Lamentations 3
1 I, am the man, that hath seen affliction, by the rod of his indignation;
ALEPH. I am the man that sees poverty, through the rod of his wrath upon me.
2 Me, hath he driven out and brought into darkness, and not light;
He has taken me, and led me away into darkness, and not [into] light.
3 Surely, against me, doth he again and again, turn his hand all the day.
Nay, against me has he turned his hand all the day.
4 He hath worn out my flesh and my skin, hath broken my bones;
He has made old my flesh and my skin; he has broken my bones.
5 He hath built up against me, and carried round me, fortifications and a trench;
BETH. He has built against me, and compassed my head, and brought travail [upon me].
6 In dark places, hath he made me sit, like the dead of age-past times.
He has set me in dark places, as them that have long been dead.
7 He hath walled up around me, that I cannot get out, hath weighted my fetter;
He has builded against me, and I can’t come forth: he has made my brazen [chain] heavy.
8 Yea, when I make outcry and implore, he hath shut out my prayer;
GIMEL. Yes, [though] I cry and shout, he shuts out my prayer.
9 He hath walled in my ways with hewn stone, my paths, hath he caused to wind back.
DALETH. He has built up my ways, he has hedged my paths;
10 A bear lying in wait, he is to me, a lion, in secret places;
he has troubled me, [as] a she-bear lying in wait: he is to me [as] a lion in secret places.
11 My ways, hath he turned aside, and hath torn me in pieces, hath made me desolate;
He pursued [me] after I departed, and brought me to a stand: he has utterly ruined me.
12 He hath trodden his bow, and set me up, as a mark for the arrow.
HE. He has bent his bow, and set me as a mark for the arrow.
13 He hath caused to enter my reins, the sons of his quiver;
He has caused the arrows of his quiver to enter into my reins.
14 I have become a derision to all my people, their song all the day;
I became a laughing stock to all my people; and their song all the day.
15 He hath sated me with bitter things, hath drenched me with wormwood.
VAU. He has filled me with bitterness, he has drenched me with gall.
16 And he hath crushed, with gravel-stones, my teeth, hath made me cower in ashes;
And he has dashed out my teeth with gravel, he has fed me with ashes.
17 And thou hast thrust away from welfare, my soul, I have forgotten prosperity;
He has also removed my soul from peace: I forgot prosperity.
18 And I said, Vanished is mine endurance, even mine expectation, from Yahweh.
Therefore my success has perished, and my hope from the Lord.
19 Remember my humiliation and my fleeings, the wormwood and poison;
ZAIN. I remembered by reason of my poverty, and because of persecution my bitterness and gall shall be remembered;
20 Thou wilt, indeed remember, that, bowed down concerning myself, is my soul;
and my soul shall meditate with me.
21 This, will I bring back to my heart, therefore, will I hope.
This will I lay up in my heart, therefore I will endure.
22 The lovingkindnesses of Yahweh, verily they are not exhausted, Verily! not at an end, are his compassions:
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.
23 New things for the mornings! Abundant is thy faithfulness:
[They are] new every morning: great is your faithfulness.
24 My portion, is Yahweh, saith my soul, For this cause, will I wait for him.
The Lord is my portion, says my soul; therefore will I wait for him.
25 Good is Yahweh, to them who wait for him, to the soul that will seek him;
TETH. The Lord is good to them that wait for him: the soul which shall seek him
26 Good it is—both to wait and to be silent, for the deliverance of Yahweh;
[is] good, and shall wait for, and quietly expect salvation of the Lord.
27 Good it is for a man, that he should bear the yoke in his youth.
TETH. [It is] good for a man when he bears a yoke in his youth.
28 Let him sit alone, and keep silence, because he took it upon himself:
He will sit alone, and be silent, because he has borne [it] upon him.
29 Let him put, in the dust, his mouth, peradventure, there is hope!
30 Let him give, to him that smiteth him, his cheek, let him be sated with reproach.
JOD. He will give [his] cheek to him that smites him: he will be filled full with reproaches.
31 Surely My Lord, will not cast off, unto times age-abiding;
For the Lord will not reject for ever.
32 Surely, though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion, according to the multitude of his lovingkindnesses;
CHAPH. For he that has brought down will pity, and [that] according to the abundance of his mercy.
33 Surely he hath not afflicted from his heart, nor caused sorrow to the sons of men.
He has not answered [in anger] from his heart, though he has brought low the children of a man.
