caused them to suffer.
29 He putteth in the dust his mouth, if so be there is hope.
They should lie in the dirt, with their faces on the ground, [because] they can still hope [that Yahweh will help them].
30 He giveth to his smiter the cheek, He is filled with reproach.
If someone strikes us on one cheek, we should turn the other cheek toward that person [in order that he may strike it, too], and accept/endure it when we are insulted.
31 For the Lord doth not cast off to the age.
Yahweh does not abandon [us his people] forever.
32 For though He afflicted, yet He hath pitied, According to the abundance of His kindness.
Sometimes he causes us to suffer, but sometimes he is kind [to us] because he continually and faithfully loves [us].
33 For He hath not afflicted with His heart, Nor doth He grieve the sons of men.
And he is not happy about causing human beings to suffer or to be sad.
34 To bruise under one's feet any bound ones of earth,
If people (mistreat all the prisoners/crush all the prisoners under their feet)
35 To turn aside the judgment of a man, Over-against the face of the Most High,
or if they rebel against God by refusing to give to people the things that it is right for them [to receive],
36 To subvert a man in his cause, the Lord hath not approved.
or if they cause judges to decide matters unjustly, (does Yahweh not see all those things?/Yahweh certainly sees all those things!) [RHQ]
37 Who [is] this — he hath said, and it is, [And] the Lord hath not commanded [it]?
No one can [RHQ] command something to happen [and then cause it to happen] if Yahweh has not already decided that it should happen.
38 From the mouth of the Most High Go not forth the evils and the good.
God in heaven [MTY] is [RHQ] the one who causes disasters to happen, and he [also] causes good things to happen.
39 What — sigh habitually doth a living man, A man for his sin?
[So] it is certainly not [RHQ] right for us, who are only humans, to complain when he punishes us for the sins that we have committed.
40 We search our ways, and investigate, And turn back unto Jehovah.
Instead, we should (examine/think carefully about) our behavior; we should turn back to Yahweh.
41 We lift up our heart on the hands unto God in the heavens.
We should pray [IDM] sincerely and lift up our arms toward God in heaven, [and say, ]
42 We — we have transgressed and rebelled, Thou — Thou hast not forgiven.
“We have sinned and rebelled [against you], and you have not forgiven [us].
43 Thou hast covered Thyself with anger, And dost pursue us; Thou hast slain — Thou hast not pitied.
You have surrounded us with your anger and pursued us; you have slaughtered [us] without pitying us.
44 Thou hast covered Thyself with a cloud, So that prayer doth not pass through.
You have hidden yourself in a cloud, with the result that you do not hear [us] when we pray.
45 Offscouring and refuse Thou dost make us In the midst of the peoples.
You have caused [the people of other] nations to consider us to be only garbage [DOU].
46 Opened against us their mouth have all our enemies.
All our enemies have insulted us.
47 Fear and a snare hath been for us, Desolation and destruction.
We are constantly afraid [DOU], [because] we have experienced disasters and ruin [DOU].”
48 Rivulets of water go down my eye, For the destruction of the daughter of my people.
I cry a lot because my people have been destroyed.
49 Mine eye is poured out, And doth not cease without intermission,
My tears continually flow; they will not stop
50 Till Jehovah looketh and seeth from the heavens,
until Yahweh looks down from heaven and sees [us].
51 My eye affecteth my soul, Because of all the daughters of my city.
I am very grieved because of [what has happened to] the women of my city.
52 Hunted me sore as a bird have my enemies without cause.
Those who are my enemies hunted for me like [SIM] [people hunt for] a bird [to kill it] [even though] there was no reason [for them to do that].
53 They have cut off in a pit my life, And they cast a stone against me.
They threw me into a pit to kill me, and they threw stones on top of me.
54 Flowed have waters over my head, I have said, I have been cut off.
The water [in the pit] rose above my head, and I said [to myself], “I am about to die/drown!”
55 I called Thy name, O Jehovah, from the lower pit.
But from the bottom of the pit I cried out to you [MTY], “Yahweh, [help me]!”
56 My voice Thou hast heard, Hide not Thine ear at my breathing — at my cry.
I pleaded with you, “Do not refuse to heed [MTY] me while I cry out to you!”
57 Thou hast drawn near in the day I call Thee, Thou hast said, Fear not.
Then you answered me and said, “Do not be afraid!”
58 Thou hast pleaded, O Lord, the pleadings of my soul, Thou hast redeemed my life.
Yahweh, you defended me; you did not allow me to die.
59 Thou hast seen, O Jehovah, my overthrow, Judge Thou my cause.
[Now], Yahweh, you have seen the evil things that my enemies have done to me, [so] decide my case [and show that I am right]!
60 Thou hast seen all their vengeance, All their thoughts of me.
You know the evil things that they have planned to do to me.
61 Thou hast heard their reproach, O Jehovah, All their thoughts against me,
Yahweh, you have heard them insult [me] and what they have planned to do to me.
62 The lips of my withstanders, Even their meditation against me all the day.
Every day they whisper and mutter things about me, all day long.
63 Their sitting down, and their rising up, Behold attentively, I [am] their song.
Look at them! Whether they are standing or sitting they make fun of me with the songs that they sing.
64 Thou returnest to them the deed, O Jehovah, According to the work of their hands.
Yahweh, cause them to suffer in return for their causing [me] to suffer!
65 Thou givest to them a covered heart, Thy curse to them.
Curse them [IDM] [for] their being very stubborn [IDM].
66 Thou pursuest in anger, and destroyest them, From under the heavens of Jehovah!
Because you are angry with them, pursue them and get rid of them, [until none of them remain] on the earth.
