Lamentations 3
1 ALEPH. I am the man that sees poverty, through the rod of his wrath upon me.
I am the man that has seen affliction by the rod of his wrath.
2 He has taken me, and led me away into darkness, and not [into] light.
He has led me and caused me to walk in darkness, and not in light.
3 Nay, against me has he turned his hand all the day.
Surely against me he turns his hand again and again all the day.
4 He has made old my flesh and my skin; he has broken my bones.
My flesh and my skin he has made old; he has broken my bones.
5 BETH. He has built against me, and compassed my head, and brought travail [upon me].
He has built against me, and surrounded me with bitterness and hardship.
6 He has set me in dark places, as them that have long been dead.
He has made me to dwell in dark places, like those that have been long dead.
7 He has builded against me, and I can’t come forth: he has made my brazen [chain] heavy.
He has walled me in, so I can't escape; he has made my chains heavy.
8 GIMEL. Yes, [though] I cry and shout, he shuts out my prayer.
Yes, when I cry, and call for help, he shuts out my prayer.
9 DALETH. He has built up my ways, he has hedged my paths;
He has walled up my ways with cut stone; he has made my paths crooked.
10 he has troubled me, [as] a she-bear lying in wait: he is to me [as] a lion in secret places.
He is to me as a bear lying in wait, as a lion in hiding.
11 He pursued [me] after I departed, and brought me to a stand: he has utterly ruined me.
He has obstructed my path, and torn me in pieces; he has made me desolate.
12 HE. He has bent his bow, and set me as a mark for the arrow.
He has bent his bow, and set me as a mark for the arrow.
13 He has caused the arrows of his quiver to enter into my reins.
He has caused the arrows of his quiver to pierce my inward parts.
14 I became a laughing stock to all my people; and their song all the day.
I have become a laughingstock to all peoples, and their song all the day.
15 VAU. He has filled me with bitterness, he has drenched me with gall.
He has filled me with bitterness, he has given me in full measure wormwood.
16 And he has dashed out my teeth with gravel, he has fed me with ashes.
He has also broken my teeth with gravel; he has pressed me down in the dust.
17 He has also removed my soul from peace: I forgot prosperity.
You have removed my soul far away from peace; I have forgotten what prosperity is.
18 Therefore my success has perished, and my hope from the Lord.
And I said, "My strength and my hope has perished from YHWH."
19 ZAIN. I remembered by reason of my poverty, and because of persecution my bitterness and gall shall be remembered;
Remember my affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall.
20 and my soul shall meditate with me.
My soul considers them, and is depressed.
21 This will I lay up in my heart, therefore I will endure.
But this I call to my mind; therefore I have hope:
22 HETH. [It is] the mercies of the Lord, that he has not failed me, because his compassions are not exhausted. Pity [us], O Lord, early [every] month: for we are not brought to an end, because his compassions are not exhausted.
YHWH's faithful love does not cease; his compassion does not fail.
23 [They are] new every morning: great is your faithfulness.
They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
24 The Lord is my portion, says my soul; therefore will I wait for him.
"YHWH is my portion," says my soul, "therefore I will hope in him."
25 TETH. The Lord is good to them that wait for him: the soul which shall seek him
YHWH is good to those who wait for him, to the soul that seeks him.
26 [is] good, and shall wait for, and quietly expect salvation of the Lord.
It is good that a man should hope and quietly wait for the salvation of YHWH.
27 TETH. [It is] good for a man when he bears a yoke in his youth.
It is good for a man that he bear the yoke while he is young.
28 He will sit alone, and be silent, because he has borne [it] upon him.
Let him sit alone and keep silence when he is disciplining him.
Let him put his mouth to the dust, there may yet be hope.
30 JOD. He will give [his] cheek to him that smites him: he will be filled full with reproaches.
Let him give his cheek to him who strikes him; let him be filled with insults.
31 For the Lord will not reject for ever.
For YHWH will not reject forever.
32 CHAPH. For he that has brought down will pity, and [that] according to the abundance of his mercy.
For though he may cause grief, yet he will have compassion according to the abundance of his loving kindness.
