Lamentations 3 is the third chapter of the Book of Lamentations in the Hebrew Bible or the Old Testament of the Christian Bible, part of the Ketuvim ("Writings"). This book contains the elegies of the prophet Jeremiah. In this chapter he refers to his own experience under affliction as an example as to how the people of Judah should behave under theirs, so as to have hope of a restoration. Text The original text was written in Hebrew language. This chapter, the longest in the book, is divided into 66 verses. The chapter is acrostic, divided into 22 stanzas. The stanzas consist of three lines (each line is numbered as one verse), each of which begins with the same Hebrew letter of the Hebrew alphabet in regular order (22 letters of alphabet in number, make up the total of 66 verses). Textual versions Some early witnesses for the text of this chapter in Hebrew are of the Masoretic Text, which includes Codex Leningradensis (1008). Fragments containing parts of this chapter were found among the Dead Sea Scrolls, i.e., 3Q3 (3QLam; 30 BCE‑50 CE) with extant verses 53-62 There is also a translation into Koine Greek known as the Septuagint, made in the last few centuries BCE. Extant ancient manuscripts of the Septuagint version include Codex Vaticanus (B; B; 4th century), Codex Alexandrinus (A; A; 5th century) and Codex Marchalianus (Q; Q; 6th century). Verse 1 I am the man who has seen affliction by the rod of His wrath. "Who has seen affliction": - i. e. has experienced, suffered it. Jeremiah's own affliction in the dungeon of Malchiah (Jeremiah 38:6); that of his countrymen also in the siege. "By the rod of His wrath": showing that it is not Babylon who has humbled Israel as Jehovah's instrument, but that God himself has brought these troubles upon his people. "He had led me, has hedged me about," etc. The king of Babylon, called "the rod of the Lord's anger" (). This phrase can be connected to . The Targum states, "by the rod of him that chastiseth in his anger." Verse 22 King James Version: It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. English Standard Version: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; Verse 22 in Hebrew Masoretic text: חסדי יהוה כי לא־תמנו כי לא־כלו