刑罚、悔改和盼望

我在耶和华烈怒的杖下受尽痛苦。
祂把我赶进黑暗,
使我不见光明,
又屡屡攻击我,终日不断。

祂使我皮肉枯槁,
祂折断我的骨头。
祂使我四面受困,
尝尽痛苦艰辛。
祂使我住在幽暗中,
像久已死去的人。

祂围困我,使我无法逃脱,
祂给我戴上沉重的铜链。
即使我哀哭呼求,
祂也掩耳不听。
祂用凿好的石头阻挡我的去路,
使我的道路曲折难行。

10 祂像埋伏的巨熊,
又像伺机突袭的猛狮,
11 把我拖离大路,
将我撕成碎片,一片凄凉。
12 祂弯弓搭箭,把我当箭靶,

13 用箭袋中的箭射穿我的心脏。
14 我成了万人的笑柄,
他们终日唱歌讽刺我。
15 祂使我饱受苦楚,尝尽苦涩。

16 祂用石头打断我的牙齿,
把我践踏在尘土中。
17 我失去平安,
忘记了什么是快乐。
18 我说:“我精疲力竭,
对耶和华失去盼望。”

19 想起我的痛苦和漂泊流离,
就如苦艾和胆汁一样苦涩。
20 那情景萦绕心头,
使我心情沉重。
21 然而,我想起这事,
便有了盼望,

22 就是耶和华的慈爱永不终止,
祂的怜悯永无穷尽。
23 祂的慈爱和怜悯每天早晨都是新的,
祂的信实无比伟大!
24 我心里知道,
耶和华是我的产业,
我要仰望祂。

25 耶和华必赐福给那些等候和寻求祂的人,
26 因此,默然等候耶和华的拯救是美好的。
27 年轻时负轭受苦是有益的。

28 受耶和华管教时,
要默然独坐。
29 要谦卑,脸伏于地,
或许还有希望。
30 要任人打脸,甘心忍受凌辱。

31 因为主不会永远撇弃人。
32 主尽管使人忧伤,
祂依然怜悯人,
因为祂有无限的慈爱。
33 祂不愿使人忧伤、痛苦。

34 将囚犯踩在脚下,
35 在至高者面前冤枉他人,
36 审理案件时颠倒是非,
都是主所不容许的。

37 若非主许可,
谁的话可以兑现呢?
38 祸福岂不都出自至高者的口吗?
39 世人因自己的罪受罚,
又何必怨天尤人呢?

40 我们要省察自己的行为,
重新归向耶和华。
41 让我们举起双手,
诚心向天上的上帝祷告说:
42 “我们犯罪、背叛,
你没有赦免我们。

43 “你满怀愤怒地追赶我们,
毫不留情地杀戮我们。
44 你以密云遮盖自己,
以致祷告达不到你那里。
45 你使我们在列国中沦为废物、渣滓。

46 “我们的仇敌都幸灾乐祸。
47 我们充满恐惧,
面临陷阱、残害和毁灭。”
48 因同胞被毁灭,我泪流成河。

49 我的眼泪涌流不息,
50 直到耶和华从天上垂顾。
51 目睹城中妇女的遭遇,
我痛苦不已。

52 敌人无故地追捕我,
如同捕猎飞鸟。
53 他们把我推进坑里,
又用石头砸我。
54 水已经漫过我的头,
我想我要灭亡了。

55 耶和华啊,
我在深渊呼求你的名。
56 你曾垂听我的呼求,
求你现在不要掩耳不听我的祈祷。
57 我向你呼求的时候,
你曾走近我身旁,
安慰我说:“不用害怕!”

58 主啊,你为我申了冤,
救赎了我的性命。
59 耶和华啊,你已明察我的冤情,
求你为我主持公道。
60 你看见了他们怎样仇恨我、
谋害我。

61 你听见了他们怎样辱骂我、
谋害我。
62 他们整天诽谤我,图谋害我。
63 你看!他们或坐下或起来,
都唱歌讽刺我。

64 耶和华啊,
求你按照他们的所作所为报应他们!
65 求你使他们心里顽固,
好让你的咒诅落在他们身上!
66 求你发怒追赶他们,
从世上铲除他们!

I am the man that hath seen affliction by the rod of his wrath.

Me hath he led, and brought into darkness, and not into light.

Surely against me hath he turned again and again his hand all the day.

My flesh and my skin hath he wasted away, he hath broken my bones.

He hath built against me, and encompassed [me] with gall and toil.

He hath made me to dwell in dark places as those that have been long dead.

He hath hedged me about that I cannot get out: he hath made my chain heavy.

Even when I cry and shout, he shutteth out my prayer.

He hath inclosed my ways with hewn stone, he hath made my paths crooked.

