Lamentations 3
1 I am the man who has seen affliction by the rod of his wrath.
I am the man who hath seen affliction by the rod of his wrath.
2 He has led me and caused me to walk in darkness, and not in light.
Me hath he driven out, and led into darkness, but not into light.
3 Surely he turns his hand against me again and again all day long.
Surely against me doth he turn again and again his hand all the day.
4 He has made my flesh and my skin old. He has broken my bones.
He hath caused my flesh and my skin to wear out, he hath broken my bones.
5 He has built against me, and surrounded me with bitterness and hardship.
He hath built around me, and encompassed me with poison and hardship.
6 He has made me dwell in dark places, as those who have been long dead.
In dark places hath he set me to dwell, like the dead of olden times.
7 He has walled me about, so that I cannot go out. He has made my chain heavy.
He hath placed a fence round about me, that I cannot get out; he hath made heavy my chain.
8 Yes, when I cry, and call for help, he shuts out my prayer.
Also when I cry aloud and make entreaty, he shutteth out my prayer.
9 He has walled up my ways with cut stone. He has made my paths crooked.
He hath fenced up my ways with hewn stone, my paths hath he made crooked.
10 He is to me as a bear lying in wait, as a lion in hiding.
A bear lying in wait is he to me, a lion in secret places.
11 He has turned away my path, and pulled me in pieces. He has made me desolate.
On my ways hath he placed thorns, and torn me in pieces: he hath made me desolate.
12 He has bent his bow, and set me as a mark for the arrow.
He hath bent his bow, and placed me as a mark for the arrow.
13 He has caused the shafts of his quiver to enter into my kidneys.
He hath caused to enter into my reins the children of his quiver.
14 I have become a derision to all my people, and their song all day long.
I am become a laughing-stock to all my people, their [jeering] song all the day.
15 He has filled me with bitterness. He has stuffed me with wormwood.
He hath sated me with bitter things, he hath made me drunken with wormwood.
16 He has also broken my teeth with gravel. He has covered me with ashes.
He hath also broken my teeth with gravel-stones, he hath covered me with ashes.
17 You have removed my soul far away from peace. I forgot prosperity.
And my soul hath given up all thoughts of peace: I forget happiness.
18 I said, “My strength has perished, along with my expectation from the LORD.”
And I said, Lost is my strength, my expectation also from the Lord.
19 Remember my affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the bitterness.
Remembering my affliction and [the cause of] my complaint, wormwood and poison.
20 My soul still remembers them, and is bowed down within me.
Remembering [this] continually my soul is bowed down deeply within me.
21 This I recall to my mind; therefore I have hope.
[Yet] this answer will I give to my heart: therefore will I wait [in confidence].
22 It is because of the LORD’s loving kindnesses that we are not consumed, because his mercies do not fail.
It is through the Lord's kindness that we are not consumed, because his mercies have no end;
23 They are new every morning. Great is your faithfulness.
They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.
24 “The LORD is my portion,” says my soul. “Therefore I will hope in him.”
The Lord is my portion, saith my soul, therefore will I wait for him.
25 The LORD is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him.
The Lord is good unto those that hope in him, to the soul that seeketh him.
26 It is good that a man should hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD.
It is good that one should wait and this in silence for the salvation of the Lord.
27 It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth.
It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth;
28 Let him sit alone and keep silence, because he has laid it on him.
That he sit in solitude and be silent; because He hath laid it upon him;
29 Let him put his mouth in the dust, if it is so that there may be hope.
That he put his mouth in the dust; perhaps there still is hope;
30 Let him give his cheek to him who strikes him. Let him be filled full of reproach.
That he offer his cheek to him that smiteth him; that he be satisfied with reproach.
31 For the Lord will not cast off forever.
For the Lord will not cast off for ever;
32 For though he causes grief, yet he will have compassion according to the multitude of his loving kindnesses.
But though he have caused grief, yet will he have mercy according to the abundance of his kindnesses.
33 For he does not afflict willingly, nor grieve the children of men.
For he doth not afflict of his own will, and aggrieve the children of men.
