Lamentations 3
1 I AM the man that hath seen affliction by the rod of his wrath.
I am the man who has seen affliction under the rod of God’s wrath.
2 He hath led me and caused me to walk in darkness and not in light.
He has driven me away and made me walk in darkness instead of light.
3 Surely against me he turneth his hand again and again all the day.
Indeed, He keeps turning His hand against me all day long.
4 My flesh and my skin hath he made old; he hath broken my bones.
He has worn away my flesh and skin; He has shattered my bones.
5 He hath builded against me, and compassed me with gall and travail.
He has besieged me and surrounded me with bitterness and hardship.
6 He hath made me to dwell in dark places, as those that have been long dead.
He has made me dwell in darkness like those dead for ages.
7 He hath fenced me about, that I cannot go forth; he hath made my chain heavy.
He has walled me in so I cannot escape; He has weighed me down with chains.
8 Yea, when I cry and call for help, he shutteth out my prayer.
Even when I cry out and plead for help, He shuts out my prayer.
9 He hath fenced up my ways with hewn stone, he hath made my paths crooked.
He has barred my ways with cut stones; He has made my paths crooked.
10 He is unto me as a bear lying in wait, as a lion in secret places.
He is a bear lying in wait, a lion hiding in ambush.
11 He hath turned aside my ways, and pulled me in pieces; he hath made me desolate.
He forced me off my path and tore me to pieces; He left me without help.
12 He hath bent his bow, and set me as a mark for the arrow.
He bent His bow and set me as the target for His arrow.
13 He hath caused the shafts of his quiver to enter into my reins.
He pierced my kidneys with His arrows.
14 I am become a derision to all my people; and their song all the day.
I am a laughingstock to all my people; they mock me in song all day long.
15 He hath filled me with bitterness, he hath sated me with wormwood.
He has filled me with bitterness; He has intoxicated me with wormwood.
16 He hath also broken my teeth with gravel stones, he hath covered me with ashes.
He has ground my teeth with gravel and trampled me in the dust.
17 And thou hast removed my soul far off from peace; I forgat prosperity.
My soul has been deprived of peace; I have forgotten what prosperity is.
18 And I said, My strength is perished, and mine expectation from the LORD.
So I say, “My strength has perished, along with my hope from the LORD.”
19 Remember mine affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall.
Remember my affliction and wandering, the wormwood and the gall.
20 My soul hath them still in remembrance, and is bowed down within me.
Surely my soul remembers and is humbled within me.
21 This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope.
Yet I call this to mind, and therefore I have hope:
22 [It is of] the LORD’S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.
Because of the loving devotion of the LORD we are not consumed, for His mercies never fail.
23 They are new every morning; great is thy faithfulness.
They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness!
24 The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him.
“The LORD is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in Him.”
25 The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him.
The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him.
26 It is good that a man should hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD.
It is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD.
27 It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth.
It is good for a man to bear the yoke while he is still young.
28 Let him sit alone and keep silence, because he hath laid it upon him.
Let him sit alone in silence, for God has disciplined him.
29 Let him put his mouth in the dust; if so be there may he hope.
Let him bury his face in the dust— perhaps there is still hope.
30 Let him give his cheek to him that smiteth him; let him be filled full with reproach.
Let him offer his cheek to the one who would strike him; let him be filled with reproach.
31 For the Lord will not cast off for ever.
For the Lord will not cast us off forever.
32 For though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies.
Even if He causes grief, He will show compassion according to His abundant loving devotion.
33 For he doth not afflict willingly, nor grieve the children of men.
For He does not willingly afflict or grieve the sons of men.
34 To crush under foot all the prisoners of the earth,
To crush underfoot all the prisoners of the land,
35 To turn aside the right of a man before the face of the Most High,
to deny a man justice before the Most High,
36 To subvert a man in his cause, the Lord approveth not.
to subvert a man in his lawsuit— of these the Lord does not approve.
37 Who is he that saith, and it cometh to pass, when the Lord commandeth it not?
Who has spoken and it came to pass, unless the Lord has ordained it?
38 Out of the mouth of the Most High cometh there not evil and good?
Do not both adversity and good come from the mouth of the Most High?
39 Wherefore doth a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins?
Why should any mortal man complain, in view of his sins?
40 Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the LORD.
Let us examine and test our ways, and turn back to the LORD.
41 Let us lift up our heart with our hands unto God in the heavens.
Let us lift up our hearts and hands to God in heaven:
42 We have transgressed and have rebelled; thou hast not pardoned.
“We have sinned and rebelled; You have not forgiven.”
43 Thou hast covered with anger and pursued us; thou hast slain, thou hast not pitied.
You have covered Yourself in anger and pursued us; You have killed without pity.
44 Thou hast covered thyself with a cloud, that [our] prayer should not pass through.
You have covered Yourself with a cloud that no prayer can pass through.
45 Thou hast made us [as] the offscouring and refuse in the midst of the peoples.
You have made us scum and refuse among the nations.
46 all our enemies have opened their mouth wide against us.
All our enemies open their mouths against us.
47 Fear and the pit are come upon us, devastation and destruction.
Panic and pitfall have come upon us— devastation and destruction.
48 Mine eye runneth down with rivers of water, for the destruction of the daughter of my people.
Streams of tears flow from my eyes over the destruction of the daughter of my people.
49 Mine eye poureth down, and ceaseth not, without any intermission,
My eyes overflow unceasingly, without relief,
50 Till the LORD look down, and behold from heaven.
until the LORD looks down from heaven and sees.
51 Mine eye affecteth my soul, because of all the daughters of my city.
My eyes bring grief to my soul because of all the daughters of my city.
52 They have chased me sore like a bird, that are mine enemies without cause.
Without cause my enemies hunted me like a bird.
53 They have cut off my life in the dungeon, and have cast a stone upon me.
They dropped me alive into a pit and cast stones upon me.
54 Waters flowed over mine head; I said, I am cut off.
The waters flowed over my head, and I thought I was going to die.
55 I called upon thy name, O LORD, out of the lowest dungeon.
I called on Your name, O LORD, out of the depths of the Pit.
56 Thou heardest my voice; hide not thine ear at my breathing, at my cry.
You heard my plea: “Do not ignore my cry for relief.”
57 Thou drewest near in the day that I called upon thee: thou saidst, Fear not.
You drew near when I called on You; You said, “Do not be afraid.”
58 O Lord, thou hast pleaded the causes of my soul; thou hast redeemed my life.
You defend my cause, O Lord; You redeem my life.
59 O LORD, thou hast seen my wrong; judge thou my cause.
You have seen, O LORD, the wrong done to me; vindicate my cause!
60 Thou hast seen all their vengeance and all their devices against me.
You have seen all their malice, all their plots against me.
61 Thou hast heard their reproach, O LORD, and all their devices against me;
O LORD, You have heard their insults, all their plots against me—
62 The lips of those that rose up against me, and their imagination against me all the day.
the slander and murmuring of my assailants against me all day long.
63 Behold thou their sitting down, and their rising up; I am their song.
When they sit and when they rise, see how they mock me in song.
64 Thou wilt render unto them a recompence, O LORD, according to the work of their hands.
You will pay them back what they deserve, O LORD, according to the work of their hands.
65 Thou wilt give them hardness of heart, thy curse unto them.
Put a veil of anguish over their hearts; may Your curse be upon them!
66 Thou wilt pursue them in anger, and destroy them from under the heavens of the LORD.
You will pursue them in anger and exterminate them from under Your heavens, O LORD.
