Lamentations 3

1 I am the man that hath seen affliction by the rod of his wrath.

2 He hath led me and caused me to walk in darkness, and not in light.

3 Surely against me he turneth his hand again and again all the day.

4 My flesh and my skin hath he made old; he hath broken my bones.

5 He hath builded against me, and compassed me with gall and travail.

6 He hath made me to dwell in dark places, as those that have been long dead.

7 He hath walled me about, that I cannot go forth; he hath made my chain heavy.

8 Yea, when I cry, and call for help, he shutteth out my prayer.

9 He hath walled up my ways with hewn stone; he hath made my paths crooked.

10 He is unto me as a bear lying in wait, as a lion in secret places.

11 He hath turned aside my ways, and pulled me in pieces; he hath made me desolate.

12 He hath bent his bow, and set me as a mark for the arrow.

13 He hath caused the shafts of his quiver to enter into my reins.

14 I am become a derision to all my people, and their song all the day.

15 He hath filled me with bitterness, he hath sated me with wormwood.

16 He hath also broken my teeth with gravel stones; he hath covered me with ashes.

17 And thou hast removed my soul far off from peace; I forgat prosperity.

18 And I said, My strength is perished, and mine expectation from Jehovah.

19 Remember mine affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall.

20 My soul hath them still in remembrance, and is bowed down within me.

21 This I recall to my mind; therefore have I hope.

22  It is of Jehovah’s lovingkindnesses that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.

23 They are new every morning; great is thy faithfulness.

24 Jehovah is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him.

25 Jehovah is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him.

26 It is good that a man should hope and quietly wait for the salvation of Jehovah.

27 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.

29 Let him put his mouth in the dust, if so be there may be hope.

30 Let him give his cheek to him that smiteth him; let him be filled full with reproach.

31 For the Lord will not cast off for ever.

32 For though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of his lovingkindnesses.

33 For he doth not afflict willingly, nor grieve the children of men.

34 To crush under foot all the prisoners of the earth,

35 To turn aside the right of a man before the face of the Most High,

36 To subvert a man in his cause, the Lord approveth not.

37 Who is he that saith, and it cometh to pass, when the Lord commandeth it not?

38 Out of the mouth of the Most High cometh there not evil and good?

39 Wherefore doth a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins?

40 Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to Jehovah.

41 Let us lift up our heart with our hands unto God in the heavens.

42 We have transgressed and have rebelled; thou hast not pardoned.

43 Thou hast covered with anger and pursued us; thou hast slain, thou hast not pitied.

44 Thou hast covered thyself with a cloud, so that no prayer can pass through.

45 Thou hast made us an off-scouring and refuse in the midst of the peoples.

46 All our enemies have opened their mouth wide against us.

47 Fear and the pit are come upon us, devastation and destruction.

48 Mine eye runneth down with streams of water, for the destruction of the daughter of my people.

49 Mine eye poureth down, and ceaseth not, without any intermission,

50 Till Jehovah look down, and behold from heaven.

51 Mine eye affecteth my soul, because of all the daughters of my city.

52 They have chased me sore like a bird, they that are mine enemies without cause.

53 They have cut off my life in the dungeon, and have cast a stone upon me.

54 Waters flowed over my head; I said, I am cut off.

55 I called upon thy name, O Jehovah, out of the lowest dungeon.

56 Thou heardest my voice; hide not thine ear at my breathing, at my cry.

57 Thou drewest near in the day that I called upon thee; thou saidst, Fear not.

58 O Lord, thou hast pleaded the causes of my soul; thou hast redeemed my life.

59 O Jehovah, thou hast seen my wrong; judge thou my cause.

60 Thou hast seen all their vengeance and all their devices against me.

61 Thou hast heard their reproach, O Jehovah, and all their devices against me,

62 The lips of those that rose up against me, and their device against me all the day.

63 Behold thou their sitting down, and their rising up; I am their song.

64 Thou wilt render unto them a recompense, O Jehovah, according to the work of their hands.

65 Thou wilt give them hardness of heart, thy curse unto them.

66 Thou wilt pursue them in anger, and destroy them from under the heavens of Jehovah.

Lamentations 3

The Prophet Speaks:

א (Alef)

1 I am the mant who has experiencedt affliction
from the rodt of his wrath.

2 He drove me into captivityt and made me walkt
in darkness and not light.

3 He repeatedlyt attacks me,
he turns his handt against me all day long.t

ב (Bet)

4 He has made my mortal skint waste away;
he has broken my bones.

5 He has besiegedt and surroundedt me
with bitter hardship.t

6 He has made me reside in deepest darknesst
like those who died long ago.

ג (Gimel)

