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Lamentations 3
New Life Version
Lamentations 3
New Life Version
Jerusalem’s Hope
3 I am the man who has been suffering because of the power of God’s anger. 2 He has led me and brought me into darkness and not into light. 3 For sure He has turned His hand against me again and again all day long. 4 He has made my flesh and my skin waste away. He has broken my bones. 5 He has shut me in with trouble and suffering. 6 He has made me live in dark places, like those who have been dead a long time. 7 He has put a wall around me so that I cannot go out. He has put heavy chains on me. 8 Even when I cry and call for help, he shuts out my prayer. 9 He has stopped me with blocks of stone. He has made my paths no longer straight. 10 He is like a bear lying in wait, like a lion hiding in secret places. 11 He has turned me from the path and torn me to pieces. He has destroyed me. 12 He used His bow, and set me as a mark for His arrow. 13 He has taken out His arrows and sent them into my heart. 14 All my people laugh at me. They sing songs that make fun of me all day long. 15 He has filled me with bitter feelings. He has made me drunk with wormwood. 16 He has broken my teeth with rocks, and has covered me with dust. 17 Peace has left my soul. I have forgotten what it is like to be happy. 18 So I say, “My strength is gone, and so has my hope from the Lord.”
19 Remember my trouble and my traveling from place to place, the wormwood and bitter feelings. 20 I remember it always, and my soul bows down within me. 21 But this I remember, and so I have hope. 22 It is because of the Lord’s loving-kindness that we are not destroyed for His loving-pity never ends. 23 It is new every morning. He is so very faithful. 24 “The Lord is my share.” says my soul, “so I have hope in Him.” 25 The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the one who looks for Him. 26 It is good that one should be quiet and wait for the saving power of the Lord. 27 It is good for a man to carry the load while he is young. 28 Let him sit alone and be quiet when God has laid the load on him. 29 Let him put his mouth in the dust. There may be hope yet. 30 Let him give his face to the one who hits him, and be filled with shame. 31 For the Lord will not turn away from a man forever. 32 For if He causes sorrow, He will have loving-pity because of His great loving-kindness. 33 He does not want to cause trouble or sorrow for the children of men. 34 He is not pleased when all those on earth who are in prison are crushed under foot. 35 The Most High is not pleased when the rights are kept away from a man who is before Him, 36 and when wrong is done to him in his cause. The Lord is not pleased with these things. 37 Who has said that something would happen and then it did happen, unless the Lord has said that it should be? 38 Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that both good and bad come?
39 Why should any living man complain about the punishment of his sins? 40 Let us test and look over our ways, and return to the Lord. 41 Let us lift up our heart and hands to God in heaven, saying, 42 “We have sinned and would not obey You, and You have not forgiven us. 43 You have covered Yourself with anger and have followed us, killing without pity. 44 You have covered Yourself with a cloud so that no prayer can get through. 45 You have made us a waste and something that is not wanted among the nations. 46 All those who hate us have spoken against us. 47 Fear and a trap have come upon us. We are laid waste and destroyed. 48 My eyes flow with rivers of tears because my people are destroyed. 49 Tears flow from my eyes all the time without stopping, 50 until the Lord looks down from heaven and sees. 51 My eyes bring me suffering because of what is happening to all the women of my city. 52 I have been hunted like a bird by those who hate me for no reason. 53 They threw me alive into the deep hole and have put a stone on me. 54 Water flowed over my head, and I said, “I am cut off!” 55 I called on Your name, O Lord, out of the deep hole. 56 You have heard my voice. Do not close Your ears to my cry for help. 57 You came near when I called You, and You said, “Do not be afraid!” 58 You have helped me in my cause, O Lord. You have saved my life. 59 O Lord, You have seen the wrong done to me. Judge in my favor. 60 You have seen how much they hate me and plan against me. 61 O Lord, You have heard how they put me to shame and how they work against me. 62 The lips and thoughts of those who hurt me are against me all day long. 63 Watch their sitting down and standing up. I am their song as they make fun of me. 64 O Lord, You will punish them for what they have done. 65 You will give them hard hearts, and curse them. 66 Go after them in anger and destroy them from under Your heavens, O Lord.
Lamentations 3
New International Version
Lamentations 3
New International Version
3 [a]I am the man who has seen affliction(A)
by the rod of the Lord’s wrath.(B)
2 He has driven me away and made me walk
in darkness(C) rather than light;
3 indeed, he has turned his hand against me(D)
again and again, all day long.
