Lamentations 3 - Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

Hope through God’s Mercy

א Aleph

3 I am the man who has seen affliction
under the rod of God’s wrath.
2 He has driven me away and forced me to walk
in darkness instead of light.(A)
3 Yes, he repeatedly turns his hand
against me all day long.

ב Beth

4 He has worn away my flesh and skin;(B)
he has broken my bones.(C)
5 He has laid siege against me,(D)
encircling me with bitterness and hardship.(E)
6 He has made me dwell in darkness
like those who have been dead for ages.(F)

ג Gimel

7 He has walled me in so I cannot get out;(G)
he has weighed me down with chains.
8 Even when I cry out and plead for help,
he blocks out my prayer.(H)
9 He has walled in my ways with blocks of stone;(I)
he has made my paths crooked.(J)

ד Daleth

10 He is[a] a bear waiting in ambush,
a lion in hiding.(K)
11 He forced me off my way and tore me to pieces;
he left me desolate.
12 He strung his bow(L)
and set me as the target for his arrow.

ה He

13 He pierced my kidneys
with shafts from his quiver.(M)
14 I am a laughingstock(N) to all my people,[b]
mocked by their songs(O) all day long.
15 He filled me with bitterness,
satiated me with wormwood.(P)

ו Waw

16 He ground my teeth with gravel(Q)
and made me cower[c] in the dust.
17 I have been deprived[d] of peace;(R)
I have forgotten what prosperity is.
18 Then I thought, “My future[e] is lost,
as well as my hope from the Lord.”

ז Zayin

19 Remember[f] my affliction and my homelessness,(S)
the wormwood and the poison.(T)
20 I continually remember them
and have become depressed.[g](U)
21 Yet I call this to mind,
and therefore I have hope:(V)

ח Cheth

22 Because of the Lord’s faithful love(W)
we do not perish,[h]
for his mercies never end.
23 They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness!(X)
24 I say, “The Lord is my portion,(Y)
therefore I will put my hope in him.”

ט Teth

25 The Lord is good to those who wait(Z) for him,
to the person who seeks him.
26 It is good to wait quietly(AA)
for salvation from the Lord.(AB)
27 It is good for a man to bear the yoke(AC)
while he is still young.

י Yod

28 Let him sit alone and be silent,(AD)
for God has disciplined[i] him.
29 Let him put his mouth in the dust(AE)—
perhaps there is still hope.
30 Let him offer his cheek
to the one who would strike him;(AF)
let him be filled with disgrace.

כ Kaph

31 For the Lord
will not reject us forever.
32 Even if he causes suffering,
he will show compassion
according to the abundance of his faithful love.(AG)
33 For he does not enjoy bringing affliction(AH)
or suffering on mankind.

ל Lamed

34 Crushing all the prisoners of the land[j]
beneath one’s feet,
35 denying justice to a man(AI)
in the presence of the Most High,
36 or subverting a person in his lawsuit(AJ)—
the Lord does not approve of these things.

מ Mem

37 Who is there who speaks and it happens,
unless the Lord has ordained it?(AK)
38 Do not both adversity and good
come from the mouth of the Most High?(AL)
39 Why should any living person complain,
any man, because of the punishment for his sins?

נ Nun

40 Let’s examine and probe our ways,
and turn back to the Lord.(AM)
41 Let’s lift up our hearts and our hands(AN)
to God in heaven:
42 “We have sinned and rebelled;
you have not forgiven.(AO)

ס Samek

43 “You have covered yourself in anger and pursued us;
you have killed without compassion.(AP)
44 You have covered yourself with a cloud
so that no prayer can get through.(AQ)
45 You have made us disgusting filth
among the peoples.(AR)

פ Pe

46 “All our enemies
open their mouths against us.(AS)
47 We have experienced panic and pitfall,(AT)
devastation and destruction.”
48 My eyes flow with streams of tears
because of the destruction of my dear people.

