King James Version
For the Lord will not cast off for ever:
But though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies.
For he doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men.
To crush under his feet all the prisoners of the earth,
To turn aside the right of a man before the face of the most High,
To subvert a man in his cause, the Lord approveth not.
Who is he that saith, and it cometh to pass, when the Lord commandeth it not?
Out of the mouth of the most High proceedeth not evil and good?
Wherefore doth a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins?
Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the Lord.
Let us lift up our heart with our hands unto God in the heavens.
We have transgressed and have rebelled: thou hast not pardoned.
Thou hast covered with anger, and persecuted us: thou hast slain, thou hast not pitied.
Thou hast covered thyself with a cloud, that our prayer should not pass through.
Thou hast made us as the offscouring and refuse in the midst of the people.
All our enemies have opened their mouths against us.
Fear and a snare is come upon us, desolation and destruction.
Mine eye runneth down with rivers of water for the destruction of the daughter of my people.
Mine eye trickleth down, and ceaseth not, without any intermission,
Till the Lord look down, and behold from heaven.
Mine eye affecteth mine heart because of all the daughters of my city.
Mine enemies chased me sore, like a bird, without cause.
They have cut off my life in the dungeon, and cast a stone upon me.
Waters flowed over mine head; then I said, I am cut off.
I called upon thy name, O Lord, out of the low dungeon.
Thou hast heard my voice: hide not thine ear at my breathing, at my cry.
Thou drewest near in the day that I called upon thee: thou saidst, Fear not.
O Lord, thou hast pleaded the causes of my soul; thou hast redeemed my life.
O Lord, thou hast seen my wrong: judge thou my cause.
Thou hast seen all their vengeance and all their imaginations against me.
Thou hast heard their reproach, O Lord, and all their imaginations against me;
The lips of those that rose up against me, and their device against me all the day.
Behold their sitting down, and their rising up; I am their musick.
Render unto them a recompence, O Lord, according to the work of their hands.
Give them sorrow of heart, thy curse unto them.
Persecute and destroy them in anger from under the heavens of the Lord.
— Lamentations 3:31-1953, King James Version
“For the Lord will not cast off for ever. For though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of his lovingkindnesses. For he doth not afflict willingly, nor grieve the children of men. To crush under foot all the prisoners of the earth, To turn aside the right of a man before the face of the Most High, To subvert a man in his cause, the Lord approveth not. Who is he that saith, and it cometh to pass, when the Lord commandeth it not? Out of the mouth of the Most High cometh there not evil and good? Wherefore doth a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins? Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to Jehovah. Let us lift up our heart with our hands unto God in the heavens. We have transgressed and have rebelled; thou hast not pardoned. Thou hast covered with anger and pursued us; thou hast slain, thou hast not pitied. Thou hast covered thyself with a cloud, so that no prayer can pass through. Thou hast made us an offscouring and refuse in the midst of the peoples. All our enemies have opened their mouth wide against us. Fear and the pit are come upon us, devastation and destruction. Mine eye runneth down with streams of water, for the destruction of the daughter of my people. Mine eye poureth down, and ceaseth not, without any intermission, Till Jehovah look down, and behold from heaven. Mine eye affecteth my soul, because of all the daughters of my city. They have chased me sore like a bird, they that are mine enemies without cause. They have cut off my life in the dungeon, and have cast a stone upon me. Waters flowed over my head; I said, I am cut off. I called upon thy name, O Jehovah, out of the lowest dungeon. Thou heardest my voice; hide not thine ear at my breathing, at my cry. Thou drewest near in the day that I called upon thee; thou saidst, Fear not. O Lord, thou hast pleaded the causes of my soul; thou hast redeemed my life. O Jehovah, thou hast seen my wrong; judge thou my cause. Thou hast seen all their vengeance and all their devices against me. Thou hast heard their reproach, O Jehovah, and all their devices against me, The lips of those that rose up against me, and their device against me all the day. Behold thou their sitting down, and their rising up; I am their song. Thou wilt render unto them a recompense, O Jehovah, according to the work of their hands. Thou wilt give them hardness of heart, thy curse unto them. Thou wilt pursue them in anger, and destroy them from under the heavens of Jehovah. ”
