Bible in Basic English
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.
— Lamentations 3:39-1964, Bible in Basic English
“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. ”
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.