Chapter
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Lamentations chapter 3

English Standard Version

1 I 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; 5 he has besieged and enveloped me with bitterness and tribulation; 6 he has made me dwell in darkness like the dead of long ago. 7 He 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; 9 he has blocked my ways with blocks of stones; he has made my paths crooked. 10 He is a bear lying in wait for me, a lion in hiding; 11 he turned aside my steps and tore me to pieces; he has made me desolate; 12 he bent his bow and set me as a target for his arrow. 13He drove into my kidneys the arrows of his quiver; 14 I have become the laughingstock of all peoples, the object of their taunts all day long. 15 He has filled me with bitterness; he has sated me with wormwood. 16 He 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; 18 so I say, "My endurance has perished; so has my hope from the Lord." 19 Remember 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: 22 The 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. 26 It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. 27 It 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; 29 let him put his mouth in the dust — there may yet be hope; 30 let him give his cheek to the one who strikes, and let him be filled with insults. 31 For the Lord will not cast off forever, 32but, though he cause grief, he will have compassion according to the abundance of his steadfast love; 33 for he does not afflict from his heart or grieve the children of men. 34To crush underfoot all the prisoners of the earth, 35 to deny a man justice in the presence of the Most High, 36to subvert a man in his lawsuit, the Lord does not approve. 37 Who has spoken and it came to pass, unless the Lord has commanded it? 38 Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that good and bad come? 39 Why 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! 41 Let 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; 44 you have wrapped yourself with a cloud so that no prayer can pass through. 45 You have made us scum and garbage among the peoples. 46 "All our enemies open their mouths against us; 47 panic and pitfall have come upon us, devastation and destruction; 48 my 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, 50 until 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; 53 they flung me alive into the pit and cast stones on me; 54 water closed over my head; I said, ‘I am lost.’ 55 "I called on your name, O Lord, from the depths of the pit; 56 you heard my plea, ‘Do not close your ear to my cry for help!’ 57 You 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. 63 Behold 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

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 us examine and probe our ways, and turn back to the Lord. 41Let us 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. 59 Lord, you saw the wrong done to me; judge my case. 60You saw all their vengefulness, all their plots against me. 61 Lord, 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

King James Version

New King James Version

1I am the man who has seen affliction by the rod of His wrath. 2He has led me and made me walk In darkness and not in light. 3Surely He has turned His hand against me Time and time again throughout the day. 4He has aged my flesh and my skin, And broken my bones. 5He has besieged me And surrounded me with bitterness and woe. 6 He has set me in dark places Like the dead of long ago. 7 He has hedged me in so that I cannot get out; He has made my chain heavy. 8Even when I cry and shout, He shuts out my prayer. 9He has blocked my ways with hewn stone; He has made my paths crooked. 10 He has been to me a bear lying in wait, Like a lion in ambush. 11He has turned aside my ways and torn me in pieces; He has made me desolate. 12He has bent His bow And set me up as a target for the arrow. 13He has caused the arrows of His quiver To pierce my loins. 14I have become the ridicule of all my people— Their taunting song all the day. 15 He has filled me with bitterness, He has made me drink wormwood. 16He has also broken my teeth with gravel, And covered me with ashes. 17You have moved my soul far from peace; I have forgotten prosperity. 18 And I said, “My strength and my hope Have perished from the Lord.” 19Remember my affliction and roaming, The wormwood and the gall. 20My soul still remembers And sinks within me. 21This I recall to my mind, Therefore I have hope. 22 Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. 23 They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. 24“The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “Therefore I hope in Him!” 25The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, To the soul who seeks Him. 26 It is good that one should hope and wait quietly For the salvation of the Lord. 27 It is good for a man to bear The yoke in his youth. 28 Let him sit alone and keep silent, Because God has laid it on him; 29 Let him put his mouth in the dust— There may yet be hope. 30 Let him give his cheek to the one who strikes him, And be full of reproach. 31 For the Lord will not cast off forever. 32Though He causes grief, Yet He will show compassion According to the multitude of His mercies. 33For He does not afflict willingly, Nor grieve the children of men. 34To crush under one’s feet All the prisoners of the earth, 35To turn aside the justice due a man Before the face of the Most High, 36Or subvert a man in his cause— The Lord does not approve. 37Who is he who speaks and it comes to pass, When the Lord has not commanded it? 38 Is it not from the mouth of the Most High That woe and well-being proceed? 39 Why should a living man complain, A man for the punishment of his sins? 40Let us search out and examine our ways, And turn back to the Lord; 41 Let us lift our hearts and hands To God in heaven. 42 We have transgressed and rebelled; You have not pardoned. 43You have covered Yourself with anger And pursued us; You have slain and not pitied. 44You have covered Yourself with a cloud, That prayer should not pass through. 45You have made us an offscouring and refuse In the midst of the peoples. 46 All our enemies Have opened their mouths against us. 47 Fear and a snare have come upon us, Desolation and destruction. 48 My eyes overflow with rivers of water For the destruction of the daughter of my people. 49 My eyes flow and do not cease, Without interruption, 50Till the Lord from heaven Looks down and sees. 51My eyes bring suffering to my soul Because of all the daughters of my city. 52My enemies without cause Hunted me down like a bird. 53They silenced my life in the pit And threw stones at me. 54 The waters flowed over my head; I said, “I am cut off!” 55 I called on Your name, O Lord, From the lowest pit. 56 You have heard my voice: “Do not hide Your ear From my sighing, from my cry for help.” 57You drew near on the day I called on You, And said, “Do not fear!” 58O Lord, You have pleaded the case for my soul; You have redeemed my life. 59O Lord, You have seen how I am wronged; Judge my case. 60You have seen all their vengeance, All their schemes against me. 61You have heard their reproach, O Lord, All their schemes against me, 62The lips of my enemies And their whispering against me all the day. 63Look at their sitting down and their rising up; I am their taunting song. 64 Repay them, O Lord, According to the work of their hands. 65Give them a veiled heart; Your curse be upon them! 66In Your anger, Pursue and destroy them From under the heavens of the Lord.

What does Lamentations chapter 3 mean?

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