Lamentations 3
1 ALEPH. I am the man that sees poverty, through the rod of his wrath upon me.
I [am] the man [who] hath seen affliction By the rod of His wrath.
2 He has taken me, and led me away into darkness, and not [into] light.
Me He hath led, and causeth to go [in] darkness, and without light.
3 Nay, against me has he turned his hand all the day.
Surely against me He turneth back, He turneth His hand all the day.
4 He has made old my flesh and my skin; he has broken my bones.
He hath worn out my flesh and my skin. He hath broken my bones.
5 BETH. He has built against me, and compassed my head, and brought travail [upon me].
He hath built up against me, And setteth round poverty and weariness.
6 He has set me in dark places, as them that have long been dead.
In dark places He hath caused me to dwell, As the dead of old.
7 He has builded against me, and I can’t come forth: he has made my brazen [chain] heavy.
He hath hedged me about, and I go not out, He hath made heavy my fetter.
8 GIMEL. Yes, [though] I cry and shout, he shuts out my prayer.
Also when I call and cry out, He hath shut out my prayer.
9 DALETH. He has built up my ways, he has hedged my paths;
He hath hedged my ways with hewn work, My paths He hath made crooked.
10 he has troubled me, [as] a she-bear lying in wait: he is to me [as] a lion in secret places.
A bear lying in wait He [is] to me, A lion in secret hiding-places.
11 He pursued [me] after I departed, and brought me to a stand: he has utterly ruined me.
My ways He is turning aside, and He pulleth me in pieces, He hath made me a desolation.
12 HE. He has bent his bow, and set me as a mark for the arrow.
He hath trodden His bow, And setteth me up as a mark for an arrow.
13 He has caused the arrows of his quiver to enter into my reins.
He hath caused to enter into my reins The sons of His quiver.
14 I became a laughing stock to all my people; and their song all the day.
I have been a derision to all my people, Their song all the day.
15 VAU. He has filled me with bitterness, he has drenched me with gall.
He hath filled me with bitter things, He hath filled me [with] wormwood.
16 And he has dashed out my teeth with gravel, he has fed me with ashes.
And He breaketh with gravel my teeth, He hath covered me with ashes.
17 He has also removed my soul from peace: I forgot prosperity.
And Thou castest off from peace my soul, I have forgotten prosperity.
18 Therefore my success has perished, and my hope from the Lord.
And I say, Perished hath my strength and my hope from Jehovah.
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 mourning, Wormwood and gall!
20 and my soul shall meditate with me.
Remember well, and bow down doth my soul in me.
21 This will I lay up in my heart, therefore I will endure.
This I turn to my heart — therefore I 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.
The kindnesses of Jehovah! For we have not been consumed, For not ended have His mercies.
23 [They are] new every morning: great is your faithfulness.
New every morning, abundant [is] thy faithfulness.
24 The Lord is my portion, says my soul; therefore will I wait for him.
My portion [is] Jehovah, hath my soul said, Therefore I hope for Him.
25 TETH. The Lord is good to them that wait for him: the soul which shall seek him
Good [is] Jehovah to those waiting for Him, To the soul [that] seeketh Him.
26 [is] good, and shall wait for, and quietly expect salvation of the Lord.
Good! when one doth stay and stand still For the salvation of Jehovah.
27 TETH. [It is] good for a man when he bears a yoke in his youth.
Good for a man that he beareth a yoke in his youth.
28 He will sit alone, and be silent, because he has borne [it] upon him.
He sitteth alone, and is silent, For He hath laid [it] upon him.
He putteth in the dust his mouth, if so be there is hope.
30 JOD. He will give [his] cheek to him that smites him: he will be filled full with reproaches.
He giveth to his smiter the cheek, He is filled with reproach.
31 For the Lord will not reject for ever.
For the Lord doth not cast off to the age.
32 CHAPH. For he that has brought down will pity, and [that] according to the abundance of his mercy.
For though He afflicted, yet He hath pitied, According to the abundance of His kindness.
33 He has not answered [in anger] from his heart, though he has brought low the children of a man.
For He hath not afflicted with His heart, Nor doth He grieve the sons of men.
