Lamentations

⁧א⁩

3 I am the man that hath seen affliction, By the rod of his indignation;

⁧א⁩

2 Me hath he driven out and brought into darkness And not light;

⁧א⁩

3 Surely against me doth he again and again turn his hand All the day.

⁧ב⁩

4 He hath worn out my flesh and my skin, Hath broken my bones;

⁧ב⁩

5 He hath built up against me and carried round me Fortifications and a trench;

⁧ב⁩

6 In dark places hath he made me sit Like the dead of age-past times.

⁧ג⁩

7 He hath walled up around me that I cannot get out, Hath weighted my fetter;

⁧ג⁩

8 Yea when I make outcry and implore He hath shut out my prayer;

⁧ג⁩

9 He hath walled in my ways with hewn stone, My paths hath he caused to wind back.

⁧ד⁩

10 A bear lying in wait he is to me, A lion in secret places;

⁧ד⁩

11 My ways hath he turned aside and hath torn me in pieces, Hath made me desolate;

⁧ד⁩

12 He hath trodden his bow and set me up, As a mark for the arrow.

⁧ה⁩

13 He hath caused to enter my reins The sons of his quiver

⁧ה⁩

14 I have become a derision to all my people, Their song all the day;

⁧ה⁩

15 He hath sated me with bitter things, Hath drenched me with wormwood.

⁧ו⁩

16 And he hath crushed with gravel-stones my teeth, Hath made me cower in ashes;

⁧ו⁩

17 And thou hast thrust away from welfare my soul, I have forgotten prosperity;

⁧ו⁩

18 And I said, Vanished is mine endurance, Even mine expectation from Yahweh.

⁧ז⁩

19 Remember my humiliation and my fleeings, The wormwood and poison;

⁧ז⁩

20 Thou wilt indeed remember That bowed down concerning myself is my soul;

⁧ז⁩

21 This will I bring back to my heart, Therefore will I hope.

⁧ח⁩

22 The lovingkindnesses of Yahweh verily they are not exhausted, Verily! not at an end are his compassions:

⁧ח⁩

23 New things for the mornings! Abundant is thy faithfulness:

⁧ח⁩

24 My portion is Yahweh, saith my soul, For this cause will I wait for him.

⁧ט⁩

25 Good is Yahweh to them who wait for him, To the soul that will seek him;

⁧ט⁩

26 Good it is—both to wait and to be silent For the deliverance of Yahweh;

⁧ט⁩

27 Good it is for a man, That he should bear the yoke in his youth.

⁧י⁩

28 Let him sit alone and keep silence, Because he took it upon himself:

⁧י⁩

29 Let him put in the dust his mouth, Peradventure there is hope!

⁧י⁩

30 Let him give to him that smiteth him his cheek, Let him be sated with reproach.

⁧כ⁩

31 Surely My Lord will not cast off Unto times age-abiding;

⁧כ⁩

32 Surely though he cause grief yet will he have compassion, According to the multitude of his lovingkindnesses;

⁧כ⁩

33 Surely he hath not afflicted from his heart, Nor caused sorrow to the sons of men.

⁧ל⁩

34 To crush under his feet any of the prisoners of the earth;

⁧ל⁩

35 To turn aside the right of a man before the face of the Most High;

⁧ל⁩

36 To oppress a son of earth in his cause My Lord hath made no provision.

⁧מ⁩

37 Who was it that spake and it was done, [When] My Lord had not commanded?

⁧מ⁩

38 Out of the mouth of the Most High Proceed there not misfortunes and blessing?

⁧מ⁩

39 Why should a living son of earth complain, [Let] a man [complain] because of his sins?

⁧נ⁩

40 Let us search out our ways and examine them well, And let us return unto Yahweh;

⁧נ⁩

41 Let us lift up our heart To the opened palms, To the Mighty One in the heavens;

⁧נ⁩

42 We have trespassed and rebelled, Thou hast not pardoned.

⁧ס⁩

43 Thou hast covered thyself with anger and pursued us, Hast slain—hast not spared;

⁧ס⁩

44 Thou hast screened thyself with the clouds, That prayer should not pass through;

⁧ס⁩

45 Offscouring and refuse dost thou make us In the midst of the peoples.

⁧פ⁩

46 With their mouth opened wide over us [Stand] all our foes.

⁧פ⁩

47 Terror and a pit have befallen us, Tumult and grievous injury;

⁧פ⁩

48 With streams of water mine eye runneth down, Over the grievous injury of the daughter of my people.

⁧ע⁩

49 Mine eye poureth itself out and ceaseth not Without relief;

⁧ע⁩

50 Until Yahweh out of the heavens Shall look forth, and see

⁧ע⁩

51 Mine eye dealeth severely with my soul, Because of all the daughters of my city.

⁧צ⁩

52 They have laid snares for me as a bird, Who are mine enemies without cause:

⁧צ⁩

53 They have cut off in the dungeon my life, And have cast a stone upon me;

⁧צ⁩

54 Waters flowed over my head, I said, I am cut off!

⁧ק⁩

55 I have called upon thy Name, O Yahweh, Out of the dungeon below;

⁧ק⁩

56 My voice thou hast heard,—do not close thine ear to my respite, to mine outcry;

⁧ק⁩

57 Thou drewest near, in the day I kept calling on thee, Thou saidst, Do not fear!

⁧ר⁩

58 Thou hast pleaded, O My Lord, the pleas of my soul Hast redeemed my life;

⁧ר⁩

59 Thou hast beheld, O Yahweh, my failure to get justice, Pronounce thou my sentence;

⁧ר⁩

60 Thou hast seen all their vindictiveness, All their plots against me.

⁧ש⁩

61 Thou hast heard their reproach, O Yahweh, All their plots against me;

⁧ש⁩

62 The lips of mine assailants and their mutterings Are against me all the day;

⁧ש⁩

63 On their downsitting and their uprising do thou look, I am their song.

⁧ת⁩

64 Thou wilt render to them a recompense, O Yahweh, According to the work of their hands;

⁧ת⁩

65 Thou wilt suffer them a veiling of heart, Thy curse to them;

⁧ת⁩

66 Thou wilt pursue in anger and wilt destroy them, From under the heavens of Yahweh.