Jeremiah Shares Israel’s Misery

I am the man who has (A)seen misery
Because of the rod of His wrath.
He has driven me and made me walk
In (B)darkness and not in light.
Indeed, He has (C)turned His hand against me
Repeatedly all the day.
He has consumed my (D)flesh and my skin,
He has (E)broken my bones.
He has [a](F)besieged and surrounded me with [b](G)bitterness and hardship.
He has made me live in (H)dark places,
Like those who have long been dead.
He has (I)walled me in so that I cannot go out;
He has made my [c](J)chain heavy.
Even when I cry out and call for help,
He (K)shuts out my prayer.
He has (L)blocked my ways with cut stone;
He has twisted my paths.
10 He is to me like a bear lying in wait,
Like a lion in secret places.
11 He has made my ways deviate, and (M)torn me to pieces;
He has made me desolate.
12 He (N)bent His bow
And (O)took aim at me as a target for the arrow.
13 He made the [d]arrows of His (P)quiver
Enter my [e]inward parts.
14 I have become a (Q)laughingstock to all my people,
Their (R)song of ridicule all the day.
15 He has (S)filled me with bitterness,
He has made me drink plenty of wormwood.
16 He has also (T)made my teeth grind with (U)gravel;
He has made me cower in the (V)dust.
17 My soul has been excluded (W)from peace;
I have forgotten [f]happiness.
18 So I say, “My [g]strength has failed,
And so has my (X)hope from the Lord.”

Hope of Relief in God’s Mercy

19 Remember my misery and my homelessness, the (Y)wormwood and [h]bitterness.
20 (Z)My soul certainly remembers,
And [i]is (AA)bent over within me.
21 I recall this to my mind,
Therefore I [j](AB)wait.
22 [k]The Lords (AC)acts of mercy indeed do not end,
(AD)For His compassions do not fail.
23 They are new (AE)every morning;
Great is (AF)Your faithfulness.
24 “The Lord is my (AG)portion,” says my soul,
“Therefore I [l](AH)wait for Him.”
25 The Lord is good to those who [m](AI)await Him,
To the [n]person who (AJ)seeks Him.
26 It is good that he (AK)waits silently
For the salvation of the Lord.
27 It is good for a man to bear
The yoke in his youth.
28 Let him (AL)sit alone and keep quiet,
Since He has laid it on him.
29 Let him [o]put his mouth in the (AM)dust;
Perhaps there is (AN)hope.
30 Let him give his (AO)cheek to the one who is going to strike him;
Let him be filled with shame.
31 For the Lord will (AP)not reject forever,
32 For if He causes grief,
Then He will have (AQ)compassion
In proportion to His abundant mercy.
33 For He (AR)does not [p]afflict [q]willingly
Or [r]grieve the sons of mankind.
34 To crush under [s]one’s feet
All the prisoners of the [t]land,
35 To [u]deprive a man of (AS)justice
In the presence of the Most High,
36 To [v](AT)defraud someone in his lawsuit—
Of these things the Lord does not [w]approve.
37 Who is [x]there who speaks and it (AU)comes to pass,
Unless the Lord has commanded it?
38 Is it not from the mouth of the Most High
That [y](AV)both adversity and good proceed?