10 He is unto me [as] a bear lying in wait, a lion in secret places.

11 He hath turned aside my ways, and pulled me in pieces; he hath made me desolate.

12 He hath bent his bow, and set me as a mark for the arrow.

13 He hath caused the arrows of his quiver to enter into my reins.

14 I am become a derision to all my people; their song all the day.

15 He hath sated me with bitterness, he hath made me drunk with wormwood.

16 He hath also broken my teeth with gravel stones, he hath covered me with ashes.

17 And thou hast removed my soul far off from peace: I have forgotten prosperity.

18 And I said, My strength is perished, and my hope in Jehovah.

19 Remember thou mine affliction and my wandering, the wormwood and the gall.

20 My soul hath [them] constantly in remembrance, and is humbled in me.

21 —This I recall to heart, therefore have I hope.

22 It is of Jehovah's loving-kindness we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not;

23 they are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.

24 Jehovah is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him.

25 Jehovah is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul [that] seeketh him.

26 It is good that one should both wait, and that in silence, for the salvation of Jehovah.

27 It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth:

28 He sitteth solitary and keepeth silence, because he hath laid it upon him;

29 he putteth his mouth in the dust, if so be there may be hope;

30 he giveth his cheek to him that smiteth him; he is filled full with reproach.

31 For the Lord will not cast off for ever;

32 but if he have caused grief, he will have compassion according to the multitude of his loving-kindnesses:

33 for he doth not willingly afflict or grieve the children of men.

34 To crush under foot all the prisoners of the earth,

35 to turn aside the right of a man before the face of the Most High,

36 to wrong a man in his cause,—will not the Lord see it?

37 Who is he that saith, and there cometh to pass, what the Lord hath not commanded?

38 Out of the mouth of the Most High doth not there proceed evil and good?

39 Wherefore doth a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins?

40 Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to Jehovah.

41 Let us lift up our heart with [our] hands unto God in the heavens.

42 We have transgressed and have rebelled: thou hast not pardoned.

43 Thou hast covered thyself with anger, and pursued us; thou hast slain, thou hast not spared.

44 Thou hast covered thyself with a cloud, that prayer should not pass through.

45 Thou hast made us the offscouring and refuse in the midst of the peoples.

46 All our enemies have opened their mouth against us.

47 Fear and the pit are come upon us, devastation and ruin.

48 Mine eye runneth down with streams of water for the ruin of the daughter of my people.

49 Mine eye poureth down, and ceaseth not, without any intermission,

50 till Jehovah look down and behold from the heavens.

51 Mine eye affecteth my soul, because of all the daughters of my city.

52 They that are mine enemies without cause have chased me sore like a bird.

53 They have cut off my life in a pit, and cast a stone upon me.

54 Waters streamed over my head; I said, I am cut off.

55 I called upon thy name, Jehovah, out of the lowest pit.

56 Thou hast heard my voice: hide not thine ear at my sighing, at my cry.

57 Thou drewest near in the day that I called upon thee; thou saidst, Fear not.

58 Lord, thou hast pleaded the cause of my soul, thou hast redeemed my life.

59 Jehovah, thou hast seen my wrong: judge thou my cause.

60 Thou hast seen all their vengeance, all their imaginations against me.

61 Thou hast heard their reproach, O Jehovah, all their imaginations against me;

62 the lips of those that rise up against me and their meditation against me all the day.

63 Behold thou their sitting down and their rising up: I am their song.

64 Render unto them a recompence, O Jehovah, according to the work of their hands;

65 give them obduracy of heart, thy curse unto them;

66 pursue them in anger, and destroy them from under the heavens of Jehovah.

Hope through God’s Mercy

א Aleph

I am the man who has seen affliction
under the rod of God’s wrath.
He has driven me away and forced me to walk
in darkness instead of light.(A)
Yes, he repeatedly turns his hand
against me all day long.

ב Beth

He has worn away my flesh and skin;(B)
he has broken my bones.(C)
He has laid siege against me,(D)
encircling me with bitterness and hardship.(E)
He has made me dwell in darkness
like those who have been dead for ages.(F)

ג Gimel

He has walled me in so I cannot get out;(G)
he has weighed me down with chains.
Even when I cry out and plead for help,
he blocks out my prayer.(H)
He has walled in my ways with blocks of stone;(I)
he has made my paths crooked.(J)

ד Daleth

10 He is[a] a bear waiting in ambush,
a lion in hiding.(K)
11 He forced me off my way and tore me to pieces;
he left me desolate.
12 He strung his bow(L)
and set me as the target for his arrow.

ה He

13 He pierced my kidneys
with shafts from his quiver.(M)
14 I am a laughingstock(N) to all my people,[b]
mocked by their songs(O) all day long.
15 He filled me with bitterness,
satiated me with wormwood.(P)

ו Waw

16 He ground my teeth with gravel(Q)
and made me cower[c] in the dust.
17 I have been deprived[d] of peace;(R)
I have forgotten what prosperity is.
18 Then I thought, “My future[e] is lost,
as well as my hope from the Lord.”