33 He has not answered [in anger] from his heart, though he has brought low the children of a man.
For he is not predisposed to bring affliction or suffering to human beings.
34 LAMED. To bring down under his feet all the prisoners of the earth,
To crush under foot all the prisoners of the earth;
35 to turn aside the judgement of a man before the face of the Most High,
to deprive a man of justice before the face of the Most High,
36 to condemn a man [unjustly] in his judgement, the Lord has not given commandment.
to subvert a man in his cause, YHWH does not approve.
37 Who has thus spoken, and it has come to pass? the Lord has not commanded it.
Who can speak a thing and have it come to pass, unless YHWH has commanded it?
38 Out of the mouth of the Most High there shall not come forth evil and good.
Doesn't both calamity and good come out of the mouth of the Most High?
39 MEM. Why should a living man complain, a man concerning his sin?
Why does a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins?
40 NUN. Our way has been searched out and examined, and we will turn to the Lord.
Let us examine and search our ways, and return to YHWH.
41 Let us lift up our hearts with [our] hand to the lofty One in heaven.
Let us lift up our heart with our hands to God in the heavens.
42 We have sinned, we have transgressed; and you have not pardoned.
We have transgressed and have rebelled, and you have not forgiven.
43 SAMECH. You has visited [us] in wrath, and driven us away: you has slain, you has not pitied.
You have covered yourself with anger and pursued us; you killed without sparing.
44 You have veiled yourself with a cloud because of prayer, that I might be blind,
You have covered yourself with a cloud, so that no prayer can pass through.
45 and be cast off. AIN. You have set us [alone] in the midst of the nations.
You have made us rubbish and refuse in the midst of the peoples.
46 All our enemies have opened their mouth against us.
All our enemies have opened their mouth wide against us.
47 Fear and wrath are come upon us, suspense and destruction.
Fear and the pit have come on us, devastation and destruction.
48 Mine eye shall pour down torrents of water, 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 PHE. Mine eye is drowned [with tears], and I will not be silent, so that there shall be no rest,
My tears flow and do not cease, without respite,
50 until the Lord look down, and behold from heaven.
until YHWH looks down and sees from heaven.
51 Mine eye shall prey upon my soul, because of all the daughters of the city.
My eyes bring my soul grief, because of all the daughters of my city.
52 TSADE. The fowlers chased me as a sparrow, all mine enemies destroyed my life in a pit without cause,
They have chased me relentlessly like a bird, those who are my enemies without cause.
53 and laid a stone upon me.
They have cut off my life in a pit, and have cast a stone on me.
54 Water flowed over my head: I said, I am cut off.
Waters flowed over my head; I said, 'I am finished.'
55 KOPH. I called upon your name, O Lord, out of the lowest dungeon.
I called on your name, YHWH, out of the depths of the pit.
56 You heard my voice: close not your ears to my supplication.
You heard my voice; do not hide your ear at my sighs, to my cry.
57 You drew near to my help: in the day wherein I called upon you you said to me, Fear not.
You drew near in the day that I called on you; you said, "Do not be afraid."
58 RECHS. O Lord, you has pleaded the causes of my soul; you has redeemed my life.
YHWH, you have taken up the case for my soul; you have redeemed my life.
59 You have seen, O Lord, my troubles: you have judged my cause.
You have seen, YHWH, the wrong done to me; judge my case.
60 You have seen all their vengeance, [you have looked] on all their devices against me.
You have seen all their vengeance and all their plots against me.
61 CHSEN. You have heard their reproach [and] all their devices against me;
You have heard their insults, YHWH, and all their plots against me.
62 the lips of them that rose up against me, and their plots 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: look you upon their eyes.
Look their sitting down, and their rising up; I am their mocking song.
64 You will render them a recompense, O Lord, according to the works of their hands.
You will render to them what they deserve, YHWH, according to the work of their hands.
65 THAU. You will give them [as] a covering, the grief of my heart.
You will give them hardness of heart as your curse to them.
66 You will persecute them in anger, and will consume them from under the heaven, O Lord.
You will pursue them in anger, and destroy them from under the heavens of YHWH.
