Lamentations 3:37-5:22

New International Version

³⁷ Who can speak and have it happen
    if the Lord has not decreed it?^(A)
38 Is it not from the mouth of the Most High
    that both calamities and good things come?^(B)
39 Why should the living complain
    when punished for their sins?^(C)

⁴⁰ Let us examine our ways and test them,^(D)
    and let us return to the Lord.^(E)
41 Let us lift up our hearts and our hands
    to God in heaven,^(F) and say:
⁴² “We have sinned and rebelled^(G)
    and you have not forgiven.^(H)

⁴³ “You have covered yourself with anger and pursued^(I) us;
    you have slain without pity.^(J)
44 You have covered yourself with a cloud^(K)
    so that no prayer^(L) can get through.^(M)
45 You have made us scum^(N) and refuse
    among the nations.

⁴⁶ “All our enemies have opened their mouths
    wide^(O) against us.^(P)
47 We have suffered terror and pitfalls,^(Q)
    ruin and destruction.^(R)”
⁴⁸ Streams of tears^(S) flow from my eyes^(T)
    because my people are destroyed.^(U)

⁴⁹ My eyes will flow unceasingly,
    without relief,^(V)
50 until the Lord looks down
    from heaven and sees.^(W)
51 What I see brings grief to my soul
    because of all the women of my city.

⁵² Those who were my enemies without cause
    hunted me like a bird.^(X)
53 They tried to end my life in a pit^(Y)
    and threw stones at me;
⁵⁴ the waters closed over my head,^(Z)
    and I thought I was about to perish.^(AA)

⁵⁵ I called on your name, Lord,
    from the depths^(AB) of the pit.^(AC)
56 You heard my plea:^(AD) “Do not close your ears
    to my cry for relief.”
⁵⁷ You came near^(AE) when I called you,
    and you said, “Do not fear.”^(AF)

⁵⁸ You, Lord, took up my case;^(AG)
    you redeemed my life.^(AH)
59 Lord, you have seen the wrong done to me.^(AI)
    Uphold my cause!^(AJ)
60 You have seen the depth of their vengeance,
    all their plots against me.^(AK)

⁶¹ Lord, you have heard their insults,^(AL)
    all their plots against me—
⁶² what my enemies whisper and mutter
    against me all day long.^(AM)
63 Look at them! Sitting or standing,
    they mock me in their songs.^(AN)

⁶⁴ Pay them back what they deserve, Lord,
    for what their hands have done.^(AO)
65 Put a veil over their hearts,^(AP)
    and may your curse be on them!
⁶⁶ Pursue^(AQ) them in anger and destroy them
    from under the heavens of the Lord.

4 ^[a]How the gold has lost its luster,
    the fine gold become dull!
The sacred gems are scattered
    at every street corner.^(AR)

² How the precious children of Zion,^(AS)
    once worth their weight in gold,
are now considered as pots of clay,
    the work of a potter’s hands!

³ Even jackals offer their breasts
    to nurse their young,
but my people have become heartless
    like ostriches in the desert.^(AT)

⁴ Because of thirst^(AU) the infant’s tongue
    sticks to the roof of its mouth;^(AV)
the children beg for bread,
    but no one gives it to them.^(AW)

⁵ Those who once ate delicacies
    are destitute in the streets.
Those brought up in royal purple^(AX)
    now lie on ash heaps.^(AY)

⁶ The punishment of my people
    is greater than that of Sodom,^(AZ)
which was overthrown in a moment
    without a hand turned to help her.

⁷ Their princes were brighter than snow
    and whiter than milk,
their bodies more ruddy than rubies,
    their appearance like lapis lazuli.

⁸ But now they are blacker^(BA) than soot;
    they are not recognized in the streets.
Their skin has shriveled on their bones;^(BB)
    it has become as dry as a stick.

⁹ Those killed by the sword are better off
    than those who die of famine;^(BC)
racked with hunger, they waste away
    for lack of food from the field.^(BD)

¹⁰ With their own hands compassionate women
    have cooked their own children,^(BE)
who became their food
    when my people were destroyed.

