Lamentations 3
1 I [am] the man [who] hath seen affliction By the rod of His wrath.
I am the man who 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 he turns his hand against me again and again all day long.
4 He hath worn out my flesh and my skin. He hath broken my bones.
He has made my flesh and my skin 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 dwell in dark places, as those who 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 about, so that I can’t go out. He has made my chain 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 turned away my path, and pulled 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 shafts of his quiver to enter into my kidneys.
14 I have been a derision to all my people, Their song all the day.
I have become a derision to all my people, and their song all day long.
15 He hath filled me with bitter things, He hath filled me [with] wormwood.
He has filled me with bitterness. He has stuffed me with 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 covered me with ashes.
17 And Thou castest off from peace my soul, I have forgotten prosperity.
You have removed my soul far away from peace. I forgot prosperity.
18 And I say, Perished hath my strength and my hope from Jehovah.
I said, “My strength has perished, along with my expectation from the LORD.”
19 Remember my affliction and my mourning, Wormwood and gall!
Remember my affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the bitterness.
20 Remember well, and bow down doth my soul in me.
My soul still remembers them, and is bowed down within me.
21 This I turn to my heart — therefore I hope.
This I recall to my mind; therefore I have hope.
22 The kindnesses of Jehovah! For we have not been consumed, For not ended have His mercies.
It is because of the LORD’s loving kindnesses that we are not consumed, because his mercies don’t 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 who 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 in his youth.
28 He sitteth alone, and is silent, For He hath laid [it] upon him.
Let him sit alone and keep silence, because he has laid it on him.
29 He putteth in the dust his mouth, if so be there is hope.
Let him put his mouth in the dust, if it is so that there may 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 full of reproach.
31 For the Lord doth not cast off to the age.
For the Lord will not cast off forever.
32 For though He afflicted, yet He hath pitied, According to the abundance of His kindness.
For though he causes grief, yet he will have compassion according to the multitude of his loving kindnesses.
33 For He hath not afflicted with His heart, Nor doth He grieve the sons of men.
For he does not afflict willingly, nor grieve the children of men.
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 turn away the right of a man 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 doesn’t approve.
37 Who [is] this — he hath said, and it is, [And] the Lord hath not commanded [it]?
Who is he who says, and it comes to pass, when the Lord doesn’t command it?
38 From the mouth of the Most High Go not forth the evils and the good.
Doesn’t evil 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 should 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 search and try our ways, and turn again to the LORD.
41 We lift up our heart on the hands unto God in the heavens.
Let’s 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. You have not pardoned.
43 Thou hast covered Thyself with anger, And dost pursue us; Thou hast slain — Thou hast not pitied.
“You have covered us with anger and pursued us. You have killed. You have not pitied.
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 an off-scouring and refuse in the middle 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.
Terror 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.
My eye runs down with streams of water, for the destruction of the daughter of my people.
49 Mine eye is poured out, And doth not cease without intermission,
My eye pours down and doesn’t cease, without any intermission,
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 eye affects my soul, 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 the dungeon, 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 cut off.”
55 I called Thy name, O Jehovah, from the lower pit.
I called on your name, LORD, out of the lowest dungeon.
56 My voice Thou hast heard, Hide not Thine ear at my breathing — at my cry.
You heard my voice: “Don’t hide your ear from my sighing, and my cry.”
57 Thou hast drawn near in the day I call Thee, Thou hast said, Fear not.
You came near in the day that I called on you. You said, “Don’t be afraid.”
58 Thou hast pleaded, O Lord, the pleadings of my soul, Thou hast redeemed my life.
Lord, you have pleaded the causes of my soul. You have redeemed my life.
59 Thou hast seen, O Jehovah, my overthrow, Judge Thou my cause.
LORD, you have seen my wrong. Judge my cause.
60 Thou hast seen all their vengeance, All their thoughts of me.
You have seen all their vengeance and all their plans against me.
61 Thou hast heard their reproach, O Jehovah, All their thoughts against me,
You have heard their reproach, LORD, and all their plans 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.
You see their sitting down and their rising up. I am their song.
64 Thou returnest to them the deed, O Jehovah, According to the work of their hands.
You will pay them back, 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, 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.
