\NormalFont\ShortTitle{Lamentations}

{\MT Lamentations



\par }\ChapOne{1}{\SH How Lonely Lies the City!
\par }
{\R (2 Kings 24:10–17)

\par }{\Q \VerseOne{1}How
\FTNT{*}{{\FR 1:1 }{\FT{This chapter is an acrostic poem, each verse beginning with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet.}}} lonely lies the city,

\par }{\QB once so full of people!

\par }{\Q She who was great among the nations

\par }{\QB has become a widow.

\par }{\Q The princess of the provinces

\par }{\QB has become a slave.


\par }{\BB \par }
{\Q \VS{2}She weeps aloud in the night,

\par }{\QB with tears upon her cheeks.

\par }{\Q Among all her lovers

\par }{\QB there is no one to comfort her.

\par }{\Q All her friends have betrayed her;

\par }{\QB they have become her enemies.


\par }{\BB \par }
{\Q \VS{3}Judah has gone into exile

\par }{\QB under affliction and harsh slavery;

\par }{\Q she dwells among the nations

\par }{\QB but finds no place to rest.

\par }{\Q All her pursuers have overtaken her

\par }{\QB in the midst of her distress.


\par }{\BB \par }
{\Q \VS{4}The roads to Zion mourn,

\par }{\QB because no one comes to her appointed feasts.

\par }{\Q All her gates are deserted;

\par }{\QB her priests groan,

\par }{\Q her maidens grieve,

\par }{\QB and she herself is bitter with anguish.


\par }{\BB \par }
{\Q \VS{5}Her foes have become her masters;

\par }{\QB her enemies are at ease.

\par }{\Q For the LORD has brought her grief

\par }{\QB because of her many transgressions.

\par }{\Q Her children have gone away

\par }{\QB as captives before the enemy.


\par }{\BB \par }
{\Q \VS{6}All the splendor has departed

\par }{\QB from the Daughter of Zion.

\par }{\Q Her princes are like deer

\par }{\QB that find no pasture;

\par }{\Q they lack the strength to flee

\par }{\QB in the face of the hunter.


\par }{\BB \par }
{\Q \VS{7}In the days of her affliction and wandering

\par }{\QB Jerusalem remembers all the treasures

\par }{\QB that were hers in days of old.

\par }{\Q When her people fell into enemy hands

\par }{\QB she received no help.

\par }{\Q Her enemies looked upon her,

\par }{\QB laughing at her downfall.


\par }{\BB \par }
{\Q \VS{8}Jerusalem has sinned greatly;

\par }{\QB therefore she has become an object of scorn.

\par }{\Q All who honored her now despise her,

\par }{\QB for they have seen her nakedness;\FTNT{†}{{\FR 1:8 }{\FT{Or her shame}}}

\par }{\QB she herself groans and turns away.


\par }{\BB \par }
{\Q \VS{9}Her uncleanness stains her skirts;

\par }{\QB she did not consider her end.

\par }{\Q Her downfall was astounding;

\par }{\QB there was no one to comfort her.

\par }{\Q Look, O LORD, on my affliction,

\par }{\QB for the enemy has triumphed!


\par }{\BB \par }
{\Q \VS{10}The adversary has seized

\par }{\QB all her treasures.

\par }{\Q For she has seen the nations

\par }{\QB enter her sanctuary—

\par }{\Q those You had forbidden

\par }{\QB to enter Your assembly.


\par }{\BB \par }
{\Q \VS{11}All her people groan

\par }{\QB as they search for bread.

\par }{\Q They have traded their treasures for food

\par }{\QB to keep themselves alive.

\par }{\Q Look, O LORD, and consider,

\par }{\QB for I have become despised.


\par }{\BB \par }
{\Q \VS{12}Is this nothing to you, all you who pass by?

\par }{\QB Look around and see!

\par }{\Q Is there any sorrow like mine,

\par }{\QB which was inflicted on me,

\par }{\Q which the LORD made me suffer

\par }{\QB on the day of His fierce anger?


