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Lamentations 3-5
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Lamentations 3-5
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
God’s Steadfast Love Endures
3 I am one who has seen affliction
under the rod of God’s[a] wrath;(A)
2 he has driven and brought me
into darkness without any light;
3 against me alone he turns his hand,
again and again, all day long.(B)
4 He has made my flesh and my skin waste away;
he has broken my bones;(C)
5 he has besieged and enveloped me
with bitterness and tribulation;
6 he has made me sit in darkness
like the dead of long ago.(D)
7 He has walled me about so that I cannot escape;
he has put heavy chains on me;(E)
8 though I call and cry for help,
he shuts out my prayer;(F)
9 he has blocked my ways with hewn stones;
he has made my paths crooked.
10 He is a bear lying in wait for me,
a lion in hiding;(G)
11 he led me off my way and tore me to pieces;
he has made me desolate;
12 he bent his bow and set me
as a mark for his arrow.(H)
13 He shot into my vitals
the arrows of his quiver;
14 I have become the laughingstock of all my people,
the object of their taunt songs all day long.(I)
15 He has filled me with bitterness;
he has sated me with wormwood.
16 He has made my teeth grind on gravel;
he has made me cower in ashes;
17 my soul is bereft of peace;
I have forgotten what happiness is;
18 so I say, “Gone is my glory
and all that I had hoped for from the Lord.”
19 The thought of my affliction and my homelessness
is wormwood and gall!(J)
20 My soul continually thinks of it
and is bowed down within me.(K)
21 But this I call to mind,
and therefore I have hope:
22 The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases,[b]
his mercies never come to an end;(L)
23 they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.(M)
24 “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,
“therefore I will hope in him.”(N)
25 The Lord is good to those who wait for him,
to the soul that seeks him.(O)
26 It is good that one should wait quietly
for the salvation of the Lord.(P)
27 It is good for one to bear
the yoke in youth,(Q)
28 to sit alone in silence
when the Lord[c] has imposed it,(R)
29 to put one’s mouth to the dust
(there may yet be hope),
30 to give one’s cheek to the smiter
and be filled with insults.(S)
31 For the Lord will not
reject forever.(T)
32 Although he causes grief, he will have compassion
according to the abundance of his steadfast love;(U)
33 for he does not willingly afflict
or grieve anyone.(V)
34 When all the prisoners of the land
are crushed under foot,
35 when justice is perverted
in the presence of the Most High,(W)
36 when one’s case is subverted—
does the Lord not see it?(X)
37 Who can command and have it done,
if the Lord has not ordained it?(Y)
38 Is it not from the mouth of the Most High
that evil and good come?(Z)
39 Why should any who draw breath complain
about the punishment of their sins?(AA)
40 Let us test and examine our ways
and return to the Lord.(AB)
41 Let us lift up our hearts as well as our hands
to God in heaven.(AC)
42 We have transgressed and rebelled,
and you have not forgiven.(AD)
43 You have wrapped yourself with anger and pursued us,
killing without pity;(AE)
44 you have wrapped yourself with a cloud
so that no prayer can pass through.
45 You have made us filth and rubbish
among the peoples.(AF)
46 All our enemies
have opened their mouths against us;(AG)
47 panic and pitfall have come upon us,
devastation and destruction.(AH)
48 My eyes flow with rivers of tears
because of the destruction of my people.[d]
49 My eyes will flow without ceasing,
without respite,(AI)
50 until the Lord from heaven
looks down and sees.(AJ)
51 My eyes cause me grief
at the fate of all the young women in my city.
52 Those who were my enemies without cause
have hunted me like a bird;(AK)
53 they flung me alive into a pit
and hurled stones on me;(AL)
54 water closed over my head;
I said, “I am lost.”(AM)
55 I called on your name, O Lord,
from the depths of the pit;(AN)
56 you heard my plea, “Do not close your ear
to my cry for help, but give me relief!”(AO)
57 You came near when I called on you;
you said, “Do not fear!”(AP)
58 You have taken up my cause, O Lord;
you have redeemed my life.(AQ)
59 You have seen the wrong done to me, O Lord;
judge my cause.
