Lamentations 3
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
darkness and not light.
3Surely he has turned his hand against me,
all day long.
4He has worn out my flesh and skin,
he has broken my bones.
5He has besieged#Literally “he has built against” and engulfed me
with bitterness and hardship.
6In darkness he has let me dwell
like the dead of long ago.
7He has built a wall around me, I cannot go out;
he has made my bronze fetters heavy.
8Though I cry out for help,
he shuts out my prayers.
9He has blocked my ways with dressed stones;
he has made my paths crooked.
10To me he is like a bear lying in wait,
a lion in hiding.
11He has forsaken my way and torn me to pieces;
he has caused me desolation.
12He has bent his bow and set me
as the target for the arrow.
13He shot the arrows of his quiver#Literally “the offspring of his arrow quiver”
into my kidneys.
14I have become a laughingstock for all the people,
their mocking song all day long.
15He has filled me with bitterness,
he has drenched me with wormwood.
16He has broken my teeth on grit,
he has trampled me down in ash.
17My life has been removed from peace,
I have forgotten goodness.
18And I have said, “My glory is ruined,
my expectation from Yahweh.”
19Remember my misery and bitterness,
the wormwood#Or “the bitter substance” and venom!
20Surely my soul remembers
and bows down within me.
21This I have reminded myself,#Literally “I have brought back to my heart”
therefore I will hope.
22The loyal love of Yahweh does not cease;
his compassions do not come to an end.
23They are new in the morning,
great is your faithfulness.
24“Yahweh is my portion,”
says my soul,
“Thus I will hope on him.”
25Yahweh is good to those who wait on him,
to the person that seeks him.
26It is good to wait in silence
for the salvation of Yahweh.
27It is good for a man who carries
the yoke of his childhood.
28Let him sit alone and be silent
when he#Yahweh has laid it on him.
29Let him put#Literally “him give” his mouth in the dust;
perhaps there is hope.
30Let him give a cheek to his smiter,
let him be filled with disgrace.
31For the Lord will not reject
forever.
32For even though he causes grief he has compassion
according to the greatness of his royal love.
33He does not afflict willingly,#Literally “afflict from the heart”
or grieve anyone.#Literally “the sons of men”
34To crush under his feet
all the prisoners of the earth;
35to deprive one of justice#Literally “to turn aside the judgment of a man”
before the face of the Most High;
36to subvert a person in a legal dispute
—the Lord has not found delight in these things.
37Who can speak#Literally “Who is this that speaks” and it will happen
if the Lord has not commanded it?
38Is it not from the mouth of the Most High
that disaster and good will come?
39Why should any living person complain
about his sin?
40Let us test and examine our ways;
let us return to Yahweh.
41Let us lift up our hearts with our hands
to God in the heavens.
42We ourselves have transgressed and rebelled,
you have not forgiven.
43You have covered yourself in anger#Literally “in the nose” and pursued us,
you have slain and not shown mercy.
44You have covered yourself in a cloud
so that prayer cannot pass through.#Literally “from a passing prayer”
45You have made us scum and refuse
in the midst of the nations.
46All our enemies
have opened their mouth against us.
47Fear and a pit have come upon us,
desolation and destruction.
48Channels of water run down my eyes
because of the destruction of the daughter of my people.
49My eyes have poured down unceasingly
without respite,
50until Yahweh looks down
and sees from heaven.
51My eyes inflict my soul
because of all the daughters of my city.
52My enemies hunt me without cause,
like a bird.
53They have silenced me in a pit,#Literally “they have put to silence my life in a pit”
they have thrown a stone at me.
54Water has flown over my head,
I said, “I am cut off.”
55I have called your name, O Yahweh,
from the depths of the pit.
56You have heard my cry, “Do not shut your ear
to my cry for help, for my relief!”
57You came near on a day when I called you,
you said, “Do not fear!”
58O Lord, you have pleaded for my cause,#Literally “the legal disputes of my soul”
you have redeemed my life.
59You have seen my injustice, O Yahweh;
judge my case.
60You have seen all their vengeance,
all there plans against me.
61You have heard their disgrace, O Yahweh,
all their plans against me.
62The lips and meditation of my assailants
are against me all day long.
63Look at their sitting and their standing,
I am their mocking song.
64Return to them what is deserved, O Yahweh,
according to the work of their hands.
65Give them a stubborn heart;
curse them!
66Pursue them in anger#Literally “in nose” and destroy them
from under the heavens of Yahweh.
