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 under 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, and not into light;
3 Nay, against me has he turned his hand all the day.
Yea, against me doth he again and again turn his hand all the day long.
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 encompassed me with bitterness and woe.
6 He has set me in dark places, as them that have long been dead.
He hath set me in dark places, as those that have long been dead.
7 He has builded against me, and I can’t come forth: he has made my brazen [chain] heavy.
He hath hedged me about, so that I cannot get out; he hath made my chain heavy;
8 GIMEL. Yes, [though] I cry and shout, he shuts out my prayer.
Yea, when I cry and call aloud, he shutteth out my prayer.
9 DALETH. He has built up my ways, he has hedged my paths;
He blocketh up my way with hewn stone; he maketh 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.
A bear lying in wait hath he been to me, a lion in lurking-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 torn 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 sons of his quiver to pierce my reins.
14 I became a laughing stock to all my people; and their song all the day.
I have been a laughing-stock to all my people, 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 drunk 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.
Yea, thou hast removed my soul far from peace; I have forgotten prosperity.
18 Therefore my success has perished, and my hope from the Lord.
And I say, “My confidence and my hope in Jehovah are gone!”
19 ZAIN. I remembered by reason of my poverty, and because of persecution my bitterness and gall shall be remembered;
Remember my affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall!
20 and my soul shall meditate with me.
Yea, thou wilt remember them, for my soul sinketh within 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 the mercy of Jehovah that we are not consumed; yea, his compassion faileth not;
23 [They are] new every morning: great is your faithfulness.
It is new every morning; great is thy faithfulness.
24 The Lord is my portion, says my soul; therefore will I wait for him.
Jehovah is my portion, saith my soul, therefore do I hope in him.
25 TETH. The Lord is good to them that wait for him: the soul which shall seek him
Jehovah is good to them that trust in 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 hope, and quietly wait for salvation from Jehovah.
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.
That he sit alone and keep silence, since He layeth it upon him;
That he put his mouth in the dust, [[saying to himself, ]] “Perhaps there may be hope!”
30 JOD. He will give [his] cheek to him that smites him: he will be filled full with reproaches.
That he offer his cheek to the smiter; that he be filled with reproach.
31 For the Lord will not reject for ever.
For the Lord will not cast off forever;
32 CHAPH. For he that has brought down will pity, and [that] according to the abundance of his mercy.
For though he cause grief, yet doth he have compassion according to his great mercy;
33 He has not answered [in anger] from his heart, though he has brought low the children of a man.
For he doth not willingly afflict and grieve the children of men.
34 LAMED. To bring down under his feet all the prisoners of the earth,
Doth one trample under foot all the prisoners of the earth,
35 to turn aside the judgment of a man before the face of the Most High,
Doth he bend 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.
Doth he subvert a man in his cause, and shall not the Lord behold it?
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 the Lord hath not commanded?
38 Out of the mouth of the Most High there shall not come forth evil and good.
Cometh not evil, as well as good, from the mouth of the Most High?
39 MEM. Why should a living man complain, a man concerning his sin?
Wherefore then murmureth the living man? Let him murmur at his own sin!
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 Jehovah!
41 Let us lift up our hearts with [our] hand to the lofty One in heaven.
Let us lift up our hearts with our hands to God in the heavens!
42 We have sinned, we have transgressed; and you have not pardoned.
We have transgressed; we have rebelled; thou hast not forgiven!
43 SAMECH. You has visited [us] in wrath, and driven us away: you has slain, you has not pitied.
Thou hast hidden thyself in anger, and hast pursued us; thou hast slain and hast not spared;
44 You have veiled yourself with a cloud because of prayer, that I might be blind,
Thou hast hidden thyself in a cloud, that our prayer may not pass through;
45 and be cast off. AIN. You have set us [alone] in the midst of the nations.
Thou hast made us the offscouring and refuse in the midst of the nations.
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.
Terror and the pit have 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 streams 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.
Until Jehovah look down and behold from heaven.
51 Mine eye shall prey upon my soul, because of all the daughters of the city.
Mine eye is painful to me on account 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,
They that are my enemies without cause hunt me down like a bird;
53 and laid a stone upon me.
They take away my life in the dungeon; they cast a stone upon me;
54 Water flowed over my head: I said, I am cut off.
Waters flow over my head; I say, “I am undone!”
55 KOPH. I called upon your name, O Lord, out of the lowest dungeon.
I call upon thy name, O Jehovah, from the deep dungeon;
56 You heard my voice: close not your ears to my supplication.
Hear thou my voice! hide not thine ear from my cry for relief!
57 You drew near to my help: in the day wherein I called upon you you said to me, Fear not.
Be near to me, when I call upon thee! Say, “Fear not!”
58 RECHS. O Lord, you has pleaded the causes of my soul; you has redeemed my life.
Thou maintainest my cause, O Lord; thou redeemest my life!
59 You have seen, O Lord, my troubles: you have judged my cause.
Thou, O Jehovah, seest the wrong done to me; Maintain thou my cause!
60 You have seen all their vengeance, [you have looked] on all their devices against me.
Thou seest all their vengeance, all their devices against me.
61 CHSEN. You have heard their reproach [and] all their devices against me;
Thou hearest their reproach, O Jehovah, all their devices against me,
62 the lips of them that rose up against me, and their plots against me all the day;
The words of my adversaries, and their machinations against me all the day long!
63 their sitting down and their rising up: look you upon their eyes.
Behold their sitting down and their rising up! I am their song.
64 You will render them a recompense, O Lord, according to the works of their hands.
Render to them a recompense, O Jehovah, according to the work of their hands!
65 THAU. You will give them [as] a covering, the grief of my heart.
Give them blindness of mind! thy curse be upon them!
66 You will persecute them in anger, and will consume them from under the heaven, O Lord.
Pursue them in thine anger, and destroy them from under Jehovah's heaven!
