LAMENTATIONS 3-4
3:1 I AM the man that hath seen affliction by the rod of his wrath.
3:2 He hath led me, and brought me into darkness, but not into light.
3:3 Surely against me is he turned; he turneth his hand against me all the day.
3:4 My flesh and my skin hath he made old; he hath broken my bones.
3:5 He hath builded against me, and compassed me with gall and travail.
3:6 He hath set me in dark places, as they that be dead of old.
3:7 He hath hedged me about, that I cannot get out: he hath made my chain heavy.
3:8 Also when I cry and shout, he shutteth out my prayer.
3:9 He hath inclosed my ways with hewn stone, he hath made my paths crooked.
3:10 He was unto me as a bear lying in wait, and as a lion in secret places.
3:11 He hath turned aside my ways, and pulled me in pieces: he hath made me 
desolate.
3:12 He hath bent his bow, and set me as a mark for the arrow.
3:13 He hath caused the arrows of his quiver to enter into my reins.
3:14 I was a derision to all my people; and their song all the day.
3:15 He hath filled me with bitterness, he hath made me drunken with wormwood.
3:16 He hath also broken my teeth with gravel stones, he hath covered me with 
ashes.
3:17 And thou hast removed my soul far off from peace: I forgat prosperity.
3:18 And I said, My strength and my hope is perished from the LORD:
3:19 Remembering mine affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall.
3:20 My soul hath them still in remembrance, and is humbled in me.
3:21 This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope.
3:22 It is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed, because his 
compassions fail not.
3:23 They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.
3:24 The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him.
3:25 The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him.
3:26 It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation 
of the LORD.
3:27 It is good for a man that he bear the yoke of his youth.
3:28 He sitteth alone and keepeth silence, because he hath borne it upon him.
3:29 He putteth his mouth in the dust; if so be there may be hope.
3:30 He giveth his cheek to him that smiteth him: he is filled full with 
reproach.
3:31 For the LORD will not cast off for ever:
3:32 But though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion according to the 
multitude of his mercies.
3:33 For he doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men.
3:34 To crush under his feet all the prisoners of the earth.
3:35 To turn aside the right of a man before the face of the most High,
3:36 To subvert a man in his cause, the LORD approveth not.
3:37 Who is he that saith, and it cometh to pass, when the Lord commandeth it 
not?
3:38 Out of the mouth of the most High proceedeth not evil and good?
3:39 Wherefore doth a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins?
3:40 Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the LORD.
3:41 Let us lift up our heart with our hands unto God in the heavens.
3:42 We have transgressed and have rebelled: thou hast not pardoned.
3:43 Thou hast covered with anger, and persecuted us: thou hast slain, thou 
hast not pitied.
3:44 Thou hast covered thyself with a cloud, that our prayer should not pass 
through.
3:45 Thou hast made us as the offscouring and refuse in the midst of the people.
3:46 All our enemies have opened their mouths against us.
3:47 Fear and a snare is come upon us, desolation and destruction.
3:48 Mine eye runneth down with rivers of water for the destruction of the 
daughter of my people.
3:49 Mine eye trickleth down, and ceaseth not, without any intermission.
3:50 Till the LORD look down, and behold from heaven.
3:51 Mine eye affecteth mine heart because of all the daughters of my city.
3:52 Mine enemies chased me sore, like a bird, without cause.
3:53 They have cut off my life in the dungeon, and cast a stone upon me.
3:54 Waters flowed over mine head; then I said, I am cut off.
3:55 I called upon thy name, O LORD, out of the low dungeon.
3:56 Thou hast heard my voice: hide not thine ear at my breathing, at my cry.
3:57 Thou drewest near in the day that I called upon thee: thou saidst, Fear 
not.
3:58 O LORD, thou hast pleaded the causes of my soul; thou hast redeemed my 
life.
3:59 O LORD, thou hast seen my wrong: judge thou my cause.
3:60 Thou hast seen all their vengeance and all their imaginations against me.
3:61 Thou hast heard their reproach, O LORD, and all their imaginations against 
me;
3:62 The lips of those that rose up against me, and their device against me all 
the day.
3:63 Behold their sitting down, and their rising up; I am their musick.
3:64 Render unto them a recompence, O LORD, according to the work of their 
hands.
3:65 Give them sorrow of heart, thy curse unto them.
3:66 Persecute and destroy them in anger from under the heavens of the LORD.
4:1 How is the gold become dim! how is the most fine gold changed! the stones 
of the sanctuary are poured out in the top of every street.
4:2 The precious sons of Zion, comparable to fine gold, how are they esteemed 
as earthen pitchers, the work of the hands of the potter!
4:3 Even the sea monsters draw out the breast, they give suck to their young 
ones: the daughter of my people is become cruel, like the ostriches in the 
wilderness.
4:4 The tongue of the sucking child cleaveth to the roof of his mouth for 
thirst: the young children ask bread, and no man breaketh it unto them.
4:5 They that did feed delicately are desolate in the streets: they that were 
brought up in scarlet embrace dunghills.
4:6 For the punishment of the iniquity of the daughter of my people is greater 
than the punishment of the sin of Sodom, that was overthrown as in a moment, 
and no hands stayed on her.
4:7 Her Nazarites were purer than snow, they were whiter than milk, they were 
more ruddy in body than rubies, their polishing was of sapphire:
4:8 Their visage is blacker than a coal; they are not known in the streets: 
their skin cleaveth to their bones; it is withered, it is become like a stick.
4:9 They that be slain with the sword are better than they that be slain with 
hunger: for these pine away, stricken through for want of the fruits of the 
field.
4:10 The hands of the pitiful women have sodden their own children: they were 
their meat in the destruction of the daughter of my people.
4:11 The LORD hath accomplished his fury; he hath poured out his fierce anger, 
and hath kindled a fire in Zion, and it hath devoured the foundations thereof.
4:12 The kings of the earth, and all the inhabitants of the world, would not 
have believed that the adversary and the enemy should have entered into the 
gates of Jerusalem.
4:13 For the sins of her prophets, and the iniquities of her priests, that have 
shed the blood of the just in the midst of her,
4:14 They have wandered as blind men in the streets, they have polluted 
themselves with blood, so that men could not touch their garments.
4:15 They cried unto them, Depart ye; it is unclean; depart, depart, touch not: 
when they fled away and wandered, they said among the heathen, They shall no 
more sojourn there.
4:16 The anger of the LORD hath divided them; he will no more regard them: they 
respected not the persons of the priests, they favoured not the elders.
4:17 As for us, our eyes as yet failed for our vain help: in our watching we 
have watched for a nation that could not save us.
4:18 They hunt our steps, that we cannot go in our streets: our end is near, 
our days are fulfilled; for our end is come.
4:19 Our persecutors are swifter than the eagles of the heaven: they pursued us 
upon the mountains, they laid wait for us in the wilderness.
4:20 The breath of our nostrils, the anointed of the LORD, was taken in their 
pits, of whom we said, Under his shadow we shall live among the heathen.
4:21 Rejoice and be glad, O daughter of Edom, that dwellest in the land of Uz; 
the cup also shall pass through unto thee: thou shalt be drunken, and shalt 
make thyself naked.
4:22 The punishment of thine iniquity is accomplished, O daughter of Zion; he 
will no more carry thee away into captivity: he will visit thine iniquity, O 
daughter of Edom; he will discover thy sins.