Lamentations 3:34–66

ל Lamed

³⁴Crushing all the prisoners of the land^A

beneath one’s feet,

³⁵denying justice to a man^ac

in the presence of the Most High,

³⁶or subverting a person in his lawsuit^ad —

the Lord does not approve of these things.

מ Mem

³⁷Who is there who speaks and it happens,

unless the Lord has ordained it?^ae

³⁸Do not both adversity and good

come from the mouth of the Most High?^af

³⁹Why should any living person complain,

any man, because of the punishment for his sins?

נ Nun

⁴⁰Let’s examine and probe our ways,

and turn back to the Lord.^ag

⁴¹Let’s lift up our hearts and our hands^a

to God in heaven:

⁴²“We have sinned and rebelled;

you have not forgiven.^b

ס Samek

⁴³“You have covered yourself in anger and pursued us;

you have killed without compassion.^c

⁴⁴You have covered yourself with a cloud

so that no prayer can get through.^d

⁴⁵You have made us disgusting filth

among the peoples.^e

פ Pe

⁴⁶“All our enemies

open their mouths against us.^f

⁴⁷We have experienced panic and pitfall,^g

devastation and destruction.”

⁴⁸My eyes flow with streams of tears

because of the destruction of my dear people.

ע Ayin

⁴⁹My eyes overflow unceasingly,

without end,^h

⁵⁰until the Lord looks down

from heaven and sees.ⁱ

⁵¹My eyes bring me grief

because of the fate of all the women in my city.

צ Tsade

⁵²For no reason, my enemies^B

hunted me like a bird.^j

⁵³They smothered my life in^C a pit^k

and threw stones on me.

⁵⁴Water flooded over my head,^l

and I thought, “I’m going to die!”^m

ק Qoph

⁵⁵I called on your name, Lord,

from the depths of the pit.

⁵⁶You heard my plea:

Do not ignore my cry for relief.

⁵⁷You came near whenever I called you;

you said, “Do not be afraid.”

ר Resh

⁵⁸You championed my cause, Lord;ⁿ

you redeemed my life.^o

⁵⁹Lord, you saw the wrong done to me;

judge my case.

⁶⁰You saw all their vengefulness,

all their plots against me.^p

שׂ Sin/ שׁ Shin

⁶¹Lord, you heard their insults,^q

all their plots against me.

⁶²The slander^A and murmuring of my opponents

attack me all day long.

⁶³When they sit and when they rise, look,

I am mocked by their songs.^r

ת Taw

⁶⁴You will pay them back what they deserve, Lord,

according to the work of their hands.^s

⁶⁵You will give them a heart filled with anguish.^Bt

May your curse be on them!

⁶⁶You will pursue them in anger and destroy them

under your heavens.^Cu