1 [ALEPH-BET] I [am] the man [who] has seen affliction || By the rod of His wrath. 2 He has led me, and causes to go [in] darkness, and without light. 3 Surely against me He turns back, || He turns His hand all the day. 4 He has worn out my flesh and my skin. He has broken my bones. 5 He has built up against me, || And sets around poverty and weariness. 6 In dark places He has caused me to dwell, || As the dead of old. 7 He has hedged me in, and I do not go out, || He has made heavy my chain. 8 Also when I call and cry out, || He has shut out my prayer. 9 He has hedged my ways with hewn work, || My paths He has made crooked. 10 A bear lying in wait He [is] to me, || A lion in secret hiding places. 11 My ways He is turning aside, and He pulls me in pieces, || He has made me a desolation. 12 He has bent His bow, || And sets me up as a mark for an arrow. 13 He has caused to enter into my reins || The sons of His quiver. 14 I have been a derision to all my people, || Their song all the day. 15 He has filled me with bitter things, || He has filled me [with] wormwood. 16 And He breaks with gravel my teeth, || He has covered me with ashes. 17 And You cast off my soul from peace, || I have forgotten prosperity. 18 And I say, My strength and my hope have perished from YHWH. 19 Remember my affliction and my mourning, || Wormwood and gall! 20 Remember well, and my soul bows down in me. 21 This I turn to my heart—therefore I hope. 22 The kindnesses of YHWH! For we have not been consumed, || For His mercies have not ended. 23 New every morning, abundant [is] Your faithfulness. 24 My portion [is] YHWH, my soul has said, || Therefore I hope for Him. 25 YHWH [is] good to those waiting for Him, || To the soul [that] seeks Him. 26 [It is] good when one stays and stands still || For the salvation of YHWH. 27 [It is] good for a man that he bears a yoke in his youth. 28 He sits alone, and is silent, || For He has laid [it] on him. 29 He puts his mouth in the dust, if so be, there is hope. 30 He gives to his striker the cheek, || He is filled with reproach. 31 For the Lord does not cast off for all time. 32 For though He afflicted, yet He has pitied, || According to the abundance of His kindness. 33 For He has not afflicted with His heart, || Nor does He grieve the sons of men. 34 To bruise under one’s feet any bound ones of earth, 35 To turn aside the judgment of a man, || Before the face of the Most High, 36 To subvert a man in his cause, the Lord has not approved. 37 Who [is] this—he has spoken, and it is, || [And] the Lord has not commanded [it]? 38 From the mouth of the Most High does not go forth the evils and the good. 39 Why does a living man sigh habitually, || A man for his sin? 40 We search our ways, and investigate, || And turn back to YHWH. 41 We lift up our heart on the hands to God in the heavens. 42 We have transgressed and been rebellious, || You have not forgiven. 43 You have covered Yourself with anger, || And pursue us; You have slain—You have not pitied. 44 You have covered Yourself with a cloud, || So that prayer does not pass through. 45 Outcast and refuse You make us || In the midst of the peoples. 46 Opened against us their mouth have all our enemies. 47 Fear and a snare has been for us, || Desolation and destruction. 48 Streams of water go down my eye, || For the destruction of the daughter of my people. 49 My eye is poured out, || And does not cease without intermission, 50 Until YHWH looks and sees from the heavens, 51 My eye affects my soul, || Because of all the daughters of my city. 52 Hunting—my enemies have hunted me without cause like the bird. 53 They have cut off my life in a pit, || And they cast a stone against me. 54 Waters have flowed over my head, I have said, I have been cut off. 55 I called Your Name, O YHWH, from the lower pit. 56 You have heard my voice, do not hide Your ear at my breathing—at my cry. 57 You have drawn near in the day I call You, You have said, Do not fear. 58 You have pleaded, O Lord, the pleadings of my soul, || You have redeemed my life. 59 You have seen, O YHWH, my overthrow, || Judge my cause. 60 You have seen all their vengeance, || All their thoughts of me. 61 You have heard their reproach, O YHWH, || All their thoughts against me, 62 The lips of my withstanders, || Even their meditation against me all the day. 63 Their sitting down, and their rising up, || Behold attentively, I [am] their song. 64 You return to them the deed, O YHWH, || According to the work of their hands. 65 You give to them a covered heart, || Your curse to them. 66 You pursue in anger, and destroy them, || From under the heavens of YHWH!
