Lamentations 3

Great Is Your Faithfulness

1  I am the man who has seen affliction
under the rod of his wrath;
2  he has driven and brought me
into darkness without any light;
3  surely against me he turns his hand
again and again the whole day long.

4  He has made my flesh and my skin waste away;
he has broken my bones;
5  he has besieged and enveloped me
with bitterness and tribulation;
6  he has made me dwell in darkness
like the dead of long ago.

7  He has walled me about so that I cannot escape;
he has made my chains heavy;
8  though I call and cry for help,
he shuts out my prayer;
9  he has blocked my ways with blocks of stones;
he has made my paths crooked.

10  He is a bear lying in wait for me,
a lion in hiding;
11  he turned aside my steps and tore me to pieces;
he has made me desolate;
12  he bent his bow and set me
as a target for his arrow.

13  He drove into my kidneys
the arrows of his quiver;
14  I have become the laughingstock of all peoples,
the object of their taunts all day long.
15  He has filled me with bitterness;
he has sated me with wormwood.

16  He has made my teeth grind on gravel,
and made me cower in ashes;
17  my soul is bereft of peace;
I have forgotten what happinesst is;
18  so I say, "My endurance has perished;
so has my hope from the Lord."

19  Remember my affliction and my wanderings,
the wormwood and the gall!
20  My soul continually remembers it
and is bowed down within me.
21  But this I call to mind,
and therefore I have hope:

22  The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;t
his mercies never come to an end;
23  they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
24  "The Lord is my portion," says my soul,
"therefore I will hope in him."

25  The Lord is good to those who wait for him,
to the soul who seeks him.
26  It is good that one should wait quietly
for the salvation of the Lord.
27  It is good for a man that he bear
the yoke in his youth.

28  Let him sit alone in silence
when it is laid on him;
29  let him put his mouth in the dust—
there may yet be hope;
30  let him give his cheek to the one who strikes,
and let him be filled with insults.

31  For the Lord will not
cast off forever,
32  but, though he cause grief, he will have compassion
according to the abundance of his steadfast love;
33  for he does not willingly afflict
or grieve the children of men.

34  To crush underfoot
all the prisoners of the earth,
35  to deny a man justice
in the presence of the Most High,
36  to subvert a man in his lawsuit,
the Lord does not approve.

37  Who has spoken and it came to pass,
unless the Lord has commanded it?
38  Is it not from the mouth of the Most High
that good and bad come?
39  Why should a living man complain,
a man, about the punishment of his sins?

40  Let us test and examine our ways,
and return to the Lord!
41  Let us lift up our hearts and hands
to God in heaven:
42  "We have transgressed and rebelled,
and you have not forgiven.

43  "You have wrapped yourself with anger and pursued us,
killing without pity;
44  you have wrapped yourself with a cloud
so that no prayer can pass through.
45  You have made us scum and garbage
among the peoples.

46  "All our enemies
open their mouths against us;
47  panic and pitfall have come upon us,
devastation and destruction;
48  my eyes flow with rivers of tears
because of the destruction of the daughter of my people.

49  "My eyes will flow without ceasing,
without respite,
50  until the Lord from heaven
looks down and sees;
51  my eyes cause me grief
at the fate of all the daughters of my city.

52  "I have been hunted like a bird
by those who were my enemies without cause;
53  they flung me alive into the pit
and cast stones on me;
54  water closed over my head;
I said, 'I am lost.'

55  "I called on your name, O Lord,
from the depths of the pit;
56  you heard my plea, 'Do not close
your ear to my cry for help!'
57  You came near when I called on you;
you said, 'Do not fear!'

58  "You have taken up my cause, O Lord;
you have redeemed my life.
59  You have seen the wrong done to me, O Lord;
judge my cause.
60  You have seen all their vengeance,
all their plots against me.

61  "You have heard their taunts, O Lord,
all their plots against me.
62  The lips and thoughts of my assailants
are against me all the day long.
63  Behold their sitting and their rising;
I am the object of their taunts.

64  "You will repay them,t O Lord,
according to the work of their hands.
65  You will give themt dullness of heart;
your curse will bet on them.
66  You will pursue themt in anger and destroy them
from under your heavens, O Lord."t

Lamentations 3

1 I am the man that has seen affliction by the rod of his wrath.
2 He has led me and caused me to walk in darkness, and not in light.
3 Surely against me he turns his hand again and again all the day.
4 My flesh and my skin has he made old; he has broken my bones.
5 He has built against me, and surrounded me with gall and travail.
6 He has made me to dwell in dark places, as those that have been long dead.
7 He has walled me about, that I can’t go forth; he has made my chain heavy.
8 Yes, when I cry, and call for help, he shuts out my prayer.
9 He has walled up my ways with cut stone; he has made my paths crooked.
10 He is to me as a bear lying in wait, as a lion in secret places.
11 He has turned aside my ways, and pulled me in pieces; he has made me desolate.
12 He has bent his bow, and set me as a mark for the arrow.
13 He has caused the shafts of his quiver to enter into my kidneys.
14 I am become a derision to all my people, and their song all the day.
15 He has filled me with bitterness, he has sated me with wormwood.
16 He has also broken my teeth with gravel stones; he has covered me with ashes.
17 You have removed my soul far off from peace; I forgot prosperity.
18 I said, My strength is perished, and my expectation from Yahweh.
19 Remember my affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall.
20 My soul still remembers them, and is bowed down within me.
21 This I recall to my mind; therefore have I hope.
22 It is because of Yahweh’s loving kindnesses that we are not consumed, because his compassion doesn’t fail.
23 They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
24 Yahweh is my portion, says my soul; therefore will I hope in him.
25 Yahweh is good to those who wait for him, to the soul that seeks him.
26 It is good that a man should hope and quietly wait for the salvation of Yahweh.
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 has laid it on 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 who strikes him; let him be filled full with reproach.
31 For the Lord will not cast off forever.
32 For though he cause grief, yet he will have compassion according to the multitude of his loving kindnesses.
33 For he does 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 doesn’t approve.
37 Who is he who says, and it comes to pass, when the Lord doesn’t command it?
38 Doesn’t evil and good come out of the mouth of the Most High?
39 Why does a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins?

40 Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to Yahweh.
41 Let us lift up our heart with our hands to Godt in the heavens.
42 We have transgressed and have rebelled; you have not pardoned.
43 You have covered with anger and pursued us; you have killed, you have not pitied.
44 You have covered yourself with a cloud, so that no prayer can pass through.
45 You have 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 have come on us, devastation and destruction.
48 My eye runs down with streams of water, for the destruction of the daughter of my people.
49 My eye pours down, and doesn’t cease, without any intermission,
50 Until Yahweh look down, and see from heaven.
51 My eye affects my soul, because of all the daughters of my city.
52 They have chased me relentlessly like a bird, those who are my enemies without cause.
53 They have cut off my life in the dungeon, and have cast a stone on me.
54 Waters flowed over my head; I said, I am cut off.

55 I called on your name, Yahweh, out of the lowest dungeon.
56 You heard my voice; don’t hide your ear at my breathing, at my cry.
57 You drew near in the day that I called on you; you said, Don’t be afraid.
58 Lord, you have pleaded the causes of my soul; you have redeemed my life.
59 Yahweh, you have seen my wrong. Judge my cause.
60 You have seen all their vengeance and all their devices against me.
61 You have heard their reproach, Yahweh, 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 You see their sitting down, and their rising up; I am their song.
64 You will render to them a recompense, Yahweh, according to the work of their hands.
65 You will give them hardness of heart, your curse to them.
66 You will pursue them in anger, and destroy them from under the heavens of Yahweh.