17 my soul is bereft of peace;
    I have forgotten what happiness[a] is;
18 (A)so I say, “My endurance has perished;
    so has my hope from the Lord.”

19 (B)Remember my affliction and my wanderings,
    (C)the wormwood and (D)the gall!
20 My soul continually remembers it
    (E)and is bowed down within me.
21 But this I call to mind,
    and (F)therefore I have hope:

22 (G)The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;[b]
    (H)his mercies never come to an end;
23 they are new (I)every morning;
    (J)great is your faithfulness.
24 (K)“The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,
    (L)“therefore I will hope in him.”

25 The Lord is good to those who (M)wait for him,
    to the soul who seeks him.
26 (N)It is good that one should wait quietly
    for the salvation of the Lord.

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Footnotes

  1. Lamentations 3:17 Hebrew good
  2. Lamentations 3:22 Syriac, Targum; Hebrew Because of the steadfast love of the Lord, we are not cut off

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

18 And I said, My strength and my hope is perished from the Lord:

19 Remembering mine affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall.

20 My soul hath them still in remembrance, and is humbled in me.

21 This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope.

22 It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.

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

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

25 The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him.

26 It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord.

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17 You have moved my soul far from peace;
I have forgotten [a]prosperity.
18 (A)And I said, “My strength and my hope
Have perished from the Lord.”

19 Remember my affliction and roaming,
(B)The wormwood and the [b]gall.
20 My soul still remembers
And [c]sinks within me.
21 This I recall to my mind,
Therefore I have (C)hope.

22 (D)Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed,
Because His compassions (E)fail not.
23 They are new (F)every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness.
24 “The Lord is my (G)portion,” says my soul,
“Therefore I (H)hope in Him!”

25 The Lord is good to those who (I)wait for Him,
To the soul who seeks Him.
26 It is good that one should (J)hope (K)and wait quietly
For the salvation of the Lord.

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Footnotes

  1. Lamentations 3:17 Lit. good
  2. Lamentations 3:19 bitterness
  3. Lamentations 3:20 Lit. bowed down

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.”(A)

19 I remember my affliction and my wandering,
    the bitterness(B) and the gall.(C)
20 I well remember them,
    and my soul is downcast(D) within me.(E)
21 Yet this I call to mind
    and therefore I have hope:

22 Because of the Lord’s great love(F) we are not consumed,(G)
    for his compassions never fail.(H)
23 They are new every morning;
    great is your faithfulness.(I)
24 I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion;(J)
    therefore I will wait for him.”

25 The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him,
    to the one who seeks him;(K)
26 it is good to wait quietly(L)
    for the salvation of the Lord.(M)

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17 My soul has been excluded (A)from peace;
I have forgotten [a]happiness.
18 So I say, “My [b]strength has failed,
And so has my (B)hope from the Lord.”

Hope of Relief in God’s Mercy

19 Remember my misery and my homelessness, the (C)wormwood and [c]bitterness.
20 (D)My soul certainly remembers,
And [d]is (E)bent over within me.
21 I recall this to my mind,
Therefore I [e](F)wait.
22 [f]The Lords (G)acts of mercy indeed do not end,
(H)For His compassions do not fail.
23 They are new (I)every morning;
Great is (J)Your faithfulness.
24 “The Lord is my (K)portion,” says my soul,
“Therefore I [g](L)wait for Him.”
25 The Lord is good to those who [h](M)await Him,
To the [i]person who (N)seeks Him.
26 It is good that he (O)waits silently
For the salvation of the Lord.

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Footnotes

  1. Lamentations 3:17 Lit good
  2. Lamentations 3:18 Or splendor
  3. Lamentations 3:19 Lit poison
  4. Lamentations 3:20 Or bows down
  5. Lamentations 3:21 Lit have hope
  6. Lamentations 3:22 As in ancient versions; MT It is...mercy that we do not end
  7. Lamentations 3:24 Or hope in
  8. Lamentations 3:25 Or hope in
  9. Lamentations 3:25 Lit soul