Lamentations · Literal Standard Version
Lamentations 3 Literal Standard Version
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
Cross references (65)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 1 Psalm 88:7; Job 19:21; Psalm 88:15–16; Isaiah 53:3; Psalm 71:20
- 2 Job 30:26; Isaiah 59:9; Amos 5:18–20; Jeremiah 4:23; Jude 13
- 3 Isaiah 63:10; Lamentations 2:4–7; Deuteronomy 29:20; Isaiah 1:25; Isaiah 5:25
- 4 Psalm 51:8; Isaiah 38:13; Psalm 38:2–8; Jeremiah 50:17; Psalm 31:9–10
- 5 Lamentations 3:19; Jeremiah 23:15; Job 19:8; Lamentations 3:7–9; Jeremiah 8:14
- 6 Psalm 88:5–6; Psalm 143:3; Psalm 143:7
- 7 Job 19:8; Job 3:23; Jeremiah 38:6; Psalm 88:8; Jeremiah 40:4
- 8 Job 30:20; Psalm 22:2; Job 19:7; Matthew 27:46; Lamentations 3:44
- 9 Isaiah 63:17; Hosea 2:6; Isaiah 30:28; Lamentations 3:11
- 10 Hosea 6:1; Psalm 10:9; Amos 5:18–20; Job 10:16; Hosea 5:14
- 11 Hosea 6:1; Job 16:12–13; Lamentations 1:13; Daniel 7:23; Jeremiah 19:8
- 12 Psalm 38:2; Job 7:20; Lamentations 2:4; Job 6:4; Psalm 7:12–13
- 13 Job 6:4; Deuteronomy 32:23; Job 41:28
- 14 Jeremiah 20:7; Lamentations 3:63; Psalm 22:6–7; Nehemiah 4:2–4; Psalm 123:3–4
- 15 Jeremiah 9:15; Lamentations 3:19; Ruth 1:20; Jeremiah 25:15–18; Isaiah 51:17–22
- 16 Proverbs 20:17; Jeremiah 6:26; Psalm 3:7; Psalm 58:6; Luke 11:11
- 17 Isaiah 59:11; Genesis 41:30; Lamentations 1:16; Isaiah 38:17; Jeremiah 8:15
- 18 Job 17:15; 1 Samuel 27:1; Ezekiel 37:11; Psalm 31:22; Psalm 116:11
- 19 Lamentations 3:15; Lamentations 3:5; Job 7:7; Psalm 89:50; Psalm 132:1
- 20 Psalm 42:5–6; Psalm 42:11; Job 21:6; Psalm 43:5; Psalm 146:8
- 21 Habakkuk 2:3; Psalm 130:7; Psalm 77:7–11; Lamentations 3:24–29; Psalm 119:81
- 22 Psalm 86:15; Luke 1:50; Nehemiah 9:31; Micah 7:18–19; Malachi 3:6
- 23 Hebrews 10:23; Psalm 30:5; Isaiah 33:2; Psalm 36:5; Psalm 89:33
- 24 Psalm 73:26; Psalm 16:5; Psalm 142:5; Lamentations 3:21; Psalm 33:18
- 25 Micah 7:7–8; Isaiah 40:31; Psalm 130:5–6; Lamentations 3:26; Psalm 37:34
- 26 Psalm 37:7; Psalm 37:34; Psalm 130:5; Genesis 49:18; Hebrews 10:35
- 27 Ecclesiastes 12:1; Matthew 11:29–30; Psalm 119:71; Psalm 94:12; Psalm 90:12
- 28 Jeremiah 15:17; Lamentations 2:10; Psalm 39:9; Psalm 102:7
- 29 Job 40:4; Luke 15:18–19; Jeremiah 31:17; Luke 18:13; Zephaniah 2:3
- 30 Isaiah 50:6; Job 16:10; Matthew 5:39; Matthew 26:67; 2 Corinthians 11:20
- 31 Psalm 94:14; Psalm 103:8–10; Psalm 77:7; Isaiah 54:7–10; Isaiah 57:16
- 32 Psalm 78:38; Psalm 30:5; Psalm 103:11; Hosea 11:8; Judges 10:16
- 33 Ezekiel 33:11; Ezekiel 18:32; Hebrews 12:9–10; Isaiah 28:21
- 34 Zechariah 9:11–12; Isaiah 51:22–23; Psalm 102:20; Jeremiah 51:33–36; Psalm 69:33
- 36 Isaiah 59:15; Habakkuk 1:13; Jeremiah 22:3; 2 Samuel 11:27
- 37 Psalm 33:9–11; Proverbs 16:9; Isaiah 46:10; Proverbs 19:21; Proverbs 21:30
- 38 Isaiah 45:7; Amos 3:6; Jeremiah 32:42; Job 2:10; Psalm 75:7