ע Ayin

49 My eyes overflow unceasingly,
without end,(AU)
50 until the Lord looks down
from heaven and sees.(AV)
51 My eyes bring me grief
because of the fate of all the women in my city.

צ Tsade

52 For no reason, my enemies[k]
hunted me like a bird.(AW)
53 They smothered my life in[l] a pit(AX)
and threw stones on me.
54 Water flooded over my head,(AY)
and I thought, “I’m going to die!” (AZ)

ק Qoph

55 I called on your name, Lord,
from the depths of the pit.
56 You heard my plea:
Do not ignore my cry for relief.
57 You came near whenever I called you;
you said, “Do not be afraid.”

ר Resh

58 You championed my cause, Lord;(BA)
you redeemed my life.(BB)
59 Lord, you saw the wrong done to me;
judge my case.
60 You saw all their vengefulness,
all their plots against me.(BC)

שׂ Sin / שׁ Shin

61 Lord, you heard their insults,(BD)
all their plots against me.
62 The slander[m] and murmuring of my opponents
attack me all day long.
63 When they sit and when they rise, look,
I am mocked by their songs.(BE)

ת Taw

64 You will pay them back what they deserve, Lord,
according to the work of their hands.(BF)
65 You will give them a heart filled with anguish.[n](BG)
May your curse be on them!
66 You will pursue them in anger and destroy them
under your heavens.[o](BH)

Footnotes

  1. 3:10 Lit is to me
  2. 3:14 Some Hb mss, LXX, Vg; other Hb mss, Syr read all peoples
  3. 3:16 Or and trampled me
  4. 3:17 Syr, Vg; MT reads You deprived my soul
  5. 3:18 Or splendor
  6. 3:19 Or I remember
  7. 3:20 Alt Hb tradition reads and you cause me to collapse
  8. 3:22 One Hb mss, Syr, Tg read The Lord’s faithful love, indeed, does not perish
  9. 3:28 Lit has laid a burden on
  10. 3:34 Or earth
  11. 3:52 Or Those who were my enemies for no reason
  12. 3:53 Or They ended my life in; Hb obscure
  13. 3:62 Lit lips
  14. 3:65 Or them an obstinate heart; Hb obscure
  15. 3:66 Lit under the Lord’s heavens

