Lamentations 3:19-66
New American Standard Bible
Hope of Relief in God’s Mercy
19 Remember my misery and my homelessness, the (A)wormwood and [a]bitterness.
20 (B)My soul certainly remembers,
And [b]is (C)bent over within me.
21 I recall this to my mind,
Therefore I [c](D)wait.
22 [d]The Lord’s (E)acts of mercy indeed do not end,
(F)For His compassions do not fail.
23 They are new (G)every morning;
Great is (H)Your faithfulness.
24 “The Lord is my (I)portion,” says my soul,
“Therefore I [e](J)wait for Him.”
25 The Lord is good to those who [f](K)await Him,
To the [g]person who (L)seeks Him.
26 It is good that he (M)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 (N)sit alone and keep quiet,
Since He has laid it on him.
29 Let him [h]put his mouth in the (O)dust;
Perhaps there is (P)hope.
30 Let him give his (Q)cheek to the one who is going to strike him;
Let him be filled with shame.
31 For the Lord will (R)not reject forever,
32 For if He causes grief,
Then He will have (S)compassion
In proportion to His abundant mercy.
33 For He (T)does not [i]afflict [j]willingly
Or [k]grieve the sons of mankind.
34 To crush under [l]one’s feet
All the prisoners of the [m]land,
35 To [n]deprive a man of (U)justice
In the presence of the Most High,
36 To [o](V)defraud someone in his lawsuit—
Of these things the Lord does not [p]approve.
37 Who is [q]there who speaks and it (W)comes to pass,
Unless the Lord has commanded it?
38 Is it not from the mouth of the Most High
That [r](X)both adversity and good proceed?
39 Of what can any living [s]mortal, or any man,
(Y)Complain [t]in view of his sins?
40 Let’s (Z)examine and search out our ways,
And let’s return to the Lord.
41 We (AA)raise our heart [u]and hands
Toward God in heaven;
42 We have (AB)done wrong and rebelled;
You have (AC)not pardoned.
43 You have covered Yourself with (AD)anger
And (AE)pursued us;
You have slain and (AF)have not spared.
44 You have (AG)veiled Yourself with a cloud
So that (AH)no prayer can pass through.
45 You have made us mere (AI)refuse and rubbish
In the midst of the peoples.
46 All our enemies have (AJ)opened their mouths against us.
47 (AK)Panic and pitfall have come upon us,
Devastation and destruction;
48 My [v](AL)eyes run down with streams of water
Because of the destruction of the daughter of my people.
49 My eyes flow (AM)unceasingly,
Without stopping,
50 Until the Lord (AN)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 (AO)without reason
Hunted me down (AP)like a bird;
53 They have silenced [w]me (AQ)in the pit
And have [x](AR)thrown stones on me.
54 Waters flowed (AS)over my head;
I said, “I am [y]cut off!”
55 I (AT)called on Your name, Lord,
Out of the lowest pit.
56 You have (AU)heard my voice,
“(AV)Do not cover Your ear from my plea for relief,
From my cry for help.”
57 You (AW)came near on the day I called to You;
You said, “(AX)Do not fear!”
58 Lord, You (AY)have pleaded my soul’s cause;
You have (AZ)redeemed my life.
59 Lord, You have (BA)seen my oppression;
(BB)Judge my case.
60 You have seen all their vengeance,
All their (BC)schemes against me.
61 You have heard their (BD)reproach, Lord,
All their schemes against me.
62 The (BE)lips of my assailants and their talk
Are against me all day long.
63 Look at their [z](BF)sitting and their rising;
(BG)I am their mocking song.
64 You will (BH)repay them, Lord,
In accordance with the work of their hands.
65 You will give them [aa](BI)shamelessness of heart,
Your curse will be on them.
66 You will (BJ)pursue them in anger and eliminate them
From under the (BK)heavens of the Lord!
Footnotes
- Lamentations 3:19 Lit poison
- Lamentations 3:20 Or bows down
- Lamentations 3:21 Lit have hope
- Lamentations 3:22 As in ancient versions; MT It is...mercy that we do not end
- Lamentations 3:24 Or hope in
- Lamentations 3:25 Or hope in
- Lamentations 3:25 Lit soul
- Lamentations 3:29 Lit give
- Lamentations 3:33 Or oppress
- Lamentations 3:33 Lit from His heart
- Lamentations 3:33 Or torment
- Lamentations 3:34 Lit his
- Lamentations 3:34 Or earth
- Lamentations 3:35 Or turn aside a man’s case
- Lamentations 3:36 Lit bend
- 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 goes down
- Lamentations 3:53 Lit my life
- Lamentations 3:53 Or thrown a stone
- Lamentations 3:54 Or destroyed
- Lamentations 3:63 I.e., daily activities
- Lamentations 3:65 Or insanity
Lamentations 3:19-66
New King James Version
19 Remember my affliction and roaming,
(A)The wormwood and the [a]gall.
