I am the man who has seen torment, by the rod of His fury.

I am the man who has seen affliction by the rod of his wrath.

I [(Jeremiah, am the prophet who)] has seen affliction [(i.e., the destruction of the Temple), more so than any other prophet who foretold it (it not having taken place in their days, but in mine)], by the rod of His wrath.

He drove me, led me on, into total darkness.

He has led me, and brought me into darkness, but not into light.

He has led me, and He has brought [me into] darkness and not light.

At me alone, He repeatedly swings His hand, throughout the day.

Surely he is turned against me; he turns his hand against me all the day.

Only against me does He renew [His blows], turning His hand [against me] all the day.

He rotted my flesh and skin, smashed my bones.

He has made my flesh and my skin to waste away; he has broken my bones.

He has worn away my flesh and my skin. He has broken my bones.

He constructed, against me, encircling me with gall and bitter plants.

He has built a mound against me, and has beset me round about at head and hell.

He has built [(mounds)] upon me and has encompassed me with gall and woe.

He seated me in gloom like the dead of the world.

He has set me in dark places, as those who are long ago dead.

In darkness did He seat me, as the dead of yore.

He fenced me in and I cannot go out, He chained me heavily.

He has hedged me about, so that I cannot get out: he has made my chain heavy.

He has fenced me about; I cannot escape. He has weighted down my [foot] with shackles.

Even when I cry out and implore, He represses my prayer.

Even when I cry and call for help, he stops up my prayer.

Though I call and cry out, He closes up [(the "windows of heaven" to)] my prayer.

He blockaded my roads with stone, He made my paths crooked.

He has enclosed my ways with hewn stone, he has made my paths crooked.

He has blocked my ways with hewn stones; He has made my paths crooked [(by blocking the roads)].

He is a bear lying in wait for me, a stealthy lion.

He is to me like a bear lying in wait, and like a lion in secret places.

He has become a bear in ambush to me; a lion in the covert.

He spread thorns across my roads, He made me hurdle them. He devastated me.

He has turned aside my ways, and pulled me in pieces: he has made me desolate.

He has turned aside my ways and straitened my strides; He has made me desolate.

He arched His bow, and positioned me as a target for the arrow.

He has bent his bow, and set me as a mark for the arrow.

He has bent His bow and set me up as a target for the arrow.

He aimed the arrows of His quiver into my kidneys.

He has caused the arrows of his quiver to enter into my reins.

He has brought into my reins the "sons of His quiver" [i.e., His arrows].

I was ridiculed by all my people, the subject of their satirical songs throughout the day.

I am become a derision to all my people; and their song all the day.

I was a mockery to all my people, their song the entire day.

He satiated me with bitterness, glutted me with bitter plants.

He has filled me with bitterness, he has sated me with wormwood.

He has sated me with bitterness; He has glutted me with wormwood.

He ground my teeth on pebblestones, He made me grovel in the dust.

He has also broken my teeth with gravel stones, he has pressed me down into the ashes.

He broke my teeth with gravel [(The exiles were constrained to knead their dough in the ground and earth particles adhered to it)]; He pressed me [i.e., my face] down to the dust.

My soul despaired of peace, I have forgotten goodness.

My soul is far removed from peace: I have forgotten prosperity.

My soul was removed from peace; I forgot good.

I thought that my world was ruined, my hope from Adonoy.

And I said, My strength and my hope are perished from the Lord.

And I said: My world and my hope are lost from the L-rd.

Remember my torment and my lament, the bitter plants and the gall.

Remember my affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall.

Remember my affliction and my plaint, wormwood and gall.

When remembering, my soul is utterly dejected.

My soul has them still in remembrance, and is bowed down within me.

My soul well remembers and is bowed down within me.

Still, I take this to heart, and, therefore, continue to hope:

This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope:

(But) this shall I return to my heart, and, therefore, I shall hope [again]:

By the grace of Adonoy we have not perished, for His compassion is not ended.

that the Lord’s steadfast love has not ceased, and that his compassions do not fail.

The lovingkindnesses of the L-rd do not cease, for His mercies are endless.

Each morning refreshed, Your faithfulness is immense.

They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.

