New King James Version, 1982 - Lamentations 3 (NKJV Bible)

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Lamentations Chapter 3 (NKJV Bible)

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¹ I am the man who has seen affliction by the rod of His wrath.

² He has led me and made me walk In darkness and not in light.

³ Surely He has turned His hand against me Time and time again throughout the day.

⁴ He has aged [1†]my flesh and my skin, And [2†]broken my bones.

⁵ He has besieged me And surrounded me with bitterness and woe.

⁶ [3†]He has set me in dark places Like the dead of long ago.

⁷ [4†]He has hedged me in so that I cannot get out; He has made my chain heavy.

⁸ Even [5†]when I cry and shout, He shuts out my prayer.

⁹ He has blocked my ways with hewn stone; He has made my paths crooked.

¹⁰ [6†]He has been to me a bear lying in wait, Like a lion in ambush.

¹¹ He has turned aside my ways and [7†]torn me in pieces; He has made me desolate.

¹² He has bent His bow And [8†]set me up as a target for the arrow.

¹³ He has caused [9†]the arrows of His quiver To pierce my loins.

¹⁴ I have become the [10†]ridicule of all my people— [11†]Their taunting song all the day.

¹⁵ [12†]He has filled me with bitterness, He has made me drink wormwood.

¹⁶ He has also broken my teeth [13†]with gravel, And covered me with ashes.

¹⁷ You have moved my soul far from peace; I have forgotten prosperity.

¹⁸ [14†]And I said, “My strength and my hope Have perished from the LORD.”

¹⁹ Remember my affliction and roaming, [15†]The wormwood and the gall.

²⁰ My soul still remembers And sinks within me.

²¹ This I recall to my mind, Therefore I have [16†]hope.

²² [17†]Through the LORD’s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions [18†]fail not.

²³ They are new [19†]every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.

²⁴ “The LORD is my [20†]portion,” says my soul, “Therefore I [21†]hope in Him!”

²⁵ The LORD is good to those who [22†]wait for Him, To the soul who seeks Him.

²⁶ It is good that one should [23†]hope [24†]and wait quietly For the salvation of the LORD.

²⁷ [25†]It is good for a man to bear The yoke in his youth.

²⁸ [26†]Let him sit alone and keep silent, Because God has laid it on him;

²⁹ [27†]Let him put his mouth in the dust— There may yet be hope.

³⁰ [28†]Let him give his cheek to the one who strikes him, And be full of reproach.

³¹ [29†]For the Lord will not cast off forever.

³² Though He causes grief, Yet He will show compassion According to the multitude of His mercies.

³³ For [30†]He does not afflict willingly, Nor grieve the children of men.

³⁴ To crush under one’s feet All the prisoners of the earth,

³⁵ To turn aside the justice due a man Before the face of the Most High,

³⁶ Or subvert a man in his cause— [31†]The Lord does not approve.

³⁷ Who is he [32†]who speaks and it comes to pass, When the Lord has not commanded it?

³⁸ Is it not from the mouth of the Most High That [33†]woe and well-being proceed?

³⁹ [34†]Why should a living man complain, [35†]A man for the punishment of his sins?

⁴⁰ Let us search out and examine our ways, And turn back to the LORD;

⁴¹ [36†]Let us lift our hearts and hands To God in heaven.

⁴² [37†]We have transgressed and rebelled; You have not pardoned.

⁴³ You have covered Yourself with anger And pursued us; You have slain and not pitied.

⁴⁴ You have covered Yourself with a cloud, That prayer should not pass through.

⁴⁵ You have made us an [38†]offscouring and refuse In the midst of the peoples.

⁴⁶ [39†]All our enemies Have opened their mouths against us.

⁴⁷ [40†]Fear and a snare have come upon us, [41†]Desolation and destruction.

⁴⁸ [42†]My eyes overflow with rivers of water For the destruction of the daughter of my people.

⁴⁹ [43†]My eyes flow and do not cease, Without interruption,

⁵⁰ Till the LORD from heaven [44†]Looks down and sees.

⁵¹ My eyes bring suffering to my soul Because of all the daughters of my city.

⁵² My enemies [45†]without cause Hunted me down like a bird.

⁵³ They silenced my life [46†]in the pit And [47†]threw stones at me.

⁵⁴ [48†]The waters flowed over my head; [49†]I said, “I am cut off!”

⁵⁵ [50†]I called on Your name, O LORD, From the lowest [51†]pit.

⁵⁶ [52†]You have heard my voice: “Do not hide Your ear From my sighing, from my cry for help.”

⁵⁷ You [53†]drew near on the day I called on You, And said, [54†]“Do not fear!”

⁵⁸ O Lord, You have [55†]pleaded the case for my soul; [56†]You have redeemed my life.

⁵⁹ O LORD, You have seen how I am wronged; [57†]Judge my case.

⁶⁰ You have seen all their vengeance, All their [58†]schemes against me.

⁶¹ You have heard their reproach, O LORD, All their schemes against me,

⁶² The lips of my enemies And their whispering against me all the day.

