Repent

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

Let us lift up our hearts with our hands unto God in the heavens.”

LAMENTATIONS 3:40-41

“¹ I am the man that hath seen ^[a]affliction in the rod of his indignation.
² He hath led me, and brought me into darkness, but not to light.
³ Surely he is turned against me: he turneth his hand against me all the day.
⁴ My flesh and my skin hath he caused to wax old, and he hath broken my bones.
⁵ He hath ^[b]built against me, and compassed me with gall and labor.
⁶ He hath set me in dark places, as they that be dead forever.
⁷ He hath hedged about me, that I cannot get out: he hath made my chains heavy.
⁸ Also when I cry and shout, he shutteth out my ^[c]prayer.
⁹ He hath ^[d]stopped up my ways with hewn stone, and turned away my paths.
^{10 [e]}He was unto me as a bear lying in wait, and as a lion in secret places.
¹¹ He hath stopped my ways, and pulled me in pieces: he hath made me desolate.
¹² He hath bent his bow, and made me a mark for the arrow.
¹³ He caused ^[f]the arrows of his quiver to enter into my reins.
¹⁴ I was a derision to all my people, and their song all the day.
¹⁵ He hath filled me with bitterness, and made me drunken with ^[g]wormwood.
¹⁶ He hath also broken my teeth with stones, and hath covered me with ashes.
¹⁷ Thus my soul was far off from peace: I forgot prosperity,
¹⁸ And I said, My strength and my ^[h]hope is perished from the Lord,
¹⁹ Remembering mine affliction, and my mourning, the wormwood and the gall.
²⁰ My soul hath them in remembrance, and is humbled ^[i]in me.
²¹ I consider this in mine heart: therefore have I hope.
²² It is the Lord’s ^[j]mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.
²³ They are renewed ^[k]every morning: great is thy faithfulness.
²⁴ The Lord is my ^[l]portion, saith my soul: therefore will I hope in him.
²⁵ The Lord is good unto them that trust in him, and to the soul that seeketh him.
²⁶ It is good both to trust, and to wait for the salvation of the Lord.
²⁷ It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his ^[m]youth.
²⁸ He sitteth alone, ^[n]and keepeth silence, because he hath borne it upon him.
²⁹ He putteth his ^[o]mouth in the dust, if there may be hope.
³⁰ He giveth his cheek to him that smiteth him: he is filled full with reproaches.
³¹ For the Lord will not forsake forever.
³² But though he send affliction, yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies.
³³ For he doth not ^[p]punish ^[q]willingly, nor afflict the children of men,
³⁴ In stamping under his feet all the prisoners of the earth,
³⁵ In overthrowing the right of a man before the face of the most High,
³⁶ In subverting a man in his cause: the Lord ^[r]seeth it not.
³⁷ Who is he then that saith, and it cometh to pass, and the Lord ^[s]commandeth it not?
³⁸ Out of the mouth of the most High proceedeth not ^[t]evil and good?
³⁹ Wherefore then is the living ^[u]man sorrowful? man suffereth for his sin.
⁴⁰ Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the Lord.
⁴¹ Let us lift up ^[v]our hearts with our hands unto God in the heavens.
⁴² We have sinned, and have rebelled, therefore thou hast not spared.
⁴³ Thou hast covered us with wrath, and persecuted us: thou hast slain, and not spared.
⁴⁴ Thou hast covered thyself with a cloud, that ourprayer should not pass through.
⁴⁵ Thou hast made us as the offscouring and refuse in the midst of the people.
⁴⁶ All our enemies have opened their mouth against us.
⁴⁷ Fear, and a snare is come upon us with desolation and destruction.
⁴⁸ Mine eye casteth out rivers of water, for the destruction of the daughter of my people.
⁴⁹ Mine eye droppeth without stay, and ceaseth not,
⁵⁰ Till the Lord look down, and behold from heaven.
⁵¹ Mine eye ^[w]breaketh mine heart because of all the daughters of my city.
⁵² Mine enemies chased me sore, like a bird, without cause.
⁵³ They have shut up my life^[x]in the dungeon, and cast a stone upon me.
⁵⁴ Waters flowed over mine head, then thought I, I am destroyed.
⁵⁵ I called upon thy Name, O Lord, out of the low dungeon.
⁵⁶ Thou hast heard my voice: stop not thine ear from my sigh, and from my cry.
⁵⁷ Thou drewest near in the day that I called upon thee: thou saidest, Fear not.
⁵⁸ O Lord, thou hast maintained the cause of my ^[y]soul, and hast redeemed my life.
⁵⁹ O Lord, thou hast seen my wrong, judge thou my cause.
⁶⁰ Thou hast seen all their vengeance, and all their devises against me:
⁶¹ Thou hast heard their reproach, O Lord, and all their imaginations against me.
⁶² The lips also of those that rose against me, and their whispering against me continually.
⁶³ Behold, their sitting down, and their rising up, how I am their song.
⁶⁴ Give them a recompense, O Lord, according to the work of their hands.
⁶⁵ Give them ^[z]sorrow of heart even thy curse to them.
⁶⁶ Persecute with wrath and destroy them from under the heaven, O Lord.”