the Week of Proper 28 / Ordinary 33
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Lamentations 3
Jerusalem's Hope
1 I am the man who has been suffering because of the power of God's anger. 2 He has led me and brought me into darkness and not into light. 3 For sure He has turned His hand against me again and again all day long. 4 He has made my flesh and my skin waste away. He has broken my bones. 5 He has shut me in with trouble and suffering. 6 He has made me live in dark places, like those who have been dead a long time. 7 He has put a wall around me so that I cannot go out. He has put heavy chains on me. 8 Even when I cry and call for help, he shuts out my prayer. 9 He has stopped me with blocks of stone. He has made my paths no longer straight. 10 He is like a bear lying in wait, like a lion hiding in secret places. 11 He has turned me from the path and torn me to pieces. He has destroyed me. 12 He used His bow, and set me as a mark for His arrow. 13 He has taken out His arrows and sent them into my heart. 14 All my people laugh at me. They sing songs that make fun of me all day long. 15 He has filled me with bitter feelings. He has made me drunk with wormwood. 16 He has broken my teeth with rocks, and has covered me with dust. 17 Peace has left my soul. I have forgotten what it is like to be happy. 18 So I say, "My strength is gone, and so has my hope from the Lord."
19 Remember my trouble and my traveling from place to place, the wormwood and bitter feelings. 20 I remember it always, and my soul bows down within me. 21 But this I remember, and so I have hope. 22 It is because of the Lord's loving-kindness that we are not destroyed for His loving-pity never ends. 23 It is new every morning. He is so very faithful. 24 "The Lord is my share." says my soul, "so I have hope in Him." 25 The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the one who looks for Him. 26 It is good that one should be quiet and wait for the saving power of the Lord. 27 It is good for a man to carry the load while he is young. 28 Let him sit alone and be quiet when God has laid the load on him. 29 Let him put his mouth in the dust. There may be hope yet. 30 Let him give his face to the one who hits him, and be filled with shame. 31 For the Lord will not turn away from a man forever. 32 For if He causes sorrow, He will have loving-pity because of His great loving-kindness. 33 He does not want to cause trouble or sorrow for the children of men. 34 He is not pleased when all those on earth who are in prison are crushed under foot. 35 The Most High is not pleased when the rights are kept away from a man who is before Him, 36 and when wrong is done to him in his cause. The Lord is not pleased with these things. 37 Who has said that something would happen and then it did happen, unless the Lord has said that it should be? 38 Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that both good and bad come?
39 Why should any living man complain about the punishment of his sins? 40 Let us test and look over our ways, and return to the Lord. 41 Let us lift up our heart and hands to God in heaven, saying, 42 "We have sinned and would not obey You, and You have not forgiven us. 43 You have covered Yourself with anger and have followed us, killing without pity. 44 You have covered Yourself with a cloud so that no prayer can get through. 45 You have made us a waste and something that is not wanted among the nations. 46 All those who hate us have spoken against us. 47 Fear and a trap have come upon us. We are laid waste and destroyed. 48 My eyes flow with rivers of tears because my people are destroyed. 49 Tears flow from my eyes all the time without stopping, 50 until the Lord looks down from heaven and sees. 51 My eyes bring me suffering because of what is happening to all the women of my city. 52 I have been hunted like a bird by those who hate me for no reason. 53 They threw me alive into the deep hole and have put a stone on me. 54 Water flowed over my head, and I said, "I am cut off!" 55 I called on Your name, O Lord, out of the deep hole. 56 You have heard my voice. Do not close Your ears to my cry for help. 57 You came near when I called You, and You said, "Do not be afraid!" 58 You have helped me in my cause, O Lord. You have saved my life. 59 O Lord, You have seen the wrong done to me. Judge in my favor. 60 You have seen how much they hate me and plan against me. 61 O Lord, You have heard how they put me to shame and how they work against me. 62 The lips and thoughts of those who hurt me are against me all day long. 63 Watch their sitting down and standing up. I am their song as they make fun of me. 64 O Lord, You will punish them for what they have done. 65 You will give them hard hearts, and curse them. 66 Go after them in anger and destroy them from under Your heavens, O Lord.
