Lamentations 3
1 I AM the man that hath seen affliction by the rod of his wrath.
Aleph. I am a man seynge my pouert in the yerde of his indignacioun.
2 He hath led me and caused me to walk in darkness and not in light.
Aleph. He droof me, and brouyte in to derknessis, and not in to liyt.
3 Surely against me he turneth his hand again and again all the day.
Aleph. Oneli he turnede in to me, and turnede togidere his hond al dai.
4 My flesh and my skin hath he made old; he hath broken my bones.
Beth. He made eld my skyn, and my fleisch; he al to-brak my boonys.
5 He hath builded against me, and compassed me with gall and travail.
Beth. He bildid in my cumpas, and he cumpasside me with galle and trauel.
6 He hath made me to dwell in dark places, as those that have been long dead.
Beth. He settide me in derk places, as euerlastynge deed men.
7 He hath fenced me about, that I cannot go forth; he hath made my chain heavy.
Gymel. He bildide aboute ayens me, that Y go not out; he aggregide my gyues.
8 Yea, when I cry and call for help, he shutteth out my prayer.
Gymel. But and whanne Y crie and preye, he hath excludid my preier.
9 He hath fenced up my ways with hewn stone, he hath made my paths crooked.
Gymel. He closide togidere my weies with square stoonus; he distriede my pathis.
10 He is unto me as a bear lying in wait, as a lion in secret places.
Deleth. He is maad a bere settinge aspies to me, a lioun in hid places.
11 He hath turned aside my ways, and pulled me in pieces; he hath made me desolate.
Deleth. He distriede my pathis, and brak me; he settide me desolat.
12 He hath bent his bow, and set me as a mark for the arrow.
Deleth. He bente his bowe, and settide me as a signe to an arowe.
13 He hath caused the shafts of his quiver to enter into my reins.
He. He sente in my reynes the douytris of his arowe caas.
14 I am become a derision to all my people; and their song all the day.
He. Y am maad in to scorn to al the puple, the song of hem al dai.
15 He hath filled me with bitterness, he hath sated me with wormwood.
He. He fillide me with bitternesses; he gretli fillide me with wermod.
16 He hath also broken my teeth with gravel stones, he hath covered me with ashes.
Vau. He brak at noumbre my teeth; he fedde me with aische.
17 And thou hast removed my soul far off from peace; I forgat prosperity.
Vau. And my soule is putte awei; Y haue foryete goodis.
18 And I said, My strength is perished, and mine expectation from the LORD.
Vau. And Y seide, Myn ende perischide, and myn hope fro the Lord.
19 Remember mine affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall.
Zai. Haue thou mynde on my pouert and goyng ouer, and on wermod and galle.
20 My soul hath them still in remembrance, and is bowed down within me.
Zai. Bi mynde Y schal be myndeful; and my soule schal faile in me.
21 This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope.
Zai. Y bithenkynge these thingis in myn herte, schal hope in God.
22 [It is of] the LORD’S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.
Heth. The mercies of the Lord ben manye, for we ben not wastid; for whi hise merciful doyngis failiden not.
23 They are new every morning; great is thy faithfulness.
Heth. Y knew in the morewtid; thi feith is miche.
24 The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him.
Heth. My soule seide, The Lord is my part; therfor Y schal abide hym.
25 The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him.
Teth. The Lord is good to hem that hopen in to hym, to a soule sekynge hym.
26 It is good that a man should hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD.
Teth. It is good to abide with stilnesse the helthe of God.
27 It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth.
Teth. It is good to a man, whanne he hath bore the yok fro his yongthe.
28 Let him sit alone and keep silence, because he hath laid it upon him.
Joth. He schal sitte aloone, and he schal be stille; for he reiside hym silf aboue hym silf.
29 Let him put his mouth in the dust; if so be there may he hope.
Joth. He schal sette his mouth in dust, if perauenture hope is.
30 Let him give his cheek to him that smiteth him; let him be filled full with reproach.
Joth. He schal yyue the cheke to a man that smytith hym; he schal be fillid with schenschipis.
31 For the Lord will not cast off for ever.
Caph. For the Lord schal not putte awei with outen ende.
32 For though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies.
Caph. For if he castide awei, and he schal do merci bi the multitude of hise mercies.
33 For he doth not afflict willingly, nor grieve the children of men.
Caph. For he makide not low of his herte; and castide not awei the sones of men. Lameth.
34 To crush under foot all the prisoners of the earth,
That he schulde al to-foule vndur hise feet alle the boundun men of erthe. Lameth.
35 To turn aside the right of a man before the face of the Most High,
That he schulde bowe doun the dom of man, in the siyt of the cheer of the hiyeste.