Cross references

  1. 3:2 : Jb 12:25; Am 5:18,20
  2. 3:4 : Jb 13:28; Ps 32:3; 38:3; 49:14; Mc 3:1–3
  3. 3:4 : Ps 51:8; Is 38:13
  4. 3:5 : Jb 19:8,12
  5. 3:5 : Lm 3:19
  6. 3:6 : Jb 10:20–22; Ps 88:6; 143:3
  7. 3:7 : Jb 19:8
  8. 3:8 : Jb 30:20; Ps 22:2; Is 59:2; Lm 3:44
  9. 3:9 : Jb 13:27; 23:12; Is 63:17; Hs 2:6
  10. 3:9 : Jb 19:8; Ps 23:3; Pr 2:15; 3:6,17; 4:11
  11. 3:10 : Hs 13:7–8
  12. 3:12 : Ps 7:12; Lm 2:4
  13. 3:13 : Jb 16:13; Pr 7:23
  14. 3:14 : Jb 12:4; Jr 20:7; Lm 1:7
  15. 3:14 : Jb 30:9; Ps 69:12
  16. 3:15 : Jr 9:15; 23:15
  17. 3:16 : Ps 3:7; 58:6; Pr 20:17
  18. 3:17 : Ps 88:15; Lm 3:31
  19. 3:19 : Is 58:7; Lm 1:7
  20. 3:19 : Dt 29:18; Jr 9:15; 23:15
  21. 3:20 : Ps 42:5–6,11; 43:5; 44:25
  22. 3:21 : Jb 13:15; Ps 33:22; 71:14; 130:5; Mc 7:7
  23. 3:22 : Ps 89:1; 103:17; Is 63:7
  24. 3:23 : Ps 36:5; 89:1–8; 100:5
  25. 3:24 : Nm 18:20; Ps 73:26; 142:5; Jr 10:16
  26. 3:25 : Ps 25:3; Is 40:31; 49:23
  27. 3:26 : Ps 37:7; 130:5,7; 1Th 5:10; 2Tm 4:8; 2Pt 3:14
  28. 3:26 : Ps 37:39; 119:81; Is 46:13
  29. 3:27 : Jr 27:11; Lm 1:14
  30. 3:28 : Jr 15:17
  31. 3:29 : Nm 22:31; Jos 7:6; 1Sm 25:23
  32. 3:30 : Is 50:6; Mt 5:39; Lk 6:29
  33. 3:32 : Ps 106:43–45; Ac 14:22; 2Co 4:17; Heb 12:6
  34. 3:33 : Heb 12:10–11
  35. 3:35 : Ex 23:6; Dt 16:19; 24:17; Mal 3:5
  36. 3:36 : Ex 23:2–3
  37. 3:37 : Ps 33:9–11
  38. 3:38 : Gn 50:20; 1Sm 16:14; Jb 2:10; Ps 78:49; Is 45:7; Jr 1:14; 32:42; Am 3:6
  39. 3:40 : Ps 119:5; 139:23–24
  40. 3:41 : Ps 25:1
  41. 3:42 : Dt 29:20; 2Kg 24:4; Jr 5:7
  42. 3:43 : Lm 2:2,17,21; Ezk 7:8–9; 8:18
  43. 3:44 : Lm 3:8
  44. 3:45 : 1Co 4:13
  45. 3:46 : Lm 2:16
  46. 3:47 : Is 24:17; Jr 48:43
  47. 3:48–49 : Jr 9:1,18; Lm 1:16; 2:11
  48. 3:50 : Ps 14:2; 102:19
  49. 3:52 : Ps 35:7
  50. 3:53 : Gn 37:20–29; Jr 38:6–13
  51. 3:54 : Ps 42:7; 69:1–2; Jnh 2:3,5
  52. 3:54 : Ezk 37:11
  53. 3:58 : Ps 43:1; Pr 23:11; Jr 50:34
  54. 3:58 : Ps 103:4; 119:154
  55. 3:60 : Jr 11:19
  56. 3:61 : Lm 5:1
  57. 3:63 : Jb 30:9; Ps 69:12; Lm 3:14
  58. 3:64 : Ps 28:4; Rm 2:6; Rv 20:12–13
  59. 3:65 : Is 6:10
  60. 3:66 : Ps 8:3

You Might Also Like:

Lamentations 3 - Young's Literal Translation (YLT)

3 I [am] the man [who] hath seen affliction By the rod of His wrath. 2 Me He hath led, and causeth to go [in] darkness, and without light. 3 Surely against me He turneth back, He turneth His hand all the day. 4 He hath worn out my flesh and my skin. He hath broken my bones. 5 He hath built up agains...
Read More

Lamentations 3 - Wycliffe Bible (WYC)

3 I am a man seeing my poverty in the rod of his indignation. (I am a man who seeth my poverty, I have felt the rod of his indignation, or of his anger.) 2 He drove me, and brought (me) into darknesses, and not into light. 3 Only he turned into me, and turned together his hand all day. (He turned on...
Read More

Lamentations 3 - World English Bible (WEB)

3 I am the man who has seen affliction by the rod of his wrath.2 He has led me and caused me to walk in darkness, and not in light.3 Surely he turns his hand against me again and again all day long. 4 He has made my flesh and my skin old. He has broken my bones.5 He has built against me, and surroun...
Read More

Lamentations 3 - The Voice (VOICE)