⁶³ Look at their [59†]sitting down and their rising up; I am their taunting song.

⁶⁴ [60†]Repay them, O LORD, According to the work of their hands.

⁶⁵ Give them a veiled heart; Your curse be upon them!

⁶⁶ In Your anger, Pursue and destroy them [61†]From under the heavens of the [62†]LORD.

#	NKJV Bible
1	I am the man who has seen affliction by the rod of His wrath.
2	He has led me and made me walk In darkness and not in light.
3	Surely He has turned His hand against me Time and time again throughout the day.
4	He has aged [1†]my flesh and my skin, And [2†]broken my bones.
5	He has besieged me And surrounded me with bitterness and woe.
6	[3†]He has set me in dark places Like the dead of long ago.
7	[4†]He has hedged me in so that I cannot get out; He has made my chain heavy.
8	Even [5†]when I cry and shout, He shuts out my prayer.
9	He has blocked my ways with hewn stone; He has made my paths crooked.
10	[6†]He has been to me a bear lying in wait, Like a lion in ambush.
11	He has turned aside my ways and [7†]torn me in pieces; He has made me desolate.
12	He has bent His bow And [8†]set me up as a target for the arrow.
13	He has caused [9†]the arrows of His quiver To pierce my loins.
14	I have become the [10†]ridicule of all my people— [11†]Their taunting song all the day.
15	[12†]He has filled me with bitterness, He has made me drink wormwood.
16	He has also broken my teeth [13†]with gravel, And covered me with ashes.
17	You have moved my soul far from peace; I have forgotten prosperity.
18	[14†]And I said, “My strength and my hope Have perished from the LORD.”
19	Remember my affliction and roaming, [15†]The wormwood and the gall.
20	My soul still remembers And sinks within me.
21	This I recall to my mind, Therefore I have [16†]hope.
22	[17†]Through the LORD’s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions [18†]fail not.
23	They are new [19†]every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.
24	“The LORD is my [20†]portion,” says my soul, “Therefore I [21†]hope in Him!”
25	The LORD is good to those who [22†]wait for Him, To the soul who seeks Him.
26	It is good that one should [23†]hope [24†]and wait quietly For the salvation of the LORD.
27	[25†]It is good for a man to bear The yoke in his youth.
28	[26†]Let him sit alone and keep silent, Because God has laid it on him;
29	[27†]Let him put his mouth in the dust— There may yet be hope.
30	[28†]Let him give his cheek to the one who strikes him, And be full of reproach.
31	[29†]For the Lord will not cast off forever.
32	Though He causes grief, Yet He will show compassion According to the multitude of His mercies.
33	For [30†]He does not afflict willingly, Nor grieve the children of men.
34	To crush under one’s feet All the prisoners of the earth,
35	To turn aside the justice due a man Before the face of the Most High,
36	Or subvert a man in his cause— [31†]The Lord does not approve.
37	Who is he [32†]who speaks and it comes to pass, When the Lord has not commanded it?
38	Is it not from the mouth of the Most High That [33†]woe and well-being proceed?
39	[34†]Why should a living man complain, [35†]A man for the punishment of his sins?
40	Let us search out and examine our ways, And turn back to the LORD;
41	[36†]Let us lift our hearts and hands To God in heaven.
42	[37†]We have transgressed and rebelled; You have not pardoned.
43	You have covered Yourself with anger And pursued us; You have slain and not pitied.
44	You have covered Yourself with a cloud, That prayer should not pass through.
45	You have made us an [38†]offscouring and refuse In the midst of the peoples.
46	[39†]All our enemies Have opened their mouths against us.
47	[40†]Fear and a snare have come upon us, [41†]Desolation and destruction.
48	[42†]My eyes overflow with rivers of water For the destruction of the daughter of my people.
49	[43†]My eyes flow and do not cease, Without interruption,
50	Till the LORD from heaven [44†]Looks down and sees.
51	My eyes bring suffering to my soul Because of all the daughters of my city.
52	My enemies [45†]without cause Hunted me down like a bird.
53	They silenced my life [46†]in the pit And [47†]threw stones at me.
54	[48†]The waters flowed over my head; [49†]I said, “I am cut off!”
55	[50†]I called on Your name, O LORD, From the lowest [51†]pit.
56	[52†]You have heard my voice: “Do not hide Your ear From my sighing, from my cry for help.”
57	You [53†]drew near on the day I called on You, And said, [54†]“Do not fear!”
58	O Lord, You have [55†]pleaded the case for my soul; [56†]You have redeemed my life.
59	O LORD, You have seen how I am wronged; [57†]Judge my case.
60	You have seen all their vengeance, All their [58†]schemes against me.
61	You have heard their reproach, O LORD, All their schemes against me,
62	The lips of my enemies And their whispering against me all the day.
63	Look at their [59†]sitting down and their rising up; I am their taunting song.
64	[60†]Repay them, O LORD, According to the work of their hands.
65	Give them a veiled heart; Your curse be upon them!
66	In Your anger, Pursue and destroy them [61†]From under the heavens of the [62†]LORD.