Lamentations 3 Parallel Bible Translations

Lamentations 3 ▼
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NABRE
New American Bible Revised
ESV
English Standard Version
NIV
New International Version
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1 I am one who has known affliction under the rod of God’s anger, I am the man who has seen affliction under the rod of his wrath; I am the man who has seen affliction by the rod of the LORD’s wrath.
2 One whom he has driven and forced to walk in darkness, not in light; he has driven and brought me into darkness without any light; He has driven me away and made me walk in darkness rather than light;
3 Against me alone he turns his hand— again and again all day long. surely against me he turns his hand again and again the whole day long. indeed, he has turned his hand against me again and again, all day long.
4 He has worn away my flesh and my skin, he has broken my bones; He has made my flesh and my skin waste away; he has broken my bones; He has made my skin and my flesh grow old and has broken my bones.
5 He has besieged me all around with poverty and hardship; he has besieged and enveloped me with bitterness and tribulation; He has besieged me and surrounded me with bitterness and hardship.
6 He has left me to dwell in dark places like those long dead. he has made me dwell in darkness like the dead of long ago. He has made me dwell in darkness like those long dead.
7 He has hemmed me in with no escape, weighed me down with chains; He has walled me about so that I cannot escape; he has made my chains heavy; He has walled me in so I cannot escape; he has weighed me down with chains.
8 Even when I cry for help, he stops my prayer; though I call and cry for help, he shuts out my prayer; Even when I call out or cry for help, he shuts out my prayer.
9 He has hemmed in my ways with fitted stones, and made my paths crooked. he has blocked my ways with blocks of stones; he has made my paths crooked. He has barred my way with blocks of stone; he has made my paths crooked.
10 He has been a bear lying in wait for me, a lion in hiding! He is a bear lying in wait for me, a lion in hiding; Like a bear lying in wait, like a lion in hiding,
11 He turned me aside and tore me apart, leaving me ravaged. he turned aside my steps and tore me to pieces; he has made me desolate; he dragged me from the path and mangled me and left me without help.
12 He bent his bow, and set me up as a target for his arrow. he bent his bow and set me as a target for his arrow. He drew his bow and made me the target for his arrows.
13 He pierced my kidneys with shafts from his quiver. He drove into my kidneys the arrows of his quiver; He pierced my heart with arrows from his quiver.
14 I have become a laughingstock to all my people, their taunt all day long; I have become the laughingstock of all peoples, the object of their taunts all day long. I became the laughingstock of all my people; they mock me in song all day long.
15 He has sated me with bitterness, filled me with wormwood. He has filled me with bitterness; he has sated me with wormwood. He has filled me with bitter herbs and given me gall to drink.
16 He has made me eat gravel, trampled me into the dust; He has made my teeth grind on gravel, and made me cower in ashes; He has broken my teeth with gravel; he has trampled me in the dust.
17 My life is deprived of peace, I have forgotten what happiness is; my soul is bereft of peace; I have forgotten what happiness is; I have been deprived of peace; I have forgotten what prosperity is.
18 My enduring hope, I said, has perished before the LORD. so I say, “My endurance has perished; so has my hope from the LORD.” So I say, “My splendor is gone and all that I had hoped from the LORD.”
19 The thought of my wretched homelessness is wormwood and poison; Remember my affliction and my wanderings, the wormwood and the gall! I remember my affliction and my wandering, the bitterness and the gall.
20 Remembering it over and over, my soul is downcast. My soul continually remembers it and is bowed down within me. I well remember them, and my soul is downcast within me.
21 But this I will call to mind; therefore I will hope: But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope:
22 The LORD’s acts of mercy are not exhausted, his compassion is not spent; The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.
23 They are renewed each morning— great is your faithfulness! they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
24 The LORD is my portion, I tell myself, therefore I will hope in him. “The LORD is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.” I say to myself, “The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.”
25 The LORD is good to those who trust in him, to the one that seeks him; The LORD is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him;
26 It is good to hope in silence for the LORD’s deliverance. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD. it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD.
27 It is good for a person, when young, to bear the yoke, It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth. It is good for a man to bear the yoke while he is young.
28 To sit alone and in silence, when its weight lies heavy, Let him sit alone in silence when it is laid on him; Let him sit alone in silence, for the LORD has laid it on him.
29 To put one’s mouth in the dust— there may yet be hope— let him put his mouth in the dust— there may yet be hope; Let him bury his face in the dust— there may yet be hope.
30 To offer one’s cheek to be struck, to be filled with disgrace. let him give his cheek to the one who strikes, and let him be filled with insults. Let him offer his cheek to one who would strike him, and let him be filled with disgrace.
31 For the Lord does not reject forever; For the Lord will not cast off forever, For no one is cast off by the Lord forever.
32 Though he brings grief, he takes pity, according to the abundance of his mercy; but, though he cause grief, he will have compassion according to the abundance of his steadfast love; Though he brings grief, he will show compassion, so great is his unfailing love.
33 He does not willingly afflict or bring grief to human beings. for he does not afflict from his heart or grieve the children of men. For he does not willingly bring affliction or grief to anyone.
