Lamentations 3Lamentations3

King James VersionBerean Standard Bible

1. The Prophet’s Afflictions

2. 1KJVI am the man that hath seen affliction by the rod of his wrath.BSBBSB: I am the man who has seen affliction under the rod of God’s wrath.
3. 2KJVHe hath led me, and brought me into darkness, but not into light.BSBBSB: He has driven me away and made me walk in darkness instead of light.
4. 3KJVSurely against me is he turned; he turneth his hand against me all the day.BSBBSB: Indeed, He keeps turning His hand against me all day long.
5. 4KJVMy flesh and my skin hath he made old; he hath broken my bones.BSBBSB: He has worn away my flesh and skin; He has shattered my bones.
6. 5KJVHe hath builded against me, and compassed me with gall and travail.BSBBSB: He has besieged me and surrounded me with bitterness and hardship.
7. 6KJVHe hath set me in dark places, as they that be dead of old.BSBBSB: He has made me dwell in darkness like those dead for ages.
8. 7KJVHe hath hedged me about, that I cannot get out: he hath made my chain heavy.BSBBSB: He has walled me in so I cannot escape; He has weighed me down with chains.
9. 8KJVAlso when I cry and shout, he shutteth out my prayer.BSBBSB: Even when I cry out and plead for help, He shuts out my prayer.
10. 9KJVHe hath inclosed my ways with hewn stone, he hath made my paths crooked.BSBBSB: He has barred my ways with cut stones; He has made my paths crooked.
11. 10KJVHe was unto me as a bear lying in wait, and as a lion in secret places.BSBBSB: He is a bear lying in wait, a lion hiding in ambush.
12. 11KJVHe hath turned aside my ways, and pulled me in pieces: he hath made me desolate.BSBBSB: He forced me off my path and tore me to pieces; He left me without help.
13. 12KJVHe hath bent his bow, and set me as a mark for the arrow.BSBBSB: He bent His bow and set me as the target for His arrow.
14. 13KJVHe hath caused the arrows of his quiver to enter into my reins.BSBBSB: He pierced my kidneys with His arrows.
15. 14KJVI was a derision to all my people; and their song all the day.BSBBSB: I am a laughingstock to all my people; they mock me in song all day long.
16. 15KJVHe hath filled me with bitterness, he hath made me drunken with wormwood.BSBBSB: He has filled me with bitterness; He has intoxicated me with wormwood.
17. 16KJVHe hath also broken my teeth with gravel stones, he hath covered me with ashes.BSBBSB: He has ground my teeth with gravel and trampled me in the dust.
18. 17KJVAnd thou hast removed my soul far off from peace: I forgat prosperity.BSBBSB: My soul has been deprived of peace; I have forgotten what prosperity is.
19. 18KJVAnd I said, My strength and my hope is perished from the LORD:BSBBSB: So I say, “My strength has perished, along with my hope from the LORD.”

20. The Prophet’s Hope

21. 19KJVRemembering mine affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall.BSBBSB: Remember my affliction and wandering, the wormwood and the gall.
22. 20KJVMy soul hath them still in remembrance, and is humbled in me.BSBBSB: Surely my soul remembers and is humbled within me.
23. 21KJVThis I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope.BSBBSB: Yet I call this to mind, and therefore I have hope:
24. 22KJVIt is of the LORD’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.BSBBSB: Because of the loving devotion of the LORD we are not consumed, for His mercies never fail.
25. 23KJVThey are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.BSBBSB: They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness!
26. 24KJVThe LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him.BSBBSB: “The LORD is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in Him.”
27. 25KJVThe LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him.BSBBSB: The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him.
28. 26KJVIt is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD.BSBBSB: It is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD.
29. 27KJVIt is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth.BSBBSB: It is good for a man to bear the yoke while he is still young.
30. 28KJVHe sitteth alone and keepeth silence, because he hath borne it upon him.BSBBSB: Let him sit alone in silence, for the LORD has laid it upon him.
31. 29KJVHe putteth his mouth in the dust; if so be there may be hope.BSBBSB: Let him bury his face in the dust—perhaps there is still hope.
32. 30KJVHe giveth his cheek to him that smiteth him: he is filled full with reproach.BSBBSB: Let him offer his cheek to the one who would strike him; let him be filled with reproach.
33. 31KJVFor the Lord will not cast off for ever:BSBBSB: For the Lord will not cast us off forever.
34. 32KJVBut though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies.BSBBSB: Even if He causes grief, He will show compassion according to His abundant loving devotion.
35. 33KJVFor he doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men.BSBBSB: For He does not willingly afflict or grieve the sons of men.
36. 34KJVTo crush under his feet all the prisoners of the earth,BSBBSB: To crush underfoot all the prisoners of the land,
37. 35KJVTo turn aside the right of a man before the face of the most High,BSBBSB: to deny a man justice before the Most High,
38. 36KJVTo subvert a man in his cause, the Lord approveth not.BSBBSB: to subvert a man in his lawsuit—of these the Lord does not approve.