60 You have seen all their malice,
all their plots against me.(AR)
61 You have heard their taunts, O Lord,
all their plots against me.
62 The whispers and murmurs of my assailants
are against me all day long.
63 Whether they sit or rise—see,
I am the object of their taunt songs.
64 Pay them back for their deeds, O Lord,
according to the work of their hands!
65 Give them anguish of heart;
your curse be on them!
66 Pursue them in anger and destroy them
from under the Lord’s heavens.(AS)
The Punishment of Zion
4 How the gold has grown dim;
how the pure gold is changed!
The sacred stones lie scattered
at the head of every street.
2 The precious children of Zion,
worth their weight in fine gold—
how they are reckoned as earthen pots,
the work of a potter’s hands!(AT)
3 Even the jackals offer the breast
and nurse their young,
but my people has become cruel,
like the ostriches in the wilderness.(AU)
4 The tongue of the infant sticks
to the roof of its mouth for thirst;
the children beg for food,
but there is nothing for them.(AV)
5 Those who feasted on delicacies
perish in the streets;
those who were brought up in purple
cling to ash heaps.
6 For the chastisement of my people has been greater
than the punishment of Sodom,
which was overthrown in a moment,
though no hand was laid on it.[e](AW)
7 Her princes were purer than snow,
whiter than milk;
their bodies were more ruddy than coral,
their form cut like sapphire.[f](AX)
8 Now their visage is blacker than soot;
they are not recognized in the streets.
Their skin has shriveled on their bones;
it has become as dry as wood.(AY)
9 Happier were those pierced by the sword
than those pierced by hunger,
whose life drains away, deprived
of the produce of the field.(AZ)
10 The hands of compassionate women
have boiled their own children;
they became their food
in the destruction of my people.(BA)
11 The Lord gave full vent to his wrath;
he poured out his hot anger
and kindled a fire in Zion
that consumed its foundations.(BB)
12 The kings of the earth did not believe,
nor did any of the inhabitants of the world,
that foe or enemy could enter
the gates of Jerusalem.(BC)
13 It was for the sins of her prophets
and the iniquities of her priests,
who shed the blood of the righteous
in her midst.(BD)
14 Blindly they wandered through the streets,
so defiled with blood
that no one was able
to touch their garments.(BE)
15 “Away! Unclean!” people shouted at them;
“Away! Away! Do not touch!”
So they became fugitives and wanderers;
it was said among the nations,
“They shall stay here no longer.”(BF)
16 The Lord himself has scattered them;
he will regard them no more;
no honor was shown to the priests,
no favor to the elders.(BG)
17 Our eyes failed, ever watching
vainly for help;
we were watching eagerly
for a nation that could not save.(BH)
18 They dogged our steps
so that we could not walk in our streets;
our end drew near; our days were numbered,
for our end had come.(BI)
19 Our pursuers were swifter
than the eagles in the heavens;
they chased us on the mountains;
they lay in wait for us in the wilderness.(BJ)
20 The Lord’s anointed, the breath of our life,
was taken in their pits—
the one of whom we said, “Under his shadow
we shall live among the nations.”(BK)
21 Rejoice and be glad, O daughter Edom,
you that live in the land of Uz;
but to you also the cup shall pass;
you shall become drunk and strip yourself bare.(BL)
22 The punishment of your iniquity, O daughter Zion, is accomplished;
he will keep you in exile no longer;
but your iniquity, O daughter Edom, he will punish;
he will uncover your sins.(BM)
A Plea for Mercy
5 Remember, O Lord, what has befallen us;
look, and see our disgrace!(BN)
2 Our inheritance has been turned over to strangers,
our homes to aliens.(BO)
3 We have become orphans, fatherless;
our mothers are like widows.
4 We must pay for the water we drink;
the wood we get must be bought.
