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Lamentations 3
Legacy Standard Bible
Lamentations 3
Legacy Standard Bible
Jeremiah’s Heavy Chain
Aleph
3 I am the man who has (A)seen affliction
Because of the rod of His wrath.
2 He has driven me and made me walk
In (B)darkness and not in light.
3 Surely against me He has (C)turned His hand
Repeatedly all the day.
Beth
4 He has caused my (D)flesh and my skin to waste away;
He has (E)broken my bones.
5 He has (F)besieged and encompassed me with (G)gall and hardship.
6 (H)Dark places He has made me inhabit,
Like those who have long been dead.
Gimel
7 He has (I)walled me in so that I cannot go out;
He has made my [a](J)chain heavy.
8 Even when I cry out and call for help,
He (K)shuts out my prayer.
9 He has (L)blocked my ways with cut stone;
He has made my paths crooked.
Daleth
10 He is to me like a bear lying in wait,
Like a lion in secret places.
11 He has turned aside my ways and (M)torn me to pieces;
He has made me desolate.
12 He (N)bent His bow
And (O)set me as a target for the arrow.
He
13 He made the [b]arrows of His (P)quiver
To enter into my [c]inward parts.
14 I have become a (Q)laughingstock to all my people,
Their (R)music of mockery all the day.
15 He has (S)saturated me with bitterness;
He has sated me with wormwood.
Vav
16 He has (T)broken my teeth with (U)gravel;
He has made me cower in the (V)dust.
17 My soul has been rejected (W)from peace;
I have forgotten goodness.
18 So I say, “My strength has perished,
As well as my (X)hopeful waiting which comes from Yahweh.”
The Lord Will Not Reject Forever
Zayin
19 Remember my affliction and my [d]homelessness, the (Y)wormwood and gall.
20 Surely (Z)my soul remembers
And is (AA)bowed down within me.
21 This I will return to my heart;
Therefore I will (AB)wait in hope.
Heth
22 The (AC)lovingkindnesses of Yahweh [e]indeed never cease,
(AD)For His compassions never fail.
23 They are new (AE)every morning;
Great is (AF)Your faithfulness.
24 “Yahweh is my (AG)portion,” says my soul,
“Therefore I (AH)wait for Him.”
Teth
25 Yahweh is good to those who (AI)hope in Him,
To the soul who (AJ)seeks Him.
26 It is good that he (AK)waits silently
For the salvation of Yahweh.
27 It is good for a man that he should bear
The yoke in his youth.
Yodh
28 Let him (AL)sit alone and be silent
Since He has laid it on him.
29 Let him [f]put his mouth in the (AM)dust;
Perhaps there is (AN)hope.
30 Let him give his (AO)cheek to the one who strikes him;
Let him be saturated with reproach.
Kaph
31 For the Lord will (AP)not reject forever,
32 For if He causes grief,
Then He will have (AQ)compassion
According to His abundant lovingkindness.
33 For He (AR)does not afflict from His heart
Or grieve the sons of men.
Lamedh
34 To crush under His feet
All the prisoners of the [g]land,
35 To [h]deprive a man of (AS)justice
In the presence of the Most High,
36 To [i](AT)defraud a man in his legal case—
These things the Lord does not see with approval.
Mem
37 Who is [j]there who speaks and it (AU)happens,
Unless the Lord has commanded it?
38 Is it not from the mouth of the Most High
That (AV)both calamities and [k]good go forth?
39 Why should any living [l]person or any man
(AW)Complain because of his sins?
Nun
40 Let us (AX)search out and examine our ways,
And let us return to Yahweh.
41 We (AY)lift up our heart to our hands
Toward God in heaven;
42 We have (AZ)transgressed and rebelled;
You have (BA)not pardoned.
Samekh
43 You have covered Yourself with (BB)anger
And (BC)pursued us;
You have killed and (BD)have not spared.
44 You have (BE)covered Yourself with a cloud
So that (BF)no prayer can pass through.
45 You have made us mere (BG)scum and refuse
In the midst of the peoples.