7 He has walled me int so that I cannot get out;
he has weighted me down with heavy prison chains.t

8 Also, when I cry out desperatelyt for help,t
he has shut out my prayer.t

9 He has blockedt every road I taket with a wall of hewn stones;
he has made every path impassable.t

ד (Dalet)

10 To me he is like a bear lying in ambush,t
like a hidden lions stalking its prey.t

11 He has obstructed my pathst and torn me to pieces;t
he has made me desolate.

12 He drewt his bow and made met
the target for his arrow.

ה (He)

13 He shott his arrowst
into my heart.t

14 I have become the laughingstock of all people,s
their mocking songt all day long.t

15 He has given me my fill of bitter herbs
and made me drunk with bitterness.t

ו (Vav)

16 He groundt my teeth in gravel;
he trampledt me in the dust.

17 It am depriveds of peace;t
I have forgotten what happinesst is.

18 So I said, “My endurance has expired;
I have lost all hope of deliverancet from the Lord.”

ז (Zayin)

19 Rememberst my impoverished and homeless condition,t
which is a bitter poison.t

20 Ist continually think aboutt this,
and Ist am depressed.st

21 But this I callt to mind;t
therefore I have hope:

ח (Khet)

22 The Lord’s loyal kindnesst never ceases;s
his compassionst never end.

23 They are fresht every morning;
your faithfulness is abundant!t

24 “My portion is the Lord,” I have said to myself,t
so I will put my hope in him.

ט (Tet)

25 The Lord is good to those who trustt in him,
to the onet who seeks him.

26 It is good to wait patientlyt
for deliverance from the Lord.t

27 It is good for a mant
to beart the yokes while he is young.t

י (Yod)

28 Let a persont sit alone in silence,
when the Lordt is disciplining him.t

29 Let him bury his face in the dust;t
perhaps there is hope.

30 Let him offer his cheek to the one who hits him;t
let him have his fill of insults.

כ (Kaf)

31 For the Lordss will not
reject us forever.t

32 Though he causes ust grief, he then has compassion on ust
according to the abundance of his loyal kindness.s

33 For he is not predisposed to afflictt
or to grieve people.t

ל (Lamed)

34 To crush underfoot
all the earth’s prisoners,t

35 to deprive a persont of his rightst
in the presence of the Most High,

36 to defraud a person in a lawsuit –
the Lordss does not approvet of such things!

מ (Mem)

37 Whose command was ever fulfilledt
unless the Lordss decreed it?

38 Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that everything comes –
both calamity and blessing?t

39 Why should any living persont complain
when punished for his sins?st

נ (Nun)

40 Let us carefully examine our ways,t
and let us return to the Lord.

41 Let us lift up our heartss and our hands
to God in heaven:

42 “Wet have blatantly rebelled;t
yout have not forgiven.”

ס (Samek)

43 You shrouded yourselft with anger and then pursued us;
you killed without mercy.

44 You shrouded yourself with a cloud
so that no prayer can get through.

45 You make us like filthy scumt
in the estimationt of the nations.

פ (Pe)

46 All our enemies have gloated over us;t

47 Panic and pitfallt have come upon us,
devastation and destruction.t

48 Streamst of tears flow from my eyest
because my peoplet are destroyed.t

ע (Ayin)

49 Tears flow from my eyest and will not stop;
there will be no breakt

50 until the Lord looks down from heaven
and sees what has happened.t

51 What my eyes seet grieves met –
all the suffering of the daughters in my city.t

צ (Tsade)

52 For no good reasont my enemies
hunted me downt like a bird.

53 They shut met up in a pit
and threw stones at me.

54 The waters closed over my head;
I thoughtt I was about to die.t

ק (Qof)

55 I have called on your name, O Lord,
from the deepest pit.t

56 You heardt my plea:t
“Do not close your ears to my cry for relief!”t

57 You came neart on the day I called to you;
you said,t “Do not fear!”

ר (Resh)

58 O Lord,ss you championedt my cause,t
you redeemed my life.

59 You have seen the wrong done to me, O Lord;
pronounce judgment on my behalf!t

60 You have seen all their vengeance,
all their plots against me.s

ש (Sin/Shin)

61 You have heardt their taunts, O Lord,
all their plots against me.

62 My assailants revile and conspiret
against me all day long.

63 Watch them from morning to evening;t
I am the object of their mocking songs.

ת (Tav)

64 Pay them backt what they deserve,t O Lord,
according to what theyt have done.t

65 Give them a distraught heart;t
may your curse be on them!

66 Pursue themt in anger and eradicate them
from under the Lord's heaven.