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Lamentations chapter 3

English Standard Version

1I am the man who has seen affliction under the rod of his wrath; 2he has driven and brought me into darkness without any light; 3surely against me he turns his hand again and again the whole day long. 4He has made my flesh and my skin waste away; he has broken my bones; 5he has besieged and enveloped me with bitterness and tribulation; 6he has made me dwell in darkness like the dead of long ago. 7He has walled me about so that I cannot escape; he has made my chains heavy; 8though I call and cry for help, he shuts out my prayer; 9he has blocked my ways with blocks of stones; he has made my paths crooked. 10He is a bear lying in wait for me, a lion in hiding; 11he turned aside my steps and tore me to pieces; he has made me desolate; 12he bent his bow and set me as a target for his arrow. 13He drove into my kidneys the arrows of his quiver; 14I have become the laughingstock of all peoples, the object of their taunts all day long. 15He has filled me with bitterness; he has sated me with wormwood. 16He has made my teeth grind on gravel, and made me cower in ashes; 17my soul is bereft of peace; I have forgotten what happiness is; 18so I say, “My endurance has perished; so has my hope from the LORD.” 19Remember my affliction and my wanderings, the wormwood and the gall! 20My soul continually remembers it and is bowed down within me. 21But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: 22The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; 23they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. 24“The LORD is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.” 25The LORD is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. 26It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD. 27It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth. 28Let him sit alone in silence when it is laid on him; 29let him put his mouth in the dust— there may yet be hope; 30let him give his cheek to the one who strikes, and let him be filled with insults. 31For the Lord will not cast off forever, 32but, though he cause grief, he will have compassion according to the abundance of his steadfast love; 33for he does not afflict from his heart or grieve the children of men. 34To crush underfoot all the prisoners of the earth, 35to deny a man justice in the presence of the Most High, 36to subvert a man in his lawsuit, the Lord does not approve. 37Who has spoken and it came to pass, unless the Lord has commanded it? 38Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that good and bad come? 39Why should a living man complain, a man, about the punishment of his sins? 40Let us test and examine our ways, and return to the LORD! 41Let us lift up our hearts and hands to God in heaven: 42“We have transgressed and rebelled, and you have not forgiven. 43“You have wrapped yourself with anger and pursued us, killing without pity; 44you have wrapped yourself with a cloud so that no prayer can pass through. 45You have made us scum and garbage among the peoples. 46“All our enemies open their mouths against us; 47panic and pitfall have come upon us, devastation and destruction; 48my eyes flow with rivers of tears because of the destruction of the daughter of my people. 49“My eyes will flow without ceasing, without respite, 50until the LORD from heaven looks down and sees; 51my eyes cause me grief at the fate of all the daughters of my city. 52“I have been hunted like a bird by those who were my enemies without cause; 53they flung me alive into the pit and cast stones on me; 54water closed over my head; I said, ‘I am lost.’ 55“I called on your name, O LORD, from the depths of the pit; 56you heard my plea, ‘Do not close your ear to my cry for help!’ 57You came near when I called on you; you said, ‘Do not fear!’ 58“You have taken up my cause, O Lord; you have redeemed my life. 59You have seen the wrong done to me, O LORD; judge my cause. 60You have seen all their vengeance, all their plots against me. 61“You have heard their taunts, O LORD, all their plots against me. 62The lips and thoughts of my assailants are against me all the day long. 63Behold their sitting and their rising; I am the object of their taunts. 64“You will repay them, O LORD, according to the work of their hands. 65You will give them dullness of heart; your curse will be on them. 66You will pursue them in anger and destroy them from under your heavens, O LORD.”
New International Version

