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Lamentations 3
Young's Literal Translation
Lamentations 3
Young's Literal Translation
3 I [am] the man [who] hath seen affliction By the rod of His wrath.
2 Me He hath led, and causeth to go [in] darkness, and without light.
3 Surely against me He turneth back, He turneth His hand all the day.
4 He hath worn out my flesh and my skin. He hath broken my bones.
5 He hath built up against me, And setteth round poverty and weariness.
6 In dark places He hath caused me to dwell, As the dead of old.
7 He hath hedged me about, and I go not out, He hath made heavy my fetter.
8 Also when I call and cry out, He hath shut out my prayer.
9 He hath hedged my ways with hewn work, My paths He hath made crooked.
10 A bear lying in wait He [is] to me, A lion in secret hiding-places.
11 My ways He is turning aside, and He pulleth me in pieces, He hath made me a desolation.
12 He hath trodden His bow, And setteth me up as a mark for an arrow.
13 He hath caused to enter into my reins The sons of His quiver.
14 I have been a derision to all my people, Their song all the day.
15 He hath filled me with bitter things, He hath filled me [with] wormwood.
16 And He breaketh with gravel my teeth, He hath covered me with ashes.
17 And Thou castest off from peace my soul, I have forgotten prosperity.
18 And I say, Perished hath my strength and my hope from Jehovah.
19 Remember my affliction and my mourning, Wormwood and gall!
20 Remember well, and bow down doth my soul in me.
21 This I turn to my heart -- therefore I hope.
22 The kindnesses of Jehovah! For we have not been consumed, For not ended have His mercies.
23 New every morning, abundant [is] thy faithfulness.
24 My portion [is] Jehovah, hath my soul said, Therefore I hope for Him.
25 Good [is] Jehovah to those waiting for Him, To the soul [that] seeketh Him.
26 Good! when one doth stay and stand still For the salvation of Jehovah.
27 Good for a man that he beareth a yoke in his youth.
28 He sitteth alone, and is silent, For He hath laid [it] upon him.
29 He putteth in the dust his mouth, if so be there is hope.
30 He giveth to his smiter the cheek, He is filled with reproach.
31 For the Lord doth not cast off to the age.
32 For though He afflicted, yet He hath pitied, According to the abundance of His kindness.
33 For He hath not afflicted with His heart, Nor doth He grieve the sons of men.
34 To bruise under one's feet any bound ones of earth,
35 To turn aside the judgment of a man, Over-against the face of the Most High,
36 To subvert a man in his cause, the Lord hath not approved.
37 Who [is] this -- he hath said, and it is, [And] the Lord hath not commanded [it]?
38 From the mouth of the Most High Go not forth the evils and the good.
39 What -- sigh habitually doth a living man, A man for his sin?
40 We search our ways, and investigate, And turn back unto Jehovah.
41 We lift up our heart on the hands unto God in the heavens.
42 We -- we have transgressed and rebelled, Thou -- Thou hast not forgiven.
43 Thou hast covered Thyself with anger, And dost pursue us; Thou hast slain -- Thou hast not pitied.
44 Thou hast covered Thyself with a cloud, So that prayer doth not pass through.
45 Offscouring and refuse Thou dost make us In the midst of the peoples.
46 Opened against us their mouth have all our enemies.
47 Fear and a snare hath been for us, Desolation and destruction.
48 Rivulets of water go down my eye, For the destruction of the daughter of my people.
49 Mine eye is poured out, And doth not cease without intermission,
50 Till Jehovah looketh and seeth from the heavens,
51 My eye affecteth my soul, Because of all the daughters of my city.
52 Hunted me sore as a bird have my enemies without cause.
53 They have cut off in a pit my life, And they cast a stone against me.
54 Flowed have waters over my head, I have said, I have been cut off.
55 I called Thy name, O Jehovah, from the lower pit.
56 My voice Thou hast heard, Hide not Thine ear at my breathing -- at my cry.
57 Thou hast drawn near in the day I call Thee, Thou hast said, Fear not.
58 Thou hast pleaded, O Lord, the pleadings of my soul, Thou hast redeemed my life.
59 Thou hast seen, O Jehovah, my overthrow, Judge Thou my cause.
60 Thou hast seen all their vengeance, All their thoughts of me.
61 Thou hast heard their reproach, O Jehovah, All their thoughts against me,
62 The lips of my withstanders, Even their meditation against me all the day.
63 Their sitting down, and their rising up, Behold attentively, I [am] their song.
64 Thou returnest to them the deed, O Jehovah, According to the work of their hands.
65 Thou givest to them a covered heart, Thy curse to them.
66 Thou pursuest in anger, and destroyest them, From under the heavens of Jehovah!
Lamentations 3
New International Version
Lamentations 3
New International Version
3 [a]I am the man who has seen affliction(A)
by the rod of the Lord’s wrath.(B)
2 He has driven me away and made me walk
in darkness(C) rather than light;
3 indeed, he has turned his hand against me(D)
again and again, all day long.