- 39 Proverbs 19:3; Micah 7:9; Jeremiah 30:15; Genesis 4:5–7; 2 Kings 3:13
- 40 2 Corinthians 13:5; Psalm 139:23–24; Joel 2:12–13; Psalm 4:4; Isaiah 55:7
- 41 Psalm 25:1; Psalm 28:2; Psalm 86:4; Psalm 143:6–8; 1 Thessalonians 2:8
- 42 Nehemiah 9:26; Jeremiah 5:7–9; Luke 15:18–19; Zechariah 1:5; 2 Kings 24:4
- 43 Lamentations 2:21; Lamentations 2:17; Lamentations 2:1–2; Lamentations 3:66; Psalm 83:15
- 44 Lamentations 3:8; Zechariah 7:13; Psalm 97:2; Jeremiah 15:1; Jeremiah 14:11
- 45 1 Corinthians 4:13; Lamentations 4:14–15; Deuteronomy 28:44; Deuteronomy 28:37; Lamentations 3:14
- 46 Lamentations 2:16; Psalm 22:6–8; Psalm 79:10; Exodus 11:7; Psalm 44:13–14
- 47 Isaiah 24:17–18; Isaiah 51:19; Jeremiah 48:43–44; Lamentations 1:4; Lamentations 1:13
- 48 Jeremiah 9:18; Lamentations 2:11; Jeremiah 9:1; Psalm 119:136; Lamentations 1:16
- 49 Jeremiah 14:17; Psalm 77:2; Lamentations 1:16
- 50 Isaiah 63:15; Psalm 80:14–16; Lamentations 5:1; Psalm 102:19–20; Lamentations 2:20
- 51 Jeremiah 19:9; Luke 19:41–44; 1 Samuel 30:3–4; Lamentations 2:21; Jeremiah 14:16
- 52 Psalm 35:19; Psalm 35:7; Jeremiah 38:4–6; Psalm 69:4; John 15:25
- 53 Jeremiah 38:6; Daniel 6:17; Jeremiah 38:9; Jeremiah 37:16; Matthew 27:66
- 54 Jonah 2:3–5; Ezekiel 37:11; Psalm 18:4; Psalm 69:1–2; 2 Corinthians 1:8–10
- 55 Acts 16:24–28; Psalm 40:1–2; 2 Chronicles 33:11–12; Psalm 130:1–2; Jonah 2:2–4
- 56 Job 34:28; Isaiah 38:5; Psalm 55:1; Psalm 6:8–9; Psalm 34:6
- 57 James 4:8; Isaiah 41:10; Isaiah 58:9; Isaiah 41:14; Revelation 2:10
- 58 Psalms 34:22–35:1; Jeremiah 51:36; Psalm 103:4; Jeremiah 50:34; Psalm 71:23
- 59 Psalm 43:1; Psalm 9:4; Genesis 31:42; Psalm 26:1; 1 Peter 2:23
- 60 Jeremiah 11:19–20; Lamentations 3:59; Psalm 10:14
- 61 Lamentations 5:1; Psalm 89:50; Zephaniah 2:8; Psalm 74:18; Lamentations 3:30
- 62 Ezekiel 36:3; Psalm 59:7; Psalm 59:12; Psalm 140:3; Jeremiah 18:18
- 63 Psalm 139:2; Lamentations 3:14; Job 30:9
- 64 Psalm 28:4; Jeremiah 11:20; Revelation 6:10; 2 Timothy 4:14; Jeremiah 50:29
- 65 Isaiah 6:10; Deuteronomy 2:30; 1 Corinthians 16:22; Psalm 109:17–18; Deuteronomy 27:15–26
- 66 Psalm 8:3; Psalm 115:16; Lamentations 3:43; Deuteronomy 25:19; Jeremiah 10:11
Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences
What the Fathers said
Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).
How these were chosen
“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).
Again another Prophet says, They cut off My life in a dungeon, and cast a stone upon Me.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 7 (1894)
To us who are (as Jeremiah saith), "prisoners of the earth," and covered with the denseness of carnal nature, this at all events is known, that as it is impossible for a man to step over his own shadow, however fast he may move (for the shadow will always move on as fast as it is being overtaken) or, as …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 7 (1894)