Lamentations 3:46-66

“Our enemies are a choir of scoffers and scolders. Panic and pitfall have been our portion; calamity and collapse have come upon us.” My eyes stream with torrents of tears as I weep over the ruin of my beloved people. My eyes will weep without stopping, with no relief in sight until YAHWEH looks down from heaven and sees how much we suffer. My heart is so grieved over Jerusalem, the daughter of my people. My enemies, who hate me for no reason, have trapped me like a bird. They buried me alive in a pit and covered it with stones. Water rose over my head; I thought, “I’m going to die!” YAHWEH I called on your name, YAHWEH, from the bottom of the pit. You have heard me cry out to you: “Do not close your ears to my sighs and to my cries.” You drew near when I called to you. You told me, “Do not be afraid!” Lord, like a lawyer you contended for my cause; you liberated my life, my Redeemer. YAHWEH, you have seen the wrong done to me; judge in my favor. You have seen their malice and all their hateful plots against me. You have heard their mockery, YAHWEH, all their horrible schemes against me. They murmur and whisper against me all day long. See, from morning to night, I am the butt of their jokes. YAHWEH, repay them! Give them what their deeds deserve. Give them dullness of heart as you place your curse upon them. Pursue them with anger and destroy them from under your heavens!