4 He has made my skin and my flesh grow old(E)
and has broken my bones.(F)
5 He has besieged me and surrounded me
with bitterness(G) and hardship.(H)
6 He has made me dwell in darkness
like those long dead.(I)
7 He has walled me in so I cannot escape;(J)
he has weighed me down with chains.(K)
8 Even when I call out or cry for help,(L)
he shuts out my prayer.(M)
9 He has barred(N) my way with blocks of stone;
he has made my paths crooked.(O)
10 Like a bear lying in wait,
like a lion(P) in hiding,(Q)
11 he dragged me from the path and mangled(R) me
and left me without help.
12 He drew his bow(S)
and made me the target(T) for his arrows.(U)
13 He pierced(V) my heart
with arrows from his quiver.(W)
14 I became the laughingstock(X) of all my people;(Y)
they mock me in song(Z) all day long.
15 He has filled me with bitter herbs
and given me gall to drink.(AA)
16 He has broken my teeth with gravel;(AB)
he has trampled me in the dust.(AC)
17 I have been deprived of peace;
I have forgotten what prosperity is.
18 So I say, “My splendor is gone
and all that I had hoped from the Lord.”(AD)
19 I remember my affliction and my wandering,
the bitterness(AE) and the gall.(AF)
20 I well remember them,
and my soul is downcast(AG) within me.(AH)
21 Yet this I call to mind
and therefore I have hope:
22 Because of the Lord’s great love(AI) we are not consumed,(AJ)
for his compassions never fail.(AK)
23 They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.(AL)
24 I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion;(AM)
therefore I will wait for him.”
25 The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him,
to the one who seeks him;(AN)
26 it is good to wait quietly(AO)
for the salvation of the Lord.(AP)
27 It is good for a man to bear the yoke
while he is young.
28 Let him sit alone in silence,(AQ)
for the Lord has laid it on him.
29 Let him bury his face in the dust(AR)—
there may yet be hope.(AS)
30 Let him offer his cheek to one who would strike him,(AT)
and let him be filled with disgrace.(AU)
31 For no one is cast off
by the Lord forever.(AV)
32 Though he brings grief, he will show compassion,
so great is his unfailing love.(AW)
33 For he does not willingly bring affliction
or grief to anyone.(AX)
34 To crush underfoot
all prisoners in the land,
35 to deny people their rights
before the Most High,(AY)
36 to deprive them of justice—
would not the Lord see such things?(AZ)
37 Who can speak and have it happen
if the Lord has not decreed it?(BA)
38 Is it not from the mouth of the Most High
that both calamities and good things come?(BB)
39 Why should the living complain
when punished for their sins?(BC)
40 Let us examine our ways and test them,(BD)
and let us return to the Lord.(BE)
41 Let us lift up our hearts and our hands
to God in heaven,(BF) and say:
42 “We have sinned and rebelled(BG)
and you have not forgiven.(BH)
43 “You have covered yourself with anger and pursued(BI) us;
you have slain without pity.(BJ)
44 You have covered yourself with a cloud(BK)
so that no prayer(BL) can get through.(BM)
45 You have made us scum(BN) and refuse
among the nations.
46 “All our enemies have opened their mouths
wide(BO) against us.(BP)
47 We have suffered terror and pitfalls,(BQ)
ruin and destruction.(BR)”
48 Streams of tears(BS) flow from my eyes(BT)
because my people are destroyed.(BU)
49 My eyes will flow unceasingly,
without relief,(BV)
50 until the Lord looks down
from heaven and sees.(BW)
51 What I see brings grief to my soul
because of all the women of my city.
52 Those who were my enemies without cause
hunted me like a bird.(BX)
53 They tried to end my life in a pit(BY)
and threw stones at me;
54 the waters closed over my head,(BZ)
and I thought I was about to perish.(CA)
55 I called on your name, Lord,
from the depths(CB) of the pit.(CC)
56 You heard my plea:(CD) “Do not close your ears
to my cry for relief.”
57 You came near(CE) when I called you,
and you said, “Do not fear.”(CF)
58 You, Lord, took up my case;(CG)
you redeemed my life.(CH)
59 Lord, you have seen the wrong done to me.(CI)
Uphold my cause!(CJ)
60 You have seen the depth of their vengeance,
all their plots against me.(CK)
Footnotes
- Lamentations 3:1 This chapter is an acrostic poem; the verses of each stanza begin with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet, and the verses within each stanza begin with the same letter.
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