Lamentations 3:31-66
New American Standard Bible 1995
31 For the Lord will (A)not reject forever,
32 For if He causes grief,
Then He will have (B)compassion
According to His abundant lovingkindness.
33 For He (C)does not afflict [a]willingly
Or grieve the sons of men.
34 To crush under His feet
All the prisoners of the [b]land,
35 To [c]deprive a man of (D)justice
In the presence of the Most High,
36 To [d](E)defraud a man in his lawsuit—
Of these things the Lord does not [e]approve.
37 Who is [f]there who speaks and it (F)comes to pass,
Unless the Lord has commanded it?
38 Is it not from the mouth of the Most High
That [g](G)both good and ill go forth?
39 Why should any living [h]mortal, or any man,
Offer (H)complaint [i]in view of his sins?
40 Let us (I)examine and probe our ways,
And let us return to the Lord.
41 We (J)lift up our heart [j]and hands
Toward God in heaven;
42 We have (K)transgressed and rebelled,
You have (L)not pardoned.
43 You have covered Yourself with (M)anger
And (N)pursued us;
You have slain and (O)have not spared.
44 You have (P)covered Yourself with a cloud
So that (Q)no prayer can pass through.
45 You have made us mere (R)offscouring and refuse
In the midst of the peoples.
46 All our enemies have (S)opened their mouths against us.
47 (T)Panic and pitfall have befallen us,
Devastation and destruction;
48 My [k](U)eyes run down with streams of water
Because of the destruction of the daughter of my people.
49 My eyes pour down (V)unceasingly,
Without stopping,
50 Until the Lord (W)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 (X)without cause
Hunted me down (Y)like a bird;
53 They have silenced [l]me (Z)in the pit
And have [m](AA)placed a stone on me.
54 Waters flowed (AB)over my head;
I said, “I am cut off!”
55 I (AC)called on Your name, O Lord,
Out of the lowest pit.
56 You have (AD)heard my voice,
“(AE)Do not hide Your ear from my prayer for relief,
From my cry for help.”
57 You (AF)drew near when I called on You;
You said, “(AG)Do not fear!”
58 O Lord, You (AH)have pleaded my soul’s cause;
You have (AI)redeemed my life.
59 O Lord, You have (AJ)seen my oppression;
(AK)Judge my case.
60 You have seen all their vengeance,
All their (AL)schemes against me.
61 You have heard their (AM)reproach, O Lord,
All their schemes against me.
62 The (AN)lips of my assailants and their whispering
Are against me all day long.
63 Look on their (AO)sitting and their rising;
(AP)I am their mocking song.
64 You will (AQ)recompense them, O Lord,
According to the work of their hands.
65 You will give them [n](AR)hardness of heart,
Your curse will be on them.
66 You will (AS)pursue them in anger and destroy them
From under the (AT)heavens of the Lord!
Footnotes
- Lamentations 3:33 Lit from His heart
- Lamentations 3:34 Or earth
- Lamentations 3:35 Or turn aside a man’s case
- Lamentations 3:36 Lit make crooked
- Lamentations 3:36 Lit see
- Lamentations 3:37 Lit this
- Lamentations 3:38 Lit the evil things and the good
- Lamentations 3:39 Or human being
- Lamentations 3:39 Or on the basis of
- Lamentations 3:41 Lit toward our
- Lamentations 3:48 Lit eye brings
- Lamentations 3:53 Lit my life
- Lamentations 3:53 Or cast stones
- Lamentations 3:65 Or insolence
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