34 LAMED. To bring down under his feet all the prisoners of the earth,
To bruise under one's feet any bound ones of earth,
35 to turn aside the judgement of a man before the face of the Most High,
To turn aside the judgment of a man, Over-against 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, the Lord hath not approved.
37 Who has thus spoken, and it has come to pass? the Lord has not commanded it.
Who [is] this — he hath said, and it is, [And] the Lord hath not commanded [it]?
38 Out of the mouth of the Most High there shall not come forth evil and good.
From the mouth of the Most High Go not forth the evils and the good.
39 MEM. Why should a living man complain, a man concerning his sin?
What — sigh habitually doth a living man, A man for his sin?
40 NUN. Our way has been searched out and examined, and we will turn to the Lord.
We search our ways, and investigate, And turn back unto Jehovah.
41 Let us lift up our hearts with [our] hand to the lofty One in heaven.
We lift up our heart on the hands unto God in the heavens.
42 We have sinned, we have transgressed; and you have not pardoned.
We — we have transgressed and rebelled, Thou — Thou hast not forgiven.
43 SAMECH. You has visited [us] in wrath, and driven us away: you has slain, you has not pitied.
Thou hast covered Thyself with anger, And dost pursue us; Thou hast slain — Thou hast not pitied.
44 You have veiled yourself with a cloud because of prayer, that I might be blind,
Thou hast covered Thyself with a cloud, So that prayer doth not pass through.
45 and be cast off. AIN. You have set us [alone] in the midst of the nations.
Offscouring and refuse Thou dost make us In the midst of the peoples.
46 All our enemies have opened their mouth against us.
Opened against us their mouth have all our enemies.
47 Fear and wrath are come upon us, suspense and destruction.
Fear and a snare hath been for us, Desolation and destruction.
48 Mine eye shall pour down torrents of water, for the destruction of the daughter of my people.
Rivulets of water go down my eye, For 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,
Mine eye is poured out, And doth not cease without intermission,
50 until the Lord look down, and behold from heaven.
Till Jehovah looketh and seeth from the heavens,
51 Mine eye shall prey upon my soul, because of all the daughters of the city.
My eye affecteth my soul, 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,
Hunted me sore as a bird have my enemies without cause.
53 and laid a stone upon me.
They have cut off in a pit my life, And they cast a stone against me.
54 Water flowed over my head: I said, I am cut off.
Flowed have waters over my head, I have said, I have been cut off.
55 KOPH. I called upon your name, O Lord, out of the lowest dungeon.
I called Thy name, O Jehovah, from the lower pit.
56 You heard my voice: close not your ears to my supplication.
My voice Thou hast heard, Hide not Thine ear at my breathing — at my cry.
57 You drew near to my help: in the day wherein I called upon you you said to me, Fear not.
Thou hast drawn near in the day I call Thee, Thou hast said, Fear not.
58 RECHS. O Lord, you has pleaded the causes of my soul; you has redeemed my life.
Thou hast pleaded, O Lord, the pleadings of my soul, Thou hast redeemed my life.
59 You have seen, O Lord, my troubles: you have judged my cause.
Thou hast seen, O Jehovah, my overthrow, Judge Thou my cause.
60 You have seen all their vengeance, [you have looked] on all their devices against me.
Thou hast seen all their vengeance, All their thoughts of me.
61 CHSEN. You have heard their reproach [and] all their devices against me;
Thou hast heard their reproach, O Jehovah, All their thoughts against me,
62 the lips of them that rose up against me, and their plots against me all the day;
The lips of my withstanders, Even their meditation against me all the day.
63 their sitting down and their rising up: look you upon their eyes.
Their sitting down, and their rising up, Behold attentively, I [am] their song.
64 You will render them a recompense, O Lord, according to the works of their hands.
Thou returnest to them the deed, O Jehovah, According to the work of their hands.
65 THAU. You will give them [as] a covering, the grief of my heart.
Thou givest to them a covered heart, Thy curse to them.
66 You will persecute them in anger, and will consume them from under the heaven, O Lord.
Thou pursuest in anger, and destroyest them, From under the heavens of Jehovah!
