Lamentations 3:34–66

ל Lamed

³⁴Crushing all the prisoners of the land ^o

beneath one’s feet,

³⁵denying justice to a man ^p

in the presence of the Most High,

³⁶or suppressing a person’s lawsuit ^q—

the Lord does not approve of these things.

מ Mem

³⁷Who is there who speaks and it happens,

unless the Lord has ordained it? ^r

³⁸Do not both adversity and good

come from the mouth of the Most High? ^s

³⁹Why should any living person complain,

any man, because of the punishment for his sins?

נ Nun

⁴⁰Let us search out and examine our ways,

and turn back to the Lord. ^t

⁴¹Let us lift up our hearts and our hands ^u

to God in heaven:

⁴²We have sinned and rebelled;

You have not forgiven. ^v

ס Samek

⁴³You have covered Yourself in anger and pursued us;

You have killed without compassion. ^w

⁴⁴You have covered Yourself with a cloud

so that no prayer can pass through. ^x

⁴⁵You have made us disgusting filth

among the peoples. ^y

פ Pe

⁴⁶All our enemies

open their mouths against us. ^z

⁴⁷We have experienced panic and pitfall, ^a

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, ^b

⁵⁰until the Lord looks down

from heaven and sees. ^c

⁵¹My eyes bring me grief

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

צ Tsade

⁵²For no apparent reason, my enemies ^d

hunted me like a bird. ^e

⁵³They dropped me alive into ^fa pit ^g

and threw stones at me.

⁵⁴Water flooded over my head, ^h

and I thought: I’m going to die! ⁱ

ק Qof

⁵⁵I called on Your name, Yahweh,

from the depths of the Pit. ^j

⁵⁶You hear my plea:

Do not ignore my cry for relief.

⁵⁷You come near when I call on You;

You say: “Do not be afraid.”

ר Resh

⁵⁸You defend my cause, Lord; ^k

You redeem my life. ^l

⁵⁹Lord, You see the wrong done to me;

judge my case.

⁶⁰You see all their malice,

all their plots against me. ^m

שׂ Sin/ שׁ Shin

⁶¹Lord, You hear their insults, ⁿ

all their plots against me.

⁶²The slander ^oand murmuring of my opponents

attack me all day long.

⁶³When they sit and when they rise, look,

I am mocked by their songs. ^p

ת Tav

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

according to the work of their hands. ^q

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

May Your curse be on them!

⁶⁶You will pursue them in anger and destroy them

under Your heavens. ^tuv