Lamentations 3
1 I am a man who has seen misery under the rod of Yahweh's fury.
I, am the man, that hath seen affliction, by the rod of his indignation;
2 He drove me away and caused me to walk in darkness rather than light.
Me, hath he driven out and brought into darkness, and not light;
3 Surely he turned his hand against me again and again, the whole day long.
Surely, against me, doth he again and again, turn his hand all the day.
4 He made my flesh and my skin waste away; he broke my bones.
He hath worn out my flesh and my skin, hath broken my bones;
5 He built up siege works against me, and surrounded me with bitterness and hardship.
He hath built up against me, and carried round me, fortifications and a trench;
6 He made me live in dark places, like those who died long ago.
In dark places, hath he made me sit, like the dead of age-past times.
7 He built a wall around me and I cannot escape. He made my chains heavy
He hath walled up around me, that I cannot get out, hath weighted my fetter;
8 and though I call out and cry for help, he shut out my prayer.
Yea, when I make outcry and implore, he hath shut out my prayer;
9 He blocked my path with a wall of hewn stone; he made my paths crooked.
He hath walled in my ways with hewn stone, my paths, hath he caused to wind back.
10 He is like a bear waiting to ambush me, a lion in hiding;
A bear lying in wait, he is to me, a lion, in secret places;
11 he turned aside my paths, he has made me desolate.
My ways, hath he turned aside, and hath torn me in pieces, hath made me desolate;
12 He bent his bow and set me as a target for his arrow.
He hath trodden his bow, and set me up, as a mark for the arrow.
13 He pierced my kidneys with the arrows of his quiver.
He hath caused to enter my reins, the sons of his quiver;
14 I became a laughingstock to all my people, the object of their taunting all day long.
I have become a derision to all my people, their song all the day;
15 He filled me with bitterness and forced me to drink wormwood.
He hath sated me with bitter things, hath drenched me with wormwood.
16 He has made my teeth grind with gravel, and he made me cower in the ashes.
And he hath crushed, with gravel-stones, my teeth, hath made me cower in ashes;
17 My soul is deprived of peace; I have forgotten what happiness is.
And thou hast thrust away from welfare, my soul, I have forgotten prosperity;
18 So I say, “My endurance has perished and so has my hope in Yahweh.”
And I said, Vanished is mine endurance, even mine expectation, from Yahweh.
19 Remember my affliction and my wanderings, the wormwood and bitterness.
Remember my humiliation and my fleeings, the wormwood and poison;
20 I continually remember it and I am bowed down within me.
Thou wilt, indeed remember, that, bowed down concerning myself, is my soul;
21 But I call this to mind and therefore I have hope:
This, will I bring back to my heart, therefore, will I hope.
22 The steadfast love of Yahweh never ceases and his compassions never end,
The lovingkindnesses of Yahweh, verily they are not exhausted, Verily! not at an end, are his compassions:
23 they are new every morning; your faithfulness is great.
New things for the mornings! Abundant is thy faithfulness:
24 “Yahweh is my inheritance,” I said, therefore I will hope in him.
My portion, is Yahweh, saith my soul, For this cause, will I wait for him.
25 Yahweh is good to those who wait for him, to the one who seeks him.
Good is Yahweh, to them who wait for him, to the soul that will seek him;
26 It is good to wait silently for the salvation of Yahweh.
Good it is—both to wait and to be silent, for the deliverance of Yahweh;
27 It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth.
Good it is for a man, that he should bear the yoke in his youth.
28 Let him sit alone in silence, when it is laid upon him.
Let him sit alone, and keep silence, because he took it upon himself:
29 Let him put his mouth in the dust—there may yet be hope.
Let him put, in the dust, his mouth, peradventure, there is hope!
30 Let him offer his cheek to the one who strikes him, and let him be filled to the full with reproach.
Let him give, to him that smiteth him, his cheek, let him be sated with reproach.
31 For the Lord will not reject us forever,
Surely My Lord, will not cast off, unto times age-abiding;
32 but though he causes grief, he will have compassion according to the abundance of his steadfast love.
Surely, though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion, according to the multitude of his lovingkindnesses;
33 For he does not afflict from his heart or torment the children of mankind.
Surely he hath not afflicted from his heart, nor caused sorrow to the sons of men.
