Lamentations 3:21-66 - The Prophet - A Man Of Hope

²¹ Yet I call this to mind,
and therefore I have hope:

²² ח KhetBecause of the Lord’s faithful love
we do not perish,
for His mercies never end.
²³ They are new every morning;
great is Your faithfulness!
²⁴ I say: The Lord is my portion,
therefore I will put my hope in Him.

²⁵ ט TetThe Lord is good to those who wait for Him,
to the person who seeks Him.
²⁶ It is good to wait quietly
for deliverance from the Lord.
²⁷ It is good for a man to bear the yoke
while he is still young.

²⁸ י YodLet him sit alone and be silent,
for God has disciplined him.
²⁹ Let him put his mouth in the dust—
perhaps there is still hope.
³⁰ Let him offer his cheek
to the one who would strike him;
let him be filled with shame.

³¹ כ KafFor the Lord
will not reject us forever.
³² Even if He causes suffering,
He will show compassion
according to His abundant, faithful love.
³³ For He does not enjoy bringing affliction
or suffering on mankind.

³⁴ ל LamedCrushing all the prisoners of the land
beneath one’s feet,
³⁵ denying justice to a man
in the presence of the Most High,
³⁶ or suppressing a person’s lawsuit—
the Lord does not approve of these things.

³⁷ מ MemWho is there who speaks and it happens,
unless the Lord has ordained it?
³⁸ Do not both adversity and good
come from the mouth of the Most High?
³⁹ Why should any living person complain,
any man, because of the punishment for his sins?

⁴⁰ נ NunLet us search out and examine our ways,
and turn back to the Lord.
⁴¹ Let us lift up our hearts and our hands
to God in heaven:
⁴² We have sinned and rebelled;
You have not forgiven.

⁴³ ס SamekYou have covered Yourself in anger and pursued us;
You have killed without compassion.
⁴⁴ You have covered Yourself with a cloud
so that no prayer can pass through.
⁴⁵ You have made us disgusting filth
among the peoples.

⁴⁶ פ PeAll our enemies
open their mouths against us.
⁴⁷ We have experienced panic and pitfall,
devastation and destruction.
⁴⁸ My eyes flow with streams of tears
because of the destruction of my dear people.

⁴⁹ ע AyinMy eyes overflow unceasingly,
without end,
⁵⁰ until the Lord looks down
from heaven and sees.
⁵¹ My eyes bring me grief
because of the fate of all the women in my city.

⁵² צ TsadeFor no apparent reason, my enemies
hunted me like a bird.
⁵³ They dropped me alive into a pit
and threw stones at me.
⁵⁴ Water flooded over my head,
and I thought: I’m going to die!

⁵⁵ ק QofI called on Your name, Yahweh,
from the depths of the Pit.
⁵⁶ You hear my plea:
Do not ignore my cry for relief.
⁵⁷ You come near when I call on You;
You say: “Do not be afraid.”

⁵⁸ ר ReshYou defend my cause, Lord;
You redeem my life.
⁵⁹ Lord, You see the wrong done to me;
judge my case.
⁶⁰ You see all their malice,
all their plots against me.

⁶¹ שׂ Sin/ שׁ ShinLord, You hear their insults,
all their plots against me.
⁶² The slander 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.

⁶⁴ ת TavYou will pay them back what they deserve, Lord,
according to the work of their hands.
⁶⁵ You will give them a heart filled with anguish.
May Your curse be on them!
⁶⁶ You will pursue them in anger and destroy them
under Your heavens.