20 My soul still remembers
And [b]sinks within me.
21 This I recall to my mind,
Therefore I have (B)hope.
22 (C)Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed,
Because His compassions (D)fail not.
23 They are new (E)every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness.
24 “The Lord is my (F)portion,” says my soul,
“Therefore I (G)hope in Him!”
25 The Lord is good to those who (H)wait for Him,
To the soul who seeks Him.
26 It is good that one should (I)hope (J)and wait quietly
For the salvation of the Lord.
27 (K)It is good for a man to bear
The yoke in his youth.
28 (L)Let him sit alone and keep silent,
Because God has laid it on him;
29 (M)Let him put his mouth in the dust—
There may yet be hope.
30 (N)Let him give his cheek to the one who strikes him,
And be full of reproach.
31 (O)For the Lord will not cast off forever.
32 Though He causes grief,
Yet He will show compassion
According to the multitude of His mercies.
33 For (P)He does not afflict [c]willingly,
Nor grieve the children of men.
34 To crush under one’s feet
All the prisoners of the earth,
35 To turn aside the justice due a man
Before the face of the Most High,
36 Or subvert a man in his cause—
(Q)The Lord does not approve.
37 Who is he (R)who speaks and it comes to pass,
When the Lord has not commanded it?
38 Is it not from the mouth of the Most High
That (S)woe and well-being proceed?
39 (T)Why should a living man [d]complain,
(U)A man for the punishment of his sins?
40 Let us search out and examine our ways,
And turn back to the Lord;
41 (V)Let us lift our hearts and hands
To God in heaven.
42 (W)We have transgressed and rebelled;
You have not pardoned.
43 You have covered Yourself with anger
And pursued us;
You have slain and not pitied.
44 You have covered Yourself with a cloud,
That prayer should not pass through.
45 You have made us an (X)offscouring and refuse
In the midst of the peoples.
46 (Y)All our enemies
Have opened their mouths against us.
47 (Z)Fear and a snare have come upon us,
(AA)Desolation and destruction.
48 (AB)My eyes overflow with rivers of water
For the destruction of the daughter of my people.
49 (AC)My eyes flow and do not cease,
Without interruption,
50 Till the Lord from heaven
(AD)Looks down and sees.
51 My eyes bring suffering to my soul
Because of all the daughters of my city.
52 My enemies (AE)without cause
Hunted me down like a bird.
53 They [e]silenced my life (AF)in the pit
And (AG)threw [f]stones at me.
54 (AH)The waters flowed over my head;
(AI)I said, “I am cut off!”
55 (AJ)I called on Your name, O Lord,
From the lowest (AK)pit.
56 (AL)You have heard my voice:
“Do not hide Your ear
From my sighing, from my cry for help.”
57 You (AM)drew near on the day I called on You,
And said, (AN)“Do not fear!”
58 O Lord, You have (AO)pleaded the case for my soul;
(AP)You have redeemed my life.
59 O Lord, You have seen [g]how I am wronged;
(AQ)Judge my case.
60 You have seen all their vengeance,
All their (AR)schemes against me.
61 You have heard their reproach, O Lord,
All their schemes against me,
62 The lips of my enemies
And their whispering against me all the day.
63 Look at their (AS)sitting down and their rising up;
I am their taunting song.
64 (AT)Repay them, O Lord,
According to the work of their hands.
65 Give them [h]a veiled heart;
Your curse be upon them!
66 In Your anger,
Pursue and destroy them
(AU)From under the heavens of the (AV)Lord.
Footnotes
- Lamentations 3:19 bitterness
- Lamentations 3:20 Lit. bowed down
- Lamentations 3:33 Lit. from His heart
- Lamentations 3:39 Or murmur
- Lamentations 3:53 LXX put to death
- Lamentations 3:53 Lit. a stone on
- Lamentations 3:59 Lit. my wrong
- Lamentations 3:65 A Jewish tradition sorrow of
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
