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Lamentations 3:21-66 (Listen)

• Lamentations 2
• Lamentations 3
• Lamentations 4

21 But this I call to mind,

and ktherefore I have hope:

22 lThe steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;1

lhis mercies never come to an end;

23 they are new mevery morning;

ngreat is your faithfulness.

24 o“The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,

k“therefore I will hope in him.”

25 The Lord is good to those who pwait for him,

to the soul who seeks him.

26 qIt is good that one should wait quietly

for the salvation of the Lord.

27 rIt is good for a man that he bear

the yoke sin his youth.

28 Let him tsit alone in silence

when it is laid on him;

29 ulet him put his mouth in the dust—

there may yet be hope;

30 vlet him give his cheek to the one who strikes,

and let him be filled with insults.

31 wFor the Lord will not

cast off forever,

32 but, though he xcause grief, yhe will have compassion

zaccording to the abundance of his steadfast love;

33 afor he does not afflict from his heart

or bgrieve the children of men.

34 To crush underfoot

all cthe prisoners of the earth,

35 dto deny a man justice

in the presence of the Most High,

36 to subvert a man in his lawsuit,

dthe Lord does not approve.

37 eWho has spoken and it came to pass,

unless the Lord has commanded it?

38 fIs it not from the mouth of the Most High

that good and bad come?

39 gWhy should a living man complain,

a man, about the punishment of his sins?

40 Let us test and examine our ways,

hand return to the Lord!

41 iLet us lift up our hearts and hands

to God in heaven:

42 j“We have transgressed and krebelled,

and you have not forgiven.

43 “You have wrapped yourself with anger and pursued us,

lkilling without pity;

44 myou have wrapped yourself with a cloud

so that no prayer can pass through.

45 nYou have made us scum and garbage

among the peoples.

46 o“All our enemies

open their mouths against us;

47 ppanic and pitfall have come upon us,

devastation and qdestruction;

48 rmy eyes flow with rivers of tears

because of the destruction of the daughter of my people.

49 r“My eyes will flow without ceasing,

without respite,

50 suntil the Lord from heaven

looks down and sees;

51 my eyes cause me grief

at the fate of all the daughters of my city.

52 t“I have been hunted ulike a bird

by those who were my enemies vwithout cause;

53 wthey flung me alive into the pit

xand cast stones on me;

54 ywater closed over my head;

I said, z‘I am lost.’

55 a“I called on your name, O Lord,

from the depths of the pit;

56 byou heard my plea, ‘Do not close

your ear to my cry for help!’

57 cYou came near when I called on you;

you said, d‘Do not fear!’

58 “You have etaken up my cause, fO Lord;

you have eredeemed my life.

59 You have seen the wrong done to me, gO Lord;

judge my cause.

60 You have seen all their vengeance,

all htheir plots against me.

61 i“You have heard their taunts, O Lord,

all htheir plots against me.

62 The lips and thoughts jof my assailants

are against me all the day long.

63 kBehold their sitting and their rising;

lI am the object of their taunts.

64 m“You will repay them,2 O Lord,

naccording to the work of their hands.

65 You will give them3 dullness of heart;

your curse will be4 on them.

66 You will pursue them5 in anger and odestroy them

from under pyour heavens, O Lord.”6

• Lamentations 2
• Lamentations 3
• Lamentations 4