Chap. 3. Lamentations

I Am the miserable man,
Selected by my [righteous] God
To see days of calamity,
And feel his [wrath and] chastening Rod.

He hath me led and brought into
The [dismal] darkness of the night;
He doth deny my grieved soul
The comforts of the [pleasant] light.

Surely against me he is turn'd,
[All day] his hand wrings out my groans;

My wasted flesh, my skin made old,
By [tiring] pain he breaks my bones.

His batteries he against me built,
With [gall and] travel compass'd me;

In darkness he hath shut me up,
Like those that [dead and] buryed be.

His chastening hand doth hedge me in,
And my escape [by flight] restrains;
My feeble flesh, and galled limbs
He fetters with his [heavy] chains.

And when thus prest with pain and grief,
To him I [daily] cry and shout,
He seems to turn away his ear,
And shut my [fervent] prayer out.

With hewen stone he hath me enclos'd,
Led me [into] a crooked way;

And he hath us'd me in his wrath
As [Bears and] Lions do their prey.

He turn'd me from the pleasant way,
[Tore me] and made me desolate:

He bends his bow, makes me the mark
Which [piercing] arrows level at.

The shafts which from his quiver come,
Enter [into] and pierce my reins;

I daily am the peoples song
Which me with [mocks and] scorn disdains.

With bitterness he filled me,
With wormwood [he hath] made me drunk;

With gravel-stones he brake my teeth,
My flesh's in ashes [roll'd and] shrunk.

Thou set'st my soul so far from peace,
That I [almost] all good forgat;

I said, My strength and hope in God
Hath [fail'd and] left me desolate.

But my affliction's not forgot,
The [bitter] wormwood and the gall;

My soul doth still remember these,
And's humbled [in me] under all.

The Second Part.

Yet this consider'd, stays my grief;
It's mercy that we [yet do] live,

And that we are not all consum'd;
But God doth [Hope and] Being give.

Mercies are every morning new,
God's [love and] faithfulness is great.

The Lord's my portion, saith my soul,
[Therefore] my hope on him is set.

Surely to all that wait for him,
The Lord is [ever] good and kind;
The soul that truly seeketh him,
[At last] shall his compassion find.

It is man's only way to good,
Whatever be his [grief and] streight;
For the salvation of the Lord,
In [hope and] quietness to wait.

Surely it is for man's own good,
In youth to bear the [taming] yoke;

He sits alone, and silence keeps,
Instructed by God's [teaching] stroke.

His mouth he putteth in the dust,
Submits to [any] terms of hope:

He gives his cheeks to him that smites,
With [lying] railers will not cope.

God will not ever cast us off,
Nor from his [chosen] people go;

Though he cause grief, his mercies great
[In time] will his compassion show.

He doth not willingly afflict,
[Nor love] the sons of men to grieve;

To crush earth's prisoners under feet,
Whom mercy [rather] would relieve.

That Judges should deny men right,
In men [of power] God doth not love:

To subvert just men in their cause,
The [righteous] Lord doth not approve.

The Third Part.

Whose word can stand, when God gain-says?
Who can o'rethrow his [potent] will?

The good or ill that us befals,
His [word and] counsel do fulfil.

Why should a man, chastis'd for sin,
Who's yet alive [grudge and] complain?

It's better search and try our ways,
[Repent] and turn to God again.

O let us lift up hearts and hands,
For help [and hope] to God in heav'n;

We all have sinned and rebell'd,
And thou [our sin] hast not forgiven.

From us poor persecuted men
[With wrath] thou coverest thy face;
Thy just displeasure hath us slain,
Not pitying our [doleful] case.

Cover'd thou art from our access,
Inclosed in a [darksome] cloud,
Which prayers do not penetrate,
Though suff'ring make them [long and] loud.

Among the people we are made
The [refuse] scorn and off-scouring:

Our enemies mouths wide open'd are,
Thy flock's [to them] a scorned thing.

Fear and a snare on us are come,
[Anguish] and ruin is our state;

Mine eyes with streaming tears bemoan.
Thy [broken] flock that's desolate.

My heart still feeds my trickling eyes,
My [grief and] weeping ceaseth not;

Till God in mercy look from heav'n
On those that [now do] seem forgot.

Mine eye affects my soul with grief,
To see my City's [woful] case;

Mine enemies hunt me causelesly,
As Fowler's [harmless] birds do chase.

To prison they condemned me,
And shut me up [sentenc'd] for death;

The waters overflow'd my head,
Seeming to stop my [vital] breath.

The Fourth Part.

I called on thy name, O Lord,
In [the low] dungeon like to die;

Thou heard'st my voice, hide not thine ear
Now from my [doleful] sighs and cry.

In that day when I call'd on thee,
To [succour] me thou didst draw near;
Encouraging my fainting soul,
Thou [kindly] bidst me, Do not fear.

Thou, Lord, against oppressing men
Didst undertake [and plead] my cause;
Thou hast redeem'd my threaten'd life
From [wicked] mens devouring jaws.

O Lord, thou hast seen all my wrong,
Judge thou [my cause] whose word I speak;

Their plots and vengeance thou hast seen
Me and thy [righteous] Laws to break.

Lord, thou their false reproach hast heard,
The plots which they [for me] did lay;

The words of those that me accus'd,
[Their plots] against me all the day.

When to their ease, their feasts, their play,
In [pride and] pleasure they refort,
Thou seest (though they fear not thee)
I am their [musick] scorn and sport.

Render to them a recompense
According to their [unjust] deed;

Through thy just curse, upon their hearts
Let [deserv'd] grief and sorrow feed.

Persecute thou these men in wrath,
Who persecute [me and] thy word;
Destroy them, let them not abide
Under thy Heav'ns, O [righteous] Lord.