Lamentations 3
1 ALEPH. I am the man that sees poverty, through the rod of his wrath upon me.
I am the man that hath seen affliction by the rod of his wrath.
2 He has taken me, and led me away into darkness, and not [into] light.
He hath led me, and brought me into darkness, but not into light.
3 Nay, against me has he turned his hand all the day.
Surely against me is he turned; he turneth his hand against me all the day.
4 He has made old my flesh and my skin; he has broken my bones.
My flesh and my skin hath he made old; he hath broken my bones.
5 BETH. He has built against me, and compassed my head, and brought travail [upon me].
He hath builded against me, and compassed me with gall and travail.
6 He has set me in dark places, as them that have long been dead.
He hath set me in dark places, as they that be dead of old.
7 He has builded against me, and I can’t come forth: he has made my brazen [chain] heavy.
He hath hedged me about, that I cannot get out: he hath made my chain heavy.
8 GIMEL. Yes, [though] I cry and shout, he shuts out my prayer.
Also when I cry and shout, he shutteth out my prayer.
9 DALETH. He has built up my ways, he has hedged my paths;
He hath inclosed my ways with hewn stone, he hath made my paths crooked.
10 he has troubled me, [as] a she-bear lying in wait: he is to me [as] a lion in secret places.
He was unto me as a bear lying in wait, and as a lion in secret places.
11 He pursued [me] after I departed, and brought me to a stand: he has utterly ruined me.
He hath turned aside my ways, and pulled me in pieces: he hath made me desolate.
12 HE. He has bent his bow, and set me as a mark for the arrow.
He hath bent his bow, and set me as a mark for the arrow.
13 He has caused the arrows of his quiver to enter into my reins.
He hath caused the arrows of his quiver to enter into my reins.
14 I became a laughing stock to all my people; and their song all the day.
I was a derision to all my people; and their song all the day.
15 VAU. He has filled me with bitterness, he has drenched me with gall.
He hath filled me with bitterness, he hath made me drunken with wormwood.
16 And he has dashed out my teeth with gravel, he has fed me with ashes.
He hath also broken my teeth with gravel stones, he hath covered me with ashes.
17 He has also removed my soul from peace: I forgot prosperity.
And thou hast removed my soul far off from peace: I forgat prosperity.
18 Therefore my success has perished, and my hope from the Lord.
And I said, My strength and my hope is perished from YHWH:
19 ZAIN. I remembered by reason of my poverty, and because of persecution my bitterness and gall shall be remembered;
Remembering mine affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall.
20 and my soul shall meditate with me.
My soul hath them still in remembrance, and is humbled in me.
21 This will I lay up in my heart, therefore I will endure.
This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope.
22 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.
It is of YHWH 's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.
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 will I wait for him.
YHWH is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him.
25 TETH. The Lord is good to them that wait for him: the soul which shall seek him
YHWH is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him.
26 [is] good, and shall wait for, and quietly expect salvation of the Lord.
It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of YHWH.
27 TETH. [It is] good for a man when he bears a yoke in his youth.
It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth.
28 He will sit alone, and be silent, because he has borne [it] upon him.
He sitteth alone and keepeth silence, because he hath borne it upon him.
He putteth his mouth in the dust; if so be there may be hope.
30 JOD. He will give [his] cheek to him that smites him: he will be filled full with reproaches.
He giveth his cheek to him that smiteth him: he is filled full with reproach.
31 For the Lord will not reject for ever.
For YHWH will not cast off for ever:
32 CHAPH. For he that has brought down will pity, and [that] according to the abundance of his mercy.
But though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies.
33 He has not answered [in anger] from his heart, though he has brought low the children of a man.
For he doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men.
34 LAMED. To bring down under his feet all the prisoners of the earth,
To crush under his feet all the prisoners of the earth,
35 to turn aside the judgment of a man before the face of the Most High,
To turn aside the right of a man before the face of the most High,
36 to condemn a man [unjustly] in his judgment, the Lord has not given commandment.
