Lamentations - Chapter 3

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

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

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

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

3 Surely against me is he turned; he turneth his hand against me all the day.

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

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

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

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

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

6 He hath set me in dark places, as they that be dead of old.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

14 I was a derision to all my people; and their song all the day.

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

15 He hath filled me with bitterness, he hath made me drunken with wormwood.

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

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

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

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

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

18 And I said, My strength and my hope is perished from the LORD:

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

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

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

20 My soul hath them still in remembrance, and is humbled in me.

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

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

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

22 It is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

28 He sitteth alone and keepeth silence, because he hath borne it upon him.

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

29 He putteth his mouth in the dust; if so be there may be hope.

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

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

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

31 For the LORD will not cast off for ever:

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

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

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

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

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

34 To crush under his feet all the prisoners of the earth,

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

38 Out of the mouth of the most High proceedeth not evil and good?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

43 Thou hast covered with anger, and persecuted us: thou hast slain, thou hast not pitied.

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

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

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

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

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

46 All our enemies have opened their mouths against us.

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

47 Fear and a snare is come upon us, desolation and destruction.

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

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

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

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

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

50 Till the LORD look down, and behold from heaven.

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

51 Mine eye affecteth mine heart because of all the daughters of my city.

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

52 Mine enemies chased me sore, like a bird, without cause.

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

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

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

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

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

55 I called upon thy name, O LORD, out of the low dungeon.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

59 O LORD, thou hast seen my wrong: judge thou my cause.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

64 Render unto them a recompence, O LORD, according to the work of their hands.

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

65 Give them sorrow of heart, thy curse unto them.

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

66 Persecute and destroy them in anger from under the heavens of the LORD.

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