Lamentations 3:26-47

26So it is good to wait quietly for salvation from the Lord.

27And it is good for people to submit at an early age to the yoke of his discipline:

28Let them sit alone in silence beneath the Lord’s demands.

29Let them lie face down in the dust, for there may be hope at last.

30Let them turn the other cheek to those who strike them and accept the insults of their enemies.

31For no one is abandoned by the Lord forever.

32Though he brings grief, he also shows compassion because of the greatness of his unfailing love.

33For he does not enjoy hurting people or causing them sorrow.

34If people crush underfoot all the prisoners of the land,

35if they deprive others of their rights in defiance of the Most High,

36if they twist justice in the courts— doesn’t the Lord see all these things?

37Who can command things to happen without the Lord’s permission?

38Does not the Most High send both calamity and good?

39Then why should we, mere humans, complain when we are punished for our sins?

40Instead, let us test and examine our ways. Let us turn back to the Lord.

41Let us lift our hearts and hands to God in heaven and say,

42“We have sinned and rebelled, and you have not forgiven us.

43“You have engulfed us with your anger, chased us down, and slaughtered us without mercy.

44You have hidden yourself in a cloud so our prayers cannot reach you.

45You have discarded us as refuse and garbage among the nations.

46“All our enemies have spoken out against us.

47We are filled with fear, for we are trapped, devastated, and ruined.”