September 5
Lamentations 3:1 — 5:22
 

א [ʼA′leph]

3 I am the able-bodied man that has seen affliction because of the staff of his fury.

 2 It is I whom he has led and makes to walk in darkness and not in light.

 3 Indeed, it is against me that he repeatedly turns his hand all day long.

ב [Behth]

 4 He has caused my flesh and my skin to wear away. He has broken my bones.

 5 He has built against me, that he may encircle [me] with poisonous plant and hardship.

 6 In dark places he has made me sit like men dead for a long time.

ג [Gi′mel]

 7 He has blocked me up as with a stone wall, that I may not go forth. He has made my copper fetters heavy.

 8 Also, when I call for aid and cry for help, he actually hampers my prayer.

 9 He has blocked up my ways with hewn stone. My roadways he has twisted.

ד [Da′leth]

10 As a bear lying in wait he is to me, as a lion in places of concealment.

11 My ways he has disarranged, and he makes me lie fallow. He has made me one laid desolate.

12 He has trodden his bow, and he sets me up as the target for the arrow.

ה [Heʼ]

13 He has brought into my kidneys the sons of his quiver.

14 I have become an object of laughter to all people against me, the theme of their song all day long.

15 He has given me a sufficiency of bitter things. He has saturated me with wormwood.

ו [Waw]

16 And with gravel he makes my teeth get broken. He has made me cower in the ashes.

17 You also do a casting off so that there is no peace for my soul. I have lost memory of what good is.

18 And I keep saying: “My excellency has perished, and my expectation from Jehovah.”

ז [Za′yin]

19 Remember my affliction and my homeless state, the wormwood and the poisonous plant.

20 Without fail your soul will remember and bow low over me.

21 This is what I shall bring back to my heart. That is why I shall show a waiting attitude.

ח [Chehth]

22 It is the acts of loving-kindness of Jehovah that we have not come to our finish, because his mercies will certainly not come to an end.

23 They are new each morning. Your faithfulness is abundant.

24 “Jehovah is my share,” my soul has said, “that is why I shall show a waiting attitude for him.”

ט [Tehth]

25 Good is Jehovah to the one hoping in him, to the soul that keeps seeking for him.

26 Good it is that one should wait, even silently, for the salvation of Jehovah.

27 Good it is for an able-bodied man that he should carry the yoke during his youth.

י [Yohdh]

28 Let him sit solitary and keep silent, because he has laid [something] upon him.

29 Let him put his mouth in the very dust. Perhaps there exists a hope.

30 Let him give [his] cheek to the very one striking him. Let him have his sufficiency of reproach.

כ [Kaph]

31 For not to time indefinite will Jehovah keep on casting off.

32 For although he has caused grief, he will also certainly show mercy according to the abundance of his loving-kindness.

33 For not out of his own heart has he afflicted or does he grieve the sons of men.

ל [La′medh]

34 For crushing beneath one’s feet all the prisoners of the earth,

35 For turning aside the judgment of an able-bodied man before the face of the Most High,

36 For making a man crooked in his legal case, Jehovah himself has had no countenance.

מ [Mem]

37 Who, now, has said that something should occur [when] Jehovah himself has not commanded?

38 From the mouth of the Most High bad things and what is good do not go forth.

39 How can a living man indulge in complaints, an able-bodied man on account of his sin?

נ [Nun]

40 Do let us search out our ways and explore them, and do let us return clear to Jehovah.

41 Let us raise our heart along with [our] palms to God in the heavens:

42 “We ourselves have transgressed, and we have behaved rebelliously. You yourself have not forgiven.

ס [Sa′mekh]

43 You have blocked approach with anger, and you keep pursuing us. You have killed; you have shown no compassion.

44 You have blocked approach to yourself with a cloud mass, that prayer may not pass through.

45 You make us mere offscouring and refuse in the midst of the peoples.”

פ [Peʼ]

46 Against us all our enemies have opened their mouth.

47 Dread and the hollow themselves have become ours, desolateness and breakdown.

48 With streams of water my eye keeps running down on account of the breakdown of the daughter of my people.

ע [ʽA′yin]

49 My very eye has been poured forth and will not keep still, so that there are no pauses,

50 Until Jehovah looks down and sees from heaven.

51 My own eye has dealt severely with my soul, because of all the daughters of my city.

צ [Tsa·dheh′]

52 My enemies have positively hunted for me just as for a bird, for no cause.

53 They have silenced my life in the pit itself, and they kept hurling stones at me.

54 Waters have flowed over my head. I have said: “I shall certainly be cut off!”

ק [Qohph]

55 I have called out your name, O Jehovah, from a pit of the lowest sort.

56 My voice you must hear. Do not hide your ear to my relief, to my cry for help.

57 You have drawn near in the day that I kept calling you. You said: “Do not be afraid.”

ר [Rehsh]

58 You have taken up, O Jehovah, the contests of my soul. You have repurchased my life.

59 You have seen, O Jehovah, the wrong done to me. O do conduct the judgment for me.

60 You have seen all their vengeance, all their thoughts against me.

ש [Sin] or [Shin]

61 You have heard their reproach, O Jehovah, all their thoughts against me,

62 The lips of those rising up against me and their whispering against me all day long.

63 Do look at their very sitting down and their rising up. I am the subject of their song.

ת [Taw]

64 You will give back to them a treatment, O Jehovah, according to the work of their hands.

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

66 You will pursue in anger and annihilate them from under the heavens of Jehovah.

א [ʼA′leph]

4 O how the gold that shines becomes dim, the good gold!

     O how the holy stones are poured out at the head of all the streets!