“For the Lord will not cast off forever. For though he cause grief, yet he will have compassion according to the multitude of his loving kindnesses. For he does not afflict willingly, nor grieve the children of men. To crush under foot all the prisoners of the earth, To turn aside the right of a man before the face of the Most High, To subvert a man in his cause, the Lord doesn't approve. Who is he who says, and it comes to pass, when the Lord doesn't command it? Doesn't evil and good come out of the mouth of the Most High? Why does a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins? Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to Yahweh. Let us lift up our heart with our hands to God in the heavens. We have transgressed and have rebelled; you have not pardoned. You have covered with anger and pursued us; you have killed, you have not pitied. You have covered yourself with a cloud, so that no prayer can pass through. You have made us an off-scouring and refuse in the midst of the peoples. All our enemies have opened their mouth wide against us. Fear and the pit are come on us, devastation and destruction. My eye runs down with streams of water, for the destruction of the daughter of my people. My eye pours down, and doesn't cease, without any intermission, Until Yahweh look down, and see from heaven. My eye affects my soul, because of all the daughters of my city. They have chased me relentlessly like a bird, those who are my enemies without cause. They have cut off my life in the dungeon, and have cast a stone on me. Waters flowed over my head; I said, I am cut off. I called on your name, Yahweh, out of the lowest dungeon. You heard my voice; don't hide your ear at my breathing, at my cry. You drew near in the day that I called on you; you said, Don't be afraid. Lord, you have pleaded the causes of my soul; you have redeemed my life. Yahweh, you have seen my wrong. Judge my cause. You have seen all their vengeance and all their devices against me. You have heard their reproach, Yahweh, and all their devices against me, The lips of those that rose up against me, and their device against me all the day. You see their sitting down, and their rising up; I am their song. You will render to them a recompense, Yahweh, according to the work of their hands. You will give them hardness of heart, your curse to them. You will pursue them in anger, and destroy them from under the heavens of Yahweh.”
“כ(Kaf) For the Lord will not reject us forever. Though he causes us grief, he then has compassion on us according to the abundance of his loyal kindness. For he is not predisposed to afflict or to grieve people. ל(Lamed) To crush underfoot all the earth’s prisoners, to deprive a person of his rights in the presence of the Most High, to defraud a person in a lawsuit– the Lord does not approve of such things! מ(Mem) Whose command was ever fulfilled unless the Lord decreed it? Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that everything comes– both calamity and blessing? Why should any living person complain when punished for his sins? נ(Nun) Let us carefully examine our ways, and let us return to the LORD. Let us lift up our hearts and our hands to God in heaven: “We have blatantly rebelled; you have not forgiven.” ס(Samek) You shrouded yourself with anger and then pursued us; you killed without mercy. You shrouded yourself with a cloud so that no prayer can get through. You make us like filthy scum in the estimation of the nations. פ(Pe) All our enemies have gloated over us; Panic and pitfall have come upon us, devastation and destruction. Streams of tears flow from my eyes because my people are destroyed. ע(Ayin) Tears flow from my eyes and will not stop; there will be no break until the LORD looks down from heaven and sees what has happened. What my eyes see grieves me– all the suffering of the daughters in my city. צ(Tsade) For no good reason my enemies hunted me down like a bird. They shut me up in a pit and threw stones at me. The waters closed over my head; I thought I was about to die. ק(Qof) I have called on your name, O LORD, from the deepest pit. You heard my plea:“Do not close your ears to my cry for relief!” You came near on the day I called to you; you said,“Do not fear!” ר(Resh) O Lord, you championed my cause, you redeemed my life. You have seen the wrong done to me, O LORD; pronounce judgment on my behalf! You have seen all their vengeance, all their plots against me. ש(Sin/Shin) You have heard their taunts, O LORD, all their plots against me. My assailants revile and conspire against me all day long. Watch them from morning to evening; I am the object of their mocking songs. ת(Tav) Pay them back what they deserve, O LORD, according to what they have done. Give them a distraught heart; may your curse be on them! Pursue them in anger and eradicate them from under the LORD’s heaven.”
