Lamentations 3
1 I am the man who has experienced suffering under the rod of God's anger.
I, am the man, that hath seen affliction, by the rod of his indignation;
2 He has driven me away, forcing me to walk in darkness instead of the light.
Me, hath he driven out and brought into darkness, and not light;
3 In fact he hits me again and again all day long.
Surely, against me, doth he again and again, turn his hand all the day.
4 He has worn me out; he has broken me in pieces.
He hath worn out my flesh and my skin, hath broken my bones;
5 He has besieged me, surrounding me with bitterness and misery.
He hath built up against me, and carried round me, fortifications and a trench;
6 He has forced me to live in darkness like those long dead.
In dark places, hath he made me sit, like the dead of age-past times.
7 He has built a wall around me so I can't escape; he has bound me with heavy chains.
He hath walled up around me, that I cannot get out, hath weighted my fetter;
8 Even when I keep on crying out for help, he refuses to listen to my prayer.
Yea, when I make outcry and implore, he hath shut out my prayer;
9 He has put stone blocks in my way and sends me down crooked paths.
He hath walled in my ways with hewn stone, my paths, hath he caused to wind back.
10 He is a bear that lies in wait for me, a lion in hiding ready to attack,
A bear lying in wait, he is to me, a lion, in secret places;
11 He dragged me from my path and ripped me to pieces, leaving me helpless.
My ways, hath he turned aside, and hath torn me in pieces, hath made me desolate;
12 He loaded his bow with an arrow and used me as his target,
He hath trodden his bow, and set me up, as a mark for the arrow.
13 He shot me in my kidneys with his arrows.
He hath caused to enter my reins, the sons of his quiver;
14 Now everyone laughs at me, singing songs that mock me all day long.
I have become a derision to all my people, their song all the day;
15 He has filled me with bitterness; he has filled me up with bitter wormwood.
He hath sated me with bitter things, hath drenched me with wormwood.
16 He has broken my teeth with grit; he has trampled me in the dust.
And he hath crushed, with gravel-stones, my teeth, hath made me cower in ashes;
17 Peace has been torn away from me; I've forgotten all that's good in life.
And thou hast thrust away from welfare, my soul, I have forgotten 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, Vanished is mine endurance, even mine expectation, from Yahweh.
19 Don't forget everything I've suffered in my wandering, as bitters as wormwood and poison.
Remember my humiliation and my fleeings, the wormwood and poison;
20 I certainly haven't forgotten. I remember it all too well, so I sink into depression.
Thou wilt, indeed remember, that, bowed down concerning myself, is my soul;
21 But I still hope when I think about this:
This, will I bring back to my heart, therefore, will 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.
The lovingkindnesses of Yahweh, verily they are not exhausted, Verily! not at an end, are his compassions:
23 He renews them every morning. How wonderfully trustworthy you are, Lord!
New things for the mornings! Abundant is thy faithfulness:
24 The Lord is all I need,” I tell myself, “so I will put my hope in him.”
My portion, is Yahweh, saith my soul, For this cause, will I wait for him.
25 The Lord is good to those who trust in him, to anyone who seeks to follow him.
Good is Yahweh, to them who wait for him, to the soul that will seek him;
26 It is good to wait quietly for the Lord's salvation.
Good it is—both to wait and to be silent, for the deliverance of Yahweh;
27 It is good for people to learn to patiently bear discipline while they're still young.
Good it is for a man, that he should bear the yoke in his youth.
28 They should sit by themselves in silence, because it's God who has disciplined them.
Let him sit alone, and keep silence, because he took it upon himself:
29 They should bow low with their faces to the ground, for there may still be hope.
Let him put, in the dust, his mouth, peradventure, there is hope!
30 They should turn a cheek to someone who wants to slap them; they should take the insults of others.
Let him give, to him that smiteth him, his cheek, let him be sated with reproach.
31 For the Lord won't abandon us forever.
Surely My Lord, will not cast off, unto times age-abiding;
32 Even though he may bring sadness, he shows us mercy because his trustworthy love is so great.
Surely, though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion, according to the multitude of his lovingkindnesses;
33 For he doesn't willingly hurt people, or cause them grief.
Surely he hath not afflicted from his heart, nor caused sorrow to the sons of men.