39. God’s Justice

40. 37KJVWho is he that saith, and it cometh to pass, when the Lord commandeth it not?BSBBSB: Who has spoken and it came to pass, unless the Lord has ordained it?
41. 38KJVOut of the mouth of the most High proceedeth not evil and good?BSBBSB: Do not both adversity and good come from the mouth of the Most High?
42. 39KJVWherefore doth a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins?BSBBSB: Why should any mortal man complain, in view of his sins?
43. 40KJVLet us search and try our ways, and turn again to the LORD.BSBBSB: Let us examine and test our ways, and turn back to the LORD.
44. 41KJVLet us lift up our heart with our hands unto God in the heavens.BSBBSB: Let us lift up our hearts and hands to God in heaven:
45. 42KJVWe have transgressed and have rebelled: thou hast not pardoned.BSBBSB: “We have sinned and rebelled; You have not forgiven.”
46. 43KJVThou hast covered with anger, and persecuted us: thou hast slain, thou hast not pitied.BSBBSB: You have covered Yourself in anger and pursued us; You have killed without pity.
47. 44KJVThou hast covered thyself with a cloud, that our prayer should not pass through.BSBBSB: You have covered Yourself with a cloud that no prayer can pass through.
48. 45KJVThou hast made us as the offscouring and refuse in the midst of the people.BSBBSB: You have made us scum and refuse among the nations.
49. 46KJVAll our enemies have opened their mouths against us.BSBBSB: All our enemies open their mouths against us.
50. 47KJVFear and a snare is come upon us, desolation and destruction.BSBBSB: Panic and pitfall have come upon us—devastation and destruction.
51. 48KJVMine eye runneth down with rivers of water for the destruction of the daughter of my people.BSBBSB: Streams of tears flow from my eyes over the destruction of the daughter of my people.
52. 49KJVMine eye trickleth down, and ceaseth not, without any intermission,BSBBSB: My eyes overflow unceasingly, without relief,
53. 50KJVTill the LORD look down, and behold from heaven.BSBBSB: until the LORD looks down from heaven and sees.
54. 51KJVMine eye affecteth mine heart because of all the daughters of my city.BSBBSB: My eyes bring grief to my soul because of all the daughters of my city.
55. 52KJVMine enemies chased me sore, like a bird, without cause.BSBBSB: Without cause my enemies hunted me like a bird.
56. 53KJVThey have cut off my life in the dungeon, and cast a stone upon me.BSBBSB: They dropped me alive into a pit and cast stones upon me.
57. 54KJVWaters flowed over mine head; then I said, I am cut off.BSBBSB: The waters flowed over my head, and I thought I was going to die.
58. 55KJVI called upon thy name, O LORD, out of the low dungeon.BSBBSB: I called on Your name, O LORD, out of the depths of the Pit.
59. 56KJVThou hast heard my voice: hide not thine ear at my breathing, at my cry.BSBBSB: You heard my plea: “Do not ignore my cry for relief.”
60. 57KJVThou drewest near in the day that I called upon thee: thou saidst, Fear not.BSBBSB: You drew near when I called on You; You said, “Do not be afraid.”
61. 58KJVO Lord, thou hast pleaded the causes of my soul; thou hast redeemed my life.BSBBSB: You defend my cause, O Lord; You redeem my life.
62. 59KJVO LORD, thou hast seen my wrong: judge thou my cause.BSBBSB: You have seen, O LORD, the wrong done to me; vindicate my cause!
63. 60KJVThou hast seen all their vengeance and all their imaginations against me.BSBBSB: You have seen all their malice, all their plots against me.
64. 61KJVThou hast heard their reproach, O LORD, and all their imaginations against me;BSBBSB: O LORD, You have heard their insults, all their plots against me—
65. 62KJVThe lips of those that rose up against me, and their device against me all the day.BSBBSB: the slander and murmuring of my assailants against me all day long.
66. 63KJVBehold their sitting down, and their rising up; I am their musick.BSBBSB: When they sit and when they rise, see how they mock me in song.
67. 64KJVRender unto them a recompence, O LORD, according to the work of their hands.BSBBSB: You will pay them back what they deserve, O LORD, according to the work of their hands.
68. 65KJVGive them sorrow of heart, thy curse unto them.BSBBSB: Put a veil of anguish over their hearts; may Your curse be upon them!
69. 66KJVPersecute and destroy them in anger from under the heavens of the LORD.BSBBSB: You will pursue them in anger and exterminate them from under Your heavens, O LORD.