34 To crush underfoot all the prisoners of the earth,
To crush, under his feet, any of the prisoners of the earth;
35 to deny a man justice in the presence of the Most High,
To turn aside the right of a man, before the face of the Most High;
36 to deny justice to a person—the Lord would not approve such things!
To oppress a son of earth in his cause, My Lord, hath made no provision.
37 Who has spoken and it came to pass, unless the Lord decreed it?
Who was it that spake, and it was done, [when], My Lord, had not commanded?
38 Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that both calamities and the good come?
Out of the mouth of the Most High, Proceed there not misfortunes and blessing?
39 How can any person alive complain? How can a person complain about the punishment for his sins?
Why should a living son of earth complain, [Let] a man [complain] because of his sins?
40 Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to Yahweh.
Let us search out our ways, and examine them well, and let us return unto Yahweh;
41 Let us lift up our hearts and our hands to God in the heavens:
Let us lift up our heart, to the opened palms, to the Mighty One in the heavens;
42 “We have transgressed and rebelled, and you have not forgiven.
We, have trespassed and rebelled, Thou, hast not pardoned.
43 You have covered yourself with anger and pursued us, you have killed and you have not spared.
Thou hast covered thyself with anger, and pursued us, hast slain—hast not spared;
44 You have covered yourself with a cloud so that no prayer can pass through.
Thou hast screened thyself with the clouds, that prayer, should not pass through;
45 You have made us like filthy scum and refuse among the nations.
Offscouring and refuse, dost thou make us, in the midst of the peoples.
46 All our enemies curse us,
With their mouth, opened wide over us, [stand] all our foes.
47 panic and pitfall have come upon us, ruin and destruction.
Terror and a pit, have befallen us, tumult and grievous injury;
48 My eyes flow with streams of tears because my people are destroyed.
With streams of water, mine eye runneth down, over the grievous injury of the daughter of my people.
49 My eyes will shed tears without ceasing, without relief,
Mine eye, poureth itself out and ceaseth not, without relief;
50 until Yahweh from heaven looks down and sees.
Until Yahweh out of the heavens shall look forth, and see,
51 My eyes cause me grief because of all the daughters of my city.
Mine eye dealeth severely with my soul, because of all the daughters of my city.
52 I have been hunted like a bird by those who were my enemies; they hunted me without a reason.
They, have laid snares, for me as a bird, who are mine enemies without cause:
53 They cast me into a pit and they threw a stone on me,
They have cut off, in the dungeon, my life, and have cast a stone upon me;
54 and they caused waters to overflow, covering my head. I said, 'I have been cut off!'
Waters, flowed over, my head, I said, I am cut off!
55 I called on your name, Yahweh, from the depths of the pit.
I have called upon thy Name, O Yahweh, out of the dungeon below;
56 You heard my voice when I said, 'Do not close your ear to my cry for help.'
My voice, thou hast heard, —do not close thine ear to my respite, to mine outcry;
57 You came near on the day I called on you; you said, 'Do not fear.'
Thou drewest near, in the day I kept calling on thee, thou saidst, Do not fear!
58 Lord, you defended my case, you saved my life!
Thou hast pleaded, O My Lord, the pleas of my soul, hast redeemed my life;
59 Yahweh, you have seen the wrong they have done to me; judge my case.
Thou hast beheld, O Yahweh, my failure to get justice, Pronounce thou my sentence;
60 You have seen their insults, all their plots against me—
Thou hast seen all their vindictiveness, all their plots against me.
61 You have heard their scorn, Yahweh, and all their plans regarding me.
Thou hast heard their reproach, O Yahweh, all their plots against me;
62 The lips and the accusations of my enemies come against me all the day.
The lips of mine assailants, and their mutterings, are against me, all the day;
63 Look at how they sit and then rise up; they mock me with their songs.
On their downsitting and their uprising, do thou look, I, am their song.
64 Pay back to them, Yahweh, according to what they have done.
Thou wilt render to them a recompense, O Yahweh, according to the work of their hands;
65 You will let their hearts be shameless! May your condemnation be upon them!
Thou wilt suffer them a veiling of heart, thy curse to them;
66 You pursue them in anger and destroy them from under the heavens, Yahweh!”
Thou wilt pursue in anger, and wilt destroy them, from under the heavens of Yahweh.
