Lamentations

1I am the man who has seen afflictionby the rod of his wrath.

2He has led me and caused me to walk in darkness,and not in light.

3Surely he turns his hand against meagain and again all day long.

4He has made my flesh and my skin old.He has broken my bones.

5He has built against me,and surrounded me with bitterness and hardship.

6He has made me dwell in dark places,as those who have been long dead.

7He has walled me about, so that I can’t go out.He has made my chain heavy.

8Yes, when I cry, and call for help,he shuts out my prayer.

9He has walled up my ways with cut stone.He has made my paths crooked.

10He is to me as a bear lying in wait,as a lion in hiding.

11He has turned away my path,and pulled me in pieces. He has made me desolate.

12He has bent his bow,and set me as a mark for the arrow.

13He has caused the shafts of his quiver to enter into my kidneys.

14I have become a derision to all my people, and their song all day long.

15He has filled me with bitterness.He has stuffed me with wormwood.

16He has also broken my teeth with gravel.He has covered me with ashes.

17You have removed my soul far away from peace.I forgot prosperity.

18I said, “My strength has perished,along with my expectation from the LORD.”

19Remember my affliction and my misery,the wormwood and the bitterness.

20My soul still remembers them,and is bowed down within me.

21This I recall to my mind;therefore I have hope.

22It is because of the LORD’s loving kindnesses that we are not consumed,because his mercies don’t fail.

23They are new every morning.Great is your faithfulness.

24“The LORD is my portion,” says my soul.“Therefore I will hope in him.”

25The LORD is good to those who wait for him,to the soul who seeks him.

26It is good that a man should hopeand quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD.

27It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth.

28Let him sit alone and keep silence,because he has laid it on him.

29Let him put his mouth in the dust,if it is so that there may be hope.

30Let him give his cheek to him who strikes him.Let him be filled full of reproach.

31For the Lord will not cast off forever.

32For though he causes grief, yet he will have compassion according to the multitude of his loving kindnesses.

33For he does not afflict willingly,nor grieve the children of men.

34To crush under foot all the prisoners of the earth,

35to turn away the right of a man before the face of the Most High,

36to subvert a man in his cause, the Lord doesn’t approve.

37Who is he who says, and it comes to pass,when the Lord doesn’t command it?

38Doesn’t evil and good come out of the mouth of the Most High?

39Why should a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins?

40Let us search and try our ways,and turn again to the LORD.

41Let’s lift up our heart with our hands to Godin the heavens.

42“We have transgressed and have rebelled. You have not pardoned.

43“You have covered us with anger and pursued us.You have killed. You have not pitied.

44You have covered yourself with a cloud,so that no prayer can pass through.

45You have made us an off-scouring and refusein the middle of the peoples.

46“All our enemies have opened their mouth wide against us.

47Terror and the pit have come on us, devastation and destruction.”

48My eye runs down with streams of water,for the destruction of the daughter of my people.

49My eye pours downand doesn’t cease, without any intermission,

50until the LORD looks down,and sees from heaven.

51My eye affects my soul,because of all the daughters of my city.

52They have chased me relentlessly like a bird,those who are my enemies without cause.

53They have cut off my life in the dungeon,and have cast a stone on me.

54Waters flowed over my head.I said, “I am cut off.”

55I called on your name, LORD,out of the lowest dungeon.

56You heard my voice:“Don’t hide your ear from my sighing, and my cry.”

57You came near in the day that I called on you.You said, “Don’t be afraid.”

58Lord, you have pleaded the causes of my soul.You have redeemed my life.

59LORD, you have seen my wrong.Judge my cause.

60You have seen all their vengeanceand all their plans against me.

61You have heard their reproach, LORD,and all their plans against me,

62the lips of those that rose up against me,and their plots against me all day long.

63You see their sitting down and their rising up.I am their song.

64You will pay them back, LORD,according to the work of their hands.

65You will give them hardness of heart,your curse to them.

66You will pursue them in anger,and destroy them from under the heavens of the LORD.

