Lamentations 3
1 I [, the one who am writing this, ] am a man who has been afflicted/punished [MTY] by Yahweh because he was angry.
I AM the man that hath seen affliction by the rod of his wrath.
2 [It was as though] he caused me to walk in a very dark place without any light [at all].
He hath led me and caused me to walk in darkness and not in light.
3 He has punished [IDM] me many times, all day, [every] day.
Surely against me he turneth his hand again and again all the day.
4 He has caused my skin and my flesh to become old. He has broken my bones.
My flesh and my skin hath he made old; he hath broken my bones.
5 He has surrounded me [DOU] with bitterness and suffering.
He hath builded against me, and compassed me with gall and travail.
6 [It is as though] he has buried me in a dark place like [SIM] [the graves of] those who have been dead for a long time.
He hath made me to dwell in dark places, as those that have been long dead.
7 [It is as though] [MET] he has built a wall around me, and fastened/tied me with heavy chains, and I cannot escape.
He hath fenced me about, that I cannot go forth; he hath made my chain heavy.
8 Although I call out and cry out for him to help me, he does not pay attention to my prayers.
Yea, when I cry and call for help, he shutteth out my prayer.
9 [It is as though] he has blocked my path with a [high] stone [wall] and has caused my path to become crooked.
He hath fenced up my ways with hewn stone, he hath made my paths crooked.
10 He has waited to attack me like [SIM] a bear or a lion hides and waits [to attack other animals].
He is unto me as a bear lying in wait, as a lion in secret places.
11 [It is as though] he has dragged me off the path and (mauled me/torn me into pieces), and left me without help.
He hath turned aside my ways, and pulled me in pieces; he hath made me desolate.
12 [It is as though] [MET] he bent his bow and caused me to become the target [at which he shot] his arrows.
He hath bent his bow, and set me as a mark for the arrow.
13 [It is as though] he shot his arrows deep into my body.
He hath caused the shafts of his quiver to enter into my reins.
14 All my relatives laugh at me; all day, [every] day they sing songs that make fun of me.
I am become a derision to all my people; and their song all the day.
15 He has filled me with (bitterness/great suffering), [like] [MET] someone who drinks a very bitter liquid suffers.
He hath filled me with bitterness, he hath sated me with wormwood.
16 [It is as though] he has caused me to chew gravel that broke my teeth, and he has trampled me in the dirt.
He hath also broken my teeth with gravel stones, he hath covered me with ashes.
17 Things no longer go well for me; I no longer remember being prosperous.
And thou hast removed my soul far off from peace; I forgat prosperity.
18 I [continued to] say [to myself], “I no longer expect to live much longer; I no longer confidently expect [to receive good things] from Yahweh!”
And I said, My strength is perished, and mine expectation from the LORD.
19 When I think about my suffering and my wandering [away from home], [it is like drinking] a very bitter [DOU] liquid.
Remember mine affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall.
20 I will never forget this time when I feel very depressed/discouraged [IDM].
My soul hath them still in remembrance, and is bowed down within me.
21 However, I confidently expect [Yahweh to do good things for me again] when I think about this:
This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope.
22 Yahweh never stops faithfully loving [us], and he never stops being kind to us.
[It is of] the LORD’S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.
23 [He is the one whom we can] always trust/lean on. Every morning he is merciful [to us again].
They are new every morning; great is thy faithfulness.
24 [So] I say to myself, “Yahweh is all that I need; so I will confidently wait for him [to do good things for me].”
The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him.
25 Yahweh is good to [all] those who depend on him, to those who seek his [help].
The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him.
26 [So] it is good for us to wait quietly for Yahweh to save/rescue [us].
It is good that a man should hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD.
27 And it is good for us to [patiently] endure [suffering] while we are young.
It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth.
28 Those [who seek his help] should sit by themselves, silently, [knowing that] it is Yahweh who has allowed/caused them to suffer.
Let him sit alone and keep silence, because he hath laid it upon him.
29 They should lie in the dirt, with their faces on the ground, [because] they can still hope [that Yahweh will help them].
Let him put his mouth in the dust; if so be there may he hope.
30 If someone strikes us on one cheek, we should turn the other cheek toward that person [in order that he may strike it, too], and accept/endure it when we are insulted.
Let him give his cheek to him that smiteth him; let him be filled full with reproach.
31 Yahweh does not abandon [us his people] forever.
For the Lord will not cast off for ever.
32 Sometimes he causes us to suffer, but sometimes he is kind [to us] because he continually and faithfully loves [us].
For though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies.
33 And he is not happy about causing human beings to suffer or to be sad.
For he doth not afflict willingly, nor grieve the children of men.