4 He has made my skin and my flesh grow old(E)
and has broken my bones.(F)
5 He has besieged me and surrounded me
with bitterness(G) and hardship.(H)
6 He has made me dwell in darkness
like those long dead.(I)
7 He has walled me in so I cannot escape;(J)
he has weighed me down with chains.(K)
8 Even when I call out or cry for help,(L)
he shuts out my prayer.(M)
9 He has barred(N) my way with blocks of stone;
he has made my paths crooked.(O)
10 Like a bear lying in wait,
like a lion(P) in hiding,(Q)
11 he dragged me from the path and mangled(R) me
and left me without help.
12 He drew his bow(S)
and made me the target(T) for his arrows.(U)
13 He pierced(V) my heart
with arrows from his quiver.(W)
14 I became the laughingstock(X) of all my people;(Y)
they mock me in song(Z) all day long.
15 He has filled me with bitter herbs
and given me gall to drink.(AA)
16 He has broken my teeth with gravel;(AB)
he has trampled me in the dust.(AC)
17 I have been deprived of peace;
I have forgotten what prosperity is.
18 So I say, “My splendor is gone
and all that I had hoped from the Lord.”(AD)
19 I remember my affliction and my wandering,
the bitterness(AE) and the gall.(AF)
20 I well remember them,
and my soul is downcast(AG) within me.(AH)
21 Yet this I call to mind
and therefore I have hope:
22 Because of the Lord’s great love(AI) we are not consumed,(AJ)
for his compassions never fail.(AK)
23 They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.(AL)
24 I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion;(AM)
therefore I will wait for him.”
25 The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him,
to the one who seeks him;(AN)
26 it is good to wait quietly(AO)
for the salvation of the Lord.(AP)
27 It is good for a man to bear the yoke
while he is young.
28 Let him sit alone in silence,(AQ)
for the Lord has laid it on him.
29 Let him bury his face in the dust(AR)—
there may yet be hope.(AS)
30 Let him offer his cheek to one who would strike him,(AT)
and let him be filled with disgrace.(AU)
31 For no one is cast off
by the Lord forever.(AV)
32 Though he brings grief, he will show compassion,
so great is his unfailing love.(AW)
33 For he does not willingly bring affliction
or grief to anyone.(AX)
34 To crush underfoot
all prisoners in the land,
35 to deny people their rights
before the Most High,(AY)
36 to deprive them of justice—
would not the Lord see such things?(AZ)
37 Who can speak and have it happen
if the Lord has not decreed it?(BA)
38 Is it not from the mouth of the Most High
that both calamities and good things come?(BB)
39 Why should the living complain
when punished for their sins?(BC)
40 Let us examine our ways and test them,(BD)
and let us return to the Lord.(BE)
41 Let us lift up our hearts and our hands
to God in heaven,(BF) and say:
42 “We have sinned and rebelled(BG)
and you have not forgiven.(BH)
43 “You have covered yourself with anger and pursued(BI) us;
you have slain without pity.(BJ)
44 You have covered yourself with a cloud(BK)
so that no prayer(BL) can get through.(BM)
45 You have made us scum(BN) and refuse
among the nations.
46 “All our enemies have opened their mouths
wide(BO) against us.(BP)
47 We have suffered terror and pitfalls,(BQ)
ruin and destruction.(BR)”
48 Streams of tears(BS) flow from my eyes(BT)
because my people are destroyed.(BU)
49 My eyes will flow unceasingly,
without relief,(BV)
50 until the Lord looks down
from heaven and sees.(BW)
51 What I see brings grief to my soul
because of all the women of my city.
52 Those who were my enemies without cause
hunted me like a bird.(BX)
53 They tried to end my life in a pit(BY)
and threw stones at me;
54 the waters closed over my head,(BZ)
and I thought I was about to perish.(CA)
55 I called on your name, Lord,
from the depths(CB) of the pit.(CC)
56 You heard my plea:(CD) “Do not close your ears
to my cry for relief.”
57 You came near(CE) when I called you,
and you said, “Do not fear.”(CF)
58 You, Lord, took up my case;(CG)
you redeemed my life.(CH)
59 Lord, you have seen the wrong done to me.(CI)
Uphold my cause!(CJ)
60 You have seen the depth of their vengeance,
all their plots against me.(CK)
Footnotes
- Lamentations 3:1 This chapter is an acrostic poem; the verses of each stanza begin with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet, and the verses within each stanza begin with the same letter.
New International Version (NIV) 
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