Lamentations 3:39-5:22

New International Version

³⁹ Why should the living complain
    when punished for their sins?^(A)

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

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

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

⁴⁹ My eyes will flow unceasingly,
    without relief,^(T)
50 until the Lord looks down
    from heaven and sees.^(U)
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.^(V)
53 They tried to end my life in a pit^(W)
    and threw stones at me;
⁵⁴ the waters closed over my head,^(X)
    and I thought I was about to perish.^(Y)

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

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

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

⁶⁴ Pay them back what they deserve, Lord,
    for what their hands have done.^(AM)
65 Put a veil over their hearts,^(AN)
    and may your curse be on them!
⁶⁶ Pursue^(AO) 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.^(AP)

² How the precious children of Zion,^(AQ)
    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.^(AR)

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

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

⁶ The punishment of my people
    is greater than that of Sodom,^(AX)
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^(AY) than soot;
    they are not recognized in the streets.
Their skin has shriveled on their bones;^(AZ)
    it has become as dry as a stick.

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

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

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

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.^(BI)

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

¹⁴ Now they grope through the streets
    as if they were blind.^(BL)
They are so defiled with blood^(BM)
    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^(BN) about,
    people among the nations say,
    “They can stay here no longer.”^(BO)

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

¹⁷ Moreover, our eyes failed,
    looking in vain^(BS) for help;^(BT)
from our towers we watched
    for a nation^(BU) 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.^(BV)

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

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

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

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

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

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