34 If people (mistreat all the prisoners/crush all the prisoners under their feet)
To crush under foot all the prisoners of the earth,
35 or if they rebel against God by refusing to give to people the things that it is right for them [to receive],
To turn aside the right of a man before the face of the Most High,
36 or if they cause judges to decide matters unjustly, (does Yahweh not see all those things?/Yahweh certainly sees all those things!) [RHQ]
To subvert a man in his cause, the Lord approveth not.
37 No one can [RHQ] command something to happen [and then cause it to happen] if Yahweh has not already decided that it should happen.
Who is he that saith, and it cometh to pass, when the Lord commandeth it not?
38 God in heaven [MTY] is [RHQ] the one who causes disasters to happen, and he [also] causes good things to happen.
Out of the mouth of the Most High cometh there not evil and good?
39 [So] it is certainly not [RHQ] right for us, who are only humans, to complain when he punishes us for the sins that we have committed.
Wherefore doth a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins?
40 Instead, we should (examine/think carefully about) our behavior; we should turn back to Yahweh.
Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the LORD.
41 We should pray [IDM] sincerely and lift up our arms toward God in heaven, [and say, ]
Let us lift up our heart with our hands unto God in the heavens.
42 “We have sinned and rebelled [against you], and you have not forgiven [us].
We have transgressed and have rebelled; thou hast not pardoned.
43 You have surrounded us with your anger and pursued us; you have slaughtered [us] without pitying us.
Thou hast covered with anger and pursued us; thou hast slain, thou hast not pitied.
44 You have hidden yourself in a cloud, with the result that you do not hear [us] when we pray.
Thou hast covered thyself with a cloud, that [our] prayer should not pass through.
45 You have caused [the people of other] nations to consider us to be only garbage [DOU].
Thou hast made us [as] the offscouring and refuse in the midst of the peoples.
46 All our enemies have insulted us.
all our enemies have opened their mouth wide against us.
47 We are constantly afraid [DOU], [because] we have experienced disasters and ruin [DOU].”
Fear and the pit are come upon us, devastation and destruction.
48 I cry a lot because my people have been destroyed.
Mine eye runneth down with rivers of water, for the destruction of the daughter of my people.
49 My tears continually flow; they will not stop
Mine eye poureth down, and ceaseth not, without any intermission,
50 until Yahweh looks down from heaven and sees [us].
Till the LORD look down, and behold from heaven.
51 I am very grieved because of [what has happened to] the women of my city.
Mine eye affecteth my soul, because of all the daughters of my city.
52 Those who are my enemies hunted for me like [SIM] [people hunt for] a bird [to kill it] [even though] there was no reason [for them to do that].
They have chased me sore like a bird, that are mine enemies without cause.
53 They threw me into a pit to kill me, and they threw stones on top of me.
They have cut off my life in the dungeon, and have cast a stone upon me.
54 The water [in the pit] rose above my head, and I said [to myself], “I am about to die/drown!”
Waters flowed over mine head; I said, I am cut off.
55 But from the bottom of the pit I cried out to you [MTY], “Yahweh, [help me]!”
I called upon thy name, O LORD, out of the lowest dungeon.
56 I pleaded with you, “Do not refuse to heed [MTY] me while I cry out to you!”
Thou heardest my voice; hide not thine ear at my breathing, at my cry.
57 Then you answered me and said, “Do not be afraid!”
Thou drewest near in the day that I called upon thee: thou saidst, Fear not.
58 Yahweh, you defended me; you did not allow me to die.
O Lord, thou hast pleaded the causes of my soul; thou hast redeemed my life.
59 [Now], Yahweh, you have seen the evil things that my enemies have done to me, [so] decide my case [and show that I am right]!
O LORD, thou hast seen my wrong; judge thou my cause.
60 You know the evil things that they have planned to do to me.
Thou hast seen all their vengeance and all their devices against me.
61 Yahweh, you have heard them insult [me] and what they have planned to do to me.
Thou hast heard their reproach, O LORD, and all their devices against me;
62 Every day they whisper and mutter things about me, all day long.
The lips of those that rose up against me, and their imagination against me all the day.
63 Look at them! Whether they are standing or sitting they make fun of me with the songs that they sing.
Behold thou their sitting down, and their rising up; I am their song.
64 Yahweh, cause them to suffer in return for their causing [me] to suffer!
Thou wilt render unto them a recompence, O LORD, according to the work of their hands.
65 Curse them [IDM] [for] their being very stubborn [IDM].
Thou wilt give them hardness of heart, thy curse unto them.
66 Because you are angry with them, pursue them and get rid of them, [until none of them remain] on the earth.
Thou wilt pursue them in anger, and destroy them from under the heavens of the LORD.
