Lamentations 3

I AM the man that hath seen affliction by the rod of his wrath.

1I am the man who has felt great pain. God was angry and punished me.

2He hath led me, and brought me into darkness, but not into light.

2He led me away. He made me walk in the dark, not in the light.

3Surely against me is he turned; he turneth his hand against me all the day.

3He keeps turning his hand against me. He does it all day long.

4My flesh and my skin hath he made old; he hath broken my bones.

4He wore out my skin and my body. He broke my bones.

5He hath builded against me, and compassed me with gall and travail.

5He built walls around me. He filled my days with bitter things and hard work.

6He hath set me in dark places, as they that be dead of old.

6He made me sit in dark places, like people who died long ago.

7He hath hedged me about, that I cannot get out: he hath made my chain heavy.

7He put a wall around me so I cannot get out. My chain is heavy.

8Also when I cry and shout, he shutteth out my prayer.

8Even when I cry and shout for help, he shuts my prayer out.

9He hath inclosed my ways with hewn stone, he hath made my paths crooked.

9He blocked my roads with big cut stones. He made my paths twist and turn.

10He was unto me as a bear lying in wait, and as a lion in secret places.

10He was like a bear waiting to catch me. He was like a hiding lion.

11He hath turned aside my ways, and pulled me in pieces: he hath made me desolate.

11He pulled me off my path and tore me apart. He left me with nothing.

12He hath bent his bow, and set me as a mark for the arrow.

12He bent his bow. He set me up as the target for his arrow.

13He hath caused the arrows of his quiver to enter into my reins.

13He shot the arrows from his bag deep inside my body.

Note"Reins" in the old English means the insides of the body, near the back. It does not mean the straps used to steer a horse.

14I was a derision to all my people; and their song all the day.

14All my people laughed at me. They made up songs about me all day.

15He hath filled me with bitterness, he hath made me drunken with wormwood.

15He filled me with bitterness. He made me drink bitter wormwood until I was dizzy.

NoteWormwood is a plant with a very bitter taste. People used it to talk about deep sadness.

16He hath also broken my teeth with gravel stones, he hath covered me with ashes.

16He broke my teeth with little stones. He pushed me down into the ashes.

17And thou hast removed my soul far off from peace: I forgat prosperity.

17You took peace far away from me. I forgot what good days feel like.

18And I said, My strength and my hope is perished from the LORD:

18So I said, "My strength is gone. My hope in the LORD is gone."

19Remembering mine affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall.

19I keep remembering my pain and my wandering. It all tasted bitter and sour.

20My soul hath them still in remembrance, and is humbled in me.

20My heart still remembers it all. It makes me feel low inside.

21This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope.

21But I call this to mind. That is why I still have hope:

22It is of the LORD’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.

22The LORD loves us, so we are not finished. His kindness never runs out.

23They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.

23His kindness is new every morning. You always keep your promises, God.

24The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him.

24My heart says, "The LORD is all I have. So I will hope in him."

Note"The LORD is my portion" means God himself is what I have been given, like a share of land or food.

25The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him.

25The LORD is good to people who wait for him and look for him.

26It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD.

26It is good to hope and wait quietly for the LORD to save you.

27It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth.

27It is good for a person to carry a heavy load while still young.

NoteA yoke is a wooden bar laid on animals so they can pull a heavy load. Here it means carrying something hard.

28He sitteth alone and keepeth silence, because he hath borne it upon him.

28Let him sit alone and stay quiet, because God gave him this to carry.

29He putteth his mouth in the dust; if so be there may be hope.

29Let him put his face down in the dust. Maybe there is still hope.

30He giveth his cheek to him that smiteth him: he is filled full with reproach.

30Let him turn his cheek to the one who hits him. Let him take the mean words.

31For the LORD will not cast off for ever:

31The Lord will not push his people away forever.

32But though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies.

32Even when he brings sadness, he will be kind. His love is very great.

33For he doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men.

33He does not want to hurt people or make them sad.

