Lamentations 3

1Aleph. I am the man that see my poverty by the rod of his indignation.

1I am the man who has seen trouble by the rod of his wrath.

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

2Aleph. He hath led me, and brought me into darkness, and not into light.

2By him I have been made to go in the dark where there is no light.

2Me hath he led, and brought into darkness, and not into light.

3Aleph. Only against me he hath turned, and turned again his hand all the day.

3Truly against me his hand has been turned again and again all the day.

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

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

4My flesh and my skin have been used up by him and my bones broken.

4My flesh and my skin hath he wasted away, he hath broken my bones.

5Beth. He hath built round about me, and he hath compassed me with gall, and labour.

5He has put up a wall against me, shutting me in with bitter sorrow.

5He hath built against me, and encompassed [me] with gall and toil.

6Beth. He hath set me in dark places as those that are dead for ever.

6He has kept me in dark places, like those who have been long dead.

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

7Ghimel. He hath built against me round about, that I may not get out: he hath made my fetters heavy.

7He has put a wall round me, so that I am not able to go out; he has made great the weight of my chain.

7He hath hedged me about that I cannot get out: he hath made my chain heavy.

8Ghimel. Yea, and when I cry, and entreat, he hath shut out my prayer.

8Even when I send up a cry for help, he keeps my prayer shut out.

8Even when I cry and shout, he shutteth out my prayer.

9Ghimel. He hath shut up my ways with square stones, he hath turned my paths upside down.

9He has put up a wall of cut stones about my ways, he has made my roads twisted.

9He hath inclosed my ways with hewn stone, he hath made my paths crooked.

10Daleth. He is become to me as a bear lying in wait: as a lion in secret places.

10He is like a bear waiting for me, like a lion in secret places.

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

11Daleth. He hath turned aside my paths, and hath broken me in pieces, he hath made me desolate.

11By him my ways have been turned on one side and I have been pulled in bits; he has made me waste.

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

12Daleth. He hath bent his bow, and set me as a mark for his arrows.

12With his bow bent, he has made me the mark for his arrows.

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

13He. He hath shot into my reins the daughters of his quiver.

13He has let loose his arrows into the inmost parts of my body.

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

14He. I am made a derision to all my people, their song all the day long.

14I have become the sport of all the peoples; I am their song all the day.

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

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

15He has made my life nothing but pain, he has given me the bitter root in full measure.

15He hath sated me with bitterness, he hath made me drunk with wormwood.

16Vau. And he hath broken my teeth one by one, he hath fed me with ashes.

16By him my teeth have been broken with crushed stones, and I am bent low in the dust.

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

17Vau. And my soul is removed far off from peace, I have forgotten good things.

17My soul is sent far away from peace, I have no more memory of good.

17And thou hast removed my soul far off from peace: I have forgotten prosperity.

18Vau. And I said: My end and my hope is perished from the Lord.

18And I said, My strength is cut off, and my hope from the Lord.

18And I said, My strength is perished, and my hope in Jehovah.

19Zain. Remember my poverty, and transgression, the wormwood and the gall.

19Keep in mind my trouble and my wandering, the bitter root and the poison.

19Remember thou mine affliction and my wandering, the wormwood and the gall.

20Zain. I will be mindful and remember, and my soul shall languish within me.

20My soul still keeps the memory of them; and is bent down in me.

20My soul hath [them] constantly in remembrance, and is humbled in me.

21Zain. These things I shall think over in my heart, therefore will I hope.

21This I keep in mind, and because of this I have hope.

21— This I recall to heart, therefore have I hope.

22Heth. The mercies of the Lord that we are not consumed: because his commiserations have not failed.

22It is through the Lord's love that we have not come to destruction, because his mercies have no limit.

22It is of Jehovah's loving-kindness we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not;

23Heth. They are new every morning, great is thy faithfulness.

23They are new every morning; great is your good faith.

23they are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.

24Heth. The Lord is my portion, said my soul: therefore will I wait for him.

24I said to myself, The Lord is my heritage; and because of this I will have hope in him.

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

25Teth. The Lord is good to them that hope in him, to the soul that seeketh him.

25The Lord is good to those who are waiting for him, to the soul which is looking for him.

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

26Teth. It is good to wait with silence for the salvation of God.

26It is good to go on hoping and quietly waiting for the salvation of the Lord.

26It is good that one should both wait, and that in silence, for the salvation of Jehovah.

27Teth. It is good for a man, when he hath borne the yoke from his youth.

27It is good for a man to undergo the yoke when he is young.

27It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth:

28Jod. He shall sit solitary, and hold his peace: because he hath taken it up upon himself.

28Let him be seated by himself, saying nothing, because he has put it on him.

28He sitteth solitary and keepeth silence, because he hath laid it upon him;

29Jod. He shall put his mouth in the dust, if so be there may be hope.

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

29he putteth his mouth in the dust, if so be there may be hope;

30Jod. He shall give his cheek to him that striketh him, he shall be filled with reproaches.

30Let his face be turned to him who gives him blows; let him be full of shame.

30he giveth his cheek to him that smiteth him; he is filled full with reproach.

31Caph. For the Lord will not cast off for ever.

31For the Lord does not give a man up for ever.

31For the Lord will not cast off for ever;

32Caph. For if he hath cast off, he will also have mercy, according to the multitude of his mercies.

32For though he sends grief, still he will have pity in the full measure of his love.

32but if he have caused grief, he will have compassion according to the multitude of his loving-kindnesses:

33Caph. For he hath not willingly afflicted, nor cast off the children of men.

33For he has no pleasure in troubling and causing grief to the children of men.

