Lamentations 3

The Prophet Speaks:

א (Alef)1

3:1 I am the man2 who has experienced3 affliction

from the rod4 of his wrath.

3:2 He drove me into captivity5 and made me walk6

in darkness and not light.

3:3 He repeatedly7 attacks me,

he turns his hand8 against me all day long.9

ב (Bet)

3:4 He has made my mortal skin10 waste away;

he has broken my bones.

3:5 He has besieged11 and surrounded12 me

with bitter hardship.13

3:6 He has made me reside in deepest darkness14

like those who died long ago.

ג (Gimel)

3:7 He has walled me in15 so that I cannot get out;

he has weighted me down with heavy prison chains.16

3:8 Also, when I cry out desperately17 for help,18

he has shut out my prayer.19

3:9 He has blocked20 every road I take21 with a wall of hewn stones;

he has made every path impassable.22

ד (Dalet)

3:10 To me he is like a bear lying in ambush,23

like a hidden lion24 stalking its prey.25

3:11 He has obstructed my paths26 and torn me to pieces;27

he has made me desolate.

3:12 He drew28 his bow and made me29

the target for his arrow.

ה (He)

3:13 He shot30 his arrows31

into my heart.32

3:14 I have become the laughingstock of all people,33

their mocking song34 all day long.35

3:15 He has given me my fill of bitter herbs

and made me drunk with bitterness.36

ו (Vav)

3:16 He ground37 my teeth in gravel;

he trampled38 me in the dust.

3:17 I39 am deprived40 of peace;41

I have forgotten what happiness42 is.

3:18 So I said, “My endurance has expired;

I have lost all hope of deliverance43 from the Lord.”

ז (Zayin)

3:19 Remember44 my impoverished and homeless condition,45

which is a bitter poison.46

3:20 I47 continually think about48 this,

and I49 am depressed.50

3:21 But this I call51 to mind;52

therefore I have hope:

ח (Khet)

3:22 The Lord’s loyal kindness53 never ceases;54

his compassions55 never end.

3:23 They are fresh56 every morning;

your faithfulness is abundant!57

3:24 “My portion is the Lord,” I have said to myself,58

so I will put my hope in him.

ט (Tet)

3:25 The Lord is good to those who trust59 in him,

to the one60 who seeks him.

3:26 It is good to wait patiently61

for deliverance from the Lord.62

3:27 It is good for a man63

to bear64 the yoke65 while he is young.66

י (Yod)

3:28 Let a person67 sit alone in silence,

when the Lord68 is disciplining him.69

3:29 Let him bury his face in the dust;70

perhaps there is hope.

3:30 Let him offer his cheek to the one who hits him;71

let him have his fill of insults.

כ (Kaf)

3:31 For the Lord72 will not

reject us forever.73

3:32 Though he causes us74 grief, he then has compassion on us75

according to the abundance of his loyal kindness.76

3:33 For he is not predisposed to afflict77

or to grieve people.78

ל (Lamed)

3:34 To crush underfoot

all the earth’s prisoners,79

3:35 to deprive a person80 of his rights81

in the presence of the Most High,

3:36 to defraud a person in a lawsuit –

the Lord82 does not approve83 of such things!

מ (Mem)

3:37 Whose command was ever fulfilled84

unless the Lord85 decreed it?

3:38 Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that everything comes –

both calamity and blessing?86

3:39 Why should any living person87 complain

when punished for his sins?88

נ (Nun)

3:40 Let us carefully examine our ways,89

and let us return to the Lord.

3:41 Let us lift up our hearts90 and our hands

to God in heaven:

3:42 “We91 have blatantly rebelled;92

you93 have not forgiven.”

ס (Samek)

3:43 You shrouded yourself94 with anger and then pursued us;

you killed without mercy.

3:44 You shrouded yourself with a cloud

so that no prayer can get through.

3:45 You make us like filthy scum95

in the estimation96 of the nations.

פ (Pe)

3:46 All our enemies have gloated over us;97

3:47 Panic and pitfall98 have come upon us,

devastation and destruction.99

3:48 Streams100 of tears flow from my eyes101

because my people102 are destroyed.103

ע (Ayin)

3:49 Tears flow from my eyes104 and will not stop;

there will be no break105

3:50 until the Lord looks down from heaven

and sees what has happened.106

3:51 What my eyes see107 grieves me108

all the suffering of the daughters in my city.109

צ (Tsade)

3:52 For no good reason110 my enemies

hunted me down111 like a bird.

3:53 They shut me112 up in a pit

and threw stones at me.

3:54 The waters closed over my head;

I thought113 I was about to die.114

ק (Qof)

3:55 I have called on your name, O Lord,

from the deepest pit.115

3:56 You heard116 my plea:117

“Do not close your ears to my cry for relief!”118

3:57 You came near119 on the day I called to you;

you said,120 “Do not fear!”

ר (Resh)

3:58 O Lord,121 you championed122 my cause,123

you redeemed my life.

3:59 You have seen the wrong done to me, O Lord;

pronounce judgment on my behalf!124

3:60 You have seen all their vengeance,

all their plots against me.125

ש (Sin/Shin)

3:61 You have heard126 their taunts, O Lord,

all their plots against me.

3:62 My assailants revile and conspire127

against me all day long.

3:63 Watch them from morning to evening;128

I am the object of their mocking songs.

ת (Tav)

3:64 Pay them back129 what they deserve,130 O Lord,

according to what they131 have done.132

3:65 Give them a distraught heart;133

may your curse be on them!

3:66 Pursue them134 in anger and eradicate them

from under the Lord’s heaven.

Next Chapter