5 With a yoke[g] on our necks we are hard driven;
we are weary; we are given no rest.(BP)
6 We have made a pact with[h] Egypt and Assyria
to get enough bread.(BQ)
7 Our ancestors sinned; they are no more,
and we bear their iniquities.(BR)
8 Slaves rule over us;
there is no one to deliver us from their hand.(BS)
9 We get our bread at the peril of our lives,
because of the sword in the wilderness.
10 Our skin is black as an oven
from the scorching heat of famine.(BT)
11 Women are raped in Zion,
young women in the towns of Judah.(BU)
12 Princes are hung up by their hands;
no respect is shown to the elders.(BV)
13 Young men are compelled to grind,
and boys stagger under loads of wood.(BW)
14 The old men have left the city gate,
the young men their music.
15 The joy of our hearts has ceased;
our dancing has been turned to mourning.(BX)
16 The crown has fallen from our head;
woe to us, for we have sinned!
17 Because of this our hearts are sick;
because of these things our eyes have grown dim:(BY)
18 because of Mount Zion, which lies desolate;
jackals prowl over it.
19 But you, O Lord, reign forever;
your throne endures to all generations.(BZ)
20 Why have you forgotten us completely?
Why have you forsaken us these many days?(CA)
21 Restore us to yourself, O Lord, that we may be restored;
renew our days as of old—(CB)
22 unless you have utterly rejected us
and are angry with us beyond measure.(CC)
Lamentations 3-5
New International Version
Lamentations 3-5
New International Version
3 [a]I am the man who has seen affliction(A)
by the rod of the Lord’s wrath.(B)
2 He has driven me away and made me walk
in darkness(C) rather than light;
3 indeed, he has turned his hand against me(D)
again and again, all day long.
4 He has made my skin and my flesh grow old(E)
and has broken my bones.(F)
5 He has besieged me and surrounded me
with bitterness(G) and hardship.(H)
6 He has made me dwell in darkness
like those long dead.(I)
7 He has walled me in so I cannot escape;(J)
he has weighed me down with chains.(K)
8 Even when I call out or cry for help,(L)
he shuts out my prayer.(M)
9 He has barred(N) my way with blocks of stone;
he has made my paths crooked.(O)
10 Like a bear lying in wait,
like a lion(P) in hiding,(Q)
11 he dragged me from the path and mangled(R) me
and left me without help.
12 He drew his bow(S)
and made me the target(T) for his arrows.(U)
13 He pierced(V) my heart
with arrows from his quiver.(W)
14 I became the laughingstock(X) of all my people;(Y)
they mock me in song(Z) all day long.
15 He has filled me with bitter herbs
and given me gall to drink.(AA)
16 He has broken my teeth with gravel;(AB)
he has trampled me in the dust.(AC)
17 I have been deprived of peace;
I have forgotten what prosperity is.
18 So I say, “My splendor is gone
and all that I had hoped from the Lord.”(AD)
19 I remember my affliction and my wandering,
the bitterness(AE) and the gall.(AF)
20 I well remember them,
and my soul is downcast(AG) within me.(AH)
21 Yet this I call to mind
and therefore I have hope:
22 Because of the Lord’s great love(AI) we are not consumed,(AJ)
for his compassions never fail.(AK)
23 They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.(AL)
24 I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion;(AM)
therefore I will wait for him.”
25 The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him,
to the one who seeks him;(AN)
26 it is good to wait quietly(AO)
for the salvation of the Lord.(AP)
27 It is good for a man to bear the yoke
while he is young.
28 Let him sit alone in silence,(AQ)
for the Lord has laid it on him.