They renew themselves every morning; great is Your trust [(to fulfill Your assurances, and our trust in You to do so)].

‘Adonoy is my portion,’ my soul declares, I therefore hope to Him.

The Lord is my portion, says my soul; therefore I will hope in him.

The L-rd is my portion, my soul has said; and, therefore, I shall trust in Him.

Adonoy is good to those who hope to Him, to the soul which searches for Him.

The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul that seeks him.

The L-rd is good to those who hope in him, to the soul that seeks Him.

It is good to hope, in stillness, for Adonoy’s deliverance.

It is good that a man should quietly hope for the salvation of the Lord.

It is good that one hope and await the salvation of the L-rd.

It is good for man to bear a yoke during his youth.

It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth.

It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth.

Let him stay alone and wait, for He [God] has cast it upon him.

Let him sit alone and keep silence, because he has taken it upon him.

Let him [(the mourner)] sit alone and await [(reprieve)], for He has imposed [the decree] upon him.

Let him place his mouth in the dust, perhaps there is yet hope.

Let him put his mouth in the dust; perhaps there may be hope.

Let him place his mouth in the dust; perhaps there is hope.

Let him proffer his cheek to his assailant, let him be satiated with humiliation.

Let him offer his cheek to him who strikes him; let him take his fill of insult.

Let him give his cheek to his smiter; let him take his fill of insult.

For God does not forsake forever.

For the Lord will not cast off for ever:

For the L-rd does not abandon (one) forever.

Rather, should he [man] cause grief, then He [God] is compassionate, in accordance with His immense grace.

but though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion according to the abundance of his steadfast love.

For if he sorrows [(over his sin)], He will pity (him) in the abundance of His lovingkindness.

For He does not torment willfully, nor cause men grief.

For he does not willingly afflict or grieve the children of men.

For He does not afflict (men) from His heart [i.e., from His will] and cause men to sorrow [(but their suffering stems from their sins)].

By crushing underfoot all the captives on earth.

To crush under foot all the prisoners of the earth,

[("For He does not afflict, etc.")] to humble under His feet all the bound ones of the earth,

Or through the miscarriage of a man’s justice before the Supreme Being.

to turn aside the right of a man before the face of the most High,

to turn aside a man's judgment before the face of the Most High,

Or by aggrieving a man in his dispute—God does not condone this.

to subvert a man in his cause, the Lord approves not.

to subvert a man in his quarrel — the L-rd does not countenance [such things].

Whosoever issued a declaration that took effect when God did not command?

Who is he that says, and it comes to pass, when the Lord commands it not?

[(And if you would contend that all of these things are chance,)] who, then, would say [i.e., command] and it [(a thing)] be, [if] the L-rd did not command,

That did not emanate from the Almighty—whether harmful or beneficial?

Out of the mouth of the most High do not both good and evil come?

[if] it did not come forth from the mouth of the Most High, [both] the bad and the good?

What should a living man bemoan? A man over his sins.

Why then does a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins?

What, then, should a living man complain of? — [Each] man [should complain] of his sins!

Let us examine our ways, scrutinize them, and return to God.

Let us search and try our ways, and turn back to the Lord.

Let us seek out our ways and search them out, and let us return to the L-rd!

Let us uplift our hearts together with our hands, to the Almighty in heaven.

Let us lift up our heart with our hands to God in the heavens.

Let us lift up our hearts [(in contrition)] with our palms [(in prayer)] to the Almighty in heaven!

We have transgressed and rebelled, and You have not forgiven.

We have transgressed and have rebelled: Thou hast not pardoned.

We have offended and rebelled [(as is our way)], [but] You have not forgiven [(as should be Your way)]!

You have covered Yourself in wrath, and pursued us. You slew pitilessly.

Thou hast covered with anger, and pursued us: Thou hast slain, Thou hast not pitied.

You have covered [Yourself] with wrath [(as a partition between You and us)] and have pursued us [with it]. You killed; You did not pity.

You have enveloped Yourself in the cloud, so that no prayer would penetrate.

Thou hast covered thyself with a cloud, so that prayer should not pass through.

You have covered Yourself with a cloud against the passing of prayer.

You made us seem like spittle, abominable among the nations.

Thou hast made us offscouring and refuse in the midst of the people.

