« | Lamentations 3 | » |
1 I am the man who has seen affliction by the rod of his wrath.
2 He has led me and caused me to walk in darkness, and not in light.
3 Surely he turns his hand against me, again and again all the day.
4 He has made my flesh and my skin old. He has broken my bones.
5 He has built against me, and encompassed me with gall and travail.
6 He has made me to dwell in dark places, as those who have long been dead.
7 He has walled me around, that I cannot go forth. He has made my chain heavy.
8 Yea, when I cry, and call for help, he shuts out my prayer.
9 He has walled up my ways with hewn stone. He has made my paths crooked.
10 He is to me as a bear laying in wait, as a lion in concealed places.
11 He has turned aside my ways, and pulled me in pieces. He has made me desolate.
12 He has bent his bow, and set me as a mark for the arrow.
13 He has caused the shafts of his quiver to enter into my reins.
14 I have become a derision to all my people, and their song all the day.
15 He has filled me with bitterness. He has sated me with wormwood.
16 He has also broken my teeth with gravel stones. He has covered me with ashes.
17 And thou have removed my soul far off from peace. I forgot prosperity.
18 And I said, My strength is perished, and my expectation from LORD.
19 Remember my affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall.
20 My soul still has them in remembrance, and is bowed down within me.
21 This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope:
22 It is of LORD's loving kindnesses that we are not consumed, because his compassions do not fail.
23 They are new every morning. Great is thy faithfulness.
24 LORD is my portion, says my soul, therefore I will hope in him.
25 LORD is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him.
26 It is good that a man should hope and quietly wait for the salvation of LORD.
27 It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth.
28 Let him sit alone and keep silence, because he has laid it upon him.
29 Let him put his mouth in the dust, if so be there may be hope.
30 Let him give his cheek to him who smites him. Let him be filled full with reproach.
31 For LORD will not cast off forever.
32 For though he causes grief, yet he will have compassion according to the multitude of his loving kindnesses.
33 For he does not afflict willingly, nor grieve the sons of men.
34 To crush under foot all the prisoners of the earth,
35 to turn aside the right of a man before the face of the Most High,
36 to subvert a man in his cause, LORD does not approve.
37 Who is he that says, and it comes to pass, when LORD does not command it?
38 Out of the mouth of the Most High does there not come evil and good.
39 Why does a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins?
40 Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to LORD.
41 Let us lift up our heart with our hands to God in the heavens.
42 We have transgressed and have rebelled. Thou have not pardoned.
43 Thou have covered with anger and pursued us. Thou have slain; thou have not pitied.
44 Thou have covered thyself with a cloud, so that no prayer can pass through.
45 Thou have made us an off-scouring and refuse in the midst of the peoples.
46 All our enemies have opened their mouth wide against us.
47 Fear and the pit have come upon us, devastation and destruction.
48 My eye runs down with streams of water, for the destruction of the daughter of my people.
49 My eye pours down, and does not cease, without any intermission,
50 till LORD looks down, and beholds from heaven.
51 My eye stirs my soul, because of all the daughters of my city.
52 They have chased me grievously like a bird, those who are my enemies without cause.
53 They have cut off my life in the dungeon, and have cast a stone upon me.
54 Waters flowed over my head. I said, I am cut off.
55 I called upon thy name, O LORD, out of the lowest dungeon.
56 Thou heard my voice. Hide not thine ear at my breathing, at my cry.
57 Thou drew near in the day that I called upon thee. Thou said, Fear not.
58 O LORD, thou have pleaded the causes of my soul. Thou have redeemed my life.
59 O LORD, thou have seen my wrong. Judge thou my cause.
60 Thou have seen all their vengeance and all their devices against me.
61 Thou have heard their reproach, O LORD, and all their devices against me,
62 the lips of those who rose up against me, and their device against me all the day.
63 Behold thou their sitting down, and their rising up. I am their song.
64 Thou will render to them a recompense, O LORD, according to the work of their hands.
65 Thou will give them hardness of heart, thy curse to them.
66 Thou will pursue them in anger, and destroy them from under the heavens of LORD.
A Conservative Version (ACV)
A Conservative Version (ACV) of the Bible is a translation that aims to provide a conservative and literal interpretation of the biblical texts. Developed with a focus on maintaining fidelity to the original Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek manuscripts, the ACV emphasizes a word-for-word translation methodology. The goal is to preserve the subtleties and nuances of the original languages as accurately as possible. This approach results in a version of the Bible that seeks to remain true to the text's original meaning and context, appealing to readers who prioritize precision and doctrinal integrity.
The text of the Old Testament for A Conservative Version (ACV) came from the American Standard Version published in 1901. The main changes done for the ACV were the replacement of archaic words with more modern ones, except for the old English pronouns, which were kept because they are more communicative. The New Testament was translated from, The New Testament in the Original Greek According to the Byzantine-Majority Text form. That edition was compiled by Maurice A. Robinson and William G. Pierpont, and is of the Textus Receptus tradition from which came the King James Version.
The ACV was created in response to what its translators saw as a trend toward more liberal or dynamic-equivalence translations that prioritize readability over literal accuracy. The translators aimed to produce a text that adheres closely to the original languages, even if this makes the translation more challenging for contemporary readers. This reflects their belief in the importance of preserving the exact words and phrases used in the original scriptures. The ACV also employs traditional theological terminology and phrasing, avoiding modern slang and colloquial expressions in favor of language that conveys the gravity and solemnity of the biblical message.
While the ACV has found appreciation among conservative circles, it has faced criticism for its perceived rigidity and difficulty. Critics argue that its strict adherence to a word-for-word translation can make the text less readable and accessible, potentially alienating readers unfamiliar with the original languages or who prefer a more fluid translation. Despite these criticisms, the ACV remains a valued translation for those who prioritize a conservative and literal approach to Bible interpretation, supporting their doctrinal views with a text they believe closely reflects the original scriptures.