34 To crush under foot all the prisoners of the earth,
To crush under his feet all the prisoners of the earth,
35 to turn away the right of a man before the face of the Most High,
To pervert the justice [due to man] before the face of the Most High.
36 to subvert a man in his cause, the Lord does not approve.
To subvert a man in his contest—should the Lord not see this?
37 Who is he who says, and it comes to pass, when the Lord does not command it?
Who is he that saith aught, and it cometh to pass, when the Lord hath not ordained it?
38 Does not evil and good come out of the mouth of the Most High?
Do not out of the mouth of the Most High come both the evil things and the good?
39 Why should a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins?
Wherefore should a living man complain? let every man complain because of his sins.
40 Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the LORD.
Let us search through and investigate our ways, and let us return to the Lord.
41 Let’s lift up our heart with our hands to God in the heavens.
Let us lift up our heart with our hands unto God in the heavens.
42 “We have transgressed and have rebelled. You have not pardoned.
We have indeed transgressed and rebelled: thou hast truly not pardoned.
43 “You have covered us with anger and pursued us. You have killed. You have not pitied.
Thou hast covered [us] with thy anger, and made pursuit after us: thou hast slain, thou hast not pitied.
44 You have covered yourself with a cloud, so that no prayer can pass through.
Thou hast covered thyself with a cloud, that no prayer should pass through.
45 You have made us an off-scouring and refuse in the middle of the peoples.
As something loathsome and rejected hast thou rendered us in the midst of the people.
46 “All our enemies have opened their mouth wide against us.
Wide have all our enemies opened against us their mouth.
47 Terror and the pit have come on us, devastation and destruction.”
Terror and a snare are come upon us, [with] desolation and breaches.
48 My eye runs down with streams of water, for the destruction of the daughter of my people.
With streams of water runneth my eye down, because of the breach of the daughter of my people.
49 My eye pours down and does not cease, without any intermission,
My eye trickleth down, and resteth not, without any intermission,
50 until the LORD looks down, and sees from heaven.
Till the Lord look down, and behold from heaven.
51 My eye affects my soul, because of all the daughters of my city.
My eye affecteth my soul because of all the daughters of my city.
52 They have chased me relentlessly like a bird, those who are my enemies without cause.
Those who are my enemies, without a cause, have chased me about like a bird.
53 They have cut off my life in the dungeon, and have cast a stone on me.
They have shut up in the dungeon my life, and have cast stones upon me.
54 Waters flowed over my head. I said, “I am cut off.”
Waters streamed over my head: I said, I am cut off.
55 I called on your name, LORD, out of the lowest dungeon.
I called on thy name, O Lord, out of the dungeon of the lowest depth.
56 You heard my voice: “Do not hide your ear from my sighing, and my cry.”
Thou didst hear my voice: hide not thy ear to give me enlargement at my cry.
57 You came near in the day that I called on you. You said, “Do not be afraid.”
Thou wast ever near on the day that I called on thee: thou saidst, Fear not.
58 Lord, you have pleaded the causes of my soul. You have redeemed my life.
Thou didst plead, O Lord, the causes of my soul: thou didst [before this] redeem my life.
59 LORD, you have seen my wrong. Judge my cause.
Thou hast [now] seen, O Lord, the wrong I suffer: judge thou my cause.
60 You have seen all their vengeance and all their plans against me.
Thou hast seen all their vengeance, all their plans against me.
61 You have heard their reproach, LORD, and all their plans against me,
Thou hast heard their reviling, O Lord, all their plans against me,
62 the lips of those that rose up against me, and their plots against me all day long.
The speeches of these that rise up against me, and their device against me all the day.
63 You see their sitting down and their rising up. I am their song.
Oh look upon their sitting down, and their rising up: I am their [jeering] song.
64 You will pay them back, LORD, according to the work of their hands.
Render unto them a recompense, O Lord, according to the work of their hands.
65 You will give them hardness of heart, your curse to them.
Give them confusion of heart, thy curse he upon them.
66 You will pursue them in anger, and destroy them from under the heavens of the LORD.
Pursue them in anger and destroy from under the heavens of the Lord.
