Lamentations 3:34–66

³⁴He sees if any prisoner of the earth

is crushed under his feet;

³⁵he sees if someone is treated unfairly

before the Most High God;

³⁶the Lord sees

if someone is cheated in his case in court.

³⁷Nobody can speak and have it happen

unless the Lord commands it.

³⁸Both bad and good things

come by the command of the Most High God.

³⁹No one should complain

when he is punished for his sins.

⁴⁰Let us examine and see what we have done

and then return to the Lord.

⁴¹Let us lift up our hands and pray from our hearts

to God in heaven:

⁴²“We have sinned and turned against you,

and you have not forgiven us.

⁴³“You wrapped yourself in anger and chased us;

you killed us without mercy.

⁴⁴You wrapped yourself in a cloud,

and no prayer could get through.

⁴⁵You made us like scum and trash

among the other nations.

⁴⁶“All of our enemies

open their mouths and speak against us.

⁴⁷We have been frightened and fearful,

ruined and destroyed.”

⁴⁸Streams of tears flow from my eyes,

because my people are destroyed.

⁴⁹My tears flow continually,

without stopping,

⁵⁰until the Lord looks down

and sees from heaven.

⁵¹I am sad when I see

what has happened to all the women of my city.

⁵²Those who are my enemies for no reason

hunted me like a bird.

⁵³They tried to kill me in a pit;

they threw stones at me.

⁵⁴Water came up over my head,

and I said, “I am going to die.”

⁵⁵I called out to you, Lord,

from the bottom of the pit.

⁵⁶You heard me calling, “Do not close your ears

and ignore my gasps and shouts.”

⁵⁷You came near when I called to you;

you said, “Don’t be afraid.”

⁵⁸Lord, you have taken my case

and given me back my life.

⁵⁹Lord, you have seen how I have been wronged.

Now judge my case for me.

⁶⁰You have seen how my enemies took revenge on me

and made evil plans against me.

⁶¹Lord, you have heard their insults

and all their evil plans against me.

⁶²The words and thoughts of my enemies

are against me all the time.

⁶³Look! In everything they do

they make fun of me with songs.

⁶⁴Pay them back, Lord,

for what they have done.

⁶⁵Make them stubborn,

and put your curse on them.

⁶⁶Chase them in anger, Lord,

and destroy them from under your heavens.