Ah, what straits have I not known, under the avenging rod!

Aleph Ego vir videns paupertatem meam in virga indignationis ejus.

Aleph. I AM the man that see my poverty by the rod of his indignation.

Asked I for light, into deeper shadow the Lord’s guidance led me;

Aleph Me minavit, et adduxit in tenebras, et non in lucem.

Aleph. He hath led me, and brought me into darkness, and not into light.

Always upon me, none other, falls endlessly the blow.

Aleph Tantum in me vertit et convertit manum suam tota die.

Aleph. Only against me he hath turned, and turned again his hand all the day.

Broken this frame, under the wrinkled skin, the sunk flesh.

Beth Vetustam fecit pellem meam et carnem meam; contrivit ossa mea.

Beth. My skin and my flesh he hath made old, he hath broken my bones.

Bitterness of despair fills my prospect, walled in on every side;

Beth Ædificavit in gyro meo, et circumdedit me felle et labore.

Beth. He hath built round about me, and he hath compassed me with gall and labour.

Buried in darkness, and, like the dead, interminably.

Beth In tenebrosis collocavit me, quasi mortuos sempiternos.

Beth. He hath set me in dark places as those that are dead for ever.

Closely he fences me in, beyond hope of rescue; loads me with fetters.

Ghimel Circumædificavit adversum me, ut non egrediar; aggravavit compedem meum.

Ghimel. He hath built against me round about, that I may not get out: he hath made my fetters heavy.

Cry out for mercy as I will, prayer of mine wins no audience;

Ghimel Sed et cum clamavero, et rogavero, exclusit orationem meam.

Ghimel. Yea, and when I cry, and entreat, he hath shut out my prayer.

Climb these smooth walls I may not; every way of escape he has undone.

Ghimel Conclusit vias meas lapidibus quadris; semitas meas subvertit.

Ghimel. He hath shut up my ways with square stones, he hath turned my paths upside down.

Deep ambushed he lies, as lurking bear or lion from the covert;

Daleth Ursus insidians factus est mihi, leo in absconditis.

Daleth. He is become to me as a bear lying in wait: as a lion in secret places.

Drawn aside from my path, I fall a lonely prey to his ravening.

Daleth Semitas meas subvertit, et confregit me; posuit me desolatam.

Daleth. He hath turned aside my paths, and hath broken me in pieces, he hath made me desolate.

Dread archer, of me he makes a target for all his arrows;

Daleth Tetendit arcum suum, et posuit me quasi signum ad sagittam.

Daleth. He hath bent his bow, and set me as a mark for his arrows.

Each shaft of his quiver at my vitals taught to strike home!

He Misit in renibus meis filias pharetræ suæ.

He. He hath shot into my reins the daughters of his quiver.

Evermore for me the taunts of my neighbours, their songs of derision.

He Factus sum in derisum omni populo meo, canticum eorum tota die.

He. I am made a derision to all my people, their song all the day long.

Entertainment of bitter herbs he gives me, and of wormwood my fill,

He Replevit me amaritudinibus; inebriavit me absinthio.

He. He hath filled me with bitterness, he hath inebriated me with wormwood.

Files all my teeth with hard gravel-stones, bids me feed on ashes.

Vau Et fregit ad numerum dentes meos; cibavit me cinere.

Vau. And he hath broken my teeth one by one, he hath fed me with ashes.

Far away is my old contentment, happier days forgotten;

Vau Et repulsa est a pace anima mea; oblitus sum bonorum.

Vau. And my soul is removed far off from peace, I have forgotten good things.

Farewell, my hopes of long continuance, my patient trust in the Lord!

Vau Et dixi: Periit finis meus, et spes mea a Domino.

Vau. And I said: My end and my hope is perished from the Lord.

Guilt and suffering, gall and wormwood, keep all this well in memory.

Zain Recordare paupertatis, et transgressionis meæ, absinthii et fellis.

Zain. Remember my poverty, and transgression, the wormwood, and the gall.

God knows it shall be remembered, and with sinking of the heart;

Zain Memoria memor ero, et tabescet in me anima mea.

Zain. I will be mindful and remember, and my soul shall languish within me.

Gage there can be none other of remaining confidence.

Zain Hæc recolens in corde meo, ideo sperabo.

Zain. These things I shall think over in my heart, therefore will I hope.

His be the thanks if we are not extinguished; his mercies never weary;

Heth Misericordiæ Domini, quia non sumus consumpti; quia non defecerunt miserationes ejus.

Heth. The mercies of the Lord that we are not consumed: because his commiserations have not failed.

Hope comes with each dawn; art thou not faithful, Lord, to thy promise?

