this i call to mind

"my soul is bereft of peace;

i have forgotten what happiness is;

so i say, 'my endurance has perished;

so has my hope from the LORD.'

remember my affliction

and my wanderings,

the wormwood and the gall!

my soul continually remembers it

and is bowed down within me.

but this i call to mind,

and therefore i have hope:

the steadfast love of the LORD never ceases

his mercies never come to an end;

they are new every morning;

great is your faithfulness.

'the LORD is my portion,' says my soul,

'therefore i will hope in him.'

the LORD is good to those who wait for him

to the soul who seeks him.

it is good that one should wait quietly

for the salvation of the LORD.

it is good for a man that he bear

the yoke in his youth.

let him sit alone in silence

when it is laid on him;

let him put his mouth in the dust--

there may yet be hope;

let him give his cheek to the one who strikes,

and let him be filled with insults.

for the LORD will not cast off forever,

but, though he cause grief, he will have compassion

according to the abundance of his steadfast love;

for he does not willingly afflict

or grieve the children of men."

lamentations 3:17-33