Lamentations 3
Expanded Bible
The Meaning of Suffering
3 I am a man [C symbolizing Jerusalem] who has seen the ·suffering [affliction]
that comes from the rod of ·the Lord’s [L his] anger.
2 He ·led [L guided and brought] me
into darkness, not light.
3 He turned his hand against me
again and again, all day long [Jer. 21:5].
4 He ·wore out [wasted away] my flesh and skin
and broke my bones.
5 He ·surrounded me with sadness
and attacked me with grief [L has built up and besieged me with bitterness/or poverty and hardship].
6 He made me sit in the dark,
like those who have been dead a long time.
7 He ·shut me [L walled me] in so I could not get out;
he put heavy chains on me.
8 I cry out and beg for help,
but he ·ignores [obstructs] my prayer.
9 He ·blocked [L walled in] my way with ·a stone wall [L cut stones]
and ·led me in the wrong direction [L twisted my paths; Job 19:7–12].
10 He is like a bear ready to ·attack [ambush] me,
like a lion in hiding [Hos. 13:8; Amos 5:19].
11 He led me the wrong way and ·let me stray [or tore me to pieces]
and left me ·without help [desolate].
12 He ·prepared to shoot [has drawn] his bow
and made me the target for his arrows.
13 He shot me in the kidneys
with the arrows from his ·bag [quiver; Job 16:13].
14 I was a joke to all my people,
who make fun of me with ·songs [mocking songs] all day long [Ps. 22:7; 69:12; 119:51].
15 ·The Lord [L He] filled me with ·misery [bitterness];
he made me drunk with ·suffering [affliction; L wormwood; gall; C a bitter-tasting herb].
16 He ·broke [made me gnash] my teeth with gravel
and trampled me into the ·dirt [dust; ashes].
17 ·I have no more peace [L My life/soul is rejected from peace].
I have forgotten ·what happiness is [prosperity; L good].
18 I said, “My ·strength [luster; or endurance] ·is gone [has perished],
and I have no hope in the Lord.”
19 Lord, remember my ·suffering [affliction] and my ·misery [or wanderings; homelessness; 1:7],
·my sorrow and trouble [L it is wormwood and gall; 3:15].
20 Please remember me
and think about ·me [L my life].
21 But I have hope
when I ·think of this [L return to my mind/heart]:
22 The Lord’s ·love [loyalty] never ends;
his ·mercies [compassion] never stop.
23 They are new every morning;
Lord, your ·loyalty [faithfulness] is ·great [abundant; Ps. 33:4; 92:2; 143:1].
24 I say to myself, “The Lord is ·mine [L my lot/portion],
so I hope in him.”
25 The Lord is good to those who ·hope in [wait for] him,
to those who seek him.
26 It is good to wait ·quietly [silently]
for the Lord to ·save [be victorious].
27 It is good for someone to ·work hard [L carry/bear the yoke]
while he is young.
28 He should sit alone and be ·quiet [silent];
·the Lord has given him hard work to do [L when it is imposed/heavy on him].
29 He should ·bow down to the ground [L put his mouth in the dust];
maybe there is still hope.
30 He should ·let anyone slap [L give to the striker] his cheek;
he should be ·filled [sated] with ·shame [scorn].
31 The Lord will not reject
his people forever.
32 Although he brings ·sorrow [grief],
he also has ·mercy [compassion] and great ·love [loyalty].
33 He does not ·like to punish people [L afflict from his heart]
or make them ·sad [grieve].
34 ·He sees [L Does he not see…?] if any prisoner of the earth
is crushed under ·his [or their; C the wicked oppressors’] feet;
35 ·he sees [L does he not see…?] if ·someone is treated unfairly [human rights are distorted]
before the Most High God;
36 ·the Lord sees [L does the Lord not see…?]
if someone is cheated in his case in court.
37 ·Nobody [L Who…?] can speak and have it happen
unless the Lord commands it.
38 ·Both [L Do not…?] bad and good things
come by the command of the Most High God [Job 2:10].
39 No ·one [L living person] should complain
·when he is punished for [L before] his sins.
