Lamentations 3
1 I am the man who has experienced suffering under the rod of God's anger.
I AM the man that has seen affliction by the rod of his wrath.
2 He has driven me away, forcing me to walk in darkness instead of the light.
He has led me, and brought me into darkness, but not into light.
3 In fact he hits me again and again all day long.
Surely against me is he turned; he turns his hand against me all the day.
4 He has worn me out; he has broken me in pieces.
My flesh and my skin has he made old; he has broken my bones.
5 He has besieged me, surrounding me with bitterness and misery.
He has built against me, and compassed me with gall and travail.
6 He has forced me to live in darkness like those long dead.
He has set me in dark places, as they that be dead of old.
7 He has built a wall around me so I can't escape; he has bound me with heavy chains.
He has hedged me about, that I cannot get out: he has made my chain heavy.
8 Even when I keep on crying out for help, he refuses to listen to my prayer.
Also when I cry and shout, he shuts out my prayer.
9 He has put stone blocks in my way and sends me down crooked paths.
He has enclosed my ways with hewn stone, he has made my paths crooked.
10 He is a bear that lies in wait for me, a lion in hiding ready to attack,
He was unto me as a bear lying in wait, and as a lion in secret places.
11 He dragged me from my path and ripped me to pieces, leaving me helpless.
He has turned aside my ways, and pulled me in pieces: he has made me desolate.
12 He loaded his bow with an arrow and used me as his target,
He has bent his bow, and set me as a mark for the arrow.
13 He shot me in my kidneys with his arrows.
He has caused the arrows of his quiver to enter into my reins.
14 Now everyone laughs at me, singing songs that mock me all day long.
I was a derision to all my people; and their song all the day.
15 He has filled me with bitterness; he has filled me up with bitter wormwood.
He has filled me with bitterness, he has made me drunken with wormwood.
16 He has broken my teeth with grit; he has trampled me in the dust.
He has also broken my teeth with gravel stones, he has covered me with ashes.
17 Peace has been torn away from me; I've forgotten all that's good in life.
And you have removed my soul far off from peace: I forgotten about prosperity.
18 That's why I say, “My expectation of a long life is gone, along with all that I hoped for from Lord.
And I said, My strength and my hope is perished from the LORD:
19 Don't forget everything I've suffered in my wandering, as bitters as wormwood and poison.
Remembering mine affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall.
20 I certainly haven't forgotten. I remember it all too well, so I sink into depression.
My soul has them still in remembrance, and is humbled in me.
21 But I still hope when I think about this:
This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope.
22 It's because of the Lord's trustworthy love that our lives are not finished, for through his merciful actions he never lets us down.
It is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.
23 He renews them every morning. How wonderfully trustworthy you are, Lord!
They are new every morning: great is your faithfulness.
24 The Lord is all I need,” I tell myself, “so I will put my hope in him.”
The LORD is my portion, says my soul; therefore will I hope in him.
25 The Lord is good to those who trust in him, to anyone who seeks to follow him.
The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeks him.
26 It is good to wait quietly for the Lord's salvation.
It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD.
27 It is good for people to learn to patiently bear discipline while they're still young.
It is good for a man that he bear the yoke of his youth.
28 They should sit by themselves in silence, because it's God who has disciplined them.
He sits alone and keeps silence, because he has borne it upon him.
29 They should bow low with their faces to the ground, for there may still be hope.
He puts his mouth in the dust; if so be there may be hope.
30 They should turn a cheek to someone who wants to slap them; they should take the insults of others.
He gives his cheek to him that strikes him: he is filled full with reproach.
31 For the Lord won't abandon us forever.
For the LORD will not cast off for ever:
32 Even though he may bring sadness, he shows us mercy because his trustworthy love is so great.
But though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies.
33 For he doesn't willingly hurt people, or cause them grief.
For he does not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men.
34 Whether it's mistreating all the prisoners of the land,
To crush under his feet all the prisoners of the earth.