34To crush under his feet all the prisoners of the earth,

34Some people crush prisoners under their feet.

35To turn aside the right of a man before the face of the most High,

35Some people keep a person from getting fair treatment in front of God Most High.

36To subvert a man in his cause, the LORD approveth not.

36Some people cheat a person in court. The Lord does not agree with any of this.

37Who is he that saith, and it cometh to pass, when the Lord commandeth it not?

37Who can say a thing and make it happen, if the Lord did not order it?

38Out of the mouth of the most High proceedeth not evil and good?

38Both hard times and good times come from the mouth of God Most High.

39Wherefore doth a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins?

39So why should a living person complain when he is punished for his own sins?

40Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the LORD.

40Let us look closely at how we live. Let us turn back to the LORD.

41Let us lift up our heart with our hands unto God in the heavens.

41Let us lift up our hearts and our hands to God in heaven.

42We have transgressed and have rebelled: thou hast not pardoned.

42We have done wrong. We turned against you. You have not forgiven us.

43Thou hast covered with anger, and persecuted us: thou hast slain, thou hast not pitied.

43You wrapped yourself in anger and chased us. You killed and did not feel sorry.

44Thou hast covered thyself with a cloud, that our prayer should not pass through.

44You covered yourself with a cloud. No prayer could get through it.

45Thou hast made us as the offscouring and refuse in the midst of the people.

45You made us like trash that people sweep up and throw away.

46All our enemies have opened their mouths against us.

46All our enemies open their mouths wide to shout at us.

47Fear and a snare is come upon us, desolation and destruction.

47We are scared. We are trapped. Everything around us is broken and ruined.

48Mine eye runneth down with rivers of water for the destruction of the daughter of my people.

48Tears run down my face like rivers, because my people have been ruined.

49Mine eye trickleth down, and ceaseth not, without any intermission,

49My eyes keep crying. The tears do not stop, not even for a moment.

50Till the LORD look down, and behold from heaven.

50I will cry until the LORD looks down from heaven and sees.

51Mine eye affecteth mine heart because of all the daughters of my city.

51What my eyes see makes my heart hurt. I see all the girls of my city.

52Mine enemies chased me sore, like a bird, without cause.

52My enemies chased me hard, like people chasing a bird. I did nothing wrong.

53They have cut off my life in the dungeon, and cast a stone upon me.

53They threw me alive into a deep pit. They dropped a stone on me.

54Waters flowed over mine head; then I said, I am cut off.

54Water rose over my head. I said, "This is the end of me."

55I called upon thy name, O LORD, out of the low dungeon.

55I called your name, LORD, from the bottom of that deep pit.

56Thou hast heard my voice: hide not thine ear at my breathing, at my cry.

56You heard my voice. Do not close your ears when I cry for help.

57Thou drewest near in the day that I called upon thee: thou saidst, Fear not.

57You came close on the day I called you. You said, "Do not be afraid."

58O LORD, thou hast pleaded the causes of my soul; thou hast redeemed my life.

58Lord, you spoke up for me. You saved my life.

59O LORD, thou hast seen my wrong: judge thou my cause.

59LORD, you saw how they hurt me. Please decide my case and make it right.

60Thou hast seen all their vengeance and all their imaginations against me.

60You saw how they wanted to hurt me. You saw all their plans.

61Thou hast heard their reproach, O LORD, and all their imaginations against me;

61LORD, you heard their mean words. You heard all their plans against me.

62The lips of those that rose up against me, and their device against me all the day.

62You heard my enemies talking. They planned against me all day long.

63Behold their sitting down, and their rising up; I am their musick.

63Look at them, sitting down and standing up. They sing songs to make fun of me.

64Render unto them a recompence, O LORD, according to the work of their hands.

64Pay them back, LORD, for the things their hands have done.

65Give them sorrow of heart, thy curse unto them.

65Make their hearts full of sadness. Let your curse be on them.

66Persecute and destroy them in anger from under the heavens of the LORD.

66Chase them in anger, LORD. Wipe them out from under your heavens.