Lamentations 3
Aleph
1 I am the man that seeth poverty,
through the rod of his wrath upon me.
2 He hath taken me, and led me away into darkness,
and not into light.
3 Nay, against me hath he turned his hand all the day.
4 He hath made old my flesh and my skin;
he hath broken my bones.
Beth
5 He hath built against me, and compassed my head,
and [1]brought travail upon me.
6 He hath set me in dark places,
as them that have long been dead.
7 He hath builded against me, and I cannot come forth:
he hath made my [2]brazen chain heavy.
Gimel
8 Yea, though I cry and shout,
he shutteth out my prayer.
Daleth
9 He hath built up my ways,
he hath hedged my paths;
10 he hath troubled me,
as a she-bear lying in wait:
he is to me as a lion in secret places.
11 He pursued me [3]after I departed,
and brought me to a stand:
he hath utterly ruined me.
He
12 He hath bent his bow,
and set me as a mark for the arrow.
13 He hath caused the arrows of his quiver
to enter into my reins.
14 I became a laughing-stock to all my people;
and their song all the day.
Vau
15 He hath filled me with bitterness,
he hath [4]drenched me with gall.
16 And he hath dashed out my teeth with gravel,
he hath fed me with ashes.
17 He hath also removed my soul from peace:
I forgot prosperity.
18 Therefore my success hath perished,
and my hope from the Lord.
Zain
19 I remembered by reason of my poverty,
and because of persecution my bitterness and gall shall be remembered;
20 and my soul shall meditate with me.
21 [5]This will I [6]lay up in my heart,
therefore will I endure.
Heth
22 It is the mercies of the Lord,
that he hath not failed me,
because his compassions are not exhausted.
Pity us, O Lord,
early every month:
for we are not brought to an end,
because his compassions are not exhausted.
23 They are new every morning:
great is thy faithfulness.
24 The Lord is my portion, saith my soul;
therefore will I wait for him.
Teth
25 The Lord is good to them that wait for him:
the soul which shall seek him
26 is good, and shall wait for,
and quietly expect salvation of the Lord.
Teth
27 It is good for a man
when he beareth a yoke in his youth.
28 He will sit alone, and be silent,
because he hath borne it upon him.
Jod
30 He will give his cheek to him that smiteth him:
he will be filled full with reproaches.
31 For the Lord will not reject for ever.
Chaph
32 For he that hath brought down will pity,
and that according to the abundance of his mercy.
33 He hath not answered in anger from his heart,
though he hath brought low the children of a man.
Lamed
34 To bring down under his feet
all the prisoners of the earth,
35 to turn aside the judgment of a man
before the face of the Most High,
36 to condemn a man unjustly in his judgment,
the Lord hath not given commandment.
37 Who hath thus spoken, and it hath come to pass?
the Lord hath not commanded it.
38 Out of the mouth of the Most High
there shall not come forth evil and good.
Mem
39 Why should a living man complain,
a man concerning his sin?
Nun
40 Our way hath been searched out and examined,
and we will turn to the Lord.
41 Let us lift up our hearts [7]with our hands
to the lofty One in heaven.
42 We have sinned,
we have transgressed;
and thou hast not [8]pardoned.
Samech
43 Thou hast visited us in wrath,
and driven us away:
thou hast slain,
thou hast not pitied.
44 Thou hast veiled thyself with a cloud
because of prayer,
[9]that I might be blind,
45 and be cast off.
Ain
Thou hast set us alone
in the midst of the nations.
46 All our enemies have opened their mouth against us.
47 Fear and wrath are come upon us,
[10]suspense and destruction.
48 Mine eye shall pour down torrents of water,
for the destruction of the daughter of my people.
Phe
49 Mine eye is drowned with tears,
and I will not be silent,
so that there shall be no rest,
50 until the Lord look down,
and behold from heaven.
51 Mine eye shall [11]prey upon my soul,
because of all the daughters of the city.
Tsade
52 The fowlers chased me as a sparrow,
[12]mine enemies destroyed my life in a pit without cause,
53 and laid a stone upon me.
54 Water flowed over my head:
I said, I am cut off.
Koph
55 I called upon thy name, O Lord,
out of the lowest dungeon.
56 Thou heardest my voice:
close not thine ears to my supplication.
57 Thou drewest nigh to my help:
in the day wherein I called upon thee
thou saidst to me, Fear not.
Rechs
58 O Lord, thou hast pleaded the causes of my soul;
thou hast redeemed my life.
59 Thou hast seen, O Lord, my troubles:
thou hast judged my cause.
60 Thou hast seen all their vengeance,
thou hast looked on all their devices against me.
Chsen
61 Thou hast heard their reproach
and all their devices against me;
62 the lips of them that rose up against me,
and their plots against me all the day;
63 their sitting down and their rising up:
look thou upon their eyes.
64 Thou wilt render them a recompense, O Lord,
according to the works of their hands.
Thau
65 Thou wilt give them as [13]a covering,
the grief of my heart.
66 Thou wilt persecute them in anger,
and wilt consume them from under the heaven, O Lord.
Notes
- 3:5 brought: lit. laboured ↩
- 3:7 brazen: Gr. brass ↩
- 3:11 after I departed: see Hebrew ↩
- 3:15 drenched me with gall: lit. made me drunk ↩
- 3:21 This: Possibly πικρίαν agrees with ταύτην but the LXX frequently give a literal rendering of a Heb. feminine, whether a Gr. feminine noun occurs or not. See Job 6:17. ↩
- 3:21 lay up: Gr. commit to ↩
- 3:41 with: Gr. on ↩
- 3:42 pardoned: or, been propitious ↩
- 3:44 that I might be blind: see use of καμμύω in Esai. 29:10 ↩
- 3:47 suspense: Gr. lifting up. See Luke 12:29 ↩
- 3:51 prey: Gr. gather ↩
- 3:52 mine enemies: Heb. agrees. Vat. adds all ↩
- 3:65 a covering: see Heb. q.d. callousness ↩