Lamentations 3

Israel’s Affliction

¹I am a man who has seen misery,

under the rod of his wrath.

²He has driven me along, he brought

³Surely he has turned his hand against me,

⁴He has worn out my flesh and skin,

⁵He has besieged and engulfed me[#Literally “he has built against”]

⁶In darkness he has let me dwell

⁷He has built a wall around me, I cannot go out;

⁸Though I cry out for help,

⁹He has blocked my ways with dressed stones;

¹⁰To me he is like a bear lying in wait,

¹¹He has forsaken my way and torn me to pieces;

¹²He has bent his bow and set me

¹³He shot the arrows of his quiver[#Literally “the offspring of his arrow quiver”]

¹⁴I have become a laughingstock for all the people,

¹⁵He has filled me with bitterness,

¹⁶He has broken my teeth on grit,

¹⁷My life has been removed from peace,

¹⁸And I have said, “My glory is ruined,

¹⁹Remember my misery and bitterness,

²⁰Surely my soul remembers

²¹This I have reminded myself,[#Literally “I have brought back to my heart”]

²²The loyal love of Yahweh does not cease;

²³They are new in the morning,

²⁴“Yahweh is my portion,”

²⁵Yahweh is good to those who wait on him,

²⁶It is good to wait in silence

²⁷It is good for a man who carries

²⁸Let him sit alone and be silent

²⁹Let him put his mouth in the dust;[#Literally “him give”]

³⁰Let him give a cheek to his smiter,

³¹For the Lord will not reject

³²For even though he causes grief he has compassion

³³He does not afflict willingly,[#Literally “afflict from the heart”]

³⁴To crush under his feet

³⁵to deprive one of justice[#Literally “to turn aside the judgment of a man”]

³⁶to subvert a person in a legal dispute

³⁷Who can speak and it will happen[#Literally “Who is this that speaks”]

³⁸Is it not from the mouth of the Most High

³⁹Why should any living person complain

⁴⁰Let us test and examine our ways;

⁴¹Let us lift up our hearts with our hands

⁴²We ourselves have transgressed and rebelled,

⁴³You have covered yourself in anger and pursued us,[#Literally “in the nose”]

⁴⁴You have covered yourself in a cloud

⁴⁵You have made us scum and refuse

⁴⁶All our enemies

⁴⁷Fear and a pit have come upon us,

⁴⁸Channels of water run down my eyes

⁴⁹My eyes have poured down unceasingly

⁵⁰until Yahweh looks down

⁵¹My eyes inflict my soul

⁵²My enemies hunt me without cause,

⁵³They have silenced me in a pit,[#Literally “they have put to silence my life in a pit”]

⁵⁴Water has flown over my head,

⁵⁵I have called your name, O Yahweh,

⁵⁶You have heard my cry, “Do not shut your ear

⁵⁷You came near on a day when I called you,

⁵⁸O Lord, you have pleaded for my cause,[#Literally “the legal disputes of my soul”]

⁵⁹You have seen my injustice, O Yahweh;

⁶⁰You have seen all their vengeance,

⁶¹You have heard their disgrace, O Yahweh,

⁶²The lips and meditation of my assailants

⁶³Look at their sitting and their standing,

⁶⁴Return to them what is deserved, O Yahweh,

⁶⁵Give them a stubborn heart;

⁶⁶Pursue them in anger and destroy them[#Literally “in nose”]