Lamentations 3:46–59

⁴⁶“All of our enemies have opened their mouths wide

to swallow us up.

⁴⁷We are terrified and trapped.

We are broken and destroyed.”

⁴⁸Streams of tears flow from my eyes.

That’s because my people are destroyed.

⁴⁹Tears will never stop flowing from my eyes.

My eyes can’t get any rest.

⁵⁰I’ll sob until the Lord looks down from heaven.

I’ll cry until he notices my tears.

⁵¹What I see brings pain to my spirit.

All of the people in my city are suffering so much.

⁵²Those who were my enemies for no reason at all

hunted me down as if I were a bird.

⁵³They tried to end my life

by throwing me into a deep pit.

They threw stones down at me.

⁵⁴The water rose and covered my head.

I thought I was going to die.

⁵⁵Lord, I called out to you.

I called out from the bottom of the pit.

⁵⁶I prayed, “Please don’t close your ears

to my cry for help.”

And you heard my appeal.

⁵⁷You came near when I called out to you.

You said, “Do not be afraid.”

⁵⁸Lord, you stood up for me in court.

You saved my life and set me free.

⁵⁹Lord, you have seen the wrong things

people have done to me.

Stand up for me again!