Lamentaciones 3

¹ I am the man that hath seen affliction By the rod of His wrath. ² He hath led me and caused me to walk in darkness and not in light. ³ Surely against me He turneth His hand again and again all the day. . ⁴ My flesh and my skin hath He worn out; He hath broken my bones. ⁵ He hath builded against me, and compassed me With gall and travail. ⁶ He hath made me to dwell in dark places, As those that have been long dead. ⁷ He hath hedged me about, that I cannot go forth; He hath made my chain heavy. ⁸ Yea, when I cry and call for help, He shutteth out my prayer. ⁹ He hath enclosed my ways with hewn stone, He hath made my paths crooked. . ¹⁰ He is unto me as a bear lying in wait, As a lion in secret places. ¹¹ He hath turned aside my ways, and pulled me in pieces; He hath made me desolate. ¹² He hath bent His bow, and set me As a mark for the arrow. . ¹³ He hath caused the arrows of His quiver To enter into my reins. ¹⁴ I am become a derision to all my people, And their song all the day. ¹⁵ He hath filled me with bitterness, He hath sated me with wormwood. . ¹⁶ He hath also broken my teeth with gravel stones, He hath made me to wallow in ashes. ¹⁷ And my soul is removed far off from peace, I forgot prosperity. ¹⁸ And I said: "My strength is perished, And mine expectation from the LORD." . ¹⁹ Remember mine affliction and mine anguish, The wormwood and the gall. ²⁰ My soul hath them still in remembrance, And is bowed down within me. ²¹ This I recall to my mind, Therefore have I hope. . ²² Surely the LORD's mercies are not consumed, Surely His compassions fail not. ²³ They are new every morning; Great is Thy faithfulness. ²⁴ "The LORD is my portion", saith my soul; "Therefore will I hope in Him." . ²⁵ The LORD is good unto them that wait for Him, To the soul that seeketh Him. ²⁶ It is good that a man should quietly wait For the salvation of the LORD. ²⁷ It is good for a man that he bear The yoke in his youth. . ²⁸ Let him sit alone and keep silence, Because He hath laid it upon him. ²⁹ Let him put his mouth in the dust, If so be there may be hope. ³⁰ Let him give his cheek to him that smiteth him Let him be filled full with reproach. . ³¹ For the Lord will not cast off For ever. ³² For though He cause grief, yet will He have compassion According to the multitude of His mercies. ³³ For He doth not afflict willingly, Nor grieve the children of men. . ³⁴ To crush under foot All the prisoners of the earth, ³⁵ To turn aside the right of a man Before the face of the Most High, ³⁶ To subvert a man in his cause, The Lord approveth not. . ³⁷ Who is he that saith, and it cometh to pass, When the Lord commandeth it not? ³⁸ Out of the mouth of the Most High proceedeth not Evil and good? ³⁹ Wherefore doth a living man complain, A strong man because of his sins? . ⁴⁰ Let us search and try our ways, And return to the LORD. ⁴¹ Let us lift up our heart with our hands Unto God in the heavens. ⁴² We have transgressed and have rebelled; Thou hast not pardoned. . ⁴³ Thou hast covered with anger and pursued us; Thou hast slain unsparingly. ⁴⁴ Thou hast covered Thyself with a cloud, So that no prayer can pass through. ⁴⁵ Thou hast made us as the offscouring and refuse In the midst of the peoples. . ⁴⁶ All our enemies have opened their mouth Wide against us. ⁴⁷ Terror and the pit are come upon us, Desolation and destruction. ⁴⁸ Mine eye runneth down with rivers of water, For the breach of the daughter of my people. . ⁴⁹ Mine eye is poured out, and ceaseth not, Without any intermission, ⁵⁰ Till the LORD look forth, And behold from heaven. ⁵¹ Mine eye affected my soul, Because of all the daughters of my city. . ⁵² They have chased me sore like a bird, That are mine enemies without cause. ⁵³ They have cut off my life in the dungeon, And have cast stones upon me. ⁵⁴ Waters flowed over my head; I said: "I am cut off." . ⁵⁵ I called upon Thy name, O LORD, Out of the lowest dungeon. ⁵⁶ Thou heardest my voice; hide not Thine ear at my sighing, at my cry. ⁵⁷ Thou drewest near in the day that I called upon Thee; Thou saidst: "Fear not." . ⁵⁸ O Lord, Thou hast pleaded the causes of my soul; Thou hast redeemed my life. ⁵⁹ O LORD, Thou hast seen my wrong; Judge Thou my cause. ⁶⁰ Thou hast seen all their vengeance And all their devices against me. . ⁶¹ Thou hast heard their taunt, O LORD, And all their devices against me; ⁶² The lips of those that rose up against me, And their muttering against me all the day. ⁶³ Behold Thou their sitting down, and their rising up; I am their song. . ⁶⁴ Thou wilt render unto them a recompense, O LORD, According to the work of their hands. ⁶⁵ Thou wilt give them hardness of heart, Thy curse unto them. ⁶⁶ Thou wilt pursue them in anger, and destroy them From under the heavens of the LORD.