Pe
46 All our enemies have (BH)opened their mouths against us.
47 (BI)Panic and pitfall have befallen us,
Devastation and destruction;
48 My [m](BJ)eyes run down with streams of water
Because of the destruction of the daughter of my people.
Ayin
49 My eyes pour down (BK)unceasingly,
Without stopping,
50 Until Yahweh (BL)looks down
And sees from heaven.
51 My eyes deal severely with my soul
Because of all the daughters of my city.
Tsadhe
52 My enemies (BM)without cause
Hunted me down (BN)like a bird;
53 They have silenced my life (BO)in the pit
And have [n](BP)placed a stone on me.
54 Waters flowed (BQ)over my head;
I said, “I am cut off!”
Qoph
55 I (BR)called on Your name, O Yahweh,
Out of the lowest pit.
56 You have (BS)heard my voice,
“(BT)Do not hide Your ear from my prayer for relief,
From my cry for help.”
57 You (BU)drew near when I called on You;
You said, “(BV)Do not fear!”
Resh
58 O Lord, You (BW)have pleaded my soul’s cause;
You have (BX)redeemed my life.
59 O Yahweh, You have (BY)seen my oppression;
(BZ)Judge my case.
60 You have seen all their vengeance,
All their (CA)purposes against me.
Sin / Shin
61 You have heard their (CB)reproach, O Yahweh,
All their purposes against me.
62 The (CC)lips of those who rise against me and their whispering
Are against me all day long.
63 Look on their (CD)sitting and their rising;
(CE)I am their mocking song.
Tav
64 You will (CF)recompense them, O Yahweh,
According to the work of their hands.
65 You will give them [o](CG)dullness of heart;
Your curse will be on them.
66 You will (CH)pursue them in anger and destroy them
From under the (CI)heavens of Yahweh!
Footnotes
- Lamentations 3:7 Lit bronze piece
- Lamentations 3:13 Lit sons
- Lamentations 3:13 Lit kidneys
- Lamentations 3:19 Or bitterness
- Lamentations 3:22 Or that we are not consumed
- Lamentations 3:29 Lit give
- Lamentations 3:34 Or earth
- Lamentations 3:35 Or turn aside a man’s case
- Lamentations 3:36 Lit make crooked
- Lamentations 3:37 Lit this
- Lamentations 3:38 Lit the good
- Lamentations 3:39 Or human being
- Lamentations 3:48 Lit eye brings
- Lamentations 3:53 Or cast stones
- Lamentations 3:65 Or insolence
Lamentations 3
New International Version
Lamentations 3
New International Version
3 [a]I am the man who has seen affliction(A)
by the rod of the Lord’s wrath.(B)
2 He has driven me away and made me walk
in darkness(C) rather than light;
3 indeed, he has turned his hand against me(D)
again and again, all day long.
4 He has made my skin and my flesh grow old(E)
and has broken my bones.(F)
5 He has besieged me and surrounded me
with bitterness(G) and hardship.(H)
6 He has made me dwell in darkness
like those long dead.(I)
7 He has walled me in so I cannot escape;(J)
he has weighed me down with chains.(K)
8 Even when I call out or cry for help,(L)
he shuts out my prayer.(M)
9 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)
Footnotes
- 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.
Lamentations 3
GOD’S WORD Translation
Lamentations 3
GOD’S WORD Translation
The Prophet—a Man of Despair
3 [a]“I am the man who has experienced suffering under the rod of God’s fury.
2 God has driven me away
and made me walk in darkness instead of light.
3 He beat me again and again all day long.
4 He has made my flesh and my skin waste away.
He has broken my bones.
5 He has attacked me and surrounded me with bitterness and hardship.
6 He has made me live in darkness,
like those who died a long time ago.
7 He has blocked me so that I can’t get out.
He has put heavy chains on me.
8 Even when I cry and call for help, he shuts out my prayer.
9 He has blocked my way with cut stones and made my paths crooked.
10 He is like a bear waiting to ambush me, like a lion in hiding.
11 He has forced me off the road I was taking, torn me to pieces,
and left me with nothing.
