Lamentations 3
1 I, am the man, that hath seen affliction, by the rod of his indignation;
I am the man who has experienced suffering under the rod of God's anger.
2 Me, hath he driven out and brought into darkness, and not light;
He has driven me away, forcing me to walk in darkness instead of the light.
3 Surely, against me, doth he again and again, turn his hand all the day.
In fact he hits me again and again all day long.
4 He hath worn out my flesh and my skin, hath broken my bones;
He has worn me out; he has broken me in pieces.
5 He hath built up against me, and carried round me, fortifications and a trench;
He has besieged me, surrounding me with bitterness and misery.
6 In dark places, hath he made me sit, like the dead of age-past times.
He has forced me to live in darkness like those long dead.
7 He hath walled up around me, that I cannot get out, hath weighted my fetter;
He has built a wall around me so I can't escape; he has bound me with heavy chains.
8 Yea, when I make outcry and implore, he hath shut out my prayer;
Even when I keep on crying out for help, he refuses to listen to my prayer.
9 He hath walled in my ways with hewn stone, my paths, hath he caused to wind back.
He has put stone blocks in my way and sends me down crooked paths.
10 A bear lying in wait, he is to me, a lion, in secret places;
He is a bear that lies in wait for me, a lion in hiding ready to attack,
11 My ways, hath he turned aside, and hath torn me in pieces, hath made me desolate;
He dragged me from my path and ripped me to pieces, leaving me helpless.
12 He hath trodden his bow, and set me up, as a mark for the arrow.
He loaded his bow with an arrow and used me as his target,
13 He hath caused to enter my reins, the sons of his quiver;
He shot me in my kidneys with his arrows.
14 I have become a derision to all my people, their song all the day;
Now everyone laughs at me, singing songs that mock me all day long.
15 He hath sated me with bitter things, hath drenched me with wormwood.
He has filled me with bitterness; he has filled me up with bitter wormwood.
16 And he hath crushed, with gravel-stones, my teeth, hath made me cower in ashes;
He has broken my teeth with grit; he has trampled me in the dust.
17 And thou hast thrust away from welfare, my soul, I have forgotten prosperity;
Peace has been torn away from me; I've forgotten all that's good in life.
18 And I said, Vanished is mine endurance, even mine expectation, from Yahweh.
That's why I say, “My expectation of a long life is gone, along with all that I hoped for from Lord.
19 Remember my humiliation and my fleeings, the wormwood and poison;
Don't forget everything I've suffered in my wandering, as bitters as wormwood and poison.
20 Thou wilt, indeed remember, that, bowed down concerning myself, is my soul;
I certainly haven't forgotten. I remember it all too well, so I sink into depression.
21 This, will I bring back to my heart, therefore, will I hope.
But I still hope when I think about this:
22 The lovingkindnesses of Yahweh, verily they are not exhausted, Verily! not at an end, are his compassions:
It's because of the Lord's trustworthy love that our lives are not finished, for through his merciful actions he never lets us down.
23 New things for the mornings! Abundant is thy faithfulness:
He renews them every morning. How wonderfully trustworthy you are, Lord!
24 My portion, is Yahweh, saith my soul, For this cause, will I wait for him.
The Lord is all I need,” I tell myself, “so I will put my hope in him.”
25 Good is Yahweh, to them who wait for him, to the soul that will seek him;
The Lord is good to those who trust in him, to anyone who seeks to follow him.
26 Good it is—both to wait and to be silent, for the deliverance of Yahweh;
It is good to wait quietly for the Lord's salvation.
27 Good it is for a man, that he should bear the yoke in his youth.
It is good for people to learn to patiently bear discipline while they're still young.
28 Let him sit alone, and keep silence, because he took it upon himself:
They should sit by themselves in silence, because it's God who has disciplined them.
29 Let him put, in the dust, his mouth, peradventure, there is hope!
They should bow low with their faces to the ground, for there may still be hope.
30 Let him give, to him that smiteth him, his cheek, let him be sated with reproach.
They should turn a cheek to someone who wants to slap them; they should take the insults of others.
31 Surely My Lord, will not cast off, unto times age-abiding;
For the Lord won't abandon us forever.
32 Surely, though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion, according to the multitude of his lovingkindnesses;
Even though he may bring sadness, he shows us mercy because his trustworthy love is so great.
33 Surely he hath not afflicted from his heart, nor caused sorrow to the sons of men.
For he doesn't willingly hurt people, or cause them grief.