39 Of what can any living [z]mortal, or any man,
(AW)Complain [aa]in view of his sins?
40 Let’s (AX)examine and search out our ways,
And let’s return to the Lord.
41 We (AY)raise our heart [ab]and hands
Toward God in heaven;
42 We have (AZ)done wrong and rebelled;
You have (BA)not pardoned.
43 You have covered Yourself with (BB)anger
And (BC)pursued us;
You have slain and (BD)have not spared.
44 You have (BE)veiled Yourself with a cloud
So that (BF)no prayer can pass through.
45 You have made us mere (BG)refuse and rubbish
In the midst of the peoples.
46 All our enemies have (BH)opened their mouths against us.
47 (BI)Panic and pitfall have come upon us,
Devastation and destruction;
48 My [ac](BJ)eyes run down with streams of water
Because of the destruction of the daughter of my people.
49 My eyes flow (BK)unceasingly,
Without stopping,
50 Until the Lord (BL)looks down
And sees from heaven.
51 My eyes bring pain to my soul
Because of all the daughters of my city.
52 My enemies (BM)without reason
Hunted me down (BN)like a bird;
53 They have silenced [ad]me (BO)in the pit
And have [ae](BP)thrown stones on me.
54 Waters flowed (BQ)over my head;
I said, “I am [af]cut off!”
55 I (BR)called on Your name, Lord,
Out of the lowest pit.
56 You have (BS)heard my voice,
(BT)Do not cover Your ear from my plea for relief,
From my cry for help.”
57 You (BU)came near on the day I called to You;
You said, “(BV)Do not fear!”
58 Lord, You (BW)have pleaded my soul’s cause;
You have (BX)redeemed my life.
59 Lord, You have (BY)seen my oppression;
(BZ)Judge my case.
60 You have seen all their vengeance,
All their (CA)schemes against me.
61 You have heard their (CB)reproach, Lord,
All their schemes against me.
62 The (CC)lips of my assailants and their talk
Are against me all day long.
63 Look at their [ag](CD)sitting and their rising;
(CE)I am their mocking song.
64 You will (CF)repay them, Lord,
In accordance with the work of their hands.
65 You will give them [ah](CG)shamelessness of heart,
Your curse will be on them.
66 You will (CH)pursue them in anger and eliminate them
From under the (CI)heavens of the Lord!

Notas al pie

  1. Lamentations 3:5 Lit built against
  2. Lamentations 3:5 Lit poison
  3. Lamentations 3:7 Lit bronze piece
  4. Lamentations 3:13 Lit sons
  5. Lamentations 3:13 Lit kidneys
  6. Lamentations 3:17 Lit good
  7. Lamentations 3:18 Or splendor
  8. Lamentations 3:19 Lit poison
  9. Lamentations 3:20 Or bows down
  10. Lamentations 3:21 Lit have hope
  11. Lamentations 3:22 As in ancient versions; MT It is...mercy that we do not end
  12. Lamentations 3:24 Or hope in
  13. Lamentations 3:25 Or hope in
  14. Lamentations 3:25 Lit soul
  15. Lamentations 3:29 Lit give
  16. Lamentations 3:33 Or oppress
  17. Lamentations 3:33 Lit from His heart
  18. Lamentations 3:33 Or torment
  19. Lamentations 3:34 Lit his
  20. Lamentations 3:34 Or earth
  21. Lamentations 3:35 Or turn aside a man’s case
  22. Lamentations 3:36 Lit bend
  23. Lamentations 3:36 Lit see
  24. Lamentations 3:37 Lit this
  25. Lamentations 3:38 Lit the evil things and the good
  26. Lamentations 3:39 Or human being
  27. Lamentations 3:39 Or on the basis of
  28. Lamentations 3:41 Lit toward our
  29. Lamentations 3:48 Lit eye goes down
  30. Lamentations 3:53 Lit my life
  31. Lamentations 3:53 Or thrown a stone
  32. Lamentations 3:54 Or destroyed
  33. Lamentations 3:63 I.e., daily activities
  34. Lamentations 3:65 Or insanity