Heth Novi diluculo, multa est fides tua.

Heth. They are new every morning, great is thy faithfulness.

Heart whispers, The Lord is my portion; I will trust him yet.

Heth Pars mea Dominus, dixit anima mea; propterea exspectabo eum.

Heth. The Lord is my portion, said my soul: therefore will I wait for him.

In him be thy trust, for him thy heart’s longing, gracious thou shalt find him;

Teth Bonus est Dominus sperantibus in eum, animæ quærenti illum.

Teth. The Lord is good to them that hope in him, to the soul that seeketh him.

If deliverance thou wouldst have from the Lord, in silence await it.

Teth Bonum est præstolari cum silentio salutare Dei.

Teth. It is good to wait with silence for the salvation of God.

It is well thou shouldst learn to bear the yoke, now in thy youth,

Teth Bonum est viro cum portaverit jugum ab adolescentia sua.

Teth. It is good for a man, when he hath borne the yoke from his youth.

Just burden, in solitude and silence justly borne.

Jod Sedebit solitarius, et tacebit, quia levavit super se.

Jod. He shall sit solitary, and hold his peace: because he hath taken it up upon himself.

Joy may yet be thine, for mouth that kisses the dust,

Jod Ponet in pulvere os suum, si forte sit spes.

Jod. He shall put his mouth in the dust, if so be there may be hope.

Jeering of the multitude, and cheek buffeted in scorn, bravely endured.

Jod Dabit percutienti se maxillam: saturabitur opprobriis.

Jod. He shall give his cheek to him that striketh him, he shall be filled with reproaches.

Know for certain, the Lord has not finally abandoned thee;

Caph Quia non repellet in sempiternum Dominus.

Caph. For the Lord will not cast off for ever.

Kind welcome the outcast shall have, from one so rich in kindness.

Caph Quia si abjecit, et miserebitur, secundum multitudinem misericordiarum suarum.

Caph. For if he hath cast off, he will also have mercy, according to the multitude of his mercies.

Kin of Adam he will not crush or cast away wantonly;

Caph Non enim humiliavit ex corde suo et abjecit filios hominum.

Caph. For he hath not willingly afflicted, nor cast off the children of men.

Let there be oppression of the poor under duress,

Lamed Ut conteret sub pedibus suis omnes vinctos terræ.

Lamed. To crush under his feet all the prisoners of the land,

Law’s right denied, such as the most High grants to all men,

Lamed Ut declinaret judicium viri in conspectu vultus Altissimi.

Lamed. To turn aside the judgment of a man before the face of the most High,

Lying perversion of justice, then he cannot overlook it.

Lamed Ut perverteret hominem in judicio suo; Dominus ignoravit.

Lamed. To destroy a man wrongfully in his judgment, the Lord hath not approved.

Man may foretell; only the Lord brings his word to pass;

Mem Quis est iste qui dixit ut fieret, Domino non jubente?

Mem. Who is he that hath commanded a thing to be done, when the Lord commandeth it not?

Mingled good and evil proceed both from the will of the most High;

Mem Ex ore Altissimi non egredientur nec mala nec bona?

Mem. Shall not both evil and good proceed out of the mouth of the Highest?

Mortal is none may repine; let each his own sins remember.

Mem Quid murmuravit homo vivens, vir pro peccatis suis?

Mem. Why hath a living man murmured, man suffering for his sins?

Narrowly our path scan we, and to the Lord return;

Nun Scrutemur vias nostras, et quæramus, et revertamur ad Dominum.

Nun. Let us search our ways, and seek, and return to the Lord.

Never hand or heart but must point heavenward this day!

Nun Levemus corda nostra cum manibus ad Dominum in cælos.

Nun. Let us lift up our hearts with our hands to the Lord in the heavens.

Nothing but defiant transgression on our part; and shouldst thou relent?

Nun Nos inique egimus, et ad iracundiam provocavimus; idcirco tu inexorabilis es.

Nun. We have done wickedly, and provoked thee to wrath: therefore thou art inexorable.

Over our heads thy angry vengeance lowered; smiting, thou wouldst not spare.

Samech Operuisti in furore, et percussisti nos; occidisti, nec pepercisti.

Samech. Thou hast covered in thy wrath, and hast struck us: thou hast killed and hast not spared.

Oh, barrier of cloud, our prayers had no strength to pierce!

Samech Opposuisti nubem tibi, ne transeat oratio.

Samech. Thou hast set a cloud before thee, that our prayer may not pass through.

Offscouring and refuse of mankind thou hast made us,

Samech Eradicationem et abjectionem posuisti me in medio populorum.