“Caph. For the Lord will not cast off for ever. Caph. For if he hath cast off, he will also have mercy, according to the multitude of his mercies. Caph. For he hath not willingly afflicted, nor cast off the children of men. Lamed. To crush under his feet all the prisoners of the land, Lamed. To turn aside the judgment of a man before the face of the most High, Lamed. To destroy a man wrongfully in his judgment, the Lord hath not approved. Mem. Who is he that hath commanded a thing to be done, when the Lord commandeth it not? Mem. Shall not both evil and good proceed out of the mouth of the Highest? Mem. Why hath a living man murmured, man suffering for his sins? Nun. Let us search our ways, and seek, and return to the Lord. Nun. Let us lift up our hearts with our hands to the Lord in the heavens. Nun. We have done wickedly, and provoked thee to wrath: therefore thou art inexorable. Samech. Thou hast covered in thy wrath, and hast struck us: thou hast killed and hast not spared. Samech. Thou hast set a cloud before thee, that our prayer may not pass through. Samech. Thou hast made me as an outcast, and refuse in the midst of the people. Phe. All our enemies have opened their mouths against us. Phe. Prophecy is become to us a fear, and a snare, and destruction. Phe. My eye hath run down with streams of water, for the destruction of the daughter of my people. Ain. My eye is afflicted, and hath not been quiet, because there was no rest: Ain. Till the Lord regarded and looked down from the heavens. Ain. My eye hath wasted my soul because of all the daughters of my city. Sade. My enemies have chased me and caught me like a bird, without cause. Sade. My life is fallen into the pit, and they have laid a stone over me. Sade. Waters have flowed over my head: I said: I am cut off. Coph. I have called upon thy name, O Lord, from the lowest pit. Coph. Thou hast heard my voice: turn not away thy ear from my sighs, and cries. Coph. Thou drewest near in the day, when I called upon thee, thou saidst: Fear not. Res. Thou hast judged, O Lord, the cause of my soul, thou the Redeemer of my life. Res. Thou hast seen, O Lord, their iniquity against me: judge thou my judgment. Res. Thou hast seen all their fury, and all their thoughts against me. Sin. Thou hast heard their reproach, O Lord, all their imaginations against me. Sin. The lips of them that rise up against me: and their devices against me all the day. Sin. Behold their sitting down, and their rising up, I am their song. Thau. Thou shalt render them a recompense, O Lord, according to the works of their hands. Thau. Thou shalt give them a buckler of heart, thy labour. Thau. Thou shalt persecute them in anger, and shalt destroy them from under the heavens, O Lord. ”
“For the Lord does not give a man up for ever. For though he sends grief, still he will have pity in the full measure of his love. For he has no pleasure in troubling and causing grief to the children of men. In a man's crushing under his feet all the prisoners of the earth, In his turning away the right of a man before the face of the Most High. In his doing wrong to a man in his cause, the Lord has no pleasure. Who is able to say a thing, and give effect to it, if it has not been ordered by the Lord? Do not evil and good come from the mouth of the Most High? What protest may a living man make, even a man about the punishment of his sin? Let us make search and put our ways to the test, turning again to the Lord; Lifting up our hearts with our hands to God in the heavens. We have done wrong and gone against your law; we have not had your forgiveness. Covering yourself with wrath you have gone after us, cutting us off without pity; Covering yourself with a cloud, so that prayer may not get through. You have made us like waste and that for which there is no use, among the peoples. The mouths of all our haters are open wide against us. Fear and deep waters have come on us, wasting and destruction. Rivers of water are running down from my eyes, for the destruction of the daughter of my people. My eyes are streaming without stopping, they have no rest, Till the Lord's eye is turned on me, till he sees my trouble from heaven. The Lord is unkind to my soul, more than all the daughters of my town. They who are against me without cause have gone hard after me as if I was a bird; They have put an end to my life in the prison, stoning me with stones. Waters were flowing over my head; I said, I am cut off. I was making prayer to your name, O Lord, out of the lowest prison. My voice came to you; let not your ear be shut to my breathing, to my cry. You came near in the day when I made my prayer to you: you said, Have no fear. O Lord, you have taken up the cause of my soul, you have made my life safe. O Lord, you have seen my wrong; be judge in my cause. You have seen all the evil rewards they have sent on me, and all their designs against me. Their bitter words have come to your ears, O Lord, and all their designs against me; The lips of those who came up against me, and their thoughts against me all the day. Take note of them when they are seated, and when they get up; I am their song. You will give them their reward, O Lord, answering to the work of their hands. You will let their hearts be covered over with your curse on them. You will go after them in wrath, and put an end to them from under the heavens of the Lord.”