1I am the man who has seen affliction by the rod of the LORD's wrath. 2He has driven me away and made me walk in darkness rather than light;
3indeed, he has turned his hand against me again and again, all day long. 4He has made my skin and my flesh grow old and has broken my bones. 5He has besieged me and surrounded me with bitterness and hardship.
6He has made me dwell in darkness like those long dead. 7He has walled me in so I cannot escape; he has weighed me down with chains. 8Even when I call out or cry for help, he shuts out my prayer.
9He has barred my way with blocks of stone; he has made my paths crooked. 10Like a bear lying in wait, like a lion in hiding, 11he dragged me from the path and mangled me and left me without help.
12He drew his bow and made me the target for his arrows. 13He pierced my heart with arrows from his quiver. 14I became the laughingstock of all my people; they mock me in song all day long.
15He has filled me with bitter herbs and given me gall to drink. 16He has broken my teeth with gravel; he has trampled me in the dust. 17I have been deprived of peace; I have forgotten what prosperity is.
18So I say, 'My splendor is gone and all that I had hoped from the LORD.' 19I remember my affliction and my wandering, the bitterness and the gall. 20I well remember them, and my soul is downcast within me.
21Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: 22Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. 23They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
24I say to myself, 'The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.' 25The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; 26it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD.
27It is good for a man to bear the yoke while he is young. 28Let him sit alone in silence, for the LORD has laid it on him. 29Let him bury his face in the dust-- there may yet be hope.
30Let him offer his cheek to one who would strike him, and let him be filled with disgrace. 31For no one is cast off by the Lord forever. 32Though he brings grief, he will show compassion, so great is his unfailing love.
33For he does not willingly bring affliction or grief to anyone. 34To crush underfoot all prisoners in the land, 35to deny people their rights before the Most High,
36to deprive them of justice-- would not the Lord see such things? 37Who can speak and have it happen if the Lord has not decreed it? 38Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that both calamities and good things come?
39Why should the living complain when punished for their sins? 40Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the LORD. 41Let us lift up our hearts and our hands to God in heaven, and say:
42We have sinned and rebelled and you have not forgiven. 43You have covered yourself with anger and pursued us; you have slain without pity. 44You have covered yourself with a cloud so that no prayer can get through.
45You have made us scum and refuse among the nations. 46All our enemies have opened their mouths wide against us. 47We have suffered terror and pitfalls, ruin and destruction.'
48Streams of tears flow from my eyes because my people are destroyed. 49My eyes will flow unceasingly, without relief, 50until the LORD looks down from heaven and sees.
51What I see brings grief to my soul because of all the women of my city. 52Those who were my enemies without cause hunted me like a bird. 53They tried to end my life in a pit and threw stones at me;
54the waters closed over my head, and I thought I was about to perish. 55I called on your name, LORD, from the depths of the pit. 56You heard my plea: 'Do not close your ears to my cry for relief.'
57You came near when I called you, and you said, 'Do not fear.' 58You, Lord, took up my case; you redeemed my life. 59LORD, you have seen the wrong done to me. Uphold my cause!
60You have seen the depth of their vengeance, all their plots against me. 61LORD, you have heard their insults, all their plots against me-- 62what my enemies whisper and mutter against me all day long.
63Look at them! Sitting or standing, they mock me in their songs. 64Pay them back what they deserve, LORD, for what their hands have done. 65Put a veil over their hearts, and may your curse be on them! 66Pursue them in anger and destroy them from under the heavens of the LORD.
New American Standard Bible