12 He has drawn his bow and made me the target for his arrows.
13 He has shot the arrows from his quiver into my heart.
14 I have become a laughingstock to all my people.
All day long ⌞they make fun of me⌟ with their songs.
15 He has filled me with bitterness.
He has made me drink wormwood.
16 He has ground my teeth with gravel.
He has trampled me into the dust.
17 “My soul has been kept from enjoying peace.
I have forgotten what happiness is.
18 I said, ‘I’ve lost my strength ⌞to live⌟ and my hope in the Lord.’
19 Remember my suffering and my ⌞aimless⌟ wandering,
the wormwood and poison.
20 My soul continues to remember ⌞these things⌟ and is so discouraged.
The Prophet—a Man of Hope
21 “The reason I can ⌞still⌟ find hope is that I keep this one thing in mind:
22 the Lord’s mercy.
We were not completely wiped out.
His compassion is never limited.
23 It is new every morning.
His faithfulness is great.
24 My soul can say, ‘The Lord is my lot ⌞in life⌟.
That is why I find hope in him.’
25 The Lord is good to those who wait for him,
to anyone who seeks help from him.
26 “It is good to continue to hope and wait silently
for the Lord to save us.
27 It is good for people to endure burdens when they’re young.
28 They should sit alone and remain silent
because the Lord has laid these burdens on them.
29 They should put their mouths in the dust.
Maybe a reason to hope exists.
30 They should turn their cheeks to the one who strikes them
and take their fill of insults.
31 “The Lord will not reject ⌞such⌟ people forever.
32 Even if he makes us suffer,
he will have compassion
in keeping with the richness of his mercy.
33 He does not willingly bring suffering or grief to anyone,
34 crush any prisoner on earth underfoot,
35 deny people their rights in the presence of the Most High God,
36 or deprive people of justice in court.
The Lord isn’t happy to see ⌞these things⌟.
37 Who was it who spoke and it came into being?
It was the Lord who gave the order.
38 Both good and bad come from the mouth of the Most High God.
39 “Why should any living mortal (any person)
complain about being punished for sin?
40 Let us look closely at our ways and examine them
and then return to the Lord.
41 Let us raise our hearts and hands to God in heaven.
42 “We have been disobedient and rebellious.
You haven’t forgiven us.
43 You covered yourself with anger and pursued us.
You killed without pity.
44 You covered yourself with a cloud
so that no prayer could get through it.
45 You made us the scum and trash of the nations.
46 All our enemies gawk at us.
47 Panic and pitfalls have found us, so have devastation and destruction.
48 “Streams of tears run down from my eyes
over the ruin of my dear people.
49 My eyes will keep flowing without stopping for a moment
50 until the Lord looks down from heaven and sees.
51 What I see with my eyes disturbs me deeply
because of all the young women in my city.
52 “Those who were my enemies for no reason hunted me like a bird.
53 They threw me alive into a pit and threw rocks at me.
54 Water flowed over my head. I thought I was finished.
55 “I call your name from the deepest pit, O Lord.
56 Listen to my cry ⌞for help⌟.
Don’t close your ears when I cry out for relief.
57 Be close at hand when I call to you. You told me not to be afraid.
58 Plead my case for me, O Lord. Reclaim my life.
59 Look at the wrong that has been done to me, O Lord.
Give me a fair verdict.
60 Look at all their malice, all their plots against me.
61 Listen to their insults, all their plots against me.
62 The words and thoughts of those who attack me
are directed against me all day long.
63 Look at them! Whether they are sitting or standing,
they make fun of me in their songs.
64 Pay them back, O Lord, for what they deserve,
for what their own hands have done.
65 Make them stubborn. Let your curse be on them.
66 Pursue them in anger, and wipe them out from under the Lord’s heaven.”
Footnotes
- 3:1 Chapter 3 is a poem in Hebrew alphabetical order.
Legacy Standard Bible (LSB)
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GOD’S WORD Translation (GW)
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