Lamentations 3
1 I am the man who has experienced suffering under the rod of God's anger.
Aleph. I am a man seynge my pouert in the yerde of his indignacioun.
2 He has driven me away, forcing me to walk in darkness instead of the light.
Aleph. He droof me, and brouyte in to derknessis, and not in to liyt.
3 In fact he hits me again and again all day long.
Aleph. Oneli he turnede in to me, and turnede togidere his hond al dai.
4 He has worn me out; he has broken me in pieces.
Beth. He made eld my skyn, and my fleisch; he al to-brak my boonys.
5 He has besieged me, surrounding me with bitterness and misery.
Beth. He bildid in my cumpas, and he cumpasside me with galle and trauel.
6 He has forced me to live in darkness like those long dead.
Beth. He settide me in derk places, as euerlastynge deed men.
7 He has built a wall around me so I can't escape; he has bound me with heavy chains.
Gymel. He bildide aboute ayens me, that Y go not out; he aggregide my gyues.
8 Even when I keep on crying out for help, he refuses to listen to my prayer.
Gymel. But and whanne Y crie and preye, he hath excludid my preier.
9 He has put stone blocks in my way and sends me down crooked paths.
Gymel. He closide togidere my weies with square stoonus; he distriede my pathis.
10 He is a bear that lies in wait for me, a lion in hiding ready to attack,
Deleth. He is maad a bere settinge aspies to me, a lioun in hid places.
11 He dragged me from my path and ripped me to pieces, leaving me helpless.
Deleth. He distriede my pathis, and brak me; he settide me desolat.
12 He loaded his bow with an arrow and used me as his target,
Deleth. He bente his bowe, and settide me as a signe to an arowe.
13 He shot me in my kidneys with his arrows.
He. He sente in my reynes the douytris of his arowe caas.
14 Now everyone laughs at me, singing songs that mock me all day long.
He. Y am maad in to scorn to al the puple, the song of hem al dai.
15 He has filled me with bitterness; he has filled me up with bitter wormwood.
He. He fillide me with bitternesses; he gretli fillide me with wermod.
16 He has broken my teeth with grit; he has trampled me in the dust.
Vau. He brak at noumbre my teeth; he fedde me with aische.
17 Peace has been torn away from me; I've forgotten all that's good in life.
Vau. And my soule is putte awei; Y haue foryete goodis.
18 That's why I say, “My expectation of a long life is gone, along with all that I hoped for from Lord.
Vau. And Y seide, Myn ende perischide, and myn hope fro the Lord.
19 Don't forget everything I've suffered in my wandering, as bitters as wormwood and poison.
Zai. Haue thou mynde on my pouert and goyng ouer, and on wermod and galle.
20 I certainly haven't forgotten. I remember it all too well, so I sink into depression.
Zai. Bi mynde Y schal be myndeful; and my soule schal faile in me.
21 But I still hope when I think about this:
Zai. Y bithenkynge these thingis in myn herte, schal hope in God.
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.
Heth. The mercies of the Lord ben manye, for we ben not wastid; for whi hise merciful doyngis failiden not.
23 He renews them every morning. How wonderfully trustworthy you are, Lord!
Heth. Y knew in the morewtid; thi feith is miche.
24 The Lord is all I need,” I tell myself, “so I will put my hope in him.”
Heth. My soule seide, The Lord is my part; therfor Y schal abide hym.
25 The Lord is good to those who trust in him, to anyone who seeks to follow him.
Teth. The Lord is good to hem that hopen in to hym, to a soule sekynge hym.
26 It is good to wait quietly for the Lord's salvation.
Teth. It is good to abide with stilnesse the helthe of God.
27 It is good for people to learn to patiently bear discipline while they're still young.
Teth. It is good to a man, whanne he hath bore the yok fro his yongthe.
28 They should sit by themselves in silence, because it's God who has disciplined them.
Joth. He schal sitte aloone, and he schal be stille; for he reiside hym silf aboue hym silf.
29 They should bow low with their faces to the ground, for there may still be hope.
Joth. He schal sette his mouth in dust, if perauenture hope is.
30 They should turn a cheek to someone who wants to slap them; they should take the insults of others.
Joth. He schal yyue the cheke to a man that smytith hym; he schal be fillid with schenschipis.
31 For the Lord won't abandon us forever.
Caph. For the Lord schal not putte awei with outen ende.
32 Even though he may bring sadness, he shows us mercy because his trustworthy love is so great.
Caph. For if he castide awei, and he schal do merci bi the multitude of hise mercies.
33 For he doesn't willingly hurt people, or cause them grief.
Caph. For he makide not low of his herte; and castide not awei the sones of men. Lameth.
34 Whether it's mistreating all the prisoners of the land,
That he schulde al to-foule vndur hise feet alle the boundun men of erthe. Lameth.
