Lamentations 3

 ¹I AM the man that hath seen affliction by the rod of his wrath.

 ²He hath led me, and brought me into darkness, but not into light.

 ³Surely against me is he turned; he turneth his hand against me all the day.

 ⁴My flesh and my skin hath he made old; he hath broken my bones.

 ⁵He hath builded against me, and compassed me with gall and travail.

 ⁶He hath set me in dark places, as they that be dead of old.

 ⁷He hath hedged me about, that I cannot get out: he hath made my chain heavy.

 ⁸Also when I cry and shout, he shutteth out my prayer.

 ⁹He hath inclosed my ways with hewn stone, he hath made my paths crooked.

 ¹⁰He was unto me as a bear lying in wait, and as a lion in secret places.

 ¹¹He hath turned aside my ways, and pulled me in pieces: he hath made me desolate.

 ¹²He hath bent his bow, and set me as a mark for the arrow.

 ¹³He hath caused the arrows of his quiver to enter into my reins.

 ¹⁴I was a derision to all my people; and their song all the day.

 ¹⁵He hath filled me with bitterness, he hath made me drunken with wormwood.

 ¹⁶He hath also broken my teeth with gravel stones, he hath covered me with ashes.

 ¹⁷And thou hast removed my soul far off from peace: I forgat prosperity.

 ¹⁸And I said, My strength and my hope is perished from the LORD:

 ¹⁹Remembering mine affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall.

 ²⁰My soul hath them still in remembrance, and is humbled in me.

 ²¹This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope.

 ²²It is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.

 ²³They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.

 ²⁴The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him.

 ²⁵The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him.

 ²⁶It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD.

 ²⁷It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth.

 ²⁸He sitteth alone and keepeth silence, because he hath borne it upon him.

 ²⁹He putteth his mouth in the dust; if so be there may be hope.

 ³⁰He giveth his cheek to him that smiteth him: he is filled full with reproach.

 ³¹For the LORD will not cast off for ever:

 ³²But though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies.

 ³³For he doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men.

 ³⁴To crush under his feet all the prisoners of the earth.

 ³⁵To turn aside the right of a man before the face of the most High,

 ³⁶To subvert a man in his cause, the LORD approveth not.

 ³⁷Who is he that saith, and it cometh to pass, when the Lord commandeth it not?

 ³⁸Out of the mouth of the most High proceedeth not evil and good?

 ³⁹Wherefore doth a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins?

 ⁴⁰Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the LORD.

 ⁴¹Let us lift up our heart with our hands unto God in the heavens.

 ⁴²We have transgressed and have rebelled: thou hast not pardoned.

 ⁴³Thou hast covered with anger, and persecuted us: thou hast slain, thou hast not pitied.

 ⁴⁴Thou hast covered thyself with a cloud, that our prayer should not pass through.

 ⁴⁵Thou hast made us as the offscouring and refuse in the midst of the people.

 ⁴⁶All our enemies have opened their mouths against us.

 ⁴⁷Fear and a snare is come upon us, desolation and destruction.

 ⁴⁸Mine eye runneth down with rivers of water for the destruction of the daughter of my people.

 ⁴⁹Mine eye trickleth down, and ceaseth not, without any intermission.

 ⁵⁰Till the LORD look down, and behold from heaven.

 ⁵¹Mine eye affecteth mine heart because of all the daughters of my city.

 ⁵²Mine enemies chased me sore, like a bird, without cause.

 ⁵³They have cut off my life in the dungeon, and cast a stone upon me.

 ⁵⁴Waters flowed over mine head; then I said, I am cut off.

 ⁵⁵I called upon thy name, O LORD, out of the low dungeon.

 ⁵⁶Thou hast heard my voice: hide not thine ear at my breathing, at my cry.

 ⁵⁷Thou drewest near in the day that I called upon thee: thou saidst, Fear not.

 ⁵⁸O LORD, thou hast pleaded the causes of my soul; thou hast redeemed my life.

 ⁵⁹O LORD, thou hast seen my wrong: judge thou my cause.

 ⁶⁰Thou hast seen all their vengeance and all their imaginations against me.

 ⁶¹Thou hast heard their reproach, O LORD, and all their imaginations against me;

 ⁶²The lips of those that rose up against me, and their device against me all the day.

 ⁶³Behold their sitting down, and their rising up; I am their musick.

 ⁶⁴Render unto them a recompence, O LORD, according to the work of their hands.

 ⁶⁵Give them sorrow of heart, thy curse unto them.

 ⁶⁶Persecute and destroy them in anger from under the heavens of the LORD.