Repulsive and loathsome have You rendered us in the midst of the peoples.

They opened their mouths wide concerning us—all our enemies.

All our enemies have opened their mouths wide against us.

They have opened their mouths against us, all of our foes.

Terror, then the pit, were our lot, ruin and disintegration.

Fear and the pit are come upon us, desolation and destruction.

Fear and, [(when we fled from it,)] the pit [(into which we fell)] are come upon us, the desolation and the breaking.

Rivers of water stream from my eye, over the disintegration of my people.

My eye runs down with rivers of water for the breach of the daughter of my people.

Streams of water shall my eye shed over the destruction of the daughter of my people.

My eye flows copiously, and will not be stilled, [it will flow] without pause—

My eye trickles down, and ceases not, without any intermission,

My eye shall flow and not be still, without surcease,

Till Adonoy gazes intently and takes notice from heaven.

till the Lord look down, and behold from heaven.

until the L-rd look and behold from heaven.

My eye has made me ugly, sorrowing over my soul, more than all the inhabitants of my city.

My eye affects my soul because of all the daughters of my city.

My eye has disfigured my face [with ceaseless weeping] more than all the daughters [i.e., the families] of my city [(my priestly family having been elected above all of Israel for sacred service)].

I have been constantly trapped like a bird, by those who are my enemies without cause.

They chased me sore, like a bird, those who hate me without cause.

They hunted me as a bird, my foes — in vain.

They bound my life to the dungeon, and cast stones upon me.

They have cut off my life in the dungeon, and have cast stones upon me.

They bound my life in the pit [(in the prison-house)], and [(that not sufficing them)] cast a stone upon me.

The waters rose over my head, I thought, ‘I am cut off!’.

Waters flowed over my head; then I said, I am cut off.

Waters flowed over my head; I said: I am cut off [(from life)].

Still, I cried out Your Name, Adonoy from the abysmal dungeon.

I called upon Thy name, O Lord, out of the nethermost pit.

I called Your name, O L-rd, from the nethermost pit.

You have heard my voice. Do not shut Your ear to my [appeal for] relief, to my prayer.

Thou hast heard my voice: hide not Thy ear at my sighing, at my cry.

You heard my voice; deaden not Your ear to my sigh, to my cry.

You came near on the day I called to You, You said, ‘Have no fear.’

Thou didst draw near in the day that I called upon Thee: Thou didst say,

[(In the past)] You drew near on the day that I called You. You said: Do not fear.

You fought, O God, the battles of my soul, You redeemed my life.

Fear not. O Lord, Thou hast pleaded the causes of my soul; Thou hast redeemed my life.

[(In the past)] You battled, my L-rd, the battles of my soul; You redeemed my life.

You have seen, Adonoy, how aggrieved I am—administer justice for me.

O Lord, Thou hast seen my wrong: judge my cause.

You have seen, O L-rd, how I am wronged. Judge my cause [(as You did in the past)].

You have seen all their vindictiveness, all their plots against me.

Thou hast seen all their vengeance and all their devices against me.

You have seen all their revenge, all their thoughts against me.

You have heard their affronts, Adonoy all their [insulting] thoughts concerning me.

Thou hast heard their insult, O Lord, and all their devices against me;

You have heard their insults, O L-rd, all their thoughts against me,

My opponents’ conversation, their unspoken thoughts, are about me, throughout the day.

the lips of those who rose up against me, and their muttering against me all the day.

the lips of those who rose against me, and their muttering against me all the day.

Observe them as they sit or rise—I am the subject of their satirical songs.

Behold their sitting down, and their rising up; I am their song.

Behold their sitting down and their rising up — I am their song.

Inflict punishment on them, Adonoy as befits their deeds.

Render to them a recompense, O Lord, according to the work of their hands.

Render them their recompense, O L-rd, according to the work of their hands.

Break their hearts, turn them into fools.

Give them sorrow of heart; Thy curse be on them!

Give them breaking of heart; [cast] Your curse upon them!

Pursue wrathfully, annihilate them from under Adonoy’s heavens.

Pursue them in anger and destroy them from under the heavens of the Lord.

Pursue (them) in wrath and wipe them out from under the heavens of the L-rd!