Θρῆνοι 3
1 ἐγὼ ἀνὴρ ὁ βλέπων πτωχείαν ἐν ῥάβδῳ θυμοῦ αὐτοῦ ἐπ’ ἐμέ
I am the man who has seen affliction under the rod of God’s wrath.
2 παρέλαβέν με καὶ ἀπήγαγεν εἰς σκότος καὶ οὐ φῶς
He has driven me away and made me walk in darkness instead of light.
3 πλὴν ἐν ἐμοὶ ἐπέστρεψεν χεῖρα αὐτοῦ ὅλην τὴν ἡμέραν
Indeed, He keeps turning His hand against me all day long.
4 ἐπαλαίωσεν σάρκας μου καὶ δέρμα μου ὀστέα μου συνέτριψεν
He has worn away my flesh and skin; He has shattered my bones.
5 ἀνῳκοδόμησεν κατ’ ἐμοῦ καὶ ἐκύκλωσεν κεφαλήν μου καὶ ἐμόχθησεν
He has besieged me and surrounded me with bitterness and hardship.
6 ἐν σκοτεινοῖς ἐκάθισέν με ὡς νεκροὺς αἰῶνος
He has made me dwell in darkness like those dead for ages.
7 ἀνῳκοδόμησεν κατ’ ἐμοῦ καὶ οὐκ ἐξελεύσομαι ἐβάρυνεν χαλκόν μου
He has walled me in so I cannot escape; He has weighed me down with chains.
8 καί γε κεκράξομαι καὶ βοήσω ἀπέφραξεν προσευχήν μου
Even when I cry out and plead for help, He shuts out my prayer.
9 ἀνῳκοδόμησεν ὁδούς μου ἐνέφραξεν τρίβους μου ἐτάραξεν
He has barred my ways with cut stones; He has made my paths crooked.
10 ἄρκος ἐνεδρεύουσα αὐτός μοι λέων ἐν κρυφαίοις
He is a bear lying in wait, a lion hiding in ambush.
11 κατεδίωξεν ἀφεστηκότα καὶ κατέπαυσέν με ἔθετό με ἠφανισμένην
He forced me off my path and tore me to pieces; He left me without help.
12 ἐνέτεινεν τόξον αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐστήλωσέν με ὡς σκοπὸν εἰς βέλος
He bent His bow and set me as the target for His arrow.
13 εἰσήγαγεν τοῖς νεφροῖς μου ἰοὺς φαρέτρας αὐτοῦ
He pierced my kidneys with His arrows.
14 ἐγενήθην γέλως παντὶ λαῷ μου ψαλμὸς αὐτῶν ὅλην τὴν ἡμέραν
I am a laughingstock to all my people; they mock me in song all day long.
15 ἐχόρτασέν με πικρίας ἐμέθυσέν με χολῆς
He has filled me with bitterness; He has intoxicated me with wormwood.
16 καὶ ἐξέβαλεν ψήφῳ ὀδόντας μου ἐψώμισέν με σποδόν
He has ground my teeth with gravel and trampled me in the dust.
17 καὶ ἀπώσατο ἐξ εἰρήνης ψυχήν μου ἐπελαθόμην ἀγαθὰ
My soul has been deprived of peace; I have forgotten what prosperity is.
18 καὶ εἶπα ἀπώλετο νεῖκός μου καὶ ἡ ἐλπίς μου ἀπὸ κυρίου
So I say, “My strength has perished, along with my hope from the LORD.”
19 ἐμνήσθην ἀπὸ πτωχείας μου καὶ ἐκ διωγμοῦ μου πικρίας καὶ χολῆς μου
Remember my affliction and wandering, the wormwood and the gall.
20 μνησθήσεται καὶ καταδολεσχήσει ἐπ’ ἐμὲ ἡ ψυχή μου
Surely my soul remembers and is humbled within me.
21 ταύτην τάξω εἰς τὴν καρδίαν μου διὰ τοῦτο ὑπομενῶ
Yet I call this to mind, and therefore I have hope:
Because of the loving devotion of the LORD we are not consumed, for His mercies never fail.
They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness!
“The LORD is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in Him.”
