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Lamentations 3
KJV
King James Version · 1611
BBE
Bible in Basic English · 1949
1I am the man that hath seen affliction by the rod of his wrath.
1I am the man who has seen trouble by the rod of his wrath.
2He hath led me, and brought me into darkness, but not into light.
2By him I have been made to go in the dark where there is no light.
3Surely against me is he turned; he turneth his hand against me all the day.
3Truly against me his hand has been turned again and again all the day.
4My flesh and my skin hath he made old; he hath broken my bones.
4My flesh and my skin have been used up by him and my bones broken.
5He hath builded against me, and compassed me with gall and travail.
5He has put up a wall against me, shutting me in with bitter sorrow.
6He hath set me in dark places, as they that be dead of old.
6He has kept me in dark places, like those who have been long dead.
7He hath hedged me about, that I cannot get out: he hath made my chain 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.
8Also when I cry and shout, he shutteth out my prayer.
8Even when I send up a cry for help, he keeps my prayer shut out.
9He hath inclosed my ways with hewn stone, he hath made my paths crooked.
9He has put up a wall of cut stones about my ways, he has made my roads twisted.
10He was unto me as a bear lying in wait, and as a lion in secret places.
10He is like a bear waiting for me, like a lion in secret places.
11He hath turned aside my ways, and pulled 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.
12He hath bent his bow, and set me as a mark for the arrow.
12With his bow bent, he has made me the mark for his arrows.
13He hath caused the arrows of his quiver to enter into my reins.
13He has let loose his arrows into the inmost parts of my body.
14I was a derision to all my people; and their song all the day.
14I have become the sport of all the peoples; I am their song all the day.
15He hath filled me with bitterness, he hath made me drunken with wormwood.
15He has made my life nothing but pain, he has given me the bitter root in full measure.
16He hath also broken my teeth with gravel stones, he hath covered me with ashes.
16By him my teeth have been broken with crushed stones, and I am bent low in the dust.
17And thou hast removed my soul far off from peace: I forgat prosperity.
17My soul is sent far away from peace, I have no more memory of good.
18And I said, My strength and my hope is perished from the Lord:
18And I said, My strength is cut off, and my hope from the Lord.
19Remembering mine affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall.
19Keep in mind my trouble and my wandering, the bitter root and the poison.
20My soul hath them still in remembrance, and is humbled in me.
20My soul still keeps the memory of them; and is bent down in me.
21This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope.
21This I keep in mind, and because of this I have hope.
22It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.
22It is through the Lord's love that we have not come to destruction, because his mercies have no limit.
23They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.
23They are new every morning; great is your good faith.
24The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him.
24I said to myself, The Lord is my heritage; and because of this I will have hope in him.
25The Lord is good unto them that wait for 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.
26It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord.
26It is good to go on hoping and quietly waiting for the salvation of the Lord.
27It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth.
27It is good for a man to undergo the yoke when he is young.
28He sitteth alone and keepeth silence, because he hath borne it upon him.
28Let him be seated by himself, saying nothing, because he has put it on him.
29He putteth 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.
30He giveth his cheek to him that smiteth him: he is filled full with reproach.
30Let his face be turned to him who gives him blows; let him be full of shame.
32But though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies.
32For though he sends grief, still he will have pity in the full measure of his love.
33For he doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men.
33For he has no pleasure in troubling and causing grief to the children of men.
34To crush under his feet all the prisoners of the earth,
34In a man's crushing under his feet all the prisoners of the earth,
35To turn aside the right 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.
36To subvert a man in his cause, the Lord approveth not.
36In his doing wrong to a man in his cause, the Lord has no pleasure.
37Who is he that saith, and it cometh to pass, 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?
38Out of the mouth of the most High proceedeth not evil and good?
38Do not evil and good come from the mouth of the Most High?
39Wherefore doth a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins?
39What protest may a living man make, even a man about the punishment of his sin?
40Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the Lord.
40Let us make search and put our ways to the test, turning again to the Lord;
41Let us lift up our heart with our hands unto God in the heavens.
41Lifting up our hearts with our hands to God in the heavens.
42We have transgressed and have rebelled: thou hast not pardoned.
42We have done wrong and gone against your law; we have not had your forgiveness.
43Thou hast covered with anger, and persecuted us: thou hast slain, thou hast not pitied.
43Covering yourself with wrath you have gone after us, cutting us off without pity;
44Thou hast covered thyself with a cloud, that our prayer should not pass through.
44Covering yourself with a cloud, so that prayer may not get through.
45Thou hast made us as the offscouring 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.
46All our enemies have opened their mouths against us.
46The mouths of all our haters are open wide against us.
47Fear and a snare is come upon us, desolation and destruction.
47Fear and deep waters have come on us, wasting and destruction.
48Mine eye runneth down with rivers 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.
49Mine eye trickleth down, and ceaseth not, without any intermission,
49My eyes are streaming without stopping, they have no rest,
50Till the Lord look down, and behold from heaven.
50Till the Lord's eye is turned on me, till he sees my trouble from heaven.
51Mine eye affecteth mine heart because of all the daughters of my city.
51The Lord is unkind to my soul, more than all the daughters of my town.
52Mine enemies chased me sore, like a bird, without cause.
52They who are against me without cause have gone hard after me as if I was a bird;
53They have cut off my life in the dungeon, and cast a stone upon me.
53They have put an end to my life in the prison, stoning me with stones.
54Waters flowed over mine head; then I said, I am cut off.
54Waters were flowing over my head; I said, I am cut off.
55I called upon thy name, O Lord, out of the low dungeon.
55I was making prayer to your name, O Lord, out of the lowest prison.
56Thou hast heard my voice: hide not thine ear at my breathing, at my cry.
56My voice came to you; let not your ear be shut to my breathing, to my cry.
57Thou drewest near in the day that 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.
58O Lord, thou hast pleaded the causes of my soul; thou hast redeemed my life.
58O Lord, you have taken up the cause of my soul, you have made my life safe.
59O Lord, thou hast seen my wrong: judge thou my cause.
59O Lord, you have seen my wrong; be judge in my cause.
60Thou hast seen all their vengeance and all their imaginations against me.
60You have seen all the evil rewards they have sent on me, and all their designs against me.
61Thou hast heard their reproach, O Lord, and all their imaginations against me;
61Their bitter words have come to your ears, O Lord, and all their designs against me;
62The lips of those that rose up against me, and their device against me all the day.
62The lips of those who came up against me, and their thoughts against me all the day.
63Behold their sitting down, and their rising up; I am their musick.
63Take note of them when they are seated, and when they get up; I am their song.
64Render unto them a recompence, O Lord, according to the work of their hands.
64You will give them their reward, O Lord, answering to the work of their hands.