1I am the man who has seen misery Because of the rod of His wrath. 2He has driven me and made me walk In darkness and not in light. 3Indeed, He has turned His hand against me Repeatedly all the day. 4He has consumed my flesh and my skin, He has broken my bones. 5He has besieged and surrounded me with bitterness and hardship. 6He has made me live in dark places, Like those who have long been dead. 7He has walled me in so that I cannot go out; He has made my chain heavy. 8Even when I cry out and call for help, He shuts out my prayer. 9He has blocked my ways with cut stone; He has twisted my paths. 10He is to me like a bear lying in wait, Like a lion in secret places. 11He has made my ways deviate, and torn me to pieces; He has made me desolate. 12He bent His bow And took aim at me as a target for the arrow. 13He made the arrows of His quiver Enter my inward parts. 14I have become a laughingstock to all my people, Their song of ridicule all the day. 15He has filled me with bitterness, He has made me drink plenty of wormwood. 16He has also made my teeth grind with gravel; He has made me cower in the dust. 17My soul has been excluded from peace; I have forgotten happiness. 18So I say, 'My strength has failed, And so has my hope from the Lord.' 19Remember my misery and my homelessness, the wormwood and bitterness. 20My soul certainly remembers, And is bent over within me. 21I recall this to my mind, Therefore I wait. 22 The Lord’S acts of mercy indeed do not end, For His compassions do not fail. 23 They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. 24'The Lord is my portion,' says my soul, 'Therefore I wait for Him.' 25The Lord is good to those who await Him, To the person who seeks Him. 26 It is good that he waits silently For the salvation of the Lord. 27 It is good for a man to bear The yoke in his youth. 28Let him sit alone and keep quiet, Since He has laid it on him. 29Let him put his mouth in the dust; Perhaps there is hope. 30Let him give his cheek to the one who is going to strike him; Let him be filled with shame. 31For the Lord will not reject forever, 32For if He causes grief, Then He will have compassion In proportion to His abundant mercy. 33For He does not afflict willingly Or grieve the sons of mankind. 34To crush under one’s feet All the prisoners of the land, 35To deprive a man of justice In the presence of the Most High, 36To defraud someone in his lawsuit— Of these things the Lord does not approve. 37Who is there who speaks and it comes to pass, Unless the Lord has commanded it? 38 Is it not from the mouth of the Most High That both adversity and good proceed? 39Of what can any living mortal, or any man, Complain in view of his sins? 40Let’s examine and search out our ways, And let’s return to the Lord. 41We raise our heart and hands Toward God in heaven; 42We have done wrong and rebelled; You have not pardoned. 43You have covered Yourself with anger And pursued us; You have slain and have not spared. 44You have veiled Yourself with a cloud So that no prayer can pass through. 45You have made us mere refuse and rubbish In the midst of the peoples. 46All our enemies have opened their mouths against us. 47Panic and pitfall have come upon us, Devastation and destruction; 48My eyes run down with streams of water Because of the destruction of the daughter of my people. 49My eyes flow unceasingly, Without stopping, 50Until the Lord looks down And sees from heaven. 51My eyes bring pain to my soul Because of all the daughters of my city. 52My enemies without reason Hunted me down like a bird; 53They have silenced me in the pit And have thrown stones on me. 54Waters flowed over my head; I said, 'I am cut off!' 55I called on Your name, Lord, Out of the lowest pit. 56You have heard my voice, 'Do not cover Your ear from my plea for relief, From my cry for help.' 57You came near on the day I called to You; You said, 'Do not fear!' 58Lord, You have pleaded my soul’s cause; You have redeemed my life. 59Lord, You have seen my oppression; Judge my case. 60You have seen all their vengeance, All their schemes against me. 61You have heard their reproach, Lord, All their schemes against me. 62The lips of my assailants and their talk Are against me all day long. 63Look at their sitting and their rising; I am their mocking song. 64You will repay them, Lord, In accordance with the work of their hands. 65You will give them shamelessness of heart, Your curse will be on them. 66You will pursue them in anger and eliminate them From under the heavens of the Lord!
Christian Standard Bible

1I am the man who has seen affliction under the rod of God's wrath. 2He has driven me away and forced me to walk in darkness instead of light. 3Yes, he repeatedly turns his hand against me all day long. 4He has worn away my flesh and skin; he has broken my bones. 5He has laid siege against me, encircling me with bitterness and hardship. 6He has made me dwell in darkness like those who have been dead for ages. 7He has walled me in so I cannot get out; he has weighed me down with chains. 8Even when I cry out and plead for help, he blocks out my prayer. 9He has walled in my ways with blocks of stone; he has made my paths crooked. 10He is a bear waiting in ambush, a lion in hiding. 11He forced me off my way and tore me to pieces; he left me desolate. 12He strung his bow and set me as the target for his arrow. 13He pierced my kidneys with shafts from his quiver. 14I am a laughingstock to all my people, mocked by their songs all day long. 15He filled me with bitterness, satiated me with wormwood. 16He ground my teeth with gravel and made me cower in the dust. 17I have been deprived of peace; I have forgotten what prosperity is. 18Then I thought, "My future is lost, as well as my hope from the Lord." 19Remember my affliction and my homelessness, the wormwood and the poison. 20I continually remember them and have become depressed. 21Yet I call this to mind, and therefore I have hope: 22Because of the Lord's faithful love we do not perish, for his mercies never end. 23They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness! 24I say, "The Lord is my portion, therefore I will put my hope in him." 25The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the person who seeks him. 26It is good to wait quietly for salvation from the Lord. 27It is good for a man to bear the yoke while he is still young. 28Let him sit alone and be silent, for God has disciplined him. 29Let him put his mouth in the dust -- perhaps there is still hope. 30Let him offer his cheek to the one who would strike him; let him be filled with disgrace. 31For the Lord will not reject us forever. 32Even if he causes suffering, he will show compassion according to the abundance of his faithful love. 33For he does not enjoy bringing affliction or suffering on mankind. 34Crushing all the prisoners of the land beneath one's feet, 35denying justice to a man in the presence of the Most High, 36or subverting a person in his lawsuit -- the Lord does not approve of these things. 37Who is there who speaks and it happens, unless the Lord has ordained it? 38Do not both adversity and good come from the mouth of the Most High? 39Why should any living person complain, any man, because of the punishment for his sins? 40Let's examine and probe our ways, and turn back to the Lord. 41Let's lift up our hearts and our hands to God in heaven: 42"We have sinned and rebelled; you have not forgiven. 43"You have covered yourself in anger and pursued us; you have killed without compassion. 44You have covered yourself with a cloud so that no prayer can get through. 45You have made us disgusting filth among the peoples. 46"All our enemies open their mouths against us. 47We have experienced panic and pitfall, devastation and destruction." 48My eyes flow with streams of tears because of the destruction of my dear people. 49My eyes overflow unceasingly, without end, 50until the Lord looks down from heaven and sees. 51My eyes bring me grief because of the fate of all the women in my city. 52For no reason, my enemies hunted me like a bird. 53They smothered my life in a pit and threw stones on me. 54Water flooded over my head, and I thought, "I'm going to die! " 55I called on your name, Lord, from the depths of the pit. 56You heard my plea: Do not ignore my cry for relief. 57You came near whenever I called you; you said, "Do not be afraid." 58You championed my cause, Lord; you redeemed my life. 59Lord, you saw the wrong done to me; judge my case. 60You saw all their vengefulness, all their plots against me. 61Lord, you heard their insults, all their plots against me. 62The slander and murmuring of my opponents attack me all day long. 63When they sit and when they rise, look, I am mocked by their songs. 64You will pay them back what they deserve, Lord, according to the work of their hands. 65You will give them a heart filled with anguish. May your curse be on them! 66You will pursue them in anger and destroy them under your heavens.
New Living Translation

