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 [who] 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].
Me He hath led, and causeth to go [in] darkness, and without light.
3 He has punished [IDM] me many times, all day, [every] day.
Surely against me He turneth back, He turneth His hand all the day.
4 He has caused my skin and my flesh to become old. He has broken my bones.
He hath worn out my flesh and my skin. He hath broken my bones.
5 He has surrounded me [DOU] with bitterness and suffering.
He hath built up against me, And setteth round poverty and weariness.
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.
In dark places He hath caused me to dwell, As the dead of old.
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 hedged me about, and I go not out, He hath made heavy my fetter.
8 Although I call out and cry out for him to help me, he does not pay attention to my prayers.
Also when I call and cry out, He hath shut 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 hedged my ways with hewn work, My paths He hath made crooked.
10 He has waited to attack me like [SIM] a bear or a lion hides and waits [to attack other animals].
A bear lying in wait He [is] to me, A lion in secret hiding-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.
My ways He is turning aside, and He pulleth me in pieces, He hath made me a desolation.
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 trodden His bow, And setteth me up as a mark for an arrow.
13 [It is as though] he shot his arrows deep into my body.
He hath caused to enter into my reins The sons of His quiver.
14 All my relatives laugh at me; all day, [every] day they sing songs that make fun of me.
I have been a derision to all my people, 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 bitter things, He hath filled 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.
And He breaketh with gravel my teeth, He hath covered me with ashes.
17 Things no longer go well for me; I no longer remember being prosperous.
And Thou castest off from peace my soul, I have forgotten 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 say, Perished hath my strength and my hope from Jehovah.
19 When I think about my suffering and my wandering [away from home], [it is like drinking] a very bitter [DOU] liquid.
Remember my affliction and my mourning, Wormwood and gall!
20 I will never forget this time when I feel very depressed/discouraged [IDM].
Remember well, and bow down doth my soul in me.
21 However, I confidently expect [Yahweh to do good things for me again] when I think about this:
This I turn to my heart — therefore I hope.
22 Yahweh never stops faithfully loving [us], and he never stops being kind to us.
The kindnesses of Jehovah! For we have not been consumed, For not ended have His mercies.
23 [He is the one whom we can] always trust/lean on. Every morning he is merciful [to us again].
New every morning, abundant [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].”
My portion [is] Jehovah, hath my soul said, Therefore I hope for Him.
25 Yahweh is good to [all] those who depend on him, to those who seek his [help].
Good [is] Jehovah to those waiting for Him, To the soul [that] seeketh Him.
26 [So] it is good for us to wait quietly for Yahweh to save/rescue [us].
Good! when one doth stay and stand still For the salvation of Jehovah.
27 And it is good for us to [patiently] endure [suffering] while we are young.
Good for a man that he beareth a 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.
He sitteth alone, and is silent, For 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].
He putteth in the dust his mouth, if so be there is 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.
He giveth to his smiter the cheek, He is filled with reproach.
31 Yahweh does not abandon [us his people] forever.
For the Lord doth not cast off to the age.
32 Sometimes he causes us to suffer, but sometimes he is kind [to us] because he continually and faithfully loves [us].
For though He afflicted, yet He hath pitied, According to the abundance of His kindness.
33 And he is not happy about causing human beings to suffer or to be sad.
For He hath not afflicted with His heart, Nor doth He grieve the sons of men.
34 If people (mistreat all the prisoners/crush all the prisoners under their feet)
To bruise under one's feet any bound ones of 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 judgment of a man, Over-against 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 hath not approved.
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] this — he hath said, and it is, [And] the Lord hath not commanded [it]?
38 God in heaven [MTY] is [RHQ] the one who causes disasters to happen, and he [also] causes good things to happen.
From the mouth of the Most High Go not forth the evils and the 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.
What — sigh habitually doth a living man, A man for his sin?
40 Instead, we should (examine/think carefully about) our behavior; we should turn back to Yahweh.
We search our ways, and investigate, And turn back unto Jehovah.
41 We should pray [IDM] sincerely and lift up our arms toward God in heaven, [and say, ]
We lift up our heart on the hands unto God in the heavens.
42 “We have sinned and rebelled [against you], and you have not forgiven [us].
We — we have transgressed and rebelled, Thou — Thou hast not forgiven.
43 You have surrounded us with your anger and pursued us; you have slaughtered [us] without pitying us.
Thou hast covered Thyself with anger, And dost pursue 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, So that prayer doth not pass through.
45 You have caused [the people of other] nations to consider us to be only garbage [DOU].
Offscouring and refuse Thou dost make us In the midst of the peoples.
46 All our enemies have insulted us.
Opened against us their mouth have all our enemies.
47 We are constantly afraid [DOU], [because] we have experienced disasters and ruin [DOU].”
Fear and a snare hath been for us, Desolation and destruction.
48 I cry a lot because my people have been destroyed.
Rivulets of water go down my eye, For the destruction of the daughter of my people.
49 My tears continually flow; they will not stop
Mine eye is poured out, And doth not cease without intermission,
50 until Yahweh looks down from heaven and sees [us].
Till Jehovah looketh and seeth from the heavens,
51 I am very grieved because of [what has happened to] the women of my city.
My 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].
Hunted me sore as a bird have my 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 in a pit my life, And they cast a stone against me.
54 The water [in the pit] rose above my head, and I said [to myself], “I am about to die/drown!”
Flowed have waters over my head, I have said, I have been cut off.
55 But from the bottom of the pit I cried out to you [MTY], “Yahweh, [help me]!”
I called Thy name, O Jehovah, from the lower pit.
56 I pleaded with you, “Do not refuse to heed [MTY] me while I cry out to you!”
My voice Thou hast heard, Hide not Thine ear at my breathing — at my cry.
57 Then you answered me and said, “Do not be afraid!”
Thou hast drawn near in the day I call Thee, Thou hast said, Fear not.
58 Yahweh, you defended me; you did not allow me to die.
Thou hast pleaded, O Lord, the pleadings 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]!
Thou hast seen, O Jehovah, my overthrow, Judge Thou my cause.
60 You know the evil things that they have planned to do to me.
Thou hast seen all their vengeance, All their thoughts of me.
61 Yahweh, you have heard them insult [me] and what they have planned to do to me.
Thou hast heard their reproach, O Jehovah, All their thoughts against me,
62 Every day they whisper and mutter things about me, all day long.
The lips of my withstanders, Even their meditation 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.
Their sitting down, and their rising up, Behold attentively, I [am] their song.
64 Yahweh, cause them to suffer in return for their causing [me] to suffer!
Thou returnest to them the deed, O Jehovah, According to the work of their hands.
65 Curse them [IDM] [for] their being very stubborn [IDM].
Thou givest to them a covered heart, Thy curse to them.
66 Because you are angry with them, pursue them and get rid of them, [until none of them remain] on the earth.
Thou pursuest in anger, and destroyest them, From under the heavens of Jehovah!