35 Or denying someone their rights as the Most High watches,
To turn aside the right of a man before the face of the most High,
36 Or cheating someone in their legal case—these things the Lord doesn't approve of.
To subvert a man in his cause, the LORD approves not.
37 Who spoke and it came into existence? Wasn't it the Lord who commanded it?
Who is he that says, and it comes to pass, when the Lord commands it not?
38 When the Most High speaks it can be a disaster or a blessing.
Out of the mouth of the most High proceeds not evil and good?
39 Why should any human being complain about the results of their sins?
Wherefore does a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins?
40 We should look at ourselves, examine what we're doing, and return to the Lord.
Let us search and try our ways, and return to the LORD.
41 Let's not just hold up our hands to God in heaven, but our minds as well, saying,
Let us lift up our heart with our hands unto God in the heavens.
42 “We are the ones who sinned; we are the ones who rebelled; and you haven't forgiven us!”
We have transgressed and have rebelled: you have not pardoned.
43 You have wrapped yourself in anger and chased us down, killing without mercy. You have killed without pity.
You have covered with anger, and persecuted us: you have slain, you have not pitied.
44 You have wrapped yourself with a cloud that no prayer can penetrate.
You have covered yourself with a cloud, that our prayer should not pass through.
45 You have made us waste and refuse to the nations around.
You have made us as the waste and refuse in the midst of the people.
46 All our enemies open their mouths to criticize us.
All our enemies have opened their mouths against us.
47 We're terrified and trapped, devastated and destroyed.
Fear and a snare has come upon us, desolation and destruction.
48 Tears stream from my eyes over the death of my people.
Mine eye runs down with rivers of water for the destruction of the daughter of my people.
49 My eyes overflow with tears all the time. They won't stop
Mine eye trickes down, and ceases not, without any intermission.
50 Until the Lord looks down from heaven and sees what's going on.
Till the LORD look down, and behold from heaven.
51 What I've seen torments me because of what's happened to all the women in my city.
Mine eye affects mine heart because of all the daughters of my city.
52 For no reason my enemies trapped me like a bird.
Mine enemies chased me sore, like a bird, without cause.
53 They tried to kill me by tossing me into a pit and throwing stones at me.
They have cut off my life in the dungeon, and cast a stone upon me.
54 Water flooded over my head, and I thought I was going to die.
Waters flowed over mine head; then I said, I am cut off.
55 I called out for you, Lord, from deep inside the pit.
I called upon your name, O LORD, out of the low dungeon.
56 You heard me when I prayed, “Please don't ignore my cry for help.”
You have heard my voice: hide not your ear at my breathing, at my cry.
57 You came to me when I called you, and you told me, “Don't be afraid!”
You drew near in the day that I called upon you: you said, Fear not.
58 You have taken my case and defended me; you have saved my life!
O LORD, you have pleaded the causes of my soul; you have redeemed my life.
59 Lord, you have seen the injustices done to me; please vindicate me!
O LORD, you have seen my wrong: judge you my cause.
60 You have observed how vengeful they are and how often they've plotted against me.
You have seen all their vengeance and all their imaginations against me.
61 Lord, you have heard how they've insulted me, and what they've plotted against me,
You have heard their reproach, O LORD, and all their imaginations against me;
62 How my enemies talk against me and complain about me all the time!
The lips of those that rose up against me, and their device against me all the day.
63 Just look! Whether they're sitting down and or standing up, they go on making fun of me in their songs.
Behold their sitting down, and their rising up; I am their music.
64 Pay them back as they deserve, Lord, for all they've done!
Render unto them a recompence, O LORD, according to the work of their hands.
65 Give them a covering for their minds! May your curse be on them!
Give them sorrow of heart, your curse unto them.
66 Chase them down in your anger, Lord, and get rid of them from the earth!
Persecute and destroy them in anger from under the heavens of the LORD.
