Lamentations 3

3^aI am the man who has seen affliction^j

by the rod of the Lord’s wrath.^k

²He has driven me away and made me walk

in darkness^l rather than light;

³indeed, he has turned his hand against me^m

again and again, all day long.

⁴He has made my skin and my flesh grow oldⁿ

and has broken my bones.^o

⁵He has besieged me and surrounded me

with bitterness^p and hardship.^q

⁶He has made me dwell in darkness

like those long dead.^r

⁷He has walled me in so I cannot escape;^s

he has weighed me down with chains.^t

⁸Even when I call out or cry for help,^u

he shuts out my prayer.^v

⁹He has barred^w my way with blocks of stone;

he has made my paths crooked.^x

¹⁰Like a bear lying in wait,

like a lion^y in hiding,^z

¹¹he dragged me from the path and mangled^a me

and left me without help.

¹²He drew his bow^b

and made me the target^c for his arrows.^d

¹³He pierced^e my heart

with arrows from his quiver.^f

¹⁴I became the laughingstock^g of all my people;^h

they mock me in songⁱ all day long.

¹⁵He has filled me with bitter herbs

and given me gall to drink.^j

¹⁶He has broken my teeth with gravel;^k

he has trampled me in the dust.^l

¹⁷I have been deprived of peace;

I have forgotten what prosperity is.

¹⁸So I say, “My splendor is gone

and all that I had hoped from the Lord.”^m

¹⁹I remember my affliction and my wandering,

the bitternessⁿ and the gall.^o

²⁰I well remember them,

and my soul is downcast^p within me.^q

²¹Yet this I call to mind

and therefore I have hope:

²²Because of the Lord’s great love^r we are not consumed,^s

for his compassions never fail.^t

²³They are new every morning;

great is your faithfulness.^u

²⁴I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion;^v

therefore I will wait for him.”

²⁵The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him,

to the one who seeks him;^w

²⁶it is good to wait quietly^x

for the salvation of the Lord.^y

²⁷It is good for a man to bear the yoke

while he is young.

²⁸Let him sit alone in silence,^z

for the Lord has laid it on him.

²⁹Let him bury his face in the dust^a—

there may yet be hope.^b

³⁰Let him offer his cheek to one who would strike him,^c

and let him be filled with disgrace.^d

³¹For no one is cast off

by the Lord forever.^e

³²Though he brings grief, he will show compassion,

so great is his unfailing love.^f

³³For he does not willingly bring affliction

or grief to anyone.^g

³⁴To crush underfoot

all prisoners in the land,

³⁵to deny people their rights

before the Most High,^h

³⁶to deprive them of justice—

would not the Lord see such things?ⁱ

³⁷Who can speak and have it happen

if the Lord has not decreed it?^j

³⁸Is it not from the mouth of the Most High

that both calamities and good things come?^k

³⁹Why should the living complain

when punished for their sins?^l

⁴⁰Let us examine our ways and test them,^m

and let us return to the Lord.ⁿ

⁴¹Let us lift up our hearts and our hands

to God in heaven,^o and say:

⁴²“We have sinned and rebelled^p

and you have not forgiven.^q

⁴³“You have covered yourself with anger and pursued^r us;

you have slain without pity.^s

⁴⁴You have covered yourself with a cloud^t

so that no prayer^u can get through.^v

⁴⁵You have made us scum^w and refuse

among the nations.

⁴⁶“All our enemies have opened their mouths

wide^x against us.^y

⁴⁷We have suffered terror and pitfalls,^z

ruin and destruction.^a”

⁴⁸Streams of tears^b flow from my eyes^c

because my people are destroyed.^d

⁴⁹My eyes will flow unceasingly,

without relief,^e

⁵⁰until the Lord looks down

from heaven and sees.^f

⁵¹What I see brings grief to my soul

because of all the women of my city.

⁵²Those who were my enemies without cause

hunted me like a bird.^g

⁵³They tried to end my life in a pit^h

and threw stones at me;

⁵⁴the waters closed over my head,ⁱ

and I thought I was about to perish.^j

⁵⁵I called on your name, Lord,

from the depths^k of the pit.^l

⁵⁶You heard my plea:^m “Do not close your ears

to my cry for relief.”

⁵⁷You came nearⁿ when I called you,

and you said, “Do not fear.”^o

⁵⁸You, Lord, took up my case;^p

you redeemed my life.^q

⁵⁹Lord, you have seen the wrong done to me.^r

Uphold my cause!^s

⁶⁰You have seen the depth of their vengeance,

all their plots against me.^t

⁶¹Lord, you have heard their insults,^u

all their plots against me—

⁶²what my enemies whisper and mutter

against me all day long.^v

⁶³Look at them! Sitting or standing,

they mock me in their songs.^w

⁶⁴Pay them back what they deserve, Lord,

for what their hands have done.^x

⁶⁵Put a veil over their hearts,^y

and may your curse be on them!

⁶⁶Pursue^z them in anger and destroy them

from under the heavens of the Lord.