Lamentations 3

¹ I AM the man that hath seen affliction by the rod of his wrath.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

³¹ For the LORD will not cast off for ever:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

⁴⁶ All our enemies have opened their mouths against us.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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