25 ἀγαθὸς κύριος τοῖς ὑπομένουσιν αὐτόν ψυχῇ ἣ ζητήσει αὐτὸν ἀγαθὸν
The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him.
26 καὶ ὑπομενεῖ καὶ ἡσυχάσει εἰς τὸ σωτήριον κυρίου
It is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD.
27 ἀγαθὸν ἀνδρὶ ὅταν ἄρῃ ζυγὸν ἐν νεότητι αὐτοῦ
It is good for a man to bear the yoke while he is still young.
28 καθήσεται κατὰ μόνας καὶ σιωπήσεται ὅτι ἦρεν ἐφ’ ἑαυτῷ
Let him sit alone in silence, for God has disciplined him.
Let him bury his face in the dust— perhaps there is still hope.
30 δώσει τῷ παίοντι αὐτὸν σιαγόνα χορτασθήσεται ὀνειδισμῶν
Let him offer his cheek to the one who would strike him; let him be filled with reproach.
31 ὅτι οὐκ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα ἀπώσεται κύριος
For the Lord will not cast us off forever.
32 ὅτι ὁ ταπεινώσας οἰκτιρήσει κατὰ τὸ πλῆθος τοῦ ἐλέους αὐτοῦ
Even if He causes grief, He will show compassion according to His abundant loving devotion.
33 ὅτι οὐκ ἀπεκρίθη ἀπὸ καρδίας αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐταπείνωσεν υἱοὺς ἀνδρός
For He does not willingly afflict or grieve the sons of men.
34 τοῦ ταπεινῶσαι ὑπὸ τοὺς πόδας αὐτοῦ πάντας δεσμίους γῆς
To crush underfoot all the prisoners of the land,
35 τοῦ ἐκκλῖναι κρίσιν ἀνδρὸς κατέναντι προσώπου ὑψίστου
to deny a man justice before the Most High,
36 καταδικάσαι ἄνθρωπον ἐν τῷ κρίνεσθαι αὐτὸν κύριος οὐκ εἶπεν
to subvert a man in his lawsuit— of these the Lord does not approve.
37 τίς οὕτως εἶπεν καὶ ἐγενήθη κύριος οὐκ ἐνετείλατο
Who has spoken and it came to pass, unless the Lord has ordained it?
38 ἐκ στόματος ὑψίστου οὐκ ἐξελεύσεται τὰ κακὰ καὶ τὸ ἀγαθόν
Do not both adversity and good come from the mouth of the Most High?
39 τί γογγύσει ἄνθρωπος ζῶν ἀνὴρ περὶ τῆς ἁμαρτίας αὐτοῦ
Why should any mortal man complain, in view of his sins?
40 ἐξηρευνήθη ἡ ὁδὸς ἡμῶν καὶ ἠτάσθη καὶ ἐπιστρέψωμεν ἕως κυρίου
Let us examine and test our ways, and turn back to the LORD.
41 ἀναλάβωμεν καρδίας ἡμῶν ἐπὶ χειρῶν πρὸς ὑψηλὸν ἐν οὐρανῷ
Let us lift up our hearts and hands to God in heaven:
42 ἡμαρτήσαμεν ἠσεβήσαμεν καὶ οὐχ ἱλάσθης
“We have sinned and rebelled; You have not forgiven.”
43 ἐπεσκέπασας ἐν θυμῷ καὶ ἀπεδίωξας ἡμᾶς ἀπέκτεινας οὐκ ἐφείσω
You have covered Yourself in anger and pursued us; You have killed without pity.
44 ἐπεσκέπασας νεφέλην σεαυτῷ εἵνεκεν προσευχῆς
You have covered Yourself with a cloud that no prayer can pass through.
45 καμμύσαι με καὶ ἀπωσθῆναι ἔθηκας ἡμᾶς ἐν μέσῳ τῶν λαῶν
You have made us scum and refuse among the nations.
46 διήνοιξαν ἐφ’ ἡμᾶς τὸ στόμα αὐτῶν πάντες οἱ ἐχθροὶ ἡμῶν
All our enemies open their mouths against us.