\par }{\BB \par }
{\Q \VS{13}He sent fire from on high,

\par }{\QB and it overpowered my bones.

\par }{\Q He spread a net for my feet

\par }{\QB and turned me back.

\par }{\Q He made me desolate,

\par }{\QB faint all the day long.


\par }{\BB \par }
{\Q \VS{14}My transgressions are bound into a yoke,\FTNT{‡}{{\FR 1:14 }{\FT{Most Hebrew manuscripts; other Hebrew manuscripts and LXX He kept watch over my sins}}}

\par }{\QB knit together by His hand;

\par }{\Q they are draped over my neck,

\par }{\QB and the Lord has broken my strength.

\par }{\Q He has delivered me into the hands

\par }{\QB of those I cannot withstand.


\par }{\BB \par }
{\Q \VS{15}The Lord has rejected

\par }{\QB all the mighty men in my midst;

\par }{\Q He has summoned an army against me
\FTNT{§}{{\FR 1:15 }{\FT{Or has set a time for me}}}

\par }{\QB to crush my young warriors.

\par }{\Q Like grapes in a winepress,

\par }{\QB the Lord has trampled the Virgin Daughter of Judah.


\par }{\BB \par }
{\Q \VS{16}For these things I weep;

\par }{\QB my eyes flow with tears.

\par }{\Q For there is no one nearby to comfort me,

\par }{\QB no one to revive my soul.

\par }{\Q My children are destitute

\par }{\QB because the enemy has prevailed.


\par }{\BB \par }
{\Q \VS{17}Zion stretches out her hands,

\par }{\QB but there is no one to comfort her.

\par }{\Q The LORD has decreed against Jacob

\par }{\QB that his neighbors become his foes.

\par }{\Q Jerusalem has become

\par }{\QB an unclean thing among them.


\par }{\BB \par }
{\Q \VS{18}The LORD is righteous,

\par }{\QB for I have rebelled against His command.

\par }{\Q Listen, all you people;

\par }{\QB look upon my suffering.

\par }{\Q My young men and maidens

\par }{\QB have gone into captivity.


\par }{\BB \par }
{\Q \VS{19}I called out to my lovers,

\par }{\QB but they have betrayed me.

\par }{\Q My priests and elders

\par }{\QB perished in the city

\par }{\Q while they searched for food

\par }{\QB to keep themselves alive.


\par }{\BB \par }
{\Q \VS{20}See, O LORD, how distressed I am!

\par }{\QB I am churning within;

\par }{\Q my heart is pounding within me,

\par }{\QB for I have been most rebellious.

\par }{\Q Outside, the sword bereaves;

\par }{\QB inside, there is death.


\par }{\BB \par }
{\Q \VS{21}People have heard my groaning,

\par }{\QB but there is no one to comfort me.

\par }{\Q All my enemies have heard of my trouble;

\par }{\QB they are glad that You have caused it.

\par }{\Q May You bring the day You have announced,

\par }{\QB so that they may become like me.


\par }{\BB \par }
{\Q \VS{22}Let all their wickedness come before You,

\par }{\QB and deal with them

\par }{\Q as You have dealt with me

\par }{\QB because of all my transgressions.

\par }{\Q For my groans are many,

\par }{\QB and my heart is faint.




\par }\Chap{2}{\SH God’s Anger over Jerusalem
\par }
{\Q \VerseOne{1}How
\FTNT{*}{{\FR 2:1 }{\FT{This chapter is an acrostic poem, each verse beginning with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet.}}} the Lord has covered the Daughter of Zion

\par }{\QB with the cloud of His anger!

\par }{\Q He has cast the glory of Israel

\par }{\QB from heaven to earth.

\par }{\Q He has abandoned His footstool

\par }{\QB in the day of His anger.


\par }{\BB \par }
{\Q \VS{2}Without pity the Lord has swallowed up

\par }{\QB all the dwellings of Jacob.

\par }{\Q In His wrath He has demolished

\par }{\QB the fortified cities of the Daughter of Judah.

\par }{\Q He brought to the ground and defiled

\par }{\QB her kingdom and its princes.


