Lamentations 3
Christian Standard Bible Anglicised
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 laughing-stock(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 for ever.
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)
ׂש 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
- 3:10 Lit is to me
- 3:14 Some Hb mss, LXX, Vg; other Hb mss, Syr read all peoples
- 3:16 Or and trampled me
- 3:17 Syr, Vg; MT reads You deprived my soul
- 3:18 Or splendour
- 3:19 Or I remember
- 3:20 Alt Hb tradition reads and you cause me to collapse
- 3:22 One Hb mss, Syr, Tg read The Lord’s faithful love, indeed, does not perish
- 3:28 Lit has laid a burden on
- 3:34 Or earth
- 3:52 Or Those who were my enemies for no reason
- 3:53 Or They ended my life in; Hb obscure
- 3:62 Lit lips
- 3:65 Or them an obstinate heart; Hb obscure
- 3:66 Lit under the Lord’s heavens
耶利米哀歌 3
Chinese New Version (Traditional)
耶和華忿怒的杖
3 我是在耶和華忿怒的杖下受過苦的人。
2 他領我，使我行在黑暗中，不行在光明裡。
3 他真是終日不停地反手攻擊我。
4 他使我的肌膚衰殘，折斷我的骨頭。
5 他築壘圍困我，使毒害和艱難環繞我。
6 他使我住在黑暗之處，好像死了許久的人一樣。
7 他築牆圍住我，使我不能逃出去；
他又加重我的鋼鍊。
8 甚至我哀求呼救的時候，他也掩耳不聽我的禱告。
9 他用砍鑿好的石頭堵塞我的道路，
他使我的路徑曲折。
10 他像熊埋伏著，又像獅子在藏匿的地方，等候攻擊我。
11 他把我拖離大路，把我撕碎，棄我於荒野。
12 他拉開了他的弓，立我作箭靶子。
13 他把他箭囊中的箭，射進我的肺腑。
14 我成了眾民譏笑的對象，他們終日以我為歌嘲諷我（全句或譯：“我成了眾民的笑柄，他們終日喝頌的諷歌”）。
15 他使我飽嘗苦菜，飽享苦堇。
16 他用沙石使我的牙齒破碎，把我踐踏在灰塵中。
17 你使我失去了平安，我已忘記了福樂是甚麼。
18 所以我說：“我的力量已消失了，
我從耶和華所得的盼望也沒有了。”
哀求憐憫
19 回憶起我的困苦飄流，就像是苦堇和毒草。
20 每逢我的心想起往事，我的心就消沉。
21 但我的心一想起下面這件事，我就有指望。
22 耶和華的慈愛永不斷絕，他的憐憫永不止息。
23 每天早晨都是新的；你的信實多麼廣大！
24 我心裡說：“耶和華是我的業分，所以，我必仰望他。”
仰望救恩
25 耶和華善待等候他的和心裡尋求他的人。
26 安靜等候耶和華的救恩，是多麼的美好！
27 人在幼年時就負軛，是多麼的美好！
28 他要無言獨坐，因為這是耶和華加在他身上的。
29 他要把自己的口埋於塵土中，或者還有盼望。
30 他要讓人打他的臉頰，要飽受凌辱。
31 主必不會永遠丟棄人。
32 他雖然使人憂愁，卻必照著他豐盛的慈愛施憐憫。
33 因為他心裡本不是要人受困苦，或是要世人愁苦。
34 人把地上所有被囚的，都踐踏在腳下，
35 或在至高者面前，屈枉正直，
36 或在訴訟的事上顛倒是非，主不都看見嗎？
37 除非主命定，誰能說成，就成了呢？
38 或禍或福，不都是出於至高者的口嗎？
39 人活在世上，因自己的罪受懲罰，為甚麼發怨言呢？
悔改歸向耶和華
40 我們要檢討和省察自己的行為，然後歸向耶和華。
41 我們要向天上的 神，誠心舉手禱告：
42 “我們犯罪悖逆，你並不赦免。
43 你被怒氣籠罩著，你追趕我們，殺戮我們，毫不顧惜。
44 你用密雲把自己遮蔽起來，以致我們的禱告不能達到你那裡。
45 你使我們在萬族中，成了渣滓和廢物。
46 我們所有的仇敵，都張開口攻擊我們。
47 我們遭遇的，只是恐懼、陷阱、毀壞和滅亡。”
48 我的眼淚像江河流下，都因我的人民的滅亡。
49 我的眼淚湧流不停，總不止息，
50 直到耶和華垂顧，從天上關注。
51 因眼見我城中眾民的遭遇，我的心很痛苦。
52 那些無故與我為敵的人追捕我，像追捕雀鳥一樣。
53 他們把我投在坑中要結束我的性命，又把石頭拋在我身上；
54 水淹過我的頭，我說：“我要死了！”
求 神施行拯救
55 耶和華啊，我從坑的最深處呼求你的名，
56 你曾經垂聽我的聲音，現在求你不要掩耳不聽我求救的呼聲。
57 我每逢呼求你的時候，你就靠近我，說：“不要懼怕！”
58 主啊！你為我的案件申辯，贖回了我的性命。
59 耶和華啊，你看見了我的冤屈，求你為我主持公道。
60 你已看見了他們種種的仇恨，以及所有害我的陰謀。
61 耶和華啊！你已聽見了他們的辱罵，以及所有害我的計謀；
62 你也聽見了那些起來攻擊我的人嘴裡的話，以及他們終日要攻擊我的企圖。
63 你看，他們或坐下或起來，我都成了他們歌唱嘲笑的對象。
64 耶和華啊！求你按著他們手所作的，報應他們！
65 求你使他們的心頑梗，願你的咒詛臨到他們。
66 求你在烈怒中追趕他們，從耶和華管治的天下除滅他們。
Copyright © 2024 by Holman Bible Publishers.
Chinese New Version (CNV). Copyright © 1976, 1992, 1999, 2001, 2005 by Worldwide Bible Society.