40 Let us ·examine [check] and ·see [investigate] ·what we have done [L our ways]
and then return to the Lord [C repent; Jer. 17:9–10; Ps. 139:23–24].
41 Let us lift up our hands ·and pray from [as well as] our hearts
to God in heaven:
42 “We have ·sinned [transgressed] and ·turned [rebelled] against you,
and you have not forgiven us.
43 “You ·wrapped [covered] yourself in anger and ·chased [pursued] us;
you killed us without ·mercy [pity].
44 You ·wrapped [covered] yourself in a cloud [Ex. 40:34–38],
and no prayer could ·get [pass] through.
45 You made us like ·scum [sweepings] and trash
·among the other nations [L in the midst of the peoples].
46 “All of our enemies
·open [L crack] their mouths and speak against us [2:16].
47 We have been ·frightened [terrified] and fearful,
ruined and ·destroyed [broken].”
48 ·Streams of tears [L Channels of water] flow from my eyes,
because ·my people are destroyed [L of the fracture of my people].
49 My tears flow ·continually [without ceasing],
without ·stopping [respite; relaxation],
50 until the Lord looks down
and sees from heaven.
51 ·I am sad when I see [L My eyes torment my life/soul]
·what has happened to all the women [because of all the daughters] of my city.
52 Those who are my enemies ·for no reason [without cause; Ps. 7:4; 35:7]
hunted me like a bird [Ps. 91:3; Prov. 6:5; 7:23].
53 They ·tried to kill me [destroyed my life/soul] in a pit [Ps. 7:15; 9:15];
they threw stones at me.
54 Water came up over my head [Ps. 69:1–2],
and I said, “I am ·going to die [lost; L cut off].”
55 I called out ·to you [L your name], Lord,
from the ·bottom [depth] of the pit [Ps. 130:1].
56 You heard ·me calling [L my voice], “Do not close your ears
·and ignore my gasps and shouts [to my cries for relief].”
57 You came near ·when [L in the day] I called to you;
you said, “Don’t be afraid.”
58 Lord, ·you have taken my case [you defend/have defended me]
and ·given me back [L redeem; redeemed] my life.
59 Lord, you have seen how I have been wronged.
Now judge my case for me.
60 You have seen ·how my enemies took revenge on me [L all their vengeance]
·and made evil plans against me [L all their plots against me].
61 Lord, you ·have heard [hear] their ·insults [scorn]
and all their ·evil plans [plots] against me.
62 The ·words [whispers; L lips] and ·thoughts [mumblings; murmurs] of ·my enemies [L those who rise up against me]
are against me all the time.
63 Look! In ·everything they do [L their sitting and their rising up]
they ·make fun of me with songs [sing mocking songs; Ps. 69:7–12].
64 Pay them back, Lord,
·for what they have done [L according to the acts of their hands].
65 Make them ·stubborn [L insolent of heart],
and put your curse on them.
66 ·Chase [Pursue] them in anger, Lord,
and destroy them from under ·your [L the Lord’s] heavens.
