Lamentations 3
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1I am the man who has seen affliction by the rod of His wrath.1I am the man who has seen affliction by the rod of the LORD's wrath.
2He has led me and made me walk In darkness and not in light.2He has driven me away and made me walk in darkness rather than light;
3Surely He has turned His hand against me Time and time again throughout the day.3indeed, he has turned his hand against me again and again, all day long.
4He has aged my flesh and my skin, And broken my bones.4He has made my skin and my flesh grow old and has broken my bones.
5He has besieged me And surrounded me with bitterness and woe.5He has besieged me and surrounded me with bitterness and hardship.
6He has set me in dark places Like the dead of long ago.6He has made me dwell in darkness like those long dead.
7He has hedged me in so that I cannot get out; He has made my chain heavy.7He has walled me in so I cannot escape; he has weighed me down with chains.
8Even when I cry and shout, He shuts out my prayer.8Even when I call out or cry for help, he shuts out my prayer.
9He has blocked my ways with hewn stone; He has made my paths crooked.9He has barred my way with blocks of stone; he has made my paths crooked.
10He has been to me a bear lying in wait, Like a lion in ambush.10Like a bear lying in wait, like a lion in hiding,
11He has turned aside my ways and torn me in pieces; He has made me desolate.11he dragged me from the path and mangled me and left me without help.
12He has bent His bow And set me up as a target for the arrow.12He drew his bow and made me the target for his arrows.
13He has caused the arrows of His quiver To pierce my loins.13He pierced my heart with arrows from his quiver.
14I have become the ridicule of all my people— Their taunting song all the day.14I became the laughingstock of all my people; they mock me in song all day long.
15He has filled me with bitterness, He has made me drink wormwood.15He has filled me with bitter herbs and given me gall to drink.
16He has also broken my teeth with gravel, And covered me with ashes.16He has broken my teeth with gravel; he has trampled me in the dust.
17You have moved my soul far from peace; I have forgotten prosperity.17I have been deprived of peace; I have forgotten what prosperity is.
18And I said, “My strength and my hope Have perished from the LORD.”18So I say, "My splendor is gone and all that I had hoped from the LORD."
19Remember my affliction and roaming, The wormwood and the gall.19I remember my affliction and my wandering, the bitterness and the gall.
20My soul still remembers And sinks within me.20I well remember them, and my soul is downcast within me.
21This I recall to my mind, Therefore I have hope.21Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope:
22Through the LORD’s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not.22Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.
23They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.23They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
24“The LORD is my portion,” says my soul, “Therefore I hope in Him!”24I say to myself, "The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him."
25The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, To the soul who seeks Him.25The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him;
26It is good that one should hope and wait quietly For the salvation of the LORD.26it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD.
27It is good for a man to bear The yoke in his youth.27It is good for a man to bear the yoke while he is young.
28Let him sit alone and keep silent, Because God has laid it on him;28Let him sit alone in silence, for the LORD has laid it on him.
29Let him put his mouth in the dust— There may yet be hope.29Let him bury his face in the dust-- there may yet be hope.
30Let him give his cheek to the one who strikes him, And be full of reproach.30Let him offer his cheek to one who would strike him, and let him be filled with disgrace.
31For the Lord will not cast off forever.31For no one is cast off by the Lord forever.
32Though He causes grief, Yet He will show compassion According to the multitude of His mercies.32Though he brings grief, he will show compassion, so great is his unfailing love.
33For He does not afflict willingly, Nor grieve the children of men.33For he does not willingly bring affliction or grief to anyone.
34To crush under one’s feet All the prisoners of the earth,34To crush underfoot all prisoners in the land,
35To turn aside the justice due a man Before the face of the Most High,35to deny people their rights before the Most High,
36Or subvert a man in his cause— The Lord does not approve.36to deprive them of justice-- would not the Lord see such things?
37Who is he who speaks and it comes to pass, When the Lord has not commanded it?37Who can speak and have it happen if the Lord has not decreed it?
38Is it not from the mouth of the Most High That woe and well-being proceed?38Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that both calamities and good things come?
39Why should a living man complain, A man for the punishment of his sins?39Why should the living complain when punished for their sins?
40Let us search out and examine our ways, And turn back to the LORD;40Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the LORD.
41Let us lift our hearts and hands To God in heaven.41Let us lift up our hearts and our hands to God in heaven, and say:
42We have transgressed and rebelled; You have not pardoned.42"We have sinned and rebelled and you have not forgiven.
43You have covered Yourself with anger And pursued us; You have slain and not pitied.43"You have covered yourself with anger and pursued us; you have slain without pity.
44You have covered Yourself with a cloud, That prayer should not pass through.44You have covered yourself with a cloud so that no prayer can get through.
45You have made us an offscouring and refuse In the midst of the peoples.45You have made us scum and refuse among the nations.
46All our enemies Have opened their mouths against us.46"All our enemies have opened their mouths wide against us.
47Fear and a snare have come upon us, Desolation and destruction.47We have suffered terror and pitfalls, ruin and destruction."
48My eyes overflow with rivers of water For the destruction of the daughter of my people.48Streams of tears flow from my eyes because my people are destroyed.
49My eyes flow and do not cease, Without interruption,49My eyes will flow unceasingly, without relief,
50Till the LORD from heaven Looks down and sees.50until the LORD looks down from heaven and sees.
51My eyes bring suffering to my soul Because of all the daughters of my city.51What I see brings grief to my soul because of all the women of my city.
52My enemies without cause Hunted me down like a bird.52Those who were my enemies without cause hunted me like a bird.
53They silenced my life in the pit And threw stones at me.53They tried to end my life in a pit and threw stones at me;
54The waters flowed over my head; I said, “I am cut off!”54the waters closed over my head, and I thought I was about to perish.
55I called on Your name, O LORD, From the lowest pit.55I called on your name, LORD, from the depths of the pit.
56You have heard my voice: “Do not hide Your ear From my sighing, from my cry for help.”56You heard my plea: "Do not close your ears to my cry for relief."
57You drew near on the day I called on You, And said, “Do not fear!”57You came near when I called you, and you said, "Do not fear."
58O Lord, You have pleaded the case for my soul; You have redeemed my life.58You, Lord, took up my case; you redeemed my life.
59O LORD, You have seen how I am wronged; Judge my case.59LORD, you have seen the wrong done to me. Uphold my cause!
60You have seen all their vengeance, All their schemes against me.60You have seen the depth of their vengeance, all their plots against me.
61You have heard their reproach, O LORD, All their schemes against me,61LORD, you have heard their insults, all their plots against me--
62The lips of my enemies And their whispering against me all the day.62what my enemies whisper and mutter against me all day long.
63Look at their sitting down and their rising up; I am their taunting song.63Look at them! Sitting or standing, they mock me in their songs.
64Repay them, O LORD, According to the work of their hands.64Pay them back what they deserve, LORD, for what their hands have done.
65Give them a veiled heart; Your curse be upon them!65Put a veil over their hearts, and may your curse be on them!
66In Your anger, Pursue and destroy them From under the heavens of the LORD.66Pursue them in anger and destroy them from under the heavens of the LORD.
The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.New International Version (NIV)

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Lamentations 2
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