Samech. Thou hast made me as an outcast, and refuse in the midst of the people.

Put to shame by the mocking grimaces of our enemies.

Phe Aperuerunt super nos os suum omnes inimici.

Phe. All our enemies have opened their mouths against us.

Prophets we had, but their word was peril and pitfall, and ruin at the last.

Phe Formido et laqueus facta est nobis vaticinatio, et contritio.

Phe. Prophecy is become to us a fear, and a snare, and destruction.

Poor Sion, for thy calamity these cheeks are furrowed with tears;

Phe Divisiones aquarum deduxit oculus meus, in contritione filiæ populi mei.

Phe. My eye hath run down with streams of water, for the destruction of the daughter of my people.

Quell if thou wouldst the restless fever of my weeping,

Ain Oculus meus afflictus est, nec tacuit, eo quod non esset requies.

Ain. My eye is afflicted, and hath not been quiet, because there was no rest:

Quickly, Lord, look down from heaven and pay heed to us,

Ain Donec respiceret et videret Dominus de cælis.

Ain. Till the Lord regarded and looked down from the heavens.

Quite forspent, eye and soul, with grief Jerusalem’s daughters bear.

Ain Oculus meus deprædatus est animam meam in cunctis filiabus urbis meæ.

Ain. My eye hath wasted my soul because of all the daughters of my city.

Relentless as hawk in air they pursued me, enemies unprovoked,

Sade Venatione ceperunt me quasi avem inimici mei gratis.

Sade. My enemies have chased me and caught me like a bird, without cause.

Reft me of life itself, sealed with a stone my prison door.

Sade Lapsa est in lacum vita mea, et posuerunt lapidem super me.

Sade. My life is fallen into the pit, and they have laid a stone over me.

Round my head the waters closed, and I had given myself up for lost,

Sade Inundaverunt aquæ super caput meum; dixi: Perii.

Sade. Waters have flowed over my head: I said: I am cut off.

Save for one hope; to thee, Lord, I cried from the pit’s depth,

Coph Invocavi nomen tuum, Domine, de lacu novissimo.

Coph. I have called upon thy name, O Lord, from the lowest pit.

Sure of thy audience; wouldst thou turn a deaf ear to sighs of complaint?

Coph Vocem meam audisti; ne avertas aurem tuam a singultu meo et clamoribus.

Coph. Thou hast heard my voice: turn not away thy ear from my sighs, and cries.

Summoned, thou didst come to my side, whispering, Do not be afraid.

Coph Appropinquasti in die quando invocavi te; dixisti: Ne timeas.

Coph. Thou drewest near in the day, when I called upon thee, thou saidst: Fear not.

Thine, Lord, to take my part; thine to rescue me from death;

Res Judicasti, Domine, causam animæ meæ, redemptor vitæ meæ.

Res. Thou hast judged, O Lord, the cause of my soul, thou the Redeemer of my life.

The malice of my enemies to discover, my wrongs to redress.

Res Vidisti, Domine, iniquitatem illorum adversum me: judica judicium meum.

Res. Thou hast seen, O Lord, their iniquity against me: judge thou my judgment.

Thrust away from thy sight, the grudge they bear me, the ill they purpose,

Res Vidisti omnem furorem, universas cogitationes eorum adversum me.

Res. Thou hast seen all their fury, and all their thoughts against me.

Unheard by thee their taunts, their whispered plottings?

Sin Audisti opprobrium eorum, Domine, omnes cogitationes eorum adversum me.

Sin. Thou hast heard their reproach, O Lord, all their imaginations against me.

Uttered aloud or in secret, their malice assails me from morn till night;

Sin Labia insurgentium mihi, et meditationes eorum adversum me tota die.

Sin. The lips of them that rise up against me: and their devices against me all the day.

Up in arms, or met in secret conclave, ever against me they raise the battle-song.

Sin Sessionem eorum et resurrectionem eorum vide; ego sum psalmus eorum.

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

Visit them with the punishment their ill deeds have earned;

Thau Redes eis vicem, Domine, juxta opera manuum suarum.

Thau. Thou shalt render them a recompense, O Lord, according to the works of their hands.

Veiled be those blind hearts with fresh blindness of thy own making;

Thau Dabis eis scutum cordis, laborem tuum.

Thau. Thou shalt give them a buckler of heart, thy labour.

Vanish from the earth their whole brood, ere thy vengeance leaves off pursuing them!

Thau Persequeris in furore, et conteres eos sub cælis, Domine.

Thau. Thou shalt persecute them in anger, and shalt destroy them from under the heavens, O Lord.