ב [Behth]

 2 As for the precious sons of Zion, those who were weighed against refined gold,

     O how they have been reckoned as large jars of earthenware, the work of the hands of a potter!

ג [Gi′mel]

 3 Even jackals themselves have presented the udder. They have suckled their cubs.

     The daughter of my people becomes cruel, like ostriches in the wilderness.

ד [Da′leth]

 4 The tongue of the suckling has cleaved to its palate because of thirst.

     Children themselves have asked for bread. There is no one dealing [it] out to them.

ה [Heʼ]

 5 The very ones that were eating pleasant things have been struck with astonishment in the streets.

     The very ones that were being reared in scarlet have had to embrace ash heaps.

ו [Waw]

 6 The [punishment for the] error of the daughter of my people also becomes greater than the [punishment for the] sin of Sod′om,

     Which was overthrown as in a moment, and to which no hands turned [helpfully].

ז [Za′yin]

 7 Her Naz′i·rites were purer than snow; they were whiter than milk.

     They were in fact more ruddy than corals; their polish was as the sapphire.

ח [Chehth]

 8 Their aspect has become darker than blackness itself. They have not been recognized in the streets.

     Their skin has shriveled upon their bones. It has become just as dry as a tree.

ט [Tehth]

 9 Better have those slain with the sword proved to be than those slain by famine,

     Because these pine away, pierced through for lack of the produce of the open field.

י [Yohdh]

10 The very hands of compassionate women have boiled their own children.

     They have become as bread of consolation to one during the breakdown of the daughter of my people.

כ [Kaph]

11 Jehovah has accomplished his rage. He has poured out his burning anger.

     And he sets a fire ablaze in Zion, which eats up her foundations.

ל [La′medh]

12 The kings of the earth and all the inhabitants of the productive land had not believed

     That the adversary and the enemy would come into the gates of Jerusalem.

מ [Mem]

13 Because of the sins of her prophets, the errors of her priests,

     There were in the midst of her those pouring out the blood of righteous ones.

נ [Nun]

14 They have wandered about as blind in the streets. They have become polluted with blood,

     So that none are able to touch their garments.

ס [Sa′mekh]

15 “Get out of the way! Unclean!” they have called out to them. “Get out of the way! Get out of the way! Do not touch!”

     For they have gone homeless. They have also wandered about. People have said among the nations: “They will not reside again as aliens.

פ [Peʼ]

16 The face of Jehovah has divided them up. He will not look upon them again.

     Men will certainly show no consideration even for the priests. They will certainly show no favor even to the old men.”

ע [ʽA′yin]

17 While we yet are, our eyes keep pining away in vain for assistance to us.

     During our looking about we have looked out to a nation that can bring no salvation.

צ [Tsa·dheh′]

18 They have hunted our steps so that there is no walking in our public squares.

     Our end has drawn near. Our days have come to their full, for our end has come.

ק [Qohph]

19 Swifter than the eagles of the heavens our pursuers have proved to be.

     Upon the mountains they have hotly pursued us. In the wilderness they have lain in wait for us.

ר [Rehsh]

20 The very breath of our nostrils, the anointed one of Jehovah, has been captured in their large pit,

     The one of whom we have said: “In his shade we shall live among the nations.”

ש [Sin]

21 Exult and rejoice, O daughter of E′dom, dwelling as you do in the land of Uz.

     To you also the cup will pass along. You will become drunk and show yourself in nakedness.

ת [Taw]

22 Your error, O daughter of Zion, has come to its finish. He will not carry you off into exile again.

     He has turned his attention to your error, O daughter of E′dom. He has uncovered your sins.

5 Remember, O Jehovah, what has happened to us. Do look and see our reproach.

 2 Our own hereditary possession has been turned over to strangers, our houses to foreigners.

 3 We have become mere orphans without a father. Our mothers are like widows.

 4 For money we have had to drink our own water. For a price our own wood comes in.

 5 Close onto our neck we have been pursued. We have grown weary. No rest has been left for us.

 6 To Egypt we have given the hand; to As·syr′i·a, in order to get satisfaction with bread.

 7 Our forefathers are the ones that have sinned. They are no more. As for us, it is their errors that we have had to bear.

 8 Mere servants have ruled over us. There is no one tearing us away from their hand.

 9 At the risk of our soul we bring in our bread, because of the sword of the wilderness.

10 Our very skin has grown hot just like a furnace, because of the pangs of hunger.

11 The wives in Zion they have humbled, the virgins in the cities of Judah.

12 Princes themselves have been hanged by just their hand. The faces of even old men have not been honored.

13 Even young men have lifted up a hand mill itself, and under the wood mere boys have stumbled.

14 Old men themselves have ceased even out of the gate, young men from their instrumental music.

15 The exultation of our heart has ceased. Our dancing has been changed into mere mourning.

16 The crown of our head has fallen. Woe, now, to us, because we have sinned!

17 On this account our heart has become ill. On account of these things our eyes have grown dim,

18 On account of Zion’s mountain that is desolated; foxes themselves have walked on it.

19 As for you, O Jehovah, to time indefinite you will sit. Your throne is for generation after generation.

20 Why is it that forever you forget us, that you leave us for the length of days?

21 Bring us back, O Jehovah, to yourself, and we shall readily come back. Bring new days for us as in the long ago.

22 However, you have positively rejected us. You have been indignant toward us very much.