33for he doth not willingly afflict or grieve the children of men.

34Lamed. To crush under his feet all the prisoners of the land,

34In a man's crushing under his feet all the prisoners of the earth,

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

35Lamed. To turn aside the judgment of a man before the face of the most High,

35In his turning away the right of a man before the face of the Most High.

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

36Lamed. To destroy a man wrongfully in his judgment, the Lord hath not approved.

36In his doing wrong to a man in his cause, the Lord has no pleasure.

36to wrong a man in his cause, — will not the Lord see it?

37Mem. Who is he that hath commanded a thing to be done, when the Lord commandeth it not?

37Who is able to say a thing, and give effect to it, if it has not been ordered by the Lord?

37Who is he that saith, and there cometh to pass, what the Lord hath not commanded?

38Mem. Shall not both evil and good proceed out of the mouth of the Highest?

38Do not evil and good come from the mouth of the Most High?

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

39Mem. Why hath a living man murmured, man suffering for his sins?

39What protest may a living man make, even a man about the punishment of his sin?

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

40Nun. Let us search our ways, and seek, and return to the Lord.

40Let us make search and put our ways to the test, turning again to the Lord;

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

41Nun. Let us lift up our hearts with our hands to the Lord in the heavens.

41Lifting up our hearts with our hands to God in the heavens.

41Let us lift up our heart with [our] hands untoGod in the heavens.

42Nun. We have done wickedly, and provoked thee to wrath: therefore thou art inexorable.

42We have done wrong and gone against your law; we have not had your forgiveness.

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

43Samech. Thou hast covered in thy wrath, and hast struck us: thou hast killed and hast not spared.

43Covering yourself with wrath you have gone after us, cutting us off without pity;

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

44Samech. Thou hast set a cloud before thee, that our prayer may not pass through.

44Covering yourself with a cloud, so that prayer may not get through.

44Thou hast covered thyself with a cloud, that prayer should not pass through.

45Samech. Thou hast made me as an outcast, and refuse in the midst of the people.

45You have made us like waste and that for which there is no use, among the peoples.

45Thou hast made us the offscouring and refuse in the midst of the peoples.

46Phe. All our enemies have opened their mouths against us.

46The mouths of all our haters are open wide against us.

46All our enemies have opened their mouth against us.

47Phe. Prophecy is become to us a fear, and a snare, and destruction.

47Fear and deep waters have come on us, wasting and destruction.

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

48Phe. My eye hath run down with streams of water, for the destruction of the daughter of my people.

48Rivers of water are running down from my eyes, for the destruction of the daughter of my people.

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

49Ain. My eye is afflicted, and hath not been quiet, because there was no rest:

49My eyes are streaming without stopping, they have no rest,

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

50Ain. Till the Lord regarded and looked down from the heavens.

50Till the Lord's eye is turned on me, till he sees my trouble from heaven.

50till Jehovah look down and behold from the heavens.

51Ain. My eye hath wasted my soul because of all the daughters of my city.

51The Lord is unkind to my soul, more than all the daughters of my town.

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

52Sade. My enemies have chased me and caught me like a bird, without cause.

52They who are against me without cause have gone hard after me as if I was a bird;

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

53Sade. My life is fallen into the pit, and they have laid a stone over me.

53They have put an end to my life in the prison, stoning me with stones.

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

54Sade. Waters have flowed over my head: I said: I am cut off.

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

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

55Coph. I have called upon thy name, O Lord, from the lowest pit.

55I was making prayer to your name, O Lord, out of the lowest prison.

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

56Coph. Thou hast heard my voice: turn not away thy ear from my sighs, and cries.

56My voice came to you; let not your ear be shut to my breathing, to my cry.

56Thou hast heard my voice: hide not thine ear at my sighing, at my cry.

57Coph. Thou drewest near in the day, when I called upon thee, thou saidst: Fear not.

57You came near in the day when I made my prayer to you: you said, Have no fear.

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

58Res. Thou hast judged, O Lord, the cause of my soul, thou the Redeemer of my life.

58O Lord, you have taken up the cause of my soul, you have made my life safe.

58Lord, thou hast pleaded the cause of my soul, thou hast redeemed my life.

59Res. Thou hast seen, O Lord, their iniquity against me: judge thou my judgment.

59O Lord, you have seen my wrong; be judge in my cause.

59Jehovah, thou hast seen my wrong: judge thou my cause.

60Res. Thou hast seen all their fury, and all their thoughts against me.

60You have seen all the evil rewards they have sent on me, and all their designs against me.

60Thou hast seen all their vengeance, all their imaginations against me.

61Sin. Thou hast heard their reproach, O Lord, all their imaginations against me.

61Their bitter words have come to your ears, O Lord, and all their designs against me;

61Thou hast heard their reproach, O Jehovah, all their imaginations against me;

62Sin. The lips of them that rise up against me: and their devices against me all the day.

62The lips of those who came up against me, and their thoughts against me all the day.

62the lips of those that rise up against me and their meditation against me all the day.

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

63Take note of them when they are seated, and when they get up; I am their song.

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

64Thau. Thou shalt render them a recompense, O Lord, according to the works of their hands.

64You will give them their reward, O Lord, answering to the work of their hands.

64Render unto them a recompence, O Jehovah, according to the work of their hands;

65Thau. Thou shalt give them a buckler of heart, thy labour.

65You will let their hearts be covered over with your curse on them.

65give them obduracy of heart, thy curse unto them;

66Thau. Thou shalt persecute them in anger, and shalt destroy them from under the heavens, O Lord.

66You will go after them in wrath, and put an end to them from under the heavens of the Lord.

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