29 Let him bury his face in the dust(AR)—
there may yet be hope.(AS)
30 Let him offer his cheek to one who would strike him,(AT)
and let him be filled with disgrace.(AU)
31 For no one is cast off
by the Lord forever.(AV)
32 Though he brings grief, he will show compassion,
so great is his unfailing love.(AW)
33 For he does not willingly bring affliction
or grief to anyone.(AX)
34 To crush underfoot
all prisoners in the land,
35 to deny people their rights
before the Most High,(AY)
36 to deprive them of justice—
would not the Lord see such things?(AZ)
37 Who can speak and have it happen
if the Lord has not decreed it?(BA)
38 Is it not from the mouth of the Most High
that both calamities and good things come?(BB)
39 Why should the living complain
when punished for their sins?(BC)
40 Let us examine our ways and test them,(BD)
and let us return to the Lord.(BE)
41 Let us lift up our hearts and our hands
to God in heaven,(BF) and say:
42 “We have sinned and rebelled(BG)
and you have not forgiven.(BH)
43 “You have covered yourself with anger and pursued(BI) us;
you have slain without pity.(BJ)
44 You have covered yourself with a cloud(BK)
so that no prayer(BL) can get through.(BM)
45 You have made us scum(BN) and refuse
among the nations.
46 “All our enemies have opened their mouths
wide(BO) against us.(BP)
47 We have suffered terror and pitfalls,(BQ)
ruin and destruction.(BR)”
48 Streams of tears(BS) flow from my eyes(BT)
because my people are destroyed.(BU)
49 My eyes will flow unceasingly,
without relief,(BV)
50 until the Lord looks down
from heaven and sees.(BW)
51 What I see brings grief to my soul
because of all the women of my city.
52 Those who were my enemies without cause
hunted me like a bird.(BX)
53 They tried to end my life in a pit(BY)
and threw stones at me;
54 the waters closed over my head,(BZ)
and I thought I was about to perish.(CA)
55 I called on your name, Lord,
from the depths(CB) of the pit.(CC)
56 You heard my plea:(CD) “Do not close your ears
to my cry for relief.”
57 You came near(CE) when I called you,
and you said, “Do not fear.”(CF)
58 You, Lord, took up my case;(CG)
you redeemed my life.(CH)
59 Lord, you have seen the wrong done to me.(CI)
Uphold my cause!(CJ)
60 You have seen the depth of their vengeance,
all their plots against me.(CK)
61 Lord, you have heard their insults,(CL)
all their plots against me—
62 what my enemies whisper and mutter
against me all day long.(CM)
63 Look at them! Sitting or standing,
they mock me in their songs.(CN)
64 Pay them back what they deserve, Lord,
for what their hands have done.(CO)
65 Put a veil over their hearts,(CP)
and may your curse be on them!
66 Pursue(CQ) them in anger and destroy them
from under the heavens of the Lord.
4 [b]How the gold has lost its luster,
the fine gold become dull!
The sacred gems are scattered
at every street corner.(CR)
2 How the precious children of Zion,(CS)
once worth their weight in gold,
are now considered as pots of clay,
the work of a potter’s hands!
3 Even jackals offer their breasts
to nurse their young,
but my people have become heartless
like ostriches in the desert.(CT)
4 Because of thirst(CU) the infant’s tongue
sticks to the roof of its mouth;(CV)
the children beg for bread,
but no one gives it to them.(CW)
5 Those who once ate delicacies
are destitute in the streets.
Those brought up in royal purple(CX)
now lie on ash heaps.(CY)
6 The punishment of my people
is greater than that of Sodom,(CZ)
which was overthrown in a moment
without a hand turned to help her.
7 Their princes were brighter than snow
and whiter than milk,
their bodies more ruddy than rubies,
their appearance like lapis lazuli.
8 But now they are blacker(DA) than soot;
they are not recognized in the streets.
Their skin has shriveled on their bones;(DB)
it has become as dry as a stick.
9 Those killed by the sword are better off
than those who die of famine;(DC)
racked with hunger, they waste away
for lack of food from the field.(DD)
10 With their own hands compassionate women
have cooked their own children,(DE)
who became their food
when my people were destroyed.