\par }{\BB \par }
{\Q \VS{3}In fierce anger He has cut off

\par }{\QB every horn
\FTNT{†}{{\FR 2:3 }{\FT{Or all the strength}}} of Israel

\par }{\Q and withdrawn His right hand

\par }{\QB at the approach of the enemy.

\par }{\Q He has burned in Jacob like a flaming fire

\par }{\QB that consumes everything around it.


\par }{\BB \par }
{\Q \VS{4}He has bent His bow like an enemy;

\par }{\QB His right hand is positioned.

\par }{\Q Like a foe He has killed

\par }{\QB all who were pleasing to the eye;

\par }{\Q He has poured out His wrath like fire

\par }{\QB on the tent of the Daughter of Zion.


\par }{\BB \par }
{\Q \VS{5}The Lord is like an enemy;

\par }{\QB He has swallowed up Israel.

\par }{\Q He has swallowed up all her palaces

\par }{\QB and destroyed her strongholds.

\par }{\Q He has multiplied mourning and lamentation

\par }{\QB for the Daughter of Judah.


\par }{\BB \par }
{\Q \VS{6}He has laid waste His tabernacle like a garden booth;

\par }{\QB He has destroyed His place of meeting.

\par }{\Q The LORD has made Zion forget

\par }{\QB her appointed feasts and Sabbaths.

\par }{\Q In His fierce anger

\par }{\QB He has despised both king and priest.


\par }{\BB \par }
{\Q \VS{7}The Lord has rejected His altar;

\par }{\QB He has abandoned His sanctuary;

\par }{\Q He has delivered the walls of her palaces

\par }{\QB into the hand of the enemy.

\par }{\Q They have raised a shout in the house of the LORD

\par }{\QB as on the day of an appointed feast.


\par }{\BB \par }
{\Q \VS{8}The LORD determined to destroy

\par }{\QB the wall of the Daughter of Zion.

\par }{\Q He stretched out a measuring line

\par }{\QB and did not withdraw His hand from destroying.

\par }{\Q He made the ramparts and walls lament;

\par }{\QB together they waste away.


\par }{\BB \par }
{\Q \VS{9}Her gates have sunk into the ground;

\par }{\QB He has destroyed and shattered their bars.

\par }{\Q Her king and her princes are exiled among the nations,

\par }{\QB the law is no more,

\par }{\Q and even her prophets

\par }{\QB find no vision from the LORD.


\par }{\BB \par }
{\Q \VS{10}The elders of the Daughter of Zion

\par }{\QB sit on the ground in silence.

\par }{\Q They have thrown dust on their heads

\par }{\QB and put on sackcloth.

\par }{\Q The young women of Jerusalem

\par }{\QB have bowed their heads to the ground.


\par }{\BB \par }
{\Q \VS{11}My eyes fail from weeping;

\par }{\QB I am churning within.

\par }{\Q My heart is poured out in grief

\par }{\QB over the destruction of the daughter of my people,

\par }{\Q because children and infants faint

\par }{\QB in the streets of the city.


\par }{\BB \par }
{\Q \VS{12}They cry out to their mothers:

\par }{\QB “Where is the grain and wine?”

\par }{\Q as they faint like the wounded

\par }{\QB in the streets of the city,

\par }{\Q as their lives fade away

\par }{\QB in the arms of their mothers.


\par }{\BB \par }
{\Q \VS{13}What can I say for you?

\par }{\QB To what can I compare you,

\par }{\QB O Daughter of Jerusalem?

\par }{\Q To what can I liken you,

\par }{\QB that I may console you,

\par }{\QB O Virgin Daughter of Zion?

\par }{\Q For your wound is as deep as the sea.

\par }{\QB Who can ever heal you?


\par }{\BB \par }
{\Q \VS{14}The visions of your prophets

\par }{\QB were empty and deceptive;

\par }{\Q they did not expose your guilt

\par }{\QB to ward off your captivity.

\par }{\Q The burdens they envisioned for you

\par }{\QB were empty and misleading.