I am the strong man who has seen affliction
    by the rod of His wrath.
He has driven me and made me walk
    in darkness and not light.
Surely, He has turned His hand against me
    again and again all day long.
He made my flesh and my skin
    waste away, broken my bones.
He has besieged me and surrounded me
    with bitterness and hardship.
He made me dwell in dark places
    like those long dead.
He has walled me in so I cannot get out.
    He made my chain heavy.
Even when I cry out and call for help,
    He shuts out my prayer.
He walled in my ways with hewn stone.
    He twisted my paths.
10 He is a lurking bear to me,
    a lion in hiding.
11 He turned aside my paths and tore me to pieces.
    He has made me desolate.
12 He bent His bow and made me
    the target for His arrow.
13 He shot into my kidneys
    arrows from His quiver.
14 I have become a laughing stock
    to all my people,
their song all day long.
15 He has filled me with bitterness
    and made me drink wormwood.
16 He broke my teeth with gravel.
    He made me wallow in ashes.
17 My soul has been deprived of shalom,
    I have forgotten goodness.
18 So I said, “My endurance has perished,
    and my hope from Adonai.”
19 Remember my affliction
my homelessness, bitterness and gall.
20 Whenever I remember,
    my soul is downcast within me.

Our Hope—His Faithfulness

21 This I recall to my heart—
    therefore I have hope:
22 Because of the mercies of Adonai
    we will not be consumed,
    for His compassions never fail.
23 They are new every morning!
    Great is Your faithfulness.
24 Adonai is my portion,” says my soul,
    “therefore I will hope in Him.”
25 Adonai is good to those who wait for Him,
    to the soul that seeks Him.
26 It is good to wait quietly
    for the salvation of Adonai.
27 It is good for a man
    to bear the yoke in his youth.
28 Let him sit alone and be silent,
    since He has laid it upon him.
29 Let him put his mouth in the dust—
    there may yet be hope.

Intercession for Justice

30 Let him offer his cheek
    to the one who strikes him.[a]
Let him have his fill of disgrace.
31 For the Lord will not reject forever.
32 For though He has caused grief,
    yet He will have compassion
    according to His abundant mercies.
33 For He does not afflict from His heart
    or grieve the sons of men.
34 To crush under His foot
    all the prisoners of the land,
35 to deprive a person of justice
    before the face of Elyon,
36 to defraud a person in his lawsuit—
    would the Lord not see?
37 Who speaks and it comes to pass
    unless the Lord has decreed it?
38 Is it not from the mouth of Elyon
that both calamities and good things proceed?
39 Why should any living person complain
    when punished for his sins?
40 Let us examine and test our ways,
    and let us return to Adonai.
41 Let us lift up our heart and hands
    to God in heaven.
42 We have transgressed and rebelled—
    You have not pardoned.
43 You covered Yourself with anger and pursued us.
    You have slain without pity.
44 You shrouded Yourself with a cloud
    so that no prayer can get through.
45 You have made us scum and refuse
    in the midst of the peoples.
46 All our enemies opened their mouth
    wide against us.
47 Panic and pitfall have befallen us,
    devastation and destruction.
48 Streams of tears run down my eyes
    because of the destruction of the daughter of my people.
49 My eye flows unceasingly,
    without stopping,
50 until Adonai looks down
    from heaven and sees.
51 My eye torments my soul
    because of all the daughters of my city.
52 For no reason, my enemies
    hunted me down like a bird.
53 They cut off my life in the Pit,
    and cast stones upon me.
54 Waters flowed over my head.
    I said, “I have been cut off!”
55 I called on Your Name, Adonai,
    from the depths of the Pit.
56 You heard my voice,
    “Do not close Your ears to my cry for relief.”
57 You drew near on the day I called to You.
    You said, “Do not fear!”
58 Lord, You pled my soul’s case,
    You redeemed my life.[b]
59 Adonai, You saw the wrong done to me;
    judge my cause!
60 You have seen all their vengefulness,
    all their schemes against me.
61 You heard their taunt, Adonai,
    all their plots against me.
62 The lips of my assailants and their whispering
    are against me all day long.
63 Look at them, sitting or standing,
    they mock me in their song.
64 Pay them back what they deserve, Adonai,
    according to the work of their hands.
65 Give them a distraught heart.
    May Your curse be on them.
66 Pursue them in anger and destroy them
    from under the heavens of Adonai.