11 The Lord has given full vent to his wrath;(DF)
he has poured out(DG) his fierce anger.(DH)
He kindled a fire(DI) in Zion
that consumed her foundations.(DJ)
12 The kings of the earth did not believe,
nor did any of the peoples of the world,
that enemies and foes could enter
the gates of Jerusalem.(DK)
13 But it happened because of the sins of her prophets
and the iniquities of her priests,(DL)
who shed within her
the blood(DM) of the righteous.
14 Now they grope through the streets
as if they were blind.(DN)
They are so defiled with blood(DO)
that no one dares to touch their garments.
15 “Go away! You are unclean!” people cry to them.
“Away! Away! Don’t touch us!”
When they flee and wander(DP) about,
people among the nations say,
“They can stay here no longer.”(DQ)
16 The Lord himself has scattered them;
he no longer watches over them.(DR)
The priests are shown no honor,
the elders(DS) no favor.(DT)
17 Moreover, our eyes failed,
looking in vain(DU) for help;(DV)
from our towers we watched
for a nation(DW) that could not save us.
18 People stalked us at every step,
so we could not walk in our streets.
Our end was near, our days were numbered,
for our end had come.(DX)
19 Our pursuers were swifter
than eagles(DY) in the sky;
they chased us(DZ) over the mountains
and lay in wait for us in the desert.(EA)
20 The Lord’s anointed,(EB) our very life breath,
was caught in their traps.(EC)
We thought that under his shadow(ED)
we would live among the nations.
21 Rejoice and be glad, Daughter Edom,
you who live in the land of Uz.(EE)
But to you also the cup(EF) will be passed;
you will be drunk and stripped naked.(EG)
22 Your punishment will end, Daughter Zion;(EH)
he will not prolong your exile.
But he will punish your sin, Daughter Edom,
and expose your wickedness.(EI)
5 Remember, Lord, what has happened to us;
look, and see our disgrace.(EJ)
2 Our inheritance(EK) has been turned over to strangers,(EL)
our homes(EM) to foreigners.(EN)
3 We have become fatherless,
our mothers are widows.(EO)
4 We must buy the water we drink;(EP)
our wood can be had only at a price.(EQ)
5 Those who pursue us are at our heels;
we are weary(ER) and find no rest.(ES)
6 We submitted to Egypt and Assyria(ET)
to get enough bread.
7 Our ancestors(EU) sinned and are no more,
and we bear their punishment.(EV)
8 Slaves(EW) rule over us,
and there is no one to free us from their hands.(EX)
9 We get our bread at the risk of our lives
because of the sword in the desert.
10 Our skin is hot as an oven,
feverish from hunger.(EY)
11 Women have been violated(EZ) in Zion,
and virgins in the towns of Judah.
12 Princes have been hung up by their hands;
elders(FA) are shown no respect.(FB)
13 Young men toil at the millstones;
boys stagger under loads of wood.
14 The elders are gone from the city gate;
the young men have stopped their music.(FC)
15 Joy is gone from our hearts;
our dancing has turned to mourning.(FD)
16 The crown(FE) has fallen from our head.(FF)
Woe to us, for we have sinned!(FG)
17 Because of this our hearts(FH) are faint,(FI)
because of these things our eyes(FJ) grow dim(FK)
18 for Mount Zion,(FL) which lies desolate,(FM)
with jackals prowling over it.
19 You, Lord, reign forever;(FN)
your throne endures(FO) from generation to generation.
20 Why do you always forget us?(FP)
Why do you forsake(FQ) us so long?
21 Restore(FR) us to yourself, Lord, that we may return;
renew our days as of old
22 unless you have utterly rejected us(FS)
and are angry with us beyond measure.(FT)
Footnotes
- Lamentations 3:1 This chapter is an acrostic poem; the verses of each stanza begin with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet, and the verses within each stanza begin with the same letter.
- Lamentations 4:1 This chapter is an acrostic poem, the verses of which begin with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet.
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition (NRSVUE)
New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
New International Version (NIV) 
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