34 That someone tramples underfoot all the prisoners in the land, To crush underfoot all the prisoners of the earth, To crush underfoot all prisoners in the land,
35 Or denies justice to anyone in the very sight of the Most High, to deny a man justice in the presence of the Most High, to deny people their rights before the Most High,
36 Or subverts a person’s lawsuit— does the Lord not see? to subvert a man in his lawsuit, the Lord does not approve. to deprive them of justice— would not the Lord see such things?
37 Who speaks so that it comes to pass, unless the Lord commands it? Who has spoken and it came to pass, unless the Lord has commanded it? Who can speak and have it happen if the Lord has not decreed it?
38 Is it not at the word of the Most High that both good and bad take place? Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that good and bad come? Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that both calamities and good things come?
39 What should the living complain about? about their sins! Why should a living man complain, a man, about the punishment of his sins? Why should the living complain when punished for their sins?
40 Let us search and examine our ways, and return to the LORD! Let us test and examine our ways, and return to the LORD! Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the LORD.
41 Let us lift up our hearts as well as our hands toward God in heaven! Let us lift up our hearts and hands to God in heaven: Let us lift up our hearts and our hands to God in heaven, and say:
42 We have rebelled and been obstinate; you have not forgiven us. “We have transgressed and rebelled, and you have not forgiven. “We have sinned and rebelled and you have not forgiven.
43 You wrapped yourself in wrath and pursued us, killing without pity; “You have wrapped yourself with anger and pursued us, killing without pity; “You have covered yourself with anger and pursued us; you have slain without pity.
44 You wrapped yourself in a cloud, which no prayer could pierce. you have wrapped yourself with a cloud so that no prayer can pass through. You have covered yourself with a cloud so that no prayer can get through.
45 You have made us filth and rubbish among the peoples. You have made us scum and garbage among the peoples. You have made us scum and refuse among the nations.
46 They have opened their mouths against us, all our enemies; “All our enemies open their mouths against us; “All our enemies have opened their mouths wide against us.
47 Panic and the pit have been our lot, desolation and destruction; panic and pitfall have come upon us, devastation and destruction; We have suffered terror and pitfalls, ruin and destruction.”
48 My eyes stream with tears over the destruction of the daughter of my people. my eyes flow with rivers of tears because of the destruction of the daughter of my people. Streams of tears flow from my eyes because my people are destroyed.
49 My eyes will flow without ceasing, without rest, “My eyes will flow without ceasing, without respite, My eyes will flow unceasingly, without relief,
50 Until the LORD from heaven looks down and sees. until the LORD from heaven looks down and sees; until the LORD looks down from heaven and sees.
51 I am tormented by the sight of all the daughters of my city. my eyes cause me grief at the fate of all the daughters of my city. What I see brings grief to my soul because of all the women of my city.
52 Without cause, my enemies snared me as though I were a bird; “I have been hunted like a bird by those who were my enemies without cause; Those who were my enemies without cause hunted me like a bird.
53 They tried to end my life in the pit, pelting me with stones. they flung me alive into the pit and cast stones on me; They tried to end my life in a pit and threw stones at me;
54 The waters flowed over my head: and I said, “I am lost!” water closed over my head; I said, ‘I am lost.’ the waters closed over my head, and I thought I was about to perish.
55 I have called upon your name, O LORD, from the bottom of the pit; “I called on your name, O LORD, from the depths of the pit; I called on your name, LORD, from the depths of the pit.
56 You heard me call, “Do not let your ear be deaf to my cry for help.” you heard my plea, ‘Do not close your ear to my cry for help!’ You heard my plea: “Do not close your ears to my cry for relief.”
57 You drew near on the day I called you; you said, “Do not fear!” You came near when I called on you; you said, ‘Do not fear!’ You came near when I called you, and you said, “Do not fear.”
58 You pleaded my case, Lord, you redeemed my life. “You have taken up my cause, O Lord; you have redeemed my life. You, Lord, took up my case; you redeemed my life.
59 You see, LORD, how I am wronged; do me justice! You have seen the wrong done to me, O LORD; judge my cause. LORD, you have seen the wrong done to me. Uphold my cause!
60 You see all their vindictiveness, all their plots against me. You have seen all their vengeance, all their plots against me. You have seen the depth of their vengeance, all their plots against me.
61 You hear their reproach, LORD, all their plots against me, “You have heard their taunts, O LORD, all their plots against me. LORD, you have heard their insults, all their plots against me—
62 The whispered murmurings of my adversaries, against me all day long; The lips and thoughts of my assailants are against me all the day long. what my enemies whisper and mutter against me all day long.
63 Look! Whether they sit or stand, I am the butt of their taunt. Behold their sitting and their rising; I am the object of their taunts. Look at them! Sitting or standing, they mock me in their songs.
64 Give them what they deserve, LORD, according to their deeds; “You will repay them, O LORD, according to the work of their hands. Pay them back what they deserve, LORD, for what their hands have done.
65 Give them hardness of heart; your curse be upon them; You will give them dullness of heart; your curse will be on them. Put a veil over their hearts, and may your curse be on them!
66 Pursue them in wrath and destroy them from under the LORD’s heaven! You will pursue them in anger and destroy them from under your heavens, O LORD.” Pursue them in anger and destroy them from under the heavens of the LORD.
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