ז Zayin

19 Remember[f] my affliction and my homelessness,(S)
the wormwood and the poison.(T)
20 I continually remember them
and have become depressed.[g](U)
21 Yet I call this to mind,
and therefore I have hope:(V)

ח Cheth

22 Because of the Lord’s faithful love(W)
we do not perish,[h]
for his mercies never end.
23 They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness!(X)
24 I say, “The Lord is my portion,(Y)
therefore I will put my hope in him.”

ט Teth

25 The Lord is good to those who wait(Z) for him,
to the person who seeks him.
26 It is good to wait quietly(AA)
for salvation from the Lord.(AB)
27 It is good for a man to bear the yoke(AC)
while he is still young.

י Yod

28 Let him sit alone and be silent,(AD)
for God has disciplined[i] him.
29 Let him put his mouth in the dust(AE)
perhaps there is still hope.
30 Let him offer his cheek
to the one who would strike him;(AF)
let him be filled with disgrace.

כ Kaph

31 For the Lord
will not reject us forever.
32 Even if he causes suffering,
he will show compassion
according to the abundance of his faithful love.(AG)
33 For he does not enjoy bringing affliction(AH)
or suffering on mankind.

ל Lamed

34 Crushing all the prisoners of the land[j]
beneath one’s feet,
35 denying justice to a man(AI)
in the presence of the Most High,
36 or subverting a person in his lawsuit(AJ)
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?(AK)
38 Do not both adversity and good
come from the mouth of the Most High?(AL)
39 Why should any living person complain,
any man, because of the punishment for his sins?

נ Nun

40 Let’s examine and probe our ways,
and turn back to the Lord.(AM)
41 Let’s lift up our hearts and our hands(AN)
to God in heaven:
42 “We have sinned and rebelled;
you have not forgiven.(AO)

ס Samek

43 “You have covered yourself in anger and pursued us;
you have killed without compassion.(AP)
44 You have covered yourself with a cloud
so that no prayer can get through.(AQ)
45 You have made us disgusting filth
among the peoples.(AR)

פ Pe

46 “All our enemies
open their mouths against us.(AS)
47 We have experienced panic and pitfall,(AT)
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,(AU)
50 until the Lord looks down
from heaven and sees.(AV)
51 My eyes bring me grief
because of the fate of all the women in my city.

צ Tsade

52 For no reason, my enemies[k]
hunted me like a bird.(AW)
53 They smothered my life in[l] a pit(AX)
and threw stones on me.
54 Water flooded over my head,(AY)
and I thought, “I’m going to die!” (AZ)

ק Qoph

55 I called on your name, Lord,
from the depths of the pit.
56 You heard my plea:
Do not ignore my cry for relief.
57 You came near whenever I called you;
you said, “Do not be afraid.”

ר Resh

58 You championed my cause, Lord;(BA)
you redeemed my life.(BB)
59 Lord, you saw the wrong done to me;
judge my case.
60 You saw all their vengefulness,
all their plots against me.(BC)

שׂ Sin / שׁ Shin

61 Lord, you heard their insults,(BD)
all their plots against me.
62 The slander[m] 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.(BE)

ת Taw

64 You will pay them back what they deserve, Lord,
according to the work of their hands.(BF)
65 You will give them a heart filled with anguish.[n](BG)
May your curse be on them!
66 You will pursue them in anger and destroy them
under your heavens.[o](BH)

Footnotes

  1. 3:10 Lit is to me
  2. 3:14 Some Hb mss, LXX, Vg; other Hb mss, Syr read all peoples
  3. 3:16 Or and trampled me
  4. 3:17 Syr, Vg; MT reads You deprived my soul
  5. 3:18 Or splendor
  6. 3:19 Or I remember
  7. 3:20 Alt Hb tradition reads and you cause me to collapse
  8. 3:22 One Hb mss, Syr, Tg read The Lord’s faithful love, indeed, does not perish
  9. 3:28 Lit has laid a burden on
  10. 3:34 Or earth
  11. 3:52 Or Those who were my enemies for no reason
  12. 3:53 Or They ended my life in; Hb obscure
  13. 3:62 Lit lips
  14. 3:65 Or them an obstinate heart; Hb obscure
  15. 3:66 Lit under the Lord’s heavens

[a]I am the man who has seen affliction(A)
    by the rod of the Lord’s wrath.(B)
He has driven me away and made me walk
    in darkness(C) rather than light;
indeed, he has turned his hand against me(D)
    again and again, all day long.

He has made my skin and my flesh grow old(E)
    and has broken my bones.(F)
He has besieged me and surrounded me
    with bitterness(G) and hardship.(H)
He has made me dwell in darkness
    like those long dead.(I)

He has walled me in so I cannot escape;(J)
    he has weighed me down with chains.(K)
Even when I call out or cry for help,(L)
    he shuts out my prayer.(M)
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.

Footnotes

  1. 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.