Lam 3 | HCSB | STEP | I am the man who has seen affliction under the rod of God’s wrath .

Lamentations 3

Hope through God’s Mercy

‏א‎ Alef

1 I am the man who has seen affliction
under the rod of God’s wrath.
2 He has driven me away and forced me to walk
in darkness instead of light. ^a
3 Yes, He repeatedly turns His hand
against me all day long.

‏ב‎ Bet

4 He has worn away my flesh and skin; ^b
He has shattered my bones. ^c
5 He has laid siege against me, ^d
encircling me with bitterness and hardship. ^e
6 He has made me dwell in darkness
like those who have been dead for ages. ^f

‏ג‎ Gimel

7 He has walled me in so I cannot escape; ^g
He has weighed me down with chains.
8 Even when I cry out and plead for help,
He rejects my prayer. ^h
9 He has walled in my ways with cut stones; ⁱ
He has made my paths crooked. ^j

‏ד‎ Dalet

10 He is ^{▼▼Lit is to me} a bear waiting in ambush,
a lion in hiding. ^l
11 He forced me off my way and tore me to pieces;
He left me desolate.
12 He strung His bow ^m
and set me as the target for His arrow.

‏ה‎ He

13 He pierced my kidneys
with His arrows. ⁿ
14 I am a laughingstock ^o to all my people, ^{▼▼Some Hb mss, LXX, Vg; other Hb mss, Syr read all peoples}
mocked by their songs ^q all day long.
15 He filled me with bitterness,
satiated me with ^{▼▼wormwood: A small shrub used as a medicinal herb, noted for its bitter taste}wormwood. ^s

‏ו‎ Vav

16 He ground my teeth on gravel ^t
and made me cower ^{▼▼Or and trampled me} in the dust.
17 My soul has been deprived ^{▼▼Syr, Vg; MT reads You deprived my soul} of peace; ^w
I have forgotten what happiness is.
18 Then I thought: My future ^{▼▼Or splendor} is lost,
as well as my hope from the Lord.

‏ז‎ Zayin

19 Remember ^{▼▼Or I remember} my affliction and my homelessness, ^z
the wormwood and the poison. ^aa
20 I continually remember them
and have become depressed. ^{▼▼Ancient Jewish tradition reads and You cause me to collapse
,} ^ac
21 Yet I call this to mind,
and therefore I have hope: ^ad

‏ח‎ Khet

22 Because of the Lord’s faithful love ^ae
we do not perish, ^{▼▼One Hb mss, Syr, Tg read The Lord’s faithful love, indeed, does not perish}
for His mercies never end.
23 They are new every morning;
great is Your faithfulness! ^ag
24 I say: The Lord is my portion, ^ah
therefore I will put my hope in Him.

‏ט‎ Tet

25 The Lord is good to those who wait ^ai for Him,
to the person who seeks Him.
26 It is good to wait quietly ^aj
for deliverance from the Lord. ^ak
27 It is good for a man to bear the yoke ^al
while he is still young.

‏י‎ Yod

28 Let him sit alone and be silent, ^am
for God has disciplined him.
29 Let him put his mouth in the dust ^an –
perhaps there is still hope.
30 Let him offer his cheek
to the one who would strike him; ^ao
let him be filled with shame.

‏כ‎ Kaf

31 For the Lord
will not reject us forever.
32 Even if He causes suffering,
He will show compassion
according to His abundant, faithful love. ^ap
33 For He does not enjoy bringing affliction ^aq
or suffering on ^{▼▼mankind: Literally sons of man or sons of Adam}mankind.

‏ל‎ Lamed

34 Crushing all the prisoners of the land ^{▼▼Or earth}
beneath one’s feet,
35 denying justice to a man ^at
in the presence of the ^{▼▼Most High: The Hebrew word is Elyon. It is often used with other names of God, such as El (God) or Yahweh (Lord); it is used to refer to God as the supreme being.}Most High,
36 or suppressing a person’s lawsuit ^av –
the Lord does not approve of these things.

‏מ‎ Mem

37 Who is there who speaks and it happens,
unless the Lord has ordained it? ^aw
38 Do not both adversity and good
come from the mouth of the Most High? ^ax
39 Why should any living person complain,
any man, because of the punishment for his sins?

‏נ‎ Nun

40 Let us search out and examine our ways,
and turn back to the Lord. ^ay
41 Let us lift up our hearts and our hands ^az
to God in heaven:
42 We have sinned and rebelled;
You have not forgiven. ^ba

‏ס‎ Samek

43 You have covered Yourself in anger and pursued us;
You have killed without compassion. ^bb
44 You have covered Yourself with a cloud
so that no prayer can pass through. ^bc
45 You have made us disgusting filth
among the peoples. ^bd

‏פ‎ Pe

46 All our enemies
open their mouths against us. ^be
47 We have experienced panic and pitfall, ^bf
devastation and destruction.
48 My eyes flow with streams of tears
because of the destruction of my dear people.

‏ע‎ Ayin

49 My eyes overflow unceasingly,
without end, ^bg
50 until the Lord looks down
from heaven and sees. ^bh
51 My eyes bring me grief
because of the fate of all the women in my city.

‏צ‎ Tsade

52 For no apparent reason, my enemies ^{▼▼Or Those who were my enemies for no reason}
hunted me like a bird. ^bj
53 They dropped me alive into ^{▼▼Or They ended my life in; Hb obscure} a pit ^bl
and threw stones at me.
54 Water flooded over my head, ^bm
and I thought: I’m going to die! ^bn

‏ק‎ Qof

55 I called on Your name, ^{▼▼Yahweh/Yah: Or The Lord; the personal name of God in Hebrew; "Yah" is the shortened form of the name.}Yahweh,
from the depths of the ^{▼▼Pit: Either the grave or the realm of the dead}Pit. ^bq
56 You hear my plea:
Do not ignore my cry for relief.
57 You come near when I call on You;
You say: “Do not be afraid.”

‏ר‎ Resh

58 You defend my cause, Lord; ^br
You redeem my life. ^bs
59 Lord, You see the wrong done to me;
judge my case.
60 You see all their malice,
all their plots against me. ^bt

‏ׂש‎ Sin/ ‏ׁש‎ Shin

61 Lord, You hear their insults, ^bu
all their plots against me.
62 The slander ^{▼▼Lit lips} and murmuring of my opponents
attack me all day long.
63 When they sit and when they rise, look,
I am mocked by their songs. ^bw

‏ת‎ Tav

64 You will pay them back what they deserve, Lord,
according to the work of their hands. ^bx
65 You will give them a heart filled with anguish. ^{▼▼Or them an obstinate heart; Hb obscure
,} ^bz
May Your curse be on them!
66 You will pursue them in anger and destroy them
under Your heavens. ^{▼▼LXX, Syr, Vg read heavens, Lord
,} ^{▼▼Lit under the Lord’s heavens
,} ^cc