Lamentations 3:37-58

English Standard Version

^37 (A)Who has spoken and it came to pass,
    unless the Lord has commanded it?
^38 (B)Is it not from the mouth of the Most High
    that good and bad come?
^39 (C)Why should a living man complain,
    a man, about the punishment of his sins?

⁴⁰ Let us test and examine our ways,
    ^(D)and return to the Lord!
^41 (E)Let us lift up our hearts and hands
    to God in heaven:
^42 (F)“We have transgressed and ^(G)rebelled,
    and you have not forgiven.

⁴³ “You have wrapped yourself with anger and pursued us,
    ^(H)killing without pity;
^44 (I)you have wrapped yourself with a cloud
    so that no prayer can pass through.
^45 (J)You have made us scum and garbage
    among the peoples.

^46 (K)“All our enemies
    open their mouths against us;
^47 (L)panic and pitfall have come upon us,
    devastation and ^(M)destruction;
^48 (N)my eyes flow with rivers of tears
    because of the destruction of the daughter of my people.

^49 (O)“My eyes will flow without ceasing,
    without respite,
^50 (P)until the Lord from heaven
    looks down and sees;
⁵¹ my eyes cause me grief
    at the fate of all the daughters of my city.

^52 (Q)“I have been hunted ^(R)like a bird
    by those who were my enemies ^(S)without cause;
^53 (T)they flung me alive into the pit^{[a]
    (U)}and cast stones on me;
^54 (V)water closed over my head;
    I said, ^(W)‘I am lost.’

^55 (X)“I called on your name, O Lord,
    from the depths of the pit;
^56 (Y)you heard my plea, ‘Do not close
    your ear to my cry for help!’
^57 (Z)You came near when I called on you;
    you said, ^(AA)‘Do not fear!’

⁵⁸ “You have ^(AB)taken up my cause, ^(AC)O Lord;
    you have ^(AD)redeemed my life.