Lamentations 3
1 I AM the man that hath seen affliction by the rod of his wrath.
I am a man who has seen misery under the rod of Yahweh's fury.
2 He hath led me and caused me to walk in darkness and not in light.
He drove me away and caused me to walk in darkness rather than light.
3 Surely against me he turneth his hand again and again all the day.
Surely he turned his hand against me again and again, the whole day long.
4 My flesh and my skin hath he made old; he hath broken my bones.
He made my flesh and my skin waste away; he broke my bones.
5 He hath builded against me, and compassed me with gall and travail.
He built up siege works against 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 made me live in dark places, like those who died long ago.
7 He hath fenced me about, that I cannot go forth; he hath made my chain heavy.
He built a wall around me and I cannot escape. He made my chains heavy
8 Yea, when I cry and call for help, he shutteth out my prayer.
and though I call out and cry for help, he shut out my prayer.
9 He hath fenced up my ways with hewn stone, he hath made my paths crooked.
He blocked my path with a wall of hewn stone; he made my paths crooked.
10 He is unto me as a bear lying in wait, as a lion in secret places.
He is like a bear waiting to ambush me, a lion in hiding;
11 He hath turned aside my ways, and pulled me in pieces; he hath made me desolate.
he turned aside my paths, he has made me desolate.
12 He hath bent his bow, and set me as a mark for the arrow.
He bent his bow and set me as a target for his arrow.
13 He hath caused the shafts of his quiver to enter into my reins.
He pierced my kidneys with the arrows of his quiver.
14 I am become a derision to all my people; and their song all the day.
I became a laughingstock to all my people, the object of their taunting all day long.
15 He hath filled me with bitterness, he hath sated me with wormwood.
He filled me with bitterness and forced me to drink wormwood.
16 He hath also broken my teeth with gravel stones, he hath covered me with ashes.
He has made my teeth grind with gravel, and he made me cower in the ashes.
17 And thou hast removed my soul far off from peace; I forgat prosperity.
My soul is deprived of peace; I have forgotten what happiness is.
18 And I said, My strength is perished, and mine expectation from the LORD.
So I say, “My endurance has perished and so has my hope in Yahweh.”
19 Remember mine affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall.
Remember my affliction and my wanderings, the wormwood and bitterness.
20 My soul hath them still in remembrance, and is bowed down within me.
I continually remember it and I am bowed down within me.
21 This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope.
But 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.
The steadfast love of Yahweh never ceases and his compassions never end,
23 They are new every morning; great is thy faithfulness.
they are new every morning; your faithfulness is great.
24 The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him.
“Yahweh is my inheritance,” I said, therefore I will hope in him.
25 The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him.
Yahweh is good to those who wait for him, to the one 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 silently for the salvation of Yahweh.
27 It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth.
It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth.
28 Let him sit alone and keep silence, because he hath laid it upon him.
Let him sit alone in silence, when it is laid upon him.
29 Let him put his mouth in the dust; if so be there may he hope.
Let him put his mouth in the dust—there may yet be 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 strikes him, and let him be filled to the full with reproach.
31 For the Lord will not cast off for ever.
For the Lord will not reject us forever,
32 For though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies.
but though he causes grief, he will have compassion according to the abundance of his steadfast love.
33 For he doth not afflict willingly, nor grieve the children of men.
For he does not afflict from his heart or torment the children of mankind.
34 To crush under foot all the prisoners of the earth,
To crush underfoot all the prisoners of the earth,
35 To turn aside the right of a man before the face of the Most High,
to deny a man justice in the presence of the Most High,
36 To subvert a man in his cause, the Lord approveth not.
to deny justice to a person—the Lord would not approve such things!
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 decreed it?
38 Out of the mouth of the Most High cometh there not evil and good?
Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that both calamities and the good come?
39 Wherefore doth a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins?
How can any person alive complain? How can a person complain about the punishment for his sins?
40 Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the LORD.
Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to Yahweh.
41 Let us lift up our heart with our hands unto God in the heavens.
Let us lift up our hearts and our hands to God in the heavens:
42 We have transgressed and have rebelled; thou hast not pardoned.
“We have transgressed and rebelled, and you have not forgiven.
43 Thou hast covered with anger and pursued us; thou hast slain, thou hast not pitied.
You have covered yourself with anger and pursued us, you have killed and you have not spared.
44 Thou hast covered thyself with a cloud, that [our] prayer should not pass through.
You have covered yourself with a cloud so 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 like filthy scum and refuse among the nations.
46 all our enemies have opened their mouth wide against us.
All our enemies curse us,
47 Fear and the pit are come upon us, devastation and destruction.
panic and pitfall have come upon us, ruin and destruction.
48 Mine eye runneth down with rivers of water, for the destruction of the daughter of my people.
My eyes flow with streams of tears because my people are destroyed.
49 Mine eye poureth down, and ceaseth not, without any intermission,
My eyes will shed tears without ceasing, without relief,
50 Till the LORD look down, and behold from heaven.
until Yahweh from heaven looks down and sees.
51 Mine eye affecteth my soul, because of all the daughters of my city.
My eyes cause me grief because of all the daughters of my city.
52 They have chased me sore like a bird, that are mine enemies without cause.
I have been hunted like a bird by those who were my enemies; they hunted me without a reason.
53 They have cut off my life in the dungeon, and have cast a stone upon me.
They cast me into a pit and they threw a stone on me,
54 Waters flowed over mine head; I said, I am cut off.
and they caused waters to overflow, covering my head. I said, 'I have been cut off!'
55 I called upon thy name, O LORD, out of the lowest dungeon.
I called on your name, Yahweh, from the depths of the pit.
56 Thou heardest my voice; hide not thine ear at my breathing, at my cry.
You heard my voice when I said, 'Do not close your ear to my cry for help.'
57 Thou drewest near in the day that I called upon thee: thou saidst, Fear not.
You came near on the day I called on you; you said, 'Do not fear.'
58 O Lord, thou hast pleaded the causes of my soul; thou hast redeemed my life.
Lord, you defended my case, you saved my life!
59 O LORD, thou hast seen my wrong; judge thou my cause.
Yahweh, you have seen the wrong they have done to me; judge my case.
60 Thou hast seen all their vengeance and all their devices against me.
You have seen their insults, all their plots against me—
61 Thou hast heard their reproach, O LORD, and all their devices against me;
You have heard their scorn, Yahweh, and all their plans regarding me.
62 The lips of those that rose up against me, and their imagination against me all the day.
The lips and the accusations of my enemies come against me all the day.
63 Behold thou their sitting down, and their rising up; I am their song.
Look at how they sit and then rise up; they mock me with their songs.
64 Thou wilt render unto them a recompence, O LORD, according to the work of their hands.
Pay back to them, Yahweh, according to what they have done.
65 Thou wilt give them hardness of heart, thy curse unto them.
You will let their hearts be shameless! May your condemnation be upon them!
66 Thou wilt pursue them in anger, and destroy them from under the heavens of the LORD.
You pursue them in anger and destroy them from under the heavens, Yahweh!”