35 Or denying someone their rights as the Most High watches,
That he schulde bowe doun the dom of man, in the siyt of the cheer of the hiyeste.
36 Or cheating someone in their legal case—these things the Lord doesn't approve of.
Lameth. That he schulde peruerte a man in his dom, the Lord knew not.
37 Who spoke and it came into existence? Wasn't it the Lord who commanded it?
Men. Who is this that seide, that a thing schulde be don, whanne the Lord comaundide not?
38 When the Most High speaks it can be a disaster or a blessing.
Men. Nether goodis nether yuels schulen go out of the mouth of the hiyeste.
39 Why should any human being complain about the results of their sins?
Men. What grutchide a man lyuynge, a man for hise synnes?
40 We should look at ourselves, examine what we're doing, and return to the Lord.
Nun. Serche we oure weies, and seke we, and turne we ayen to the Lord.
41 Let's not just hold up our hands to God in heaven, but our minds as well, saying,
Nun. Reise we oure hertis with hondis, to the Lord in to heuenes.
42 “We are the ones who sinned; we are the ones who rebelled; and you haven't forgiven us!”
Nun. We han do wickidli, and han terrid thee to wraththe; therfor thou art not able to be preied.
43 You have wrapped yourself in anger and chased us down, killing without mercy. You have killed without pity.
Sameth. Thou hilidist in stronge veniaunce, and smitidist vs; thou killidist, and sparidist not.
44 You have wrapped yourself with a cloud that no prayer can penetrate.
Sameth. Thou settidist a clowde to thee, that preier passe not.
45 You have made us waste and refuse to the nations around.
Sameth. Thou settidist me, drawing vp bi the roote, and castynge out, in the myddis of puplis.
46 All our enemies open their mouths to criticize us.
Ayn. Alle enemyes openyden her mouth on vs.
47 We're terrified and trapped, devastated and destroyed.
Ayn. Inward drede and snare is maad to vs, profesie and defoulyng.
48 Tears stream from my eyes over the death of my people.
Ayn. Myn iyen ledden doun departyngis of watris, for the defoulyng of the douyter of my puple.
49 My eyes overflow with tears all the time. They won't stop
Phe. Myn iye was turmentid, and was not stille; for no reste was.
50 Until the Lord looks down from heaven and sees what's going on.
Phe. Vntil the Lord bihelde, and siy fro heuenes.
51 What I've seen torments me because of what's happened to all the women in my city.
Phe. Myn iye robbide my soule in alle the douytris of my citee.
52 For no reason my enemies trapped me like a bird.
Sade. Myn enemyes token me with out cause, bi huntyng as a brid.
53 They tried to kill me by tossing me into a pit and throwing stones at me.
Sade. My lijf slood in to a lake; and thei puttiden a stoon on me.
54 Water flooded over my head, and I thought I was going to die.
Sade. Watris flowiden ouer myn heed; Y seide, Y perischide.
55 I called out for you, Lord, from deep inside the pit.
Coph. Lord, Y clepide to help thi name, fro the laste lake.
56 You heard me when I prayed, “Please don't ignore my cry for help.”
Coph. Thou herdist my vois; turne thou not awei thin eere fro my sobbyng and cries.
57 You came to me when I called you, and you told me, “Don't be afraid!”
Coph. Thou neiyidist to me in the dai, wherynne Y clepide thee to help; thou seidist, Drede thou not.
58 You have taken my case and defended me; you have saved my life!
Res. Lord, ayenbiere of my lijf, thou demydist the cause of my soule.
59 Lord, you have seen the injustices done to me; please vindicate me!
Res. Lord, thou siest the wickidnesse of hem ayens me; deme thou my doom.
60 You have observed how vengeful they are and how often they've plotted against me.
Res. Thou siest al the woodnesse, alle the thouytis of hem ayenus me.
61 Lord, you have heard how they've insulted me, and what they've plotted against me,
Syn. Lord, thou herdist the schenshipis of hem; alle the thouytis of hem ayens me.
62 How my enemies talk against me and complain about me all the time!
Syn. The lippis of men risynge ayens me, and the thouytis of hem ayens me al dai.
63 Just look! Whether they're sitting down and or standing up, they go on making fun of me in their songs.
Syn. Se thou the sittynge and risyng ayen of hem; Y am the salm of hem.
64 Pay them back as they deserve, Lord, for all they've done!
Thau. Lord, thou schalt yelde while to hem, bi the werkis of her hondis.
65 Give them a covering for their minds! May your curse be on them!
Tau. Thou schalt yyue to hem the scheeld of herte, thi trauel.
66 Chase them down in your anger, Lord, and get rid of them from the earth!
Tau. Lord, thou schalt pursue hem in thi strong veniaunce, and thou schalt defoule hem vndur heuenes.