34 To crush, under his feet, any of the prisoners of the earth;
LAMED. To bring down under his feet all the prisoners of the earth,
35 To turn aside the right of a man, before the face of the Most High;
to turn aside the judgment of a man before the face of the Most High,
36 To oppress a son of earth in his cause, My Lord, hath made no provision.
to condemn a man [unjustly] in his judgment, the Lord has not given commandment.
37 Who was it that spake, and it was done, [when], My Lord, had not commanded?
Who has thus spoken, and it has come to pass? the Lord has not commanded it.
38 Out of the mouth of the Most High, Proceed there not misfortunes and blessing?
Out of the mouth of the Most High there shall not come forth evil and good.
39 Why should a living son of earth complain, [Let] a man [complain] because of his sins?
MEM. Why should a living man complain, a man concerning his sin?
40 Let us search out our ways, and examine them well, and let us return unto Yahweh;
NUN. Our way has been searched out and examined, and we will turn to the Lord.
41 Let us lift up our heart, to the opened palms, to the Mighty One in the heavens;
Let us lift up our hearts with [our] hand to the lofty One in heaven.
42 We, have trespassed and rebelled, Thou, hast not pardoned.
We have sinned, we have transgressed; and you have not pardoned.
43 Thou hast covered thyself with anger, and pursued us, hast slain—hast not spared;
SAMECH. You has visited [us] in wrath, and driven us away: you has slain, you has not pitied.
44 Thou hast screened thyself with the clouds, that prayer, should not pass through;
You have veiled yourself with a cloud because of prayer, that I might be blind,
45 Offscouring and refuse, dost thou make us, in the midst of the peoples.
and be cast off. AIN. You have set us [alone] in the midst of the nations.
46 With their mouth, opened wide over us, [stand] all our foes.
All our enemies have opened their mouth against us.
47 Terror and a pit, have befallen us, tumult and grievous injury;
Fear and wrath are come upon us, suspense and destruction.
48 With streams of water, mine eye runneth down, over the grievous injury of the daughter of my people.
Mine eye shall pour down torrents of water, for the destruction of the daughter of my people.
49 Mine eye, poureth itself out and ceaseth not, without relief;
PHE. Mine eye is drowned [with tears], and I will not be silent, so that there shall be no rest,
50 Until Yahweh out of the heavens shall look forth, and see,
until the Lord look down, and behold from heaven.
51 Mine eye dealeth severely with my soul, because of all the daughters of my city.
Mine eye shall prey upon my soul, because of all the daughters of the city.
52 They, have laid snares, for me as a bird, who are mine enemies without cause:
TSADE. The fowlers chased me as a sparrow, all mine enemies destroyed my life in a pit without cause,
53 They have cut off, in the dungeon, my life, and have cast a stone upon me;
and laid a stone upon me.
54 Waters, flowed over, my head, I said, I am cut off!
Water flowed over my head: I said, I am cut off.
55 I have called upon thy Name, O Yahweh, out of the dungeon below;
KOPH. I called upon your name, O Lord, out of the lowest dungeon.
56 My voice, thou hast heard, —do not close thine ear to my respite, to mine outcry;
You heard my voice: close not your ears to my supplication.
57 Thou drewest near, in the day I kept calling on thee, thou saidst, Do not fear!
You drew near to my help: in the day wherein I called upon you you said to me, Fear not.
58 Thou hast pleaded, O My Lord, the pleas of my soul, hast redeemed my life;
RECHS. O Lord, you has pleaded the causes of my soul; you has redeemed my life.
59 Thou hast beheld, O Yahweh, my failure to get justice, Pronounce thou my sentence;
You have seen, O Lord, my troubles: you have judged my cause.
60 Thou hast seen all their vindictiveness, all their plots against me.
You have seen all their vengeance, [you have looked] on all their devices against me.
61 Thou hast heard their reproach, O Yahweh, all their plots against me;
CHSEN. You have heard their reproach [and] all their devices against me;
62 The lips of mine assailants, and their mutterings, are against me, all the day;
the lips of them that rose up against me, and their plots against me all the day;
63 On their downsitting and their uprising, do thou look, I, am their song.
their sitting down and their rising up: look you upon their eyes.
64 Thou wilt render to them a recompense, O Yahweh, according to the work of their hands;
You will render them a recompense, O Lord, according to the works of their hands.
65 Thou wilt suffer them a veiling of heart, thy curse to them;
THAU. You will give them [as] a covering, the grief of my heart.
66 Thou wilt pursue in anger, and wilt destroy them, from under the heavens of Yahweh.
You will persecute them in anger, and will consume them from under the heaven, O Lord.