\par }{\BB \par }
{\Q \VS{15}All who pass by

\par }{\QB clap their hands at you in scorn.

\par }{\Q They hiss and shake their heads

\par }{\QB at the Daughter of Jerusalem:

\par }{\Q “Is this the city that was called

\par }{\QB the perfection of beauty,

\par }{\QB the joy of all the earth?”


\par }{\BB \par }
{\Q \VS{16}All your enemies

\par }{\QB open their mouths against you.

\par }{\Q They hiss and gnash their teeth,

\par }{\QB saying, “We have swallowed her up.

\par }{\Q This is the day for which we have waited.

\par }{\QB We have lived to see it!”


\par }{\BB \par }
{\Q \VS{17}The LORD has done what He planned;

\par }{\QB He has accomplished His decree,

\par }{\Q which He ordained in days of old;

\par }{\QB He has overthrown you without pity.

\par }{\Q He has let the enemy gloat over you

\par }{\QB and exalted the horn
\FTNT{‡}{{\FR 2:17 }{\FT{Or the strength}}} of your foes.


\par }{\BB \par }
{\Q \VS{18}The hearts of the people

\par }{\QB cry out to the Lord.\FTNT{§}{{\FR 2:18 }{\FT{Literally Their heart cries out to the Lord.}}}

\par }{\Q O wall of the Daughter of Zion,

\par }{\QB let your tears run down like a river

\par }{\QB day and night.

\par }{\Q Give yourself no relief,

\par }{\QB and your eyes no rest.


\par }{\BB \par }
{\Q \VS{19}Arise, cry out in the night

\par }{\QB from the first watch of the night.\FTNT{*}{{\FR 2:19 }{\FT{That is, between six and nine at night}}}

\par }{\Q Pour out your heart like water

\par }{\QB in the presence of the Lord.

\par }{\Q Lift up your hands to Him

\par }{\QB for the lives of your children

\par }{\Q who are fainting from hunger

\par }{\QB on the corner of every street.


\par }{\BB \par }
{\Q \VS{20}Look, O LORD, and consider:

\par }{\QB Whom have You ever treated like this?

\par }{\Q Should women eat their offspring,

\par }{\QB the infants they have nurtured?

\par }{\Q Should priests and prophets be killed

\par }{\QB in the sanctuary of the Lord?


\par }{\BB \par }
{\Q \VS{21}Both young and old lie together

\par }{\QB in the dust of the streets.

\par }{\Q My young men and maidens

\par }{\QB have fallen by the sword.

\par }{\Q You have slain them in the day of Your anger;

\par }{\QB You have slaughtered them without compassion.


\par }{\BB \par }
{\Q \VS{22}You summoned my attackers on every side,

\par }{\QB as for the day of an appointed feast.

\par }{\Q In the day of the LORD’s anger

\par }{\QB no one escaped or survived;

\par }{\Q my enemy has destroyed

\par }{\QB those I nurtured and reared.




\par }\Chap{3}{\SH The Prophet’s Afflictions
\par }
{\Q \VerseOne{1}I
\FTNT{*}{{\FR 3:1 }{\FT{This chapter is an acrostic poem, each 3–verse stanza beginning with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet.}}} am the man who has seen affliction

\par }{\QB under the rod of God’s wrath.


\par }{\Q \VS{2}He has driven me away and made me walk

\par }{\QB in darkness instead of light.


\par }{\Q \VS{3}Indeed, He keeps turning His hand

\par }{\QB against me all day long.


\par }{\BB \par }
{\Q \VS{4}He has worn away my flesh and skin;

\par }{\QB He has shattered my bones.


\par }{\Q \VS{5}He has besieged me and surrounded me

\par }{\QB with bitterness and hardship.


\par }{\Q \VS{6}He has made me dwell in darkness

\par }{\QB like those dead for ages.


\par }{\BB \par }
{\Q \VS{7}He has walled me in so I cannot escape;

\par }{\QB He has weighed me down with chains.


\par }{\Q \VS{8}Even when I cry out and plead for help,

\par }{\QB He shuts out my prayer.