34 To crush, under his feet, any of the prisoners of the earth;
Whether it's mistreating all the prisoners of the land,
35 To turn aside the right of a man, before the face of the Most High;
Or denying someone their rights as the Most High watches,
36 To oppress a son of earth in his cause, My Lord, hath made no provision.
Or cheating someone in their legal case—these things the Lord doesn't approve of.
37 Who was it that spake, and it was done, [when], My Lord, had not commanded?
Who spoke and it came into existence? Wasn't it the Lord who commanded it?
38 Out of the mouth of the Most High, Proceed there not misfortunes and blessing?
When the Most High speaks it can be a disaster or a blessing.
39 Why should a living son of earth complain, [Let] a man [complain] because of his sins?
Why should any human being complain about the results of their sins?
40 Let us search out our ways, and examine them well, and let us return unto Yahweh;
We should look at ourselves, examine what we're doing, and return to the Lord.
41 Let us lift up our heart, to the opened palms, to the Mighty One in the heavens;
Let's not just hold up our hands to God in heaven, but our minds as well, saying,
42 We, have trespassed and rebelled, Thou, hast not pardoned.
“We are the ones who sinned; we are the ones who rebelled; and you haven't forgiven us!”
43 Thou hast covered thyself with anger, and pursued us, hast slain—hast not spared;
You have wrapped yourself in anger and chased us down, killing without mercy. You have killed without pity.
44 Thou hast screened thyself with the clouds, that prayer, should not pass through;
You have wrapped yourself with a cloud that no prayer can penetrate.
45 Offscouring and refuse, dost thou make us, in the midst of the peoples.
You have made us waste and refuse to the nations around.
46 With their mouth, opened wide over us, [stand] all our foes.
All our enemies open their mouths to criticize us.
47 Terror and a pit, have befallen us, tumult and grievous injury;
We're terrified and trapped, devastated and destroyed.
48 With streams of water, mine eye runneth down, over the grievous injury of the daughter of my people.
Tears stream from my eyes over the death of my people.
49 Mine eye, poureth itself out and ceaseth not, without relief;
My eyes overflow with tears all the time. They won't stop
50 Until Yahweh out of the heavens shall look forth, and see,
Until the Lord looks down from heaven and sees what's going on.
51 Mine eye dealeth severely with my soul, because of all the daughters of my city.
What I've seen torments me because of what's happened to all the women in my city.
52 They, have laid snares, for me as a bird, who are mine enemies without cause:
For no reason my enemies trapped me like a bird.
53 They have cut off, in the dungeon, my life, and have cast a stone upon me;
They tried to kill me by tossing me into a pit and throwing stones at me.
54 Waters, flowed over, my head, I said, I am cut off!
Water flooded over my head, and I thought I was going to die.
55 I have called upon thy Name, O Yahweh, out of the dungeon below;
I called out for you, Lord, from deep inside the pit.
56 My voice, thou hast heard, —do not close thine ear to my respite, to mine outcry;
You heard me when I prayed, “Please don't ignore my cry for help.”
57 Thou drewest near, in the day I kept calling on thee, thou saidst, Do not fear!
You came to me when I called you, and you told me, “Don't be afraid!”
58 Thou hast pleaded, O My Lord, the pleas of my soul, hast redeemed my life;
You have taken my case and defended me; you have saved my life!
59 Thou hast beheld, O Yahweh, my failure to get justice, Pronounce thou my sentence;
Lord, you have seen the injustices done to me; please vindicate me!
60 Thou hast seen all their vindictiveness, all their plots against me.
You have observed how vengeful they are and how often they've plotted against me.
61 Thou hast heard their reproach, O Yahweh, all their plots against me;
Lord, you have heard how they've insulted me, and what they've plotted against me,
62 The lips of mine assailants, and their mutterings, are against me, all the day;
How my enemies talk against me and complain about me all the time!
63 On their downsitting and their uprising, do thou look, I, am their song.
Just look! Whether they're sitting down and or standing up, they go on making fun of me in their songs.
64 Thou wilt render to them a recompense, O Yahweh, according to the work of their hands;
Pay them back as they deserve, Lord, for all they've done!
65 Thou wilt suffer them a veiling of heart, thy curse to them;
Give them a covering for their minds! May your curse be on them!
66 Thou wilt pursue in anger, and wilt destroy them, from under the heavens of Yahweh.
Chase them down in your anger, Lord, and get rid of them from the earth!