1I am the one who has seen the afflictions that come from the rod of the Lord’s anger. 2He has led me into darkness, shutting out all light. 3He has turned his hand against me again and again, all day long.
4He has made my skin and flesh grow old. He has broken my bones. 5He has besieged and surrounded me with anguish and distress. 6He has buried me in a dark place, like those long dead.
7He has walled me in, and I cannot escape. He has bound me in heavy chains. 8And though I cry and shout, he has shut out my prayers. 9He has blocked my way with a high stone wall; he has made my road crooked.
10He has hidden like a bear or a lion, waiting to attack me. 11He has dragged me off the path and torn me in pieces, leaving me helpless and devastated. 12He has drawn his bow and made me the target for his arrows.
13He shot his arrows deep into my heart. 14My own people laugh at me. All day long they sing their mocking songs. 15He has filled me with bitterness and given me a bitter cup of sorrow to drink.
16He has made me chew on gravel. He has rolled me in the dust. 17Peace has been stripped away, and I have forgotten what prosperity is. 18I cry out, 'My splendor is gone! Everything I had hoped for from the Lord is lost!'
19The thought of my suffering and homelessness is bitter beyond words. 20I will never forget this awful time, as I grieve over my loss. 21Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this:
22The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. 23Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning. 24I say to myself, 'The Lord is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!'
25The Lord is good to those who depend on him, to those who search for him. 26So it is good to wait quietly for salvation from the Lord. 27And it is good for people to submit at an early age to the yoke of his discipline:
28Let them sit alone in silence beneath the Lord’s demands. 29Let them lie face down in the dust, for there may be hope at last. 30Let them turn the other cheek to those who strike them and accept the insults of their enemies.
31For no one is abandoned by the Lord forever. 32Though he brings grief, he also shows compassion because of the greatness of his unfailing love. 33For he does not enjoy hurting people or causing them sorrow.
34If people crush underfoot all the prisoners of the land, 35if they deprive others of their rights in defiance of the Most High, 36if they twist justice in the courts — doesn’t the Lord see all these things?
37Who can command things to happen without the Lord’s permission? 38Does not the Most High send both calamity and good? 39Then why should we, mere humans, complain when we are punished for our sins?
40Instead, let us test and examine our ways. Let us turn back to the Lord. 41Let us lift our hearts and hands to God in heaven and say, 42'We have sinned and rebelled, and you have not forgiven us.
43'You have engulfed us with your anger, chased us down, and slaughtered us without mercy. 44You have hidden yourself in a cloud so our prayers cannot reach you. 45You have discarded us as refuse and garbage among the nations.
46'All our enemies have spoken out against us. 47We are filled with fear, for we are trapped, devastated, and ruined.' 48Tears stream from my eyes because of the destruction of my people!
49My tears flow endlessly; they will not stop 50until the Lord looks down from heaven and sees. 51My heart is breaking over the fate of all the women of Jerusalem.
52My enemies, whom I have never harmed, hunted me down like a bird. 53They threw me into a pit and dropped stones on me. 54The water rose over my head, and I cried out, 'This is the end!'
55But I called on your name, Lord, from deep within the pit. 56You heard me when I cried, 'Listen to my pleading! Hear my cry for help!' 57Yes, you came when I called; you told me, 'Do not fear.'
58Lord, you have come to my defense; you have redeemed my life. 59You have seen the wrong they have done to me, Lord. Be my judge, and prove me right. 60You have seen the vengeful plots my enemies have laid against me.
61Lord, you have heard the vile names they call me. You know all about the plans they have made. 62My enemies whisper and mutter as they plot against me all day long. 63Look at them! Whether they sit or stand, I am the object of their mocking songs.
64Pay them back, Lord, for all the evil they have done. 65Give them hard and stubborn hearts, and then let your curse fall on them! 66Chase them down in your anger, destroying them beneath the Lord’s heavens.
King James Version