47 φόβος καὶ θυμὸς ἐγενήθη ἡμῖν ἔπαρσις καὶ συντριβή
Panic and pitfall have come upon us— devastation and destruction.
48 ἀφέσεις ὑδάτων κατάξει ὁ ὀφθαλμός μου ἐπὶ τὸ σύντριμμα τῆς θυγατρὸς τοῦ λαοῦ μου
Streams of tears flow from my eyes over the destruction of the daughter of my people.
49 ὁ ὀφθαλμός μου κατεπόθη καὶ οὐ σιγήσομαι τοῦ μὴ εἶναι ἔκνηψιν
My eyes overflow unceasingly, without relief,
50 ἕως οὗ διακύψῃ καὶ ἴδῃ κύριος ἐξ οὐρανοῦ
until the LORD looks down from heaven and sees.
51 ὁ ὀφθαλμός μου ἐπιφυλλιεῖ ἐπὶ τὴν ψυχήν μου παρὰ πάσας θυγατέρας πόλεως
My eyes bring grief to my soul because of all the daughters of my city.
52 θηρεύοντες ἐθήρευσάν με ὡς στρουθίον οἱ ἐχθροί μου δωρεάν
Without cause my enemies hunted me like a bird.
53 ἐθανάτωσαν ἐν λάκκῳ ζωήν μου καὶ ἐπέθηκαν λίθον ἐπ’ ἐμοί
They dropped me alive into a pit and cast stones upon me.
54 ὑπερεχύθη ὕδωρ ἐπὶ κεφαλήν μου εἶπα ἀπῶσμαι
The waters flowed over my head, and I thought I was going to die.
55 ἐπεκαλεσάμην τὸ ὄνομά σου κύριε ἐκ λάκκου κατωτάτου
I called on Your name, O LORD, out of the depths of the Pit.
56 φωνήν μου ἤκουσας μὴ κρύψῃς τὰ ὦτά σου εἰς τὴν δέησίν μου
You heard my plea: “Do not ignore my cry for relief.”
57 εἰς τὴν βοήθειάν μου ἤγγισας ἐν ᾗ σε ἡμέρᾳ ἐπεκαλεσάμην εἶπάς μοι μὴ φοβοῦ
You drew near when I called on You; You said, “Do not be afraid.”
58 ἐδίκασας κύριε τὰς δίκας τῆς ψυχῆς μου ἐλυτρώσω τὴν ζωήν μου
You defend my cause, O Lord; You redeem my life.
59 εἶδες κύριε τὰς ταραχάς μου ἔκρινας τὴν κρίσιν μου
You have seen, O LORD, the wrong done to me; vindicate my cause!
60 εἶδες πᾶσαν τὴν ἐκδίκησιν αὐτῶν εἰς πάντας διαλογισμοὺς αὐτῶν ἐν ἐμοί
You have seen all their malice, all their plots against me.
61 ἤκουσας τὸν ὀνειδισμὸν αὐτῶν πάντας τοὺς διαλογισμοὺς αὐτῶν κατ’ ἐμοῦ
O LORD, You have heard their insults, all their plots against me—
62 χείλη ἐπανιστανομένων μοι καὶ μελέτας αὐτῶν κατ’ ἐμοῦ ὅλην τὴν ἡμέραν
the slander and murmuring of my assailants against me all day long.
63 καθέδραν αὐτῶν καὶ ἀνάστασιν αὐτῶν ἐπίβλεψον ἐπὶ τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς αὐτῶν
When they sit and when they rise, see how they mock me in song.
64 ἀποδώσεις αὐτοῖς ἀνταπόδομα κύριε κατὰ τὰ ἔργα τῶν χειρῶν αὐτῶν
You will pay them back what they deserve, O LORD, according to the work of their hands.
65 ἀποδώσεις αὐτοῖς ὑπερασπισμὸν καρδίας μόχθον σου αὐτοῖς
Put a veil of anguish over their hearts; may Your curse be upon them!
66 καταδιώξεις ἐν ὀργῇ καὶ ἐξαναλώσεις αὐτοὺς ὑποκάτω τοῦ οὐρανοῦ κύριε
You will pursue them in anger and exterminate them from under Your heavens, O LORD.
