Lamentations · Chapter 3

Lamentations 3:4

¹I 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.²¹This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope.²²It is of the LORD’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.²³They 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.²⁶It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD.²⁷It 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.³⁷Who 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.⁴²We 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.⁵⁵I 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.

King James Version (1769)

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Verse	KJV	BSB	ASV
4	My flesh and my skin hath he made old; he hath broken my bones.	He has worn away my flesh and skin; He has shattered my bones.	My flesh and my skin hath he made old; he hath broken my bones.

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Original Hebrew words

English	Hebrew	Say it	Strong's	Meaning
he has made to waste away	בִּלָּ֤ה	bi-LAH	H1086	to wear out בְּלָא (be.la) 1) (Pael) to wear away, wear out 1a) to harass constantly (fig.)
flesh my	בְשָׂרִי֙	ve-sa-RI	H1320	flesh בָּשָׂר (ba.sar) 1) flesh 1a) of the body 1a1) of humans 1a2) of animals 1b) the body itself 1c) male organ of generation (euphemism) 1d) kindred, blood-relations 1e) flesh as frail or erring (man against God) 1f) all living things 1g) animals 1h) mankind Aramaic equivalent: be.shar (בְּשַׁר "flesh" H1321)
and skin my	וְעוֹרִ֔י	ve-'o-RI	H5785	skin עוֹר (or) 1) skin, hide 1a) skin (of men) 1b) hide (of animals)
he has broken	שִׁבַּ֖ר	shi-BAR	H7665	to break שָׁבַר (sha.var) 1) to break, break in pieces 1a) (Qal) 1a1) break, break in or down, rend violently, wreck, crush, quench 1a2) to break, rupture (fig) 1b) (Niphal) 1b1) to be broken, be maimed, be crippled, be wrecked 1b2) to be broken, be crushed (fig) 1c) (Piel) to shatter, break 1d) (Hiphil) to cause to break out, bring to the birth 1e) (Hophal) to be broken, be shattered Aramaic equivalent: te.var (תְּבַר "to break" H8406)
bones my	עַצְמוֹתָֽי׃	atz-mo-TAI	H6106G	bone עֶ֫צֶם (e.tsem) : bone/limb 1) bone, essence, substance 1a) bone 1a1) body, limbs, members, external body 1b) bone (of animal) 1c) substance, self

Words and meanings from STEPBible data (Tyndale House, Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). The capitalized syllable is the stressed one.