The Prophet’s Afflictions

1Iam the man who has seen afflictionunder the rod of God’s wrath.

2He has driven me away and made me walkin darkness instead of light.

3Indeed, He keeps turning His handagainst me all day long.

4He has worn away my flesh and skin;He has shattered my bones.

5He has besieged me and surrounded mewith bitterness and hardship.

6He has made me dwell in darknesslike those dead for ages.

7He has walled me in so I cannot escape;He has weighed me down with chains.

8Even when I cry out and plead for help,He shuts out my prayer.

9He has barred my ways with cut stones;He has made my paths crooked.

10He is a bear lying in wait,a lion hiding in ambush.

11He forced me off my path and tore me to pieces;He left me without help.

12He bent His bowand set me as the target for His arrow.

13He pierced my kidneyswith His arrows.

14I am a laughingstock to all my people;they mock me in song all day long.

15He has filled me with bitterness;He has intoxicated me with wormwood.

16He has ground my teeth with graveland trampled me in the dust.

17My soul has been deprived of peace;I have forgotten what prosperity is.

18So I say, “My strength has perished,along with my hope from the LORD.”

The Prophet’s Hope

19Remember my affliction and wandering,the wormwood and the gall.

20Surely my soul remembersand is humbled within me.

21Yet I call this to mind,and therefore I have hope:

22Because of the loving devotionof the LORD we are not consumed,for His mercies never fail.

23They are new every morning;great is Your faithfulness!

24“The LORD is my portion,” says my soul,“therefore I will hope in Him.”

25The LORD is good to those who wait for Him,to the soul who seeks Him.

26It is good to wait quietlyfor the salvation of the LORD.

27It is good for a man to bear the yokewhile he is still young.

28Let him sit alone in silence,for the LORD has laid it upon him.

29Let him bury his face in the dust—perhaps there is still hope.

30Let him offer his cheek to the one who would strike him;let him be filled with reproach.

31For the Lord will notcast us off forever.

32Even if He causes grief, He will show compassionaccording to His abundant loving devotion.

33For He does not willingly afflictor grieve the sons of men.

34To crush underfootall the prisoners of the land,

35to deny a man justicebefore the Most High,

36to subvert a man in his lawsuit—of these the Lord does not approve.

God’s Justice

37Who has spoken and it came to pass,unless the Lord has ordained it?

38Do not both adversity and goodcome from the mouth of the Most High?

39Why should any mortal man complain,in view of his sins?

40Let us examine and test our ways,and turn back to the LORD.

41Let us lift up our hearts and handsto God in heaven:

42“We have sinned and rebelled;You have not forgiven.”

43You have covered Yourself in anger and pursued us;You have killed without pity.

44You have covered Yourself with a cloudthat no prayer can pass through.

45You have made us scum and refuseamong the nations.

46All our enemiesopen their mouths against us.

47Panic and pitfall have come upon us—devastation and destruction.

48Streams of tears flow from my eyesover the destruction of the daughter of my people.

49My eyes overflow unceasingly,without relief,

50until the LORDlooks down from heaven and sees.

51My eyes bring grief to my soulbecause of all the daughters of my city.

52Without cause my enemieshunted me like a bird.

53They dropped me alive into a pitand cast stones upon me.

54The waters flowed over my head,and I thought I was going to die.

55I called on Your name, O LORD,out of the depths of the Pit.

56You heard my plea:“Do not ignore my cry for relief.”

57You drew near when I called on You;You said, “Do not be afraid.”

58You defend my cause, O Lord;You redeem my life.

59You have seen, O LORD, the wrong done to me;vindicate my cause!

60You have seen all their malice,all their plots against me.

61O LORD, You have heard their insults,all their plots against me—

62the slander and murmuring of my assailantsagainst me all day long.

63When they sit and when they rise,see how they mock me in song.

64You will pay them back what they deserve, O LORD,according to the work of their hands.

65Put a veil of anguish over their hearts;may Your curse be upon them!

66You will pursue them in anger and exterminate themfrom under Your heavens, O LORD.