Lamentationes 3
1 ALEPH ego vir videns paupertatem meam in virga indignationis eius
I, am the man, that hath seen affliction, by the rod of his indignation;
2 ALEPH me minavit et adduxit in tenebris et non in lucem
Me, hath he driven out and brought into darkness, and not light;
3 ALEPH tantum in me vertit et convertit manum suam tota die
Surely, against me, doth he again and again, turn his hand all the day.
4 BETH vetustam fecit pellem meam et carnem meam contrivit ossa mea
He hath worn out my flesh and my skin, hath broken my bones;
5 BETH aedificavit in gyro meo et circumdedit me felle et labore
He hath built up against me, and carried round me, fortifications and a trench;
6 BETH in tenebrosis conlocavit me quasi mortuos sempiternos
In dark places, hath he made me sit, like the dead of age-past times.
7 GIMEL circumaedificavit adversum me ut non egrediar adgravavit conpedem meam
He hath walled up around me, that I cannot get out, hath weighted my fetter;
8 GIMEL sed et cum clamavero et rogavero exclusit orationem meam
Yea, when I make outcry and implore, he hath shut out my prayer;
9 GIMEL conclusit vias meas lapidibus quadris semitas meas subvertit
He hath walled in my ways with hewn stone, my paths, hath he caused to wind back.
10 DELETH ursus insidians factus est mihi leo in absconditis
A bear lying in wait, he is to me, a lion, in secret places;
11 DELETH semitas meas subvertit et confregit me posuit me desolatam
My ways, hath he turned aside, and hath torn me in pieces, hath made me desolate;
12 DELETH tetendit arcum suum et posuit me quasi signum ad sagittam
He hath trodden his bow, and set me up, as a mark for the arrow.
13 HE misit in renibus meis filias faretrae suae
He hath caused to enter my reins, the sons of his quiver;
14 HE factus sum in derisu omni populo meo canticum eorum tota die
I have become a derision to all my people, their song all the day;
15 HE replevit me amaritudinibus inebriavit me absinthio
He hath sated me with bitter things, hath drenched me with wormwood.
16 VAV et fregit ad numerum dentes meos cibavit me cinere
And he hath crushed, with gravel-stones, my teeth, hath made me cower in ashes;
17 VAV et repulsa est anima mea oblitus sum bonorum
And thou hast thrust away from welfare, my soul, I have forgotten prosperity;
18 VAV et dixi periit finis meus et spes mea a Domino
And I said, Vanished is mine endurance, even mine expectation, from Yahweh.
19 ZAI recordare paupertatis et transgressionis meae absinthii et fellis
Remember my humiliation and my fleeings, the wormwood and poison;
20 ZAI memoria memor ero et tabescet in me anima mea
Thou wilt, indeed remember, that, bowed down concerning myself, is my soul;
21 ZAI hoc recolens in corde meo ideo sperabo
This, will I bring back to my heart, therefore, will I hope.
22 HETH misericordiae Domini quia non sumus consumpti quia non defecerunt miserationes eius
The lovingkindnesses of Yahweh, verily they are not exhausted, Verily! not at an end, are his compassions:
23 HETH novae diluculo multa est fides tua
New things for the mornings! Abundant is thy faithfulness:
24 HETH pars mea Dominus dixit anima mea propterea expectabo eum
My portion, is Yahweh, saith my soul, For this cause, will I wait for him.
25 TETH bonus est Dominus sperantibus in eum animae quaerenti illum
Good is Yahweh, to them who wait for him, to the soul that will seek him;
26 TETH bonum est praestolari cum silentio salutare Domini
Good it is—both to wait and to be silent, for the deliverance of Yahweh;
27 TETH bonum est viro cum portaverit iugum ab adulescentia sua
Good it is for a man, that he should bear the yoke in his youth.
28 IOTH sedebit solitarius et tacebit quia levavit super se
Let him sit alone, and keep silence, because he took it upon himself:
29 IOTH ponet in pulvere os suum si forte sit spes
Let him put, in the dust, his mouth, peradventure, there is hope!
30 IOTH dabit percutienti se maxillam saturabitur obprobriis
Let him give, to him that smiteth him, his cheek, let him be sated with reproach.
31 CAPH quia non repellet in sempiternum Dominus
Surely My Lord, will not cast off, unto times age-abiding;
32 CAPH quia si abiecit et miserebitur secundum multitudinem misericordiarum suarum
Surely, though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion, according to the multitude of his lovingkindnesses;
33 CAPH non enim humiliavit ex corde suo et abiecit filios hominis
Surely he hath not afflicted from his heart, nor caused sorrow to the sons of men.