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Lamentations 3: LEB
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Lamentations 3
3
The Prophet—a Man of Despair
1 # 3:1 Chapter 3 is a poem in Hebrew alphabetical order. “I am the man who has experienced suffering under the rod of God’s fury.
2God has driven me away
and made me walk in darkness instead of light.
3He beat me again and again all day long.
4He has made my flesh and my skin waste away.
He has broken my bones.
5He has attacked me and surrounded me with bitterness and hardship.
6He has made me live in darkness,
like those who died a long time ago.
7He has blocked me so that I can’t get out.
He has put heavy chains on me.
8Even when I cry and call for help, he shuts out my prayer.
9He has blocked my way with cut stones and made my paths crooked.
10He is like a bear waiting to ambush me, like a lion in hiding.
11He has forced me off the road I was taking, torn me to pieces,
and left me with nothing.
12He has drawn his bow and made me the target for his arrows.
13He has shot the arrows from his quiver into my heart.
14I have become a laughingstock to all my people.
All day long ⌞they make fun of me⌟ with their songs.
15He has filled me with bitterness.
He has made me drink wormwood.
16He has ground my teeth with gravel.
He has trampled me into the dust.
17“My soul has been kept from enjoying peace.
I have forgotten what happiness is.
18I said, ‘I’ve lost my strength ⌞to live⌟ and my hope in the Lord.’
19Remember my suffering and my ⌞aimless⌟ wandering,
the wormwood and poison.
20My soul continues to remember ⌞these things⌟ and is so discouraged.
The Prophet—a Man of Hope
21“The reason I can ⌞still⌟ find hope is that I keep this one thing in mind:
22the Lord’s mercy.
We were not completely wiped out.
His compassion is never limited.
23It is new every morning.
His faithfulness is great.
24My soul can say, ‘The Lord is my lot ⌞in life⌟.
That is why I find hope in him.’
25The Lord is good to those who wait for him,
to anyone who seeks help from him.
26“It is good to continue to hope and wait silently
for the Lord to save us.
27It is good for people to endure burdens when they’re young.
28They should sit alone and remain silent
because the Lord has laid these burdens on them.
29They should put their mouths in the dust.
Maybe a reason to hope exists.
30They should turn their cheeks to the one who strikes them
and take their fill of insults.
31“The Lord will not reject ⌞such⌟ people forever.
32Even if he makes us suffer,
he will have compassion
in keeping with the richness of his mercy.
33He does not willingly bring suffering or grief to anyone,
34crush any prisoner on earth underfoot,
35deny people their rights in the presence of the Most High God,
36or deprive people of justice in court.
The Lord isn’t happy to see ⌞these things⌟.
37Who was it who spoke and it came into being?
It was the Lord who gave the order.
38Both good and bad come from the mouth of the Most High God.
39“Why should any living mortal (any person)
complain about being punished for sin?
40Let us look closely at our ways and examine them
and then return to the Lord.
41Let us raise our hearts and hands to God in heaven.
42“We have been disobedient and rebellious.
You haven’t forgiven us.
43You covered yourself with anger and pursued us.
You killed without pity.
44You covered yourself with a cloud
so that no prayer could get through it.
45You made us the scum and trash of the nations.
46All our enemies gawk at us.
47Panic and pitfalls have found us, so have devastation and destruction.
48“Streams of tears run down from my eyes
over the ruin of my dear people.
49My eyes will keep flowing without stopping for a moment
50until the Lord looks down from heaven and sees.
51What I see with my eyes disturbs me deeply
because of all the young women in my city.
52“Those who were my enemies for no reason hunted me like a bird.
53They threw me alive into a pit and threw rocks at me.
54Water flowed over my head. I thought I was finished.
55“I call your name from the deepest pit, O Lord.
56Listen to my cry ⌞for help⌟.
Don’t close your ears when I cry out for relief.
57Be close at hand when I call to you. You told me not to be afraid.
58Plead my case for me, O Lord. Reclaim my life.
59Look at the wrong that has been done to me, O Lord.
Give me a fair verdict.
60Look at all their malice, all their plots against me.
61Listen to their insults, all their plots against me.
62The words and thoughts of those who attack me
are directed against me all day long.
63Look at them! Whether they are sitting or standing,
they make fun of me in their songs.
64Pay them back, O Lord, for what they deserve,
for what their own hands have done.
65Make them stubborn. Let your curse be on them.
66Pursue them in anger, and wipe them out from under the Lord’s heaven.”
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