Lamentations 3

King James Version

Full text for Lamentations Chapter 3

1¶ I [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.

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

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

23[They 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.

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

27[It 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.

37¶ Who [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.

42¶ We 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.

55¶ I 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.

AI Analysis

AI Summaries

Short Summary

The chapter begins with a profound lament from a man experiencing intense affliction, feeling abandoned by God and consumed by despair. However, a pivotal shift occurs as he recalls the Lord's unfailing mercies and faithfulness, finding renewed hope. This leads to a call for self-examination and a prayer for divine intervention against his adversaries.

Medium Summary

The speaker vividly describes his overwhelming suffering, portraying himself as a target of God's wrath, enduring physical pain, isolation, and public derision. He expresses a complete loss of hope, feeling his strength and expectation have perished from the Lord. Yet, a profound turning point emerges as he remembers the Lord's steadfast mercies and compassions, which are new every morning, rekindling hope. This realization prompts a call for patient endurance, self-reflection, and repentance, acknowledging that God does not willingly afflict. The lament then returns to the people's continued desolation and the scorn of their enemies, leading the speaker to cry out to God for deliverance. He recounts God's past comfort and now implores the Lord to judge his cause and render recompense to those who have wronged him.

Long Summary

Lamentations 3 opens with a deeply personal and agonizing lament from an individual who identifies as "the man that hath seen affliction by the rod of his wrath." He graphically details his suffering, describing physical decay, broken bones, being hedged in darkness, and his prayers being shut out by God. The speaker feels targeted by God, made a derision to his people, and filled with bitterness, leading him to declare that his strength and hope have perished. A dramatic shift in tone occurs as he recalls God's mercies, realizing that "it is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not." This remembrance instills new hope, affirming God's great faithfulness and goodness to those who wait for Him. The text then offers wisdom, suggesting it is good to bear the yoke in youth, to sit in silence, and to humble oneself, for the Lord will not cast off forever. It emphasizes that God does not willingly cause grief but will have compassion, disapproving of injustice and oppression. The speaker then challenges the notion of complaining for the punishment of sins, urging self-examination and a return to the Lord. However, the lament resumes, acknowledging the people's transgressions and God's continued anger, describing them as offscouring among the nations. The speaker's eyes weep incessantly for the destruction of his people, feeling chased by enemies and near death in a dungeon. Yet, he recounts calling upon the Lord from the depths and receiving comfort. The chapter concludes with a fervent prayer, asking God to see his wrong, judge his cause, and render a just recompense to his enemies for their vengeance and reproach.

Core Concepts

  • Profound Personal SufferingThe speaker vividly describes his intense physical and emotional pain, isolation, and public derision, attributing his affliction directly to God's wrath.
  • Loss and Renewal of HopeInitially, the speaker declares his hope perished, but then finds a pivotal renewal by recalling the Lord's unfailing mercies and steadfast faithfulness, which are new every morning.
  • Divine Mercy and CompassionA central theme is the enduring nature of God's compassions, which prevent complete consumption and assure that He does not willingly afflict, offering a basis for hope.
  • Repentance and Self-ExaminationThe chapter calls for individuals to search and try their ways, acknowledge their transgressions, and turn back to the Lord, recognizing suffering as a potential consequence of sin.
  • Patient Endurance and WaitingWisdom is offered in bearing the yoke in youth and quietly waiting for the Lord's salvation, enduring reproach with humility and trust in God's ultimate timing.
  • Prayer for Justice and RecompenseAfter recounting past comfort from God, the speaker fervently prays for the Lord to judge his cause and render divine retribution to his enemies for their malicious actions.