耶利米哀歌 3
Chinese New Version (Traditional)
耶和華忿怒的杖
3 我是在耶和華忿怒的杖下受過苦的人。
2 他領我，使我行在黑暗中，不行在光明裡。
3 他真是終日不停地反手攻擊我。
4 他使我的肌膚衰殘，折斷我的骨頭。
5 他築壘圍困我，使毒害和艱難環繞我。
6 他使我住在黑暗之處，好像死了許久的人一樣。
7 他築牆圍住我，使我不能逃出去；
他又加重我的鋼鍊。
8 甚至我哀求呼救的時候，他也掩耳不聽我的禱告。
9 他用砍鑿好的石頭堵塞我的道路，
他使我的路徑曲折。
10 他像熊埋伏著，又像獅子在藏匿的地方，等候攻擊我。
11 他把我拖離大路，把我撕碎，棄我於荒野。
12 他拉開了他的弓，立我作箭靶子。
13 他把他箭囊中的箭，射進我的肺腑。
14 我成了眾民譏笑的對象，他們終日以我為歌嘲諷我（全句或譯：“我成了眾民的笑柄，他們終日喝頌的諷歌”）。
15 他使我飽嘗苦菜，飽享苦堇。
16 他用沙石使我的牙齒破碎，把我踐踏在灰塵中。
17 你使我失去了平安，我已忘記了福樂是甚麼。
18 所以我說：“我的力量已消失了，
我從耶和華所得的盼望也沒有了。”
哀求憐憫
19 回憶起我的困苦飄流，就像是苦堇和毒草。
20 每逢我的心想起往事，我的心就消沉。
21 但我的心一想起下面這件事，我就有指望。
22 耶和華的慈愛永不斷絕，他的憐憫永不止息。
23 每天早晨都是新的；你的信實多麼廣大！
24 我心裡說：“耶和華是我的業分，所以，我必仰望他。”
仰望救恩
25 耶和華善待等候他的和心裡尋求他的人。
26 安靜等候耶和華的救恩，是多麼的美好！
27 人在幼年時就負軛，是多麼的美好！
28 他要無言獨坐，因為這是耶和華加在他身上的。
29 他要把自己的口埋於塵土中，或者還有盼望。
30 他要讓人打他的臉頰，要飽受凌辱。
31 主必不會永遠丟棄人。
32 他雖然使人憂愁，卻必照著他豐盛的慈愛施憐憫。
33 因為他心裡本不是要人受困苦，或是要世人愁苦。
34 人把地上所有被囚的，都踐踏在腳下，
35 或在至高者面前，屈枉正直，
36 或在訴訟的事上顛倒是非，主不都看見嗎？
37 除非主命定，誰能說成，就成了呢？
38 或禍或福，不都是出於至高者的口嗎？
39 人活在世上，因自己的罪受懲罰，為甚麼發怨言呢？
悔改歸向耶和華
40 我們要檢討和省察自己的行為，然後歸向耶和華。
41 我們要向天上的 神，誠心舉手禱告：
42 “我們犯罪悖逆，你並不赦免。
43 你被怒氣籠罩著，你追趕我們，殺戮我們，毫不顧惜。
44 你用密雲把自己遮蔽起來，以致我們的禱告不能達到你那裡。
45 你使我們在萬族中，成了渣滓和廢物。
46 我們所有的仇敵，都張開口攻擊我們。
47 我們遭遇的，只是恐懼、陷阱、毀壞和滅亡。”
48 我的眼淚像江河流下，都因我的人民的滅亡。
49 我的眼淚湧流不停，總不止息，
50 直到耶和華垂顧，從天上關注。
51 因眼見我城中眾民的遭遇，我的心很痛苦。
52 那些無故與我為敵的人追捕我，像追捕雀鳥一樣。
53 他們把我投在坑中要結束我的性命，又把石頭拋在我身上；
54 水淹過我的頭，我說：“我要死了！”
求 神施行拯救
55 耶和華啊，我從坑的最深處呼求你的名，
56 你曾經垂聽我的聲音，現在求你不要掩耳不聽我求救的呼聲。
57 我每逢呼求你的時候，你就靠近我，說：“不要懼怕！”
58 主啊！你為我的案件申辯，贖回了我的性命。
59 耶和華啊，你看見了我的冤屈，求你為我主持公道。
60 你已看見了他們種種的仇恨，以及所有害我的陰謀。
61 耶和華啊！你已聽見了他們的辱罵，以及所有害我的計謀；
62 你也聽見了那些起來攻擊我的人嘴裡的話，以及他們終日要攻擊我的企圖。
63 你看，他們或坐下或起來，我都成了他們歌唱嘲笑的對象。
64 耶和華啊！求你按著他們手所作的，報應他們！
65 求你使他們的心頑梗，願你的咒詛臨到他們。
66 求你在烈怒中追趕他們，從耶和華管治的天下除滅他們。
The Expanded Bible, Copyright © 2011 Thomas Nelson Inc. All rights reserved.
Chinese New Version (CNV). Copyright © 1976, 1992, 1999, 2001, 2005 by Worldwide Bible Society.