¹¹ The Lord has given full vent to his wrath;^(BF)
    he has poured out^(BG) his fierce anger.^(BH)
He kindled a fire^(BI) in Zion
    that consumed her foundations.^(BJ)

¹² The kings of the earth did not believe,
    nor did any of the peoples of the world,
that enemies and foes could enter
    the gates of Jerusalem.^(BK)

¹³ But it happened because of the sins of her prophets
    and the iniquities of her priests,^(BL)
who shed within her
    the blood^(BM) of the righteous.

¹⁴ Now they grope through the streets
    as if they were blind.^(BN)
They are so defiled with blood^(BO)
    that no one dares to touch their garments.

¹⁵ “Go away! You are unclean!” people cry to them.
    “Away! Away! Don’t touch us!”
When they flee and wander^(BP) about,
    people among the nations say,
    “They can stay here no longer.”^(BQ)

¹⁶ The Lord himself has scattered them;
    he no longer watches over them.^(BR)
The priests are shown no honor,
    the elders^(BS) no favor.^(BT)

¹⁷ Moreover, our eyes failed,
    looking in vain^(BU) for help;^(BV)
from our towers we watched
    for a nation^(BW) that could not save us.

¹⁸ People stalked us at every step,
    so we could not walk in our streets.
Our end was near, our days were numbered,
    for our end had come.^(BX)

¹⁹ Our pursuers were swifter
    than eagles^(BY) in the sky;
they chased us^(BZ) over the mountains
    and lay in wait for us in the desert.^(CA)

²⁰ The Lord’s anointed,^(CB) our very life breath,
    was caught in their traps.^(CC)
We thought that under his shadow^(CD)
    we would live among the nations.

²¹ Rejoice and be glad, Daughter Edom,
    you who live in the land of Uz.^(CE)
But to you also the cup^(CF) will be passed;
    you will be drunk and stripped naked.^(CG)

²² Your punishment will end, Daughter Zion;^(CH)
    he will not prolong your exile.
But he will punish your sin, Daughter Edom,
    and expose your wickedness.^(CI)

5 Remember, Lord, what has happened to us;
    look, and see our disgrace.^(CJ)
2 Our inheritance^(CK) has been turned over to strangers,^(CL)
    our homes^(CM) to foreigners.^(CN)
3 We have become fatherless,
    our mothers are widows.^(CO)
4 We must buy the water we drink;^(CP)
    our wood can be had only at a price.^(CQ)
5 Those who pursue us are at our heels;
    we are weary^(CR) and find no rest.^(CS)
6 We submitted to Egypt and Assyria^(CT)
    to get enough bread.
⁷ Our ancestors^(CU) sinned and are no more,
    and we bear their punishment.^(CV)
8 Slaves^(CW) rule over us,
    and there is no one to free us from their hands.^(CX)
9 We get our bread at the risk of our lives
    because of the sword in the desert.
¹⁰ Our skin is hot as an oven,
    feverish from hunger.^(CY)
11 Women have been violated^(CZ) in Zion,
    and virgins in the towns of Judah.
¹² Princes have been hung up by their hands;
    elders^(DA) are shown no respect.^(DB)
13 Young men toil at the millstones;
    boys stagger under loads of wood.
¹⁴ The elders are gone from the city gate;
    the young men have stopped their music.^(DC)
15 Joy is gone from our hearts;
    our dancing has turned to mourning.^(DD)
16 The crown^(DE) has fallen from our head.^(DF)
    Woe to us, for we have sinned!^(DG)
17 Because of this our hearts^(DH) are faint,^(DI)
    because of these things our eyes^(DJ) grow dim^(DK)
18 for Mount Zion,^(DL) which lies desolate,^(DM)
    with jackals prowling over it.

¹⁹ You, Lord, reign forever;^(DN)
    your throne endures^(DO) from generation to generation.
²⁰ Why do you always forget us?^(DP)
    Why do you forsake^(DQ) us so long?
²¹ Restore^(DR) us to yourself, Lord, that we may return;
    renew our days as of old
²² unless you have utterly rejected us^(DS)
    and are angry with us beyond measure.^(DT)