Lamentations 3:19-42
New American Standard Bible
Hope of Relief in God’s Mercy
19 Remember my misery and my homelessness, the (A)wormwood and [a]bitterness.
20 (B)My soul certainly remembers,
And [b]is (C)bent over within me.
21 I recall this to my mind,
Therefore I [c](D)wait.
22 [d]The Lord’s (E)acts of mercy indeed do not end,
(F)For His compassions do not fail.
23 They are new (G)every morning;
Great is (H)Your faithfulness.
24 “The Lord is my (I)portion,” says my soul,
“Therefore I [e](J)wait for Him.”
25 The Lord is good to those who [f](K)await Him,
To the [g]person who (L)seeks Him.
26 It is good that he (M)waits silently
For the salvation of the Lord.
27 It is good for a man to bear
The yoke in his youth.
28 Let him (N)sit alone and keep quiet,
Since He has laid it on him.
29 Let him [h]put his mouth in the (O)dust;
Perhaps there is (P)hope.
30 Let him give his (Q)cheek to the one who is going to strike him;
Let him be filled with shame.
31 For the Lord will (R)not reject forever,
32 For if He causes grief,
Then He will have (S)compassion
In proportion to His abundant mercy.
33 For He (T)does not [i]afflict [j]willingly
Or [k]grieve the sons of mankind.
34 To crush under [l]one’s feet
All the prisoners of the [m]land,
35 To [n]deprive a man of (U)justice
In the presence of the Most High,
36 To [o](V)defraud someone in his lawsuit—
Of these things the Lord does not [p]approve.
37 Who is [q]there who speaks and it (W)comes to pass,
Unless the Lord has commanded it?
38 Is it not from the mouth of the Most High
That [r](X)both adversity and good proceed?
39 Of what can any living [s]mortal, or any man,
(Y)Complain [t]in view of his sins?
40 Let’s (Z)examine and search out our ways,
And let’s return to the Lord.
41 We (AA)raise our heart [u]and hands
Toward God in heaven;
42 We have (AB)done wrong and rebelled;
You have (AC)not pardoned.
Footnotes
- Lamentations 3:19 Lit poison
- Lamentations 3:20 Or bows down
- Lamentations 3:21 Lit have hope
- Lamentations 3:22 As in ancient versions; MT It is...mercy that we do not end
- Lamentations 3:24 Or hope in
- Lamentations 3:25 Or hope in
- Lamentations 3:25 Lit soul
- Lamentations 3:29 Lit give
- Lamentations 3:33 Or oppress
- Lamentations 3:33 Lit from His heart
- Lamentations 3:33 Or torment
- Lamentations 3:34 Lit his
- Lamentations 3:34 Or earth
- Lamentations 3:35 Or turn aside a man’s case
- Lamentations 3:36 Lit bend
- Lamentations 3:36 Lit see
- Lamentations 3:37 Lit this
- Lamentations 3:38 Lit the evil things and the good
- Lamentations 3:39 Or human being
- Lamentations 3:39 Or on the basis of
- Lamentations 3:41 Lit toward our
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