Lamentations 3:1-66

א 3  I am the man that hath seen affliction, By the rod of his indignation; א 2  Me hath he driven out and brought into darkness And not light; א 3  Surely against me doth he again and again turn his hand All the day. ב 4  He hath worn out my flesh and my skin, Hath broken my bones; ב 5  He hath built up against me and carried round me Fortifications and a trench; ב 6  In dark places hath he made me sit Like the dead of age-past times. ג 7  He hath walled up around me that I cannot get out, Hath weighted my fetter; ג 8  Yea when I make outcry and implore He hath shut out my prayer; ג 9  He hath walled in my ways with hewn stone, My paths hath he caused to wind back. ד 10  A bear lying in wait he is to me, A lion in secret places; ד 11  My ways hath he turned aside and hath torn me in pieces, Hath made me desolate; ד 12  He hath trodden his bow and set me up, As a mark for the arrow. ה 13  He hath caused to enter my reins The sons of his quiver ה 14  I have become a derision to all my people, Their song all the day; ה 15  He hath sated me with bitter things, Hath drenched me with wormwood. ו 16  And he hath crushed with gravel-stones my teeth, Hath made me cower in ashes; ו 17  And thou hast thrust away from welfare my soul, I have forgotten prosperity; ו 18  And I said, Vanished is mine endurance, Even mine expectation from Yahweh. ז 19  Remember my humiliation and my fleeings, The wormwood and poison; ז 20  Thou wilt indeed remember That bowed down concerning myself is my soul; ז 21  This will I bring back to my heart, Therefore will I hope. ח 22  The lovingkindnesses of Yahweh verily they are not exhausted, Verily! not at an end are his compassions: ח 23  New things for the mornings! Abundant is thy faithfulness: ח 24  My portion is Yahweh, saith my soul, For this cause will I wait for him. ט 25  Good is Yahweh to them who wait for him, To the soul that will seek him; ט 26  Good it is—both to wait and to be silent For the deliverance of Yahweh; ט 27  Good it is for a man, That he should bear the yoke in his youth. י 28  Let him sit alone and keep silence, Because he took it upon himself: י 29  Let him put in the dust his mouth, Peradventure there is hope! י 30  Let him give to him that smiteth him his cheek, Let him be sated with reproach. כ 31  Surely My Lord will not cast off Unto times age-abiding; כ 32  Surely though he cause grief yet will he have compassion, According to the multitude of his lovingkindnesses; כ 33  Surely he hath not afflicted from his heart, Nor caused sorrow to the sons of men. ל 34  To crush under his feet any of the prisoners of the earth; ל 35  To turn aside the right of a man before the face of the Most High; ל 36  To oppress a son of earth in his cause My Lord hath made no provision. מ 37  Who was it that spake and it was done, [When] My Lord had not commanded? מ 38  Out of the mouth of the Most High Proceed there not misfortunes and blessing? מ 39  Why should a living son of earth complain, [Let] a man [complain] because of his sins? נ 40  Let us search out our ways and examine them well, And let us return unto Yahweh; נ 41  Let us lift up our heart To the opened palms, To the Mighty One in the heavens; נ 42  We have trespassed and rebelled, Thou hast not pardoned. ס 43  Thou hast covered thyself with anger and pursued us, Hast slain—hast not spared; ס 44  Thou hast screened thyself with the clouds, That prayer should not pass through; ס 45  Offscouring and refuse dost thou make us In the midst of the peoples. פ 46  With their mouth opened wide over us [Stand] all our foes. פ 47  Terror and a pit have befallen us, Tumult and grievous injury; פ 48  With streams of water mine eye runneth down, Over the grievous injury of the daughter of my people. ע 49  Mine eye poureth itself out and ceaseth not Without relief; ע 50  Until Yahweh out of the heavens Shall look forth, and see ע 51  Mine eye dealeth severely with my soul, Because of all the daughters of my city. צ 52  They have laid snares for me as a bird, Who are mine enemies without cause: צ 53  They have cut off in the dungeon my life, And have cast a stone upon me; צ 54  Waters flowed over my head, I said, I am cut off! ק 55  I have called upon thy Name, O Yahweh, Out of the dungeon below; ק 56  My voice thou hast heard,—do not close thine ear to my respite, to mine outcry; ק 57  Thou drewest near, in the day I kept calling on thee, Thou saidst, Do not fear! ר 58  Thou hast pleaded, O My Lord, the pleas of my soul Hast redeemed my life; ר 59  Thou hast beheld, O Yahweh, my failure to get justice, Pronounce thou my sentence; ר 60  Thou hast seen all their vindictiveness, All their plots against me. ש 61  Thou hast heard their reproach, O Yahweh, All their plots against me; ש 62  The lips of mine assailants and their mutterings Are against me all the day; ש 63  On their downsitting and their uprising do thou look, I am their song. ת 64  Thou wilt render to them a recompense, O Yahweh, According to the work of their hands; ת 65  Thou wilt suffer them a veiling of heart, Thy curse to them; ת 66  Thou wilt pursue in anger and wilt destroy them, From under the heavens of Yahweh.

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