Lamentations 3

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

² He hath led me and caused me to walk in darkness, and not in light.

³ Surely against me he turneth his hand again and again all the day.

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

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

⁶ He hath made me to dwell in dark places, as those that have been long dead.

⁷ He hath walled me about, that I cannot go forth; he hath made my chain heavy.

⁸ Yea, when I cry, and call for help, he shutteth out my prayer.

⁹ He hath walled up my ways with hewn stone; he hath made my paths crooked.

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

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

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

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

¹⁴ I am become a derision to all my people, and their song all the day.

¹⁵ He hath filled me with bitterness, he hath sated me with wormwood.

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

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

¹⁸ And I said, My strength is perished, and mine expectation from Jehovah.

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

²⁰ My soul hath them still in remembrance, and is bowed down within me.

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

²² It is of Jehovah’s lovingkindnesses that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.

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

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

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

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

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

²⁸ Let him sit alone and keep silence, because he hath laid it upon him.

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

³⁰ Let him give his cheek to him that smiteth him; let him be filled full with reproach.

³¹ For the Lord will not cast off for ever.

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

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

³⁴ To crush under foot all the prisoners of the earth,

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

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

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

³⁸ Out of the mouth of the Most High cometh there not evil and good?

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

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

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

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

⁴³ Thou hast covered with anger and pursued us; thou hast slain, thou hast not pitied.

⁴⁴ Thou hast covered thyself with a cloud, so that no prayer can pass through.

⁴⁵ Thou hast made us an offscouring and refuse in the midst of the peoples.

⁴⁶ All our enemies have opened their mouth wide against us.

⁴⁷ Fear and the pit are come upon us, devastation and destruction.

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

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

⁵⁰ Till Jehovah look down, and behold from heaven.

⁵¹ Mine eye affecteth my soul, because of all the daughters of my city.

⁵² They have chased me sore like a bird, they that are mine enemies without cause.

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

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

⁵⁵ I called upon thy name, O Jehovah, out of the lowest dungeon.

⁵⁶ Thou heardest my voice; hide not thine ear at my breathing, at my cry.

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

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

⁵⁹ O Jehovah, thou hast seen my wrong; judge thou my cause.

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

⁶¹ Thou hast heard their reproach, O Jehovah, and all their devices against me,

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

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

⁶⁴ Thou wilt render unto them a recompense, O Jehovah, according to the work of their hands.

⁶⁵ Thou wilt give them hardness of heart, thy curse unto them.

⁶⁶ Thou wilt pursue them in anger, and destroy them from under the heavens of Jehovah.