49 (A)“My eyes will flow without ceasing,
    without respite,
50 (B)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 (C)“I have been hunted (D)like a bird
    by those who were my enemies (E)without cause;
53 (F)they flung me alive into the pit
    (G)and cast stones on me;
54 (H)water closed over my head;
    I said, (I)‘I am lost.’

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

58 “You have (N)taken up my cause, (O)O Lord;
    you have (P)redeemed my life.
59 You have seen the wrong done to me, (Q)O Lord;
    judge my cause.
60 You have seen all their vengeance,
    all (R)their plots against me.

61 (S)“You have heard their taunts, O Lord,
    all (T)their plots against me.
62 The lips and thoughts (U)of my assailants
    are against me all the day long.
63 (V)Behold their sitting and their rising;
    (W)I am the object of their taunts.

64 (X)“You will repay them,[a] O Lord,
    (Y)according to the work of their hands.
65 You will give them[b] dullness of heart;
    your curse will be[c] on them.
66 You will pursue them[d] in anger and (Z)destroy them
    from under (AA)your heavens, O Lord.”[e]

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Lamentations 3:64 Or Repay them
  2. Lamentations 3:65 Or Give them
  3. Lamentations 3:65 Or place your curse
  4. Lamentations 3:66 Or Pursue them
  5. Lamentations 3:66 Syriac (compare Septuagint, Vulgate); Hebrew the heavens of the Lord

49 My eyes will flow unceasingly,
    without relief,(A)
50 until the Lord looks down
    from heaven and sees.(B)
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.(C)
53 They tried to end my life in a pit(D)
    and threw stones at me;
54 the waters closed over my head,(E)
    and I thought I was about to perish.(F)

55 I called on your name, Lord,
    from the depths(G) of the pit.(H)
56 You heard my plea:(I) “Do not close your ears
    to my cry for relief.”
57 You came near(J) when I called you,
    and you said, “Do not fear.”(K)

58 You, Lord, took up my case;(L)
    you redeemed my life.(M)
59 Lord, you have seen the wrong done to me.(N)
    Uphold my cause!(O)
60 You have seen the depth of their vengeance,
    all their plots against me.(P)

61 Lord, you have heard their insults,(Q)
    all their plots against me—
62 what my enemies whisper and mutter
    against me all day long.(R)
63 Look at them! Sitting or standing,
    they mock me in their songs.(S)

64 Pay them back what they deserve, Lord,
    for what their hands have done.(T)
65 Put a veil over their hearts,(U)
    and may your curse be on them!
66 Pursue(V) them in anger and destroy them
    from under the heavens of the Lord.

Read full chapter