Lamentations 3
1 I [am] the man [who] hath seen affliction By the rod of His wrath.
ALEPH. I am the man that sees poverty, through the rod of his wrath upon me.
2 Me He hath led, and causeth to go [in] darkness, and without light.
He has taken me, and led me away into darkness, and not [into] light.
3 Surely against me He turneth back, He turneth 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. He 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 setteth round poverty and weariness.
BETH. He has built against me, and compassed my head, and brought travail [upon me].
6 In dark places He hath caused me to dwell, As the dead of old.
He has set me in dark places, as them that have long been dead.
7 He hath hedged me about, and I go not out, He hath made heavy my fetter.
He has builded against me, and I can’t come forth: he has made my brazen [chain] heavy.
8 Also when I call and cry out, He hath shut out my prayer.
GIMEL. Yes, [though] I cry and shout, he shuts out my prayer.
9 He hath hedged my ways with hewn work, My paths He hath made crooked.
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 hiding-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 He is turning aside, and He pulleth me in pieces, He hath made me a desolation.
He pursued [me] after I departed, and brought me to a stand: he has utterly ruined me.
12 He hath trodden His bow, And setteth me up as a mark for an arrow.
HE. He has bent his bow, and set me as a mark for the arrow.
13 He hath caused to enter into my reins The sons of His quiver.
He has caused the arrows of his quiver to enter into my reins.
14 I have been 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 filled me with bitter things, He hath filled me [with] wormwood.
VAU. He has filled me with bitterness, he has drenched me with gall.
16 And He breaketh with gravel my teeth, He hath covered me with ashes.
And he has dashed out my teeth with gravel, he has fed me with ashes.
17 And Thou castest off from peace my soul, I have forgotten prosperity.
He has also removed my soul from peace: I forgot prosperity.
18 And I say, Perished hath my strength and my hope from Jehovah.
Therefore my success has perished, and my hope from the Lord.
19 Remember my affliction and my mourning, Wormwood and gall!
ZAIN. I remembered by reason of my poverty, and because of persecution my bitterness and gall shall be remembered;
20 Remember well, and bow down doth my soul in me.
and my soul shall meditate with me.
21 This I turn to my heart — therefore I hope.
This will I lay up in my heart, therefore I will endure.
22 The kindnesses of Jehovah! For we have not been consumed, For not ended have His mercies.
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 every morning, abundant [is] thy faithfulness.
[They are] new every morning: great is your faithfulness.
24 My portion [is] Jehovah, hath my soul said, Therefore I hope for Him.
The Lord is my portion, says my soul; therefore will I wait for him.
25 Good [is] Jehovah to those waiting for Him, To the soul [that] seeketh Him.
TETH. The Lord is good to them that wait for him: the soul which shall seek him
26 Good! when one doth stay and stand still For the salvation of Jehovah.
[is] good, and shall wait for, and quietly expect salvation of the Lord.
27 Good for a man that he beareth a yoke in his youth.
TETH. [It is] good for a man when he bears a yoke in his youth.
28 He sitteth alone, and is silent, For He hath laid [it] upon him.
He will sit alone, and be silent, because he has borne [it] upon him.
29 He putteth in the dust his mouth, if so be there is hope.
30 He giveth to his smiter the cheek, He is filled with reproach.
JOD. He will give [his] cheek to him that smites him: he will be filled full with reproaches.
31 For the Lord doth not cast off to the age.
For the Lord will not reject for ever.
32 For though He afflicted, yet He hath pitied, According to the abundance of His kindness.
CHAPH. For he that has brought down will pity, and [that] according to the abundance of his mercy.
33 For He hath not afflicted with His heart, Nor doth He grieve 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 bruise under one's feet any bound ones of earth,
LAMED. To bring down under his feet all the prisoners of the earth,
35 To turn aside the judgment of a man, Over-against the face of the Most High,
to turn aside the judgment of a man before the face of the Most High,
36 To subvert a man in his cause, the Lord hath not approved.
to condemn a man [unjustly] in his judgment, the Lord has not given commandment.
37 Who [is] this — he hath said, and it is, [And] the Lord hath not commanded [it]?
Who has thus spoken, and it has come to pass? the Lord has not commanded it.
38 From the mouth of the Most High Go not forth the evils and the good.
Out of the mouth of the Most High there shall not come forth evil and good.
39 What — sigh habitually doth a living man, A man for his sin?
MEM. Why should a living man complain, a man concerning his sin?
40 We search our ways, and investigate, And turn back unto Jehovah.
NUN. Our way has been searched out and examined, and we will turn to the Lord.
41 We lift up our heart on the hands unto God in the heavens.
Let us lift up our hearts with [our] hand to the lofty One in heaven.
42 We — we have transgressed and rebelled, Thou — Thou hast not forgiven.
We have sinned, we have transgressed; and you have not pardoned.
43 Thou hast covered Thyself with anger, And dost pursue us; Thou hast slain — Thou hast not pitied.
SAMECH. You has visited [us] in wrath, and driven us away: you has slain, you has not pitied.
44 Thou hast covered Thyself with a cloud, So that prayer doth not pass through.
You have veiled yourself with a cloud because of prayer, that I might be blind,
45 Offscouring and refuse Thou dost 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 Opened against us their mouth have all our enemies.
All our enemies have opened their mouth against us.
47 Fear and a snare hath been for us, Desolation and destruction.
Fear and wrath are come upon us, suspense and destruction.
48 Rivulets of water go down my eye, For the destruction 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 is poured out, And doth not cease without intermission,
PHE. Mine eye is drowned [with tears], and I will not be silent, so that there shall be no rest,
50 Till Jehovah looketh and seeth from the heavens,
until the Lord look down, and behold from heaven.
51 My eye affecteth 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 Hunted me sore as a bird have my 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 a pit my life, And they cast a stone against me.
and laid a stone upon me.
54 Flowed have waters over my head, I have said, I have been cut off.
Water flowed over my head: I said, I am cut off.
55 I called Thy name, O Jehovah, from the lower pit.
KOPH. I called upon your name, O Lord, out of the lowest dungeon.
56 My voice Thou hast heard, Hide not Thine ear at my breathing — at my cry.
You heard my voice: close not your ears to my supplication.
57 Thou hast drawn near in the day I call Thee, Thou hast said, Fear not.
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 Lord, the pleadings of my soul, Thou hast redeemed my life.
RECHS. O Lord, you has pleaded the causes of my soul; you has redeemed my life.
59 Thou hast seen, O Jehovah, my overthrow, Judge Thou my cause.
You have seen, O Lord, my troubles: you have judged my cause.
60 Thou hast seen all their vengeance, All their thoughts of me.
You have seen all their vengeance, [you have looked] on all their devices against me.
61 Thou hast heard their reproach, O Jehovah, All their thoughts against me,
CHSEN. You have heard their reproach [and] all their devices against me;
62 The lips of my withstanders, Even their meditation against me all the day.
the lips of them that rose up against me, and their plots against me all the day;
63 Their sitting down, and their rising up, Behold attentively, I [am] their song.
their sitting down and their rising up: look you upon their eyes.
64 Thou returnest to them the deed, O Jehovah, According to the work of their hands.
You will render them a recompense, O Lord, according to the works of their hands.
65 Thou givest to them a covered heart, Thy curse to them.
THAU. You will give them [as] a covering, the grief of my heart.
66 Thou pursuest in anger, and destroyest them, From under the heavens of Jehovah!
You will persecute them in anger, and will consume them from under the heaven, O Lord.