\par }{\Q \VS{9}He has barred my ways with cut stones;

\par }{\QB He has made my paths crooked.


\par }{\BB \par }
{\Q \VS{10}He is a bear lying in wait,

\par }{\QB a lion hiding in ambush.


\par }{\Q \VS{11}He forced me off my path and tore me to pieces;

\par }{\QB He left me without help.


\par }{\Q \VS{12}He bent His bow

\par }{\QB and set me as the target for His arrow.


\par }{\BB \par }
{\Q \VS{13}He pierced my kidneys

\par }{\QB with His arrows.


\par }{\Q \VS{14}I am a laughingstock to all my people;

\par }{\QB they mock me in song all day long.


\par }{\Q \VS{15}He has filled me with bitterness;

\par }{\QB He has intoxicated me with wormwood.


\par }{\BB \par }
{\Q \VS{16}He has ground my teeth with gravel

\par }{\QB and trampled me in the dust.


\par }{\Q \VS{17}My soul has been deprived of peace;

\par }{\QB I have forgotten what prosperity is.


\par }{\Q \VS{18}So I say, “My strength has perished,

\par }{\QB along with my hope from the LORD.”


\par }{\SH The Prophet’s Hope
\par }
{\BB \par }
{\Q \VS{19}Remember my affliction and wandering,

\par }{\QB the wormwood and the gall.


\par }{\Q \VS{20}Surely my soul remembers

\par }{\QB and is humbled within me.


\par }{\Q \VS{21}Yet I call this to mind,

\par }{\QB and therefore I have hope:


\par }{\BB \par }
{\Q \VS{22}Because of the loving devotion
\FTNT{†}{{\FR 3:22 }{\FT{Forms of the Hebrew chesed are translated here and in most cases throughout the Scriptures as loving devotion; the range of meaning includes love, goodness, kindness, faithfulness, and mercy, as well as loyalty to a covenant.}}} of the LORD we are not consumed,

\par }{\QB for His mercies never fail.


\par }{\Q \VS{23}They are new every morning;

\par }{\QB great is Your faithfulness!


\par }{\Q \VS{24}“The LORD is my portion,” says my soul,

\par }{\QB “therefore I will hope in Him.”


\par }{\BB \par }
{\Q \VS{25}The LORD is good to those who wait for Him,

\par }{\QB to the soul who seeks Him.


\par }{\Q \VS{26}It is good to wait quietly

\par }{\QB for the salvation of the LORD.


\par }{\Q \VS{27}It is good for a man to bear the yoke

\par }{\QB while he is still young.


\par }{\BB \par }
{\Q \VS{28}Let him sit alone in silence,

\par }{\QB for God has disciplined him.


\par }{\Q \VS{29}Let him bury his face in the dust—

\par }{\QB perhaps there is still hope.


\par }{\Q \VS{30}Let him offer his cheek to the one who would strike him;

\par }{\QB let him be filled with reproach.


\par }{\BB \par }
{\Q \VS{31}For the Lord will not

\par }{\QB cast us off forever.


\par }{\Q \VS{32}Even if He causes grief, He will show compassion

\par }{\QB according to His abundant loving devotion.


\par }{\Q \VS{33}For He does not willingly afflict

\par }{\QB or grieve the sons of men.


\par }{\BB \par }
{\Q \VS{34}To crush underfoot

\par }{\QB all the prisoners of the land,


\par }{\Q \VS{35}to deny a man justice

\par }{\QB before the Most High,


\par }{\Q \VS{36}to subvert a man in his lawsuit—

\par }{\QB of these the Lord does not approve.


\par }{\SH God’s Justice
\par }
{\BB \par }
{\Q \VS{37}Who has spoken and it came to pass,

\par }{\QB unless the Lord has ordained it?


\par }{\Q \VS{38}Do not both adversity and good

\par }{\QB come from the mouth of the Most High?


\par }{\Q \VS{39}Why should any mortal man complain,

\par }{\QB in view of his sins?


\par }{\BB \par }
{\Q \VS{40}Let us examine and test our ways,