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Lamentations 3:19-66
New International Version
Lamentations 3:19-66
New International Version
19 I remember my affliction and my wandering,
the bitterness(A) and the gall.(B)
20 I well remember them,
and my soul is downcast(C) within me.(D)
21 Yet this I call to mind
and therefore I have hope:
22 Because of the Lord’s great love(E) we are not consumed,(F)
for his compassions never fail.(G)
23 They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.(H)
24 I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion;(I)
therefore I will wait for him.”
25 The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him,
to the one who seeks him;(J)
26 it is good to wait quietly(K)
for the salvation of the Lord.(L)
27 It is good for a man to bear the yoke
while he is young.
28 Let him sit alone in silence,(M)
for the Lord has laid it on him.
29 Let him bury his face in the dust(N)—
there may yet be hope.(O)
30 Let him offer his cheek to one who would strike him,(P)
and let him be filled with disgrace.(Q)
31 For no one is cast off
by the Lord forever.(R)
32 Though he brings grief, he will show compassion,
so great is his unfailing love.(S)
33 For he does not willingly bring affliction
or grief to anyone.(T)
34 To crush underfoot
all prisoners in the land,
35 to deny people their rights
before the Most High,(U)
36 to deprive them of justice—
would not the Lord see such things?(V)
37 Who can speak and have it happen
if the Lord has not decreed it?(W)
38 Is it not from the mouth of the Most High
that both calamities and good things come?(X)
39 Why should the living complain
when punished for their sins?(Y)
40 Let us examine our ways and test them,(Z)
and let us return to the Lord.(AA)
41 Let us lift up our hearts and our hands
to God in heaven,(AB) and say:
42 “We have sinned and rebelled(AC)
and you have not forgiven.(AD)
43 “You have covered yourself with anger and pursued(AE) us;
you have slain without pity.(AF)
44 You have covered yourself with a cloud(AG)
so that no prayer(AH) can get through.(AI)
45 You have made us scum(AJ) and refuse
among the nations.
46 “All our enemies have opened their mouths
wide(AK) against us.(AL)
47 We have suffered terror and pitfalls,(AM)
ruin and destruction.(AN)”
48 Streams of tears(AO) flow from my eyes(AP)
because my people are destroyed.(AQ)
49 My eyes will flow unceasingly,
without relief,(AR)
50 until the Lord looks down
from heaven and sees.(AS)
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.(AT)
53 They tried to end my life in a pit(AU)
and threw stones at me;
54 the waters closed over my head,(AV)
and I thought I was about to perish.(AW)
55 I called on your name, Lord,
from the depths(AX) of the pit.(AY)
56 You heard my plea:(AZ) “Do not close your ears
to my cry for relief.”
57 You came near(BA) when I called you,
and you said, “Do not fear.”(BB)
58 You, Lord, took up my case;(BC)
you redeemed my life.(BD)
59 Lord, you have seen the wrong done to me.(BE)
Uphold my cause!(BF)
60 You have seen the depth of their vengeance,
all their plots against me.(BG)
Lamentations 3:19-66
New Living Translation
Lamentations 3:19-66
New Living Translation
19 The thought of my suffering and homelessness
is bitter beyond words.[a]
20 I will never forget this awful time,
as I grieve over my loss.
21 Yet I still dare to hope
when I remember this:
22 The faithful love of the Lord never ends![b]
His mercies never cease.
23 Great is his faithfulness;
his mercies begin afresh each morning.
24 I say to myself, “The Lord is my inheritance;
therefore, I will hope in him!”
25 The Lord is good to those who depend on him,
to those who search for him.
26 So it is good to wait quietly
for salvation from the Lord.
27 And it is good for people to submit at an early age
to the yoke of his discipline:
28 Let them sit alone in silence
beneath the Lord’s demands.
29 Let them lie face down in the dust,
for there may be hope at last.
30 Let them turn the other cheek to those who strike them
and accept the insults of their enemies.
31 For no one is abandoned
by the Lord forever.
32 Though he brings grief, he also shows compassion
because of the greatness of his unfailing love.
33 For he does not enjoy hurting people
or causing them sorrow.
34 If people crush underfoot
all the prisoners of the land,
35 if they deprive others of their rights
in defiance of the Most High,
36 if they twist justice in the courts—
doesn’t the Lord see all these things?
37 Who can command things to happen
without the Lord’s permission?
38 Does not the Most High
send both calamity and good?
39 Then why should we, mere humans, complain
when we are punished for our sins?
40 Instead, let us test and examine our ways.
Let us turn back to the Lord.
41 Let us lift our hearts and hands
to God in heaven and say,
42 “We have sinned and rebelled,
and you have not forgiven us.
43 “You have engulfed us with your anger, chased us down,
and slaughtered us without mercy.
44 You have hidden yourself in a cloud
so our prayers cannot reach you.
45 You have discarded us as refuse and garbage
among the nations.
46 “All our enemies
have spoken out against us.
47 We are filled with fear,
for we are trapped, devastated, and ruined.”
48 Tears stream from my eyes
because of the destruction of my people!
49 My tears flow endlessly;
they will not stop
50 until the Lord looks down
from heaven and sees.
51 My heart is breaking
over the fate of all the women of Jerusalem.
52 My enemies, whom I have never harmed,
hunted me down like a bird.
53 They threw me into a pit
and dropped stones on me.
54 The water rose over my head,
and I cried out, “This is the end!”
55 But I called on your name, Lord,
from deep within the pit.
56 You heard me when I cried, “Listen to my pleading!
Hear my cry for help!”
57 Yes, you came when I called;
you told me, “Do not fear.”
58 Lord, you have come to my defense;
you have redeemed my life.
59 You have seen the wrong they have done to me, Lord.
Be my judge, and prove me right.
60 You have seen the vengeful plots
my enemies have laid against me.
61 Lord, you have heard the vile names they call me.
You know all about the plans they have made.
62 My enemies whisper and mutter
as they plot against me all day long.
63 Look at them! Whether they sit or stand,
I am the object of their mocking songs.
64 Pay them back, Lord,
for all the evil they have done.
65 Give them hard and stubborn hearts,
and then let your curse fall on them!
66 Chase them down in your anger,
destroying them beneath the Lord’s heavens.
New International Version (NIV) 
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NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.
New Living Translation (NLT)
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.