Lam 3
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ALEPH. I am the man that sees poverty, through the rod of his anger upon me.
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He has taken me, and led me away into darkness, and not into light.
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Nay, against me has he turned his hand all the day.
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He has made old my flesh and my skin; he has broken my bones.
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BETH. He has built against me, and compassed my head, and Lit. laboured brought travail upon me.
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He has set me in dark places, as them that have long been dead.
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He has built against me, and I cannot come forth: he has made my Gr. brass brazen chain heavy.
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GIMEL. Yea, though I cry and shout, he shuts out my prayer.
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DALETH. He has built up my ways, he has hedged my paths;
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he has troubled me, as a she-bear lying in wait: he is to me as a lion in secret places.
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He pursued me See Hebrew after I departed, and brought me to a stand: he has utterly ruined me.
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HE. He has bent his bow, and set me as a mark for the arrow.
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He has caused the arrows of his quiver to enter into my reins.
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I became a laughing-stock to all my people; and their song all the day.
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VAU. He has filled me with bitterness, he has Lit. made me drunk drenched me with gall.
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And he has dashed out my teeth with gravel, he has fed me with ashes.
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He has also removed my soul from peace: I forgot prosperity.
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Therefore my success has perished, and my hope from the Lord.
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ZAIN. I remembered by reason of my poverty, and because of persecution my bitterness
and gall shall be remembered;
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and my soul shall meditate with me.
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This will I Gr. commit to lay up in my heart, therefore I will endure.
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HETH. It is the mercies of the Lord, that he has not failed me, because his compassions
are not exhausted. Pity us, O Lord, early every month: for we are not brought to an
end, because his compassions are not exhausted.
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They are new every morning: great is your faithfulness.
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The Lord is my portion, says my soul; therefore will I wait for him.
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TETH. The Lord is good to them that wait for him: the soul which shall seek him
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is good, and shall wait for, and quietly expect salvation of the Lord.
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TETH. It is good for a man when he bears a yoke in his youth.
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He will sit alone, and be silent, because he has borne it upon him.
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JOD. He will give his cheek to him whom smites him: he will be filled full with reproaches.
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For the Lord will not reject for ever.
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CHAPH. For he who has brought down will pity, and that according to the abundance
of his mercy.
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He has not answered in anger from his heart, though he has brought low the children
of a man.
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LAMED. To bring down under his feet all the prisoners of the earth,
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to turn aside the judgement of a man before the face of the Most High,
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to condemn a man unjustly in his judgement, the Lord has not given commandment.
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Who has thus spoken, and it has come to pass? the Lord has not commanded it.
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Out of the mouth of the Most High there shall not come forth evil and good.
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MEM. Why should a living man complain, a man concerning his sin?
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NUN. Our way has been searched out and examined, and we will turn to the Lord.
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Let us lift up our hearts Gr. on with our hand to the lofty One in heaven.
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We have sinned, we have transgressed; and you have not Or, been propitious pardoned.
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SAMECH. You has visited us in anger, and driven us away: you has slain, you has not
pitied.
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You have veiled yourself with a cloud because of prayer, See use of kammuw in Isa 29:10 that I might be blind,
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and be cast off. AIN. You have set us alone in the midst of the nations.
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All our enemies have opened their mouth against us.
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Fear and anger are come upon us, Gr. lifting up; See Lu 12:29 suspense and destruction.
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Mine eye shall pour down torrents of water, for the destruction of the daughter of
my people.
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PHE. Mine eye is drowned with tears, and I will not be silent, so that there shall
be no rest,
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until the Lord look down, and behold from heaven.
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Mine eye shall Gr. gather prey upon my soul, because of all the daughters of the city.
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TSADE. The fowlers chased me as a sparrow, Heb. and Alex.—all all mine enemies destroyed my life in a pit without cause,
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and laid a stone upon me.
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Water flowed over my head: I said, I am cut off.
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KOPH. I called upon your name, O Lord, out of the lowest dungeon.
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You heard my voice: close not your ears to my supplication.
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You drew nigh to my help: in the day wherein I called upon you you said to me, Fear
not.
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RECHS. O Lord, you has pleaded the causes of my soul; you has redeemed my life.
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You have seen, O Lord, my troubles: you have judged my cause.
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You have seen all their vengeance, you have looked on all their devices against me.
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CHSEN. You have heard their reproach and all their devices against me;
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the lips of them that rose up against me, and their plots against me all the day;
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their sitting down and their rising up: look you upon their eyes.
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You will render them a recompense, O Lord, according to the works of their hands.
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THAU. You will give them as q. d. callousness a covering, the grief of my heart.
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You will persecute them in anger, and will consume them from under the heaven, O Lord.