To subvert a man in his cause, YHWH approveth not.
37 Who has thus spoken, and it has come to pass? the Lord has not commanded it.
Who is he that saith, and it cometh to pass, when YHWH commandeth it not?
38 Out of the mouth of the Most High there shall not come forth evil and good.
Out of the mouth of the most High proceedeth not evil and good?
39 MEM. Why should a living man complain, a man concerning his sin?
Wherefore doth a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins?
40 NUN. Our way has been searched out and examined, and we will turn to the Lord.
Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to YHWH.
41 Let us lift up our hearts with [our] hand to the lofty One in heaven.
Let us lift up our heart with our hands unto El in the heavens.
42 We have sinned, we have transgressed; and you have not pardoned.
We have transgressed and have rebelled: thou hast not pardoned.
43 SAMECH. You has visited [us] in wrath, and driven us away: you has slain, you has not pitied.
Thou hast covered with anger, and persecuted us: thou hast slain, thou hast not pitied.
44 You have veiled yourself with a cloud because of prayer, that I might be blind,
Thou hast covered thyself with a cloud, that our prayer should not pass through.
45 and be cast off. AIN. You have set us [alone] in the midst of the nations.
Thou hast made us as the offscouring and refuse in the midst of the people.
46 All our enemies have opened their mouth against us.
All our enemies have opened their mouths against us.
47 Fear and wrath are come upon us, suspense and destruction.
Fear and a snare is come upon us, desolation and destruction.
48 Mine eye shall pour down torrents of water, for the destruction of the daughter of my people.
Mine eye runneth down with rivers of water for the destruction of the daughter of my people.
49 PHE. Mine eye is drowned [with tears], and I will not be silent, so that there shall be no rest,
Mine eye trickleth down, and ceaseth not, without any intermission,
50 until the Lord look down, and behold from heaven.
Till YHWH look down, and behold from heaven.
51 Mine eye shall prey upon my soul, because of all the daughters of the city.
Mine eye affecteth mine heart because of all the daughters of my city.
52 TSADE. The fowlers chased me as a sparrow, all mine enemies destroyed my life in a pit without cause,
Mine enemies chased me sore, like a bird, without cause.
53 and laid a stone upon me.
They have cut off my life in the dungeon, and cast a stone upon me.
54 Water flowed over my head: I said, I am cut off.
Waters flowed over mine head; then I said, I am cut off.
55 KOPH. I called upon your name, O Lord, out of the lowest dungeon.
I called upon thy name, O YHWH, out of the low dungeon.
56 You heard my voice: close not your ears to my supplication.
Thou hast heard my voice: hide not thine ear at my breathing, at my cry.
57 You drew near to my help: in the day wherein I called upon you you said to me, Fear not.
Thou drewest near in the day that I called upon thee: thou saidst, Fear not.
58 RECHS. O Lord, you has pleaded the causes of my soul; you has redeemed my life.
O YHWH, thou hast pleaded the causes of my soul; thou hast redeemed my life.
59 You have seen, O Lord, my troubles: you have judged my cause.
O YHWH, thou hast seen my wrong: judge thou my cause.
60 You have seen all their vengeance, [you have looked] on all their devices against me.
Thou hast seen all their vengeance and all their imaginations against me.
61 CHSEN. You have heard their reproach [and] all their devices against me;
Thou hast heard their reproach, O YHWH, and all their imaginations against me;
62 the lips of them that rose up against me, and their plots against me all the day;
The lips of those that rose up against me, and their device against me all the day.
63 their sitting down and their rising up: look you upon their eyes.
Behold their sitting down, and their rising up; I am their musick.
64 You will render them a recompense, O Lord, according to the works of their hands.
Render unto them a recompence, O YHWH, according to the work of their hands.
65 THAU. You will give them [as] a covering, the grief of my heart.
Give them sorrow of heart, thy curse unto them.
66 You will persecute them in anger, and will consume them from under the heaven, O Lord.
Persecute and destroy them in anger from under the heavens of YHWH.
