Hebrew
אֶזְכְּרָה מָצוֹק אֲשֶׁר קְרָאַנִי. בְּשָׁלֹשׁ מַכּוֹת בַּחֹדֶשׁ הַזֶּה הִכַּנִי. גְּדָעַנִי הֱנִיאַנִי
הִכַּנִי. אַךְ־עַתָּה הֶלְאַנִי: דִּעֲכַנִי בִּשְׁמוֹנָה בּוֹ שְׂמָאלִית וִימָנִית. הֲלֹא שְׁלָשְׁתָּן
קָבַעְתִּי תַעֲנִית. וּמֶלֶךְ יָוָן אֲנָסַנִי לִכְתֹּב דָּת יְוָנִית. עַל גַּבִּי חָרְשׁוּ חוֹרְשִׁים,
הֶאֱרִיכוּ מַעֲנִית. וְזָעַמְתִּי בְּתִשְׁעָה בּוֹ בִּכְלִמָּה וָחֵפֶר. חָשַׂךְ מֵעָלַי מְעִיל הוֹד
וָצֶפֶר. טֹרַף טֹרַף בּוֹ הַנּוֹתֵן אִמְרֵי שֶׁפֶר. הוּא עֶזְרָא הַסּוֹפֵר. יוֹם עֲשִׂירִי, צִוָּה
בֶּן בּוּזִי הַחוֹזֶה. כְּתָב־לְךָ בְּסֵפֶר הַמַּחֲזֶה. לְזִכָּרוֹן לְעַם נָמֵס וְנִבְזֶה. אֶת־עֶצֶם
הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה: מִנְיַן סֵדֶר חֳדָשִׁים בַּעֲשָׂרָה בּוֹ הֵעִיר. נְהִי וָיֵל בְּמוֹ פִי אַפְעִיר.
סֵדֶר פֻּרְעָנֻיּוֹת בְּתוֹךְ לִבִּי יַבְעִיר. בְּבֹא אֵלַי הַפָּלִיט לֵאמֹר הֻכְּתָה הָעִיר. עַל
אֵלֶּה, עַל פָּנַי אָבָק זֵרִיתִי. פָּצִיתִי עַל אַרְבַּעְתָּן, לוּ חֵץ בְּלִבִּי יָרִיתִי. צָרוֹת עַל
אֵלֶּה, קֶבֶר לִי כָּרִיתִי. צַדִּיק הוּא יְהֹוָה, כִּי פִיהוּ מָרִיתִי: קָרָאתִי שִׁמְךָ, מִתְנַחֵם
עַל רָעָתִי. רְאֵה עָנְיִי וּשְׁמַע קוֹל פְּגִיעָתִי. שְׁמַע תְּחִנָּתִי, חוּשׁ נָא יְשׁוּעָתִי.
אַל־תַּעְלֵם אָזְנְךָ לְרַוְחָתִי לְשַׁוְעָתִי: יֶרַח טֵבֵת, מְאֹד לָקִיתִי בּוֹ. וְנִשְׁתַּנּוּ
עָלַי סִדְרֵי נְתִיבוֹ. סָרַרְתִּי, פָשַׁעְתִּי, יְגַלֶּה לִי טוּבוֹ. הָאוֹמֵר לַיָּם עַד־פֹּה תָבוֹא.
Sephardi
Ezkerah matzok asher kera'ani. Beshalosh makot bachodesh hazeh hikani. Geda'ani heni'ani
Hikani. Akh-attah helani: Di'akhani bishmonah bo semalit vimanit. Halo sheloshtan
Kava'ti ta'anit. Umelech Yavan anasani likhtov dat Yevanit. Al gabi chareshu choreshim,
He'erikhu ma'anit. Veza'amti betish'ah bo viklimah vachefer. Chashakh me'alai me'il hod
Vatzefer. Toraf toraf bo hanoten imrei shefer. Hu Ezra hasofer. Yom asiri, tzivah
Ben Buzi hachozeh. Ketav-lekha besefer hamachazeh. Lezikaron le'am names venivzeh. Et-etzem
Hayom hazeh: Minyan seder chodashim ba'asarah bo he'ir. Nehi vayel bemo fi af'ir.
Seder pur'anuyot betoch libi yav'ir. Bevo eilai hapalit leimor huktah ha'ir. Al
Eileh, al panai avak zeriti. Patziti al arba'tan, lu chetz belibi yariti. Tzarot al
Eileh, kever li kariti. Tzadik hu Adonai, ki fihu mariti: Karati shimkha, mitnachem
Al ra'ati. Re'eh onyi ushema kol pegi'ati. Shema techinati, chush na yeshu'ati.
Al-ta'lem oznecha leravchati leshav'ati: Yerach Tevet, me'od lakiti bo. Venishtanu
Alai sidrei netivo. Sararti, pashati, yegaleh li tuvo. Ha'omer layam ad-poh tavo.
English
I shall recall the anguish that came to me; He inflicted three blows upon me in this month. He cut me off, He veered me aside, He beat me – but now He has finally drained me out. On the eighth of the month He darkened my right and my left; I marked out all three days for fasting. The king of Greece forced me to write the Torah in his tongue. The plowmen have plowed across my back; they made the furrows long. I raged, on the ninth, in shame and disgrace, my mantle of glory and my wreath were taken from me. The man who gave us the words of Heaven was torn from us on that day – that was Ezra the Scribe. On the tenth, Ezekiel the Seer, son of Buzi was commanded, “Write this happening in the scroll, for the remembrance of a people melted away and disgraced; write this very day.” The tenth was listed last among the fasts to show the order of the months. My own mouth gapes open with weeping and wailing, and this chronicle of troubles burns within my heart – as the fugitive came to me and said, “The city is crushed.” For these things I have scattered dust upon my face. I have spoken now of all four – would that I could shoot an arrow through my heart. For these great torments, I have dug my own grave. “The LORD is righteous; I have rebelled against His word.” I have called out Your name as I grieve my troubles. Witness my oppression and hear my voice in its entreaty. Hear my pleading, please, hasten my salvation. Do not block Your ears to my sighing, to my cry. In the month of Tevet I was stricken sorely. The world changed its course, from where I stand. I was stubborn, I sinned – yet may He reveal His goodness to me; the One who told the ocean, “Only thus far, come.”