34 LAMED ut contereret sub pedibus suis omnes vinctos terrae
To crush, under his feet, any of the prisoners of the earth;
35 LAMED ut declinaret iudicium viri in conspectu vultus Altissimi
To turn aside the right of a man, before the face of the Most High;
36 LAMED ut perverteret hominem in iudicio suo Dominus ignoravit
To oppress a son of earth in his cause, My Lord, hath made no provision.
37 MEM quis est iste qui dixit ut fieret Domino non iubente
Who was it that spake, and it was done, [when], My Lord, had not commanded?
38 MEM ex ore Altissimi non egredientur nec mala nec bona
Out of the mouth of the Most High, Proceed there not misfortunes and blessing?
39 MEM quid murmuravit homo vivens vir pro peccatis suis
Why should a living son of earth complain, [Let] a man [complain] because of his sins?
40 NUN scrutemur vias nostras et quaeramus et revertamur ad Dominum
Let us search out our ways, and examine them well, and let us return unto Yahweh;
41 NUN levemus corda nostra cum manibus ad Dominum in caelos
Let us lift up our heart, to the opened palms, to the Mighty One in the heavens;
42 NUN nos inique egimus et ad iracundiam provocavimus idcirco tu inexorabilis es
We, have trespassed and rebelled, Thou, hast not pardoned.
43 SAMECH operuisti in furore et percussisti nos occidisti nec pepercisti
Thou hast covered thyself with anger, and pursued us, hast slain—hast not spared;
44 SAMECH opposuisti nubem tibi ne transeat oratio
Thou hast screened thyself with the clouds, that prayer, should not pass through;
45 SAMECH eradicationem et abiectionem posuisti me in medio populorum
Offscouring and refuse, dost thou make us, in the midst of the peoples.
46 FE aperuerunt super nos os suum omnes inimici
With their mouth, opened wide over us, [stand] all our foes.
47 FE formido et laqueus facta est nobis vaticinatio et contritio
Terror and a pit, have befallen us, tumult and grievous injury;
48 FE divisiones aquarum deduxit oculus meus in contritione filiae populi mei
With streams of water, mine eye runneth down, over the grievous injury of the daughter of my people.
49 AIN oculus meus adflictus est nec tacuit eo quod non esset requies
Mine eye, poureth itself out and ceaseth not, without relief;
50 AIN donec respiceret et videret Dominus de caelis
Until Yahweh out of the heavens shall look forth, and see,
51 AIN oculus meus depraedatus est animam meam in cunctis filiabus urbis meae
Mine eye dealeth severely with my soul, because of all the daughters of my city.
52 SADE venatione ceperunt me quasi avem inimici mei gratis
They, have laid snares, for me as a bird, who are mine enemies without cause:
53 SADE lapsa est in lacu vita mea et posuerunt lapidem super me
They have cut off, in the dungeon, my life, and have cast a stone upon me;
54 SADE inundaverunt aquae super caput meum dixi perii
Waters, flowed over, my head, I said, I am cut off!
55 COPH invocavi nomen tuum Domine de lacis novissimis
I have called upon thy Name, O Yahweh, out of the dungeon below;
56 COPH vocem meam audisti ne avertas aurem tuam a singultu meo et clamoribus
My voice, thou hast heard, —do not close thine ear to my respite, to mine outcry;
57 COPH adpropinquasti in die quando invocavi te dixisti ne timeas
Thou drewest near, in the day I kept calling on thee, thou saidst, Do not fear!
58 RES iudicasti Domine causam animae meae redemptor vitae meae
Thou hast pleaded, O My Lord, the pleas of my soul, hast redeemed my life;
59 RES vidisti Domine iniquitatem adversum me iudica iudicium meum
Thou hast beheld, O Yahweh, my failure to get justice, Pronounce thou my sentence;
60 RES vidisti omnem furorem universas cogitationes eorum adversum me
Thou hast seen all their vindictiveness, all their plots against me.
61 SEN audisti obprobria eorum Domine omnes cogitationes eorum adversum me
Thou hast heard their reproach, O Yahweh, all their plots against me;
62 SEN labia insurgentium mihi et meditationes eorum adversum me tota die
The lips of mine assailants, and their mutterings, are against me, all the day;
63 SEN sessionem eorum et resurrectionem eorum vide ego sum psalmus eorum
On their downsitting and their uprising, do thou look, I, am their song.
64 THAU reddes eis vicem Domine iuxta opera manuum suarum
Thou wilt render to them a recompense, O Yahweh, according to the work of their hands;
65 THAU dabis eis scutum cordis laborem tuum
Thou wilt suffer them a veiling of heart, thy curse to them;
66 THAU persequeris in furore et conteres eos sub caelis Domine
Thou wilt pursue in anger, and wilt destroy them, from under the heavens of Yahweh.