“For the Lord will not cast off for ever: But though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies. For he doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men. To crush under his feet all the prisoners of the earth, To turn aside the right of a man before the face of the most High, To subvert a man in his cause, the Lord approveth not. Who is he that saith, and it cometh to pass, when the Lord commandeth it not? Out of the mouth of the most High proceedeth not evil and good? Wherefore doth a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins? Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the Lord. Let us lift up our heart with our hands unto God in the heavens. We have transgressed and have rebelled: thou hast not pardoned. Thou hast covered with anger, and persecuted us: thou hast slain, thou hast not pitied. Thou hast covered thyself with a cloud, that our prayer should not pass through. Thou hast made us as the offscouring and refuse in the midst of the people. All our enemies have opened their mouths against us. Fear and a snare is come upon us, desolation and destruction. Mine eye runneth down with rivers of water for the destruction of the daughter of my people. Mine eye trickleth down, and ceaseth not, without any intermission, Till the Lord look down, and behold from heaven. Mine eye affecteth mine heart because of all the daughters of my city. Mine enemies chased me sore, like a bird, without cause. They have cut off my life in the dungeon, and cast a stone upon me. Waters flowed over mine head; then I said, I am cut off. I called upon thy name, O Lord, out of the low dungeon. Thou hast heard my voice: hide not thine ear at my breathing, at my cry. Thou drewest near in the day that I called upon thee: thou saidst, Fear not. O Lord, thou hast pleaded the causes of my soul; thou hast redeemed my life. O Lord, thou hast seen my wrong: judge thou my cause. Thou hast seen all their vengeance and all their imaginations against me. Thou hast heard their reproach, O Lord, and all their imaginations against me; The lips of those that rose up against me, and their device against me all the day. Behold their sitting down, and their rising up; I am their musick. Render unto them a recompence, O Lord, according to the work of their hands. Give them sorrow of heart, thy curse unto them. Persecute and destroy them in anger from under the heavens of the Lord. ”
He sitteth alone and keepeth silence, because he hath borne it upon him.
He putteth his mouth in the dust; if so be there may be hope.
He giveth his cheek to him that smiteth him: he is filled full with reproach.
For the Lord will not cast off for ever:
But though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies.
For he doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men.
To crush under his feet all the prisoners of the earth,
To turn aside the right of a man before the face of the most High,
To subvert a man in his cause, the Lord approveth not.
Who is he that saith, and it cometh to pass, when the Lord commandeth it not?
Out of the mouth of the most High proceedeth not evil and good?
Wherefore doth a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins?
Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the Lord.
Let us lift up our heart with our hands unto God in the heavens.
We have transgressed and have rebelled: thou hast not pardoned.
Thou hast covered with anger, and persecuted us: thou hast slain, thou hast not pitied.
Thou hast covered thyself with a cloud, that our prayer should not pass through.
Thou hast made us as the offscouring and refuse in the midst of the people.
All our enemies have opened their mouths against us.
Fear and a snare is come upon us, desolation and destruction.
Mine eye runneth down with rivers of water for the destruction of the daughter of my people.
Mine eye trickleth down, and ceaseth not, without any intermission,
Till the Lord look down, and behold from heaven.
Mine eye affecteth mine heart because of all the daughters of my city.
Mine enemies chased me sore, like a bird, without cause.
They have cut off my life in the dungeon, and cast a stone upon me.
Waters flowed over mine head; then I said, I am cut off.
I called upon thy name, O Lord, out of the low dungeon.
Thou hast heard my voice: hide not thine ear at my breathing, at my cry.
Thou drewest near in the day that I called upon thee: thou saidst, Fear not.
O Lord, thou hast pleaded the causes of my soul; thou hast redeemed my life.
O Lord, thou hast seen my wrong: judge thou my cause.
Thou hast seen all their vengeance and all their imaginations against me.
Thou hast heard their reproach, O Lord, and all their imaginations against me;
The lips of those that rose up against me, and their device against me all the day.
Behold their sitting down, and their rising up; I am their musick.
Render unto them a recompence, O Lord, according to the work of their hands.
Give them sorrow of heart, thy curse unto them.
Persecute and destroy them in anger from under the heavens of the Lord.