34 Whether it's mistreating all the prisoners of the land,
To crush, under his feet, any of 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 oppress a son of earth in his cause, My Lord, hath made no provision.
37 Who spoke and it came into existence? Wasn't it the Lord who commanded it?
Who was it that spake, and it was done, [when], My Lord, had not commanded?
38 When the Most High speaks it can be a disaster or a blessing.
Out of the mouth of the Most High, Proceed there not misfortunes and blessing?
39 Why should any human being complain about the results of their sins?
Why should a living son of earth complain, [Let] a man [complain] because of his sins?
40 We should look at ourselves, examine what we're doing, and return to the Lord.
Let us search out our ways, and examine them well, and let us return unto Yahweh;
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, to the opened palms, to the Mighty One in the heavens;
42 “We are the ones who sinned; we are the ones who rebelled; and you haven't forgiven us!”
We, have trespassed and rebelled, Thou, hast not pardoned.
43 You have wrapped yourself in anger and chased us down, killing without mercy. You have killed without pity.
Thou hast covered thyself with anger, and pursued us, hast slain—hast not spared;
44 You have wrapped yourself with a cloud that no prayer can penetrate.
Thou hast screened thyself with the clouds, that prayer, should not pass through;
45 You have made us waste and refuse to the nations around.
Offscouring and refuse, dost thou make us, in the midst of the peoples.
46 All our enemies open their mouths to criticize us.
With their mouth, opened wide over us, [stand] all our foes.
47 We're terrified and trapped, devastated and destroyed.
Terror and a pit, have befallen us, tumult and grievous injury;
48 Tears stream from my eyes over the death of my people.
With streams of water, mine eye runneth down, over the grievous injury of the daughter of my people.
49 My eyes overflow with tears all the time. They won't stop
Mine eye, poureth itself out and ceaseth not, without relief;
50 Until the Lord looks down from heaven and sees what's going on.
Until Yahweh out of the heavens shall look forth, and see,
51 What I've seen torments me because of what's happened to all the women in my city.
Mine eye dealeth severely with my soul, because of all the daughters of my city.
52 For no reason my enemies trapped me like a bird.
They, have laid snares, for me as a bird, who are mine enemies without cause:
53 They tried to kill me by tossing me into a pit and throwing stones at me.
They have cut off, in the dungeon, my life, and have cast a stone upon me;
54 Water flooded over my head, and I thought I was going to die.
Waters, flowed over, my head, I said, I am cut off!
55 I called out for you, Lord, from deep inside the pit.
I have called upon thy Name, O Yahweh, out of the dungeon below;
56 You heard me when I prayed, “Please don't ignore my cry for help.”
My voice, thou hast heard, —do not close thine ear to my respite, to mine outcry;
57 You came to me when I called you, and you told me, “Don't be afraid!”
Thou drewest near, in the day I kept calling on thee, thou saidst, Do not fear!
58 You have taken my case and defended me; you have saved my life!
Thou hast pleaded, O My Lord, the pleas of my soul, hast redeemed my life;
59 Lord, you have seen the injustices done to me; please vindicate me!
Thou hast beheld, O Yahweh, my failure to get justice, Pronounce thou my sentence;
60 You have observed how vengeful they are and how often they've plotted against me.
Thou hast seen all their vindictiveness, all their plots against me.
61 Lord, you have heard how they've insulted me, and what they've plotted against me,
Thou hast heard their reproach, O Yahweh, all their plots against me;
62 How my enemies talk against me and complain about me all the time!
The lips of mine assailants, and their mutterings, are 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.
On their downsitting and their uprising, do thou look, I, am their song.
64 Pay them back as they deserve, Lord, for all they've done!
Thou wilt render to them a recompense, O Yahweh, according to the work of their hands;
65 Give them a covering for their minds! May your curse be on them!
Thou wilt suffer them a veiling of heart, thy curse to them;
66 Chase them down in your anger, Lord, and get rid of them from the earth!
Thou wilt pursue in anger, and wilt destroy them, from under the heavens of Yahweh.
