The Prophet’s Anguish and Hope
1 I am the man who has seen affliction by the rod of His wrath.
1 I am the man who has seen affliction by the rod of His wrath.
2 He has led me and made me walk
In darkness and not in light.
In darkness and not in light.
3 Surely He has turned His hand against me
Time and time again throughout the day.
Time and time again throughout the day.
4 He has aged my flesh and my skin,
And broken my bones.
And broken my bones.
5 He has besieged me
And surrounded me with bitterness and [a]woe.
And surrounded me with bitterness and [a]woe.
6 He has set me in dark places
Like the dead of long ago.
Like the dead of long ago.
7 He has hedged me in so that I cannot get out;
He has made my chain heavy.
He has made my chain heavy.
8 Even when I cry and shout,
He shuts out my prayer.
He shuts out my prayer.
9 He has blocked my ways with hewn stone;
He has made my paths crooked.
He has made my paths crooked.
10 He has been to me a bear lying in wait,
Like a lion in [b]ambush.
Like a lion in [b]ambush.
11 He has turned aside my ways and torn me in pieces;
He has made me desolate.
He has made me desolate.
12 He has bent His bow
And set me up as a target for the arrow.
And set me up as a target for the arrow.
14 I have become the ridicule of all my people —
Their taunting song all the day.
Their taunting song all the day.
15 He has filled me with bitterness,
He has made me drink wormwood.
He has made me drink wormwood.
16 He has also broken my teeth with gravel,
And [e]covered me with ashes.
And [e]covered me with ashes.
17 You have moved my soul far from peace;
I have forgotten [f]prosperity.
I have forgotten [f]prosperity.
18 And I said, “My strength and my hope
Have perished from the Lord.”
Have perished from the Lord.”
19 Remember my affliction and roaming,
The wormwood and the [g]gall.
The wormwood and the [g]gall.
20 My soul still remembers
And [h]sinks within me.
And [h]sinks within me.
21 This I recall to my mind,
Therefore I have hope.
Therefore I have hope.
22 Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed,
Because His compassions fail not.
Because His compassions fail not.
23 They are new every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness.
Great is Your faithfulness.
24 “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,
“Therefore I hope in Him!”
“Therefore I hope in Him!”
25 The Lord is good to those who wait for Him,
To the soul who seeks Him.
To the soul who seeks Him.
26 It is good that one should hope and wait quietly
For the salvation of the Lord.
For the salvation of the Lord.
27 It is good for a man to bear
The yoke in his youth.
The yoke in his youth.
28 Let him sit alone and keep silent,
Because God has laid it on him;
Because God has laid it on him;
29 Let him put his mouth in the dust —
There may yet be hope.
There may yet be hope.
30 Let him give his cheek to the one who strikes him,
And be full of reproach.
And be full of reproach.
31 For the Lord will not cast off forever.
32 Though He causes grief,
Yet He will show compassion
According to the multitude of His mercies.
Yet He will show compassion
According to the multitude of His mercies.
33 For He does not afflict [i]willingly,
Nor grieve the children of men.
Nor grieve the children of men.
34 To crush under one’s feet
All the prisoners of the earth,
All the prisoners of the earth,
35 To turn aside the justice due a man
Before the face of the Most High,
Before the face of the Most High,
36 Or subvert a man in his cause —
The Lord does not approve.
The Lord does not approve.
37 Who is he who speaks and it comes to pass,
When the Lord has not commanded it?
When the Lord has not commanded it?
38 Is it not from the mouth of the Most High
That woe and well-being proceed?
That woe and well-being proceed?
39 Why should a living man [j]complain,
A man for the punishment of his sins?
A man for the punishment of his sins?
40 Let us search out and examine our ways,
And turn back to the Lord;
And turn back to the Lord;
41 Let us lift our hearts and hands
To God in heaven.
To God in heaven.
42 We have transgressed and rebelled;
You have not pardoned.
You have not pardoned.
43 You have covered Yourself with anger
And pursued us;
You have slain and not pitied.
And pursued us;
You have slain and not pitied.
44 You have covered Yourself with a cloud,
That prayer should not pass through.
That prayer should not pass through.
45 You have made us an offscouring and refuse
In the midst of the peoples.
In the midst of the peoples.
46 All our enemies
Have opened their mouths against us.
Have opened their mouths against us.
47 Fear and a snare have come upon us,
Desolation and destruction.
Desolation and destruction.
48 My eyes overflow with rivers of water
For the destruction of the daughter of my people.
For the destruction of the daughter of my people.
49 My eyes flow and do not cease,
Without interruption,
Without interruption,
50 Till the Lord from heaven
Looks down and sees.
Looks down and sees.
51 My eyes bring suffering to my soul
Because of all the daughters of my city.
Because of all the daughters of my city.
52 My enemies without cause
Hunted me down like a bird.
Hunted me down like a bird.
54 The waters flowed over my head;
I said, “I am cut off!”
I said, “I am cut off!”
55 I called on Your name, O Lord,
From the lowest pit.
From the lowest pit.
56 You have heard my voice:
“Do not hide Your ear
From my sighing, from my cry for help.”
“Do not hide Your ear
From my sighing, from my cry for help.”
57 You drew near on the day I called on You,
And said, “Do not fear!”
And said, “Do not fear!”
58 O Lord, You have pleaded the case for my soul;
You have redeemed my life.
You have redeemed my life.
59 O Lord, You have seen [m]how I am wronged;
Judge my case.
Judge my case.
60 You have seen all their vengeance,
All their schemes against me.
All their schemes against me.
61 You have heard their reproach, O Lord,
All their schemes against me,
All their schemes against me,
62 The lips of my enemies
And their whispering against me all the day.
And their whispering against me all the day.
63 Look at their sitting down and their rising up;
I am their taunting song.
I am their taunting song.
64 Repay them, O Lord,
According to the work of their hands.
According to the work of their hands.
65 Give them [n]a veiled heart;
Your curse be upon them!
Your curse be upon them!
66 In Your anger,
Pursue and destroy them
From under the heavens of the Lord.
Pursue and destroy them
From under the heavens of the Lord.
Lamentations, 3 chapter