3 Afflicted, I have seen and know what it’s like to feel the rod of God’s anger:2 An absence of light and only darkness. Darkness—that’s where God has driven me.3 Against me and me alone, over and over, God raises His hand incessantly. 4 Bones are broken, skin rubbed off, and my flesh wasted; this i...
Read More

Lamentations 3 - Tree of Life Version (TLV)

3 I am the strong man who has seen affliction by the rod of His wrath.2 He has driven me and made me walk in darkness and not light.3 Surely, He has turned His hand against me again and again all day long.4 He made my flesh and my skin waste away, broken my bones.5 He has besieged me and surrounded ...
Read More

Lamentations 3 - Revised Standard Version (RSV)

God’s Steadfast Love Endures3 I am the man who has seen affliction under the rod of his wrath;2 he has driven and brought me into darkness without any light;3 surely against me he turns his hand again and again the whole day long. 4 He has made my flesh and my skin waste away, and broken my bones;5 ...
Read More

Lamentations 3 - New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised (NRSVA)

God’s Steadfast Love Endures3 I am one who has seen affliction under the rod of God’s[a] wrath;2 he has driven and brought me into darkness without any light;3 against me alone he turns his hand, again and again, all day long. 4 He has made my flesh and my skin waste away, and broken my bones;5 he h...
Read More

Lamentations 3 - New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

God’s Steadfast Love Endures3 I am one who has seen affliction under the rod of God’s[a] wrath;(A)2 he has driven and brought me into darkness without any light;3 against me alone he turns his hand, again and again, all day long.(B)4 He has made my flesh and my skin waste away; he has broken my bone...
Read More

Lamentations 3 - New Living Translation (NLT)

Hope in the Lord’s Faithfulness3 I am the one who has seen the afflictions that come from the rod of the Lord’s anger.2 He has led me into darkness, shutting out all light.3 He has turned his hand against me again and again, all day long. 4 He has made my skin and flesh grow old. He has broken my bo...
Read More

Lamentations 3 - New Life Version (NLV)

Jerusalem’s Hope3 I am the man who has been suffering because of the power of God’s anger. 2 He has led me and brought me into darkness and not into light. 3 For sure He has turned His hand against me again and again all day long. 4 He has made my flesh and my skin waste away. He has broken my bo...
Read More

Lamentations 3 - New King James Version (NKJV)

The Prophet’s Anguish and Hope3 I am the man who has seen affliction by the rod of His wrath.2 He has led me and made me walkIn darkness and not in light.3 Surely He has turned His hand against meTime and time again throughout the day. 4 He has aged (A)my flesh and my skin,And (B)broken my bones.5 H...
Read More

Lamentations 3 - New International Version - UK (NIVUK)

3 [a]I am the man who has seen affliction by the rod of the Lord’s wrath.2 He has driven me away and made me walk in darkness rather than light;3 indeed, he has turned his hand against me again and again, all day long. 4 He has made my skin and my flesh grow old and has broken my bones.5 He has besi...
Read More

Lamentations 3 - New International Version (NIV)

3 [a]I am the man who has seen affliction(A) by the rod of the Lord’s wrath.(B)2 He has driven me away and made me walk in darkness(C) rather than light;3 indeed, he has turned his hand against me(D) again and again, all day long. 4 He has made my skin and my flesh grow old(E) and has broken my bone...
Read More

Lamentations 3 - New International Reader's Version (NIRV)

3 I am a man who has suffered greatly. The Lord has used the Babylonians to punish my people.2 He has driven me away. He has made me walk in darkness instead of light.3 He has turned his powerful hand against me. He has done it again and again, all day long. 4 He has worn out my body. He has broken ...
Read More

Lamentations 3 - New Century Version (NCV)

The Meaning of Suffering3 I am a man who has seen the suffering that comes from the rod of the Lord’s anger.2 He led me into darkness, not light.3 He turned his hand against me again and again, all day long. 4 He wore out my flesh and skin and broke my bones.5 He surrounded me with sadness and attac...
Read More