1I am the man that hath seen affliction by the rod of his wrath. 2He hath led me, and brought me into darkness, but not into light. 3Surely against me is he turned; he turneth his hand against me all the day. 4My flesh and my skin hath he made old; he hath broken my bones. 5He hath builded against me, and compassed me with gall and travail. 6He hath set me in dark places, as they that be dead of old. 7He hath hedged me about, that I cannot get out: he hath made my chain heavy. 8Also when I cry and shout, he shutteth out my prayer. 9He hath inclosed my ways with hewn stone, he hath made my paths crooked. 10He was unto me as a bear lying in wait, and as a lion in secret places. 11He hath turned aside my ways, and pulled me in pieces: he hath made me desolate. 12He hath bent his bow, and set me as a mark for the arrow. 13He hath caused the arrows of his quiver to enter into my reins. 14I was a derision to all my people; and their song all the day. 15He hath filled me with bitterness, he hath made me drunken with wormwood. 16He hath also broken my teeth with gravel stones, he hath covered me with ashes. 17And thou hast removed my soul far off from peace: I forgat prosperity. 18And I said, My strength and my hope is perished from the LORD: 19Remembering mine affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall. 20My soul hath them still in remembrance, and is humbled in me.
21This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope. 22It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. 23They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. 24The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him. 25The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. 26It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD. 27It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth. 28He sitteth alone and keepeth silence, because he hath borne it upon him. 29He putteth his mouth in the dust; if so be there may be hope. 30He giveth his cheek to him that smiteth him: he is filled full with reproach. 31For the Lord will not cast off for ever: 32But though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies. 33For he doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men. 34To crush under his feet all the prisoners of the earth, 35To turn aside the right of a man before the face of the most High, 36To subvert a man in his cause, the Lord approveth not.
37Who is he that saith, and it cometh to pass, when the Lord commandeth it not? 38Out of the mouth of the most High proceedeth not evil and good? 39Wherefore doth a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins? 40Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the LORD. 41Let us lift up our heart with our hands unto God in the heavens.
42We have transgressed and have rebelled: thou hast not pardoned. 43Thou hast covered with anger, and persecuted us: thou hast slain, thou hast not pitied. 44Thou hast covered thyself with a cloud, that our prayer should not pass through. 45Thou hast made us as the offscouring and refuse in the midst of the people. 46All our enemies have opened their mouths against us. 47Fear and a snare is come upon us, desolation and destruction. 48Mine eye runneth down with rivers of water for the destruction of the daughter of my people. 49Mine eye trickleth down, and ceaseth not, without any intermission, 50Till the LORD look down, and behold from heaven. 51Mine eye affecteth mine heart because of all the daughters of my city. 52Mine enemies chased me sore, like a bird, without cause. 53They have cut off my life in the dungeon, and cast a stone upon me. 54Waters flowed over mine head; then I said, I am cut off.
55I called upon thy name, O LORD, out of the low dungeon. 56Thou hast heard my voice: hide not thine ear at my breathing, at my cry. 57Thou drewest near in the day that I called upon thee: thou saidst, Fear not. 58O Lord, thou hast pleaded the causes of my soul; thou hast redeemed my life. 59O LORD, thou hast seen my wrong: judge thou my cause. 60Thou hast seen all their vengeance and all their imaginations against me. 61Thou hast heard their reproach, O LORD, and all their imaginations against me; 62The lips of those that rose up against me, and their device against me all the day. 63Behold their sitting down, and their rising up; I am their musick. 64Render unto them a recompence, O LORD, according to the work of their hands. 65Give them sorrow of heart, thy curse unto them. 66Persecute and destroy them in anger from under the heavens of the LORD.

What does Lamentations chapter 3 mean?

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