36 To subvert a man in his cause, the Lord approveth not.
Lameth. That he schulde peruerte a man in his dom, the Lord knew not.
37 Who is he that saith, and it cometh to pass, when the Lord commandeth it not?
Men. Who is this that seide, that a thing schulde be don, whanne the Lord comaundide not?
38 Out of the mouth of the Most High cometh there not evil and good?
Men. Nether goodis nether yuels schulen go out of the mouth of the hiyeste.
39 Wherefore doth a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins?
Men. What grutchide a man lyuynge, a man for hise synnes?
40 Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the LORD.
Nun. Serche we oure weies, and seke we, and turne we ayen to the Lord.
41 Let us lift up our heart with our hands unto God in the heavens.
Nun. Reise we oure hertis with hondis, to the Lord in to heuenes.
42 We have transgressed and have rebelled; thou hast not pardoned.
Nun. We han do wickidli, and han terrid thee to wraththe; therfor thou art not able to be preied.
43 Thou hast covered with anger and pursued us; thou hast slain, thou hast not pitied.
Sameth. Thou hilidist in stronge veniaunce, and smitidist vs; thou killidist, and sparidist not.
44 Thou hast covered thyself with a cloud, that [our] prayer should not pass through.
Sameth. Thou settidist a clowde to thee, that preier passe not.
45 Thou hast made us [as] the offscouring and refuse in the midst of the peoples.
Sameth. Thou settidist me, drawing vp bi the roote, and castynge out, in the myddis of puplis.
46 all our enemies have opened their mouth wide against us.
Ayn. Alle enemyes openyden her mouth on vs.
47 Fear and the pit are come upon us, devastation and destruction.
Ayn. Inward drede and snare is maad to vs, profesie and defoulyng.
48 Mine eye runneth down with rivers of water, for the destruction of the daughter of my people.
Ayn. Myn iyen ledden doun departyngis of watris, for the defoulyng of the douyter of my puple.
49 Mine eye poureth down, and ceaseth not, without any intermission,
Phe. Myn iye was turmentid, and was not stille; for no reste was.
50 Till the LORD look down, and behold from heaven.
Phe. Vntil the Lord bihelde, and siy fro heuenes.
51 Mine eye affecteth my soul, because of all the daughters of my city.
Phe. Myn iye robbide my soule in alle the douytris of my citee.
52 They have chased me sore like a bird, that are mine enemies without cause.
Sade. Myn enemyes token me with out cause, bi huntyng as a brid.
53 They have cut off my life in the dungeon, and have cast a stone upon me.
Sade. My lijf slood in to a lake; and thei puttiden a stoon on me.
54 Waters flowed over mine head; I said, I am cut off.
Sade. Watris flowiden ouer myn heed; Y seide, Y perischide.
55 I called upon thy name, O LORD, out of the lowest dungeon.
Coph. Lord, Y clepide to help thi name, fro the laste lake.
56 Thou heardest my voice; hide not thine ear at my breathing, at my cry.
Coph. Thou herdist my vois; turne thou not awei thin eere fro my sobbyng and cries.
57 Thou drewest near in the day that I called upon thee: thou saidst, Fear not.
Coph. Thou neiyidist to me in the dai, wherynne Y clepide thee to help; thou seidist, Drede thou not.
58 O Lord, thou hast pleaded the causes of my soul; thou hast redeemed my life.
Res. Lord, ayenbiere of my lijf, thou demydist the cause of my soule.
59 O LORD, thou hast seen my wrong; judge thou my cause.
Res. Lord, thou siest the wickidnesse of hem ayens me; deme thou my doom.
60 Thou hast seen all their vengeance and all their devices against me.
Res. Thou siest al the woodnesse, alle the thouytis of hem ayenus me.
61 Thou hast heard their reproach, O LORD, and all their devices against me;
Syn. Lord, thou herdist the schenshipis of hem; alle the thouytis of hem ayens me.
62 The lips of those that rose up against me, and their imagination against me all the day.
Syn. The lippis of men risynge ayens me, and the thouytis of hem ayens me al dai.
63 Behold thou their sitting down, and their rising up; I am their song.
Syn. Se thou the sittynge and risyng ayen of hem; Y am the salm of hem.
64 Thou wilt render unto them a recompence, O LORD, according to the work of their hands.
Thau. Lord, thou schalt yelde while to hem, bi the werkis of her hondis.
65 Thou wilt give them hardness of heart, thy curse unto them.
Tau. Thou schalt yyue to hem the scheeld of herte, thi trauel.
66 Thou wilt pursue them in anger, and destroy them from under the heavens of the LORD.
Tau. Lord, thou schalt pursue hem in thi strong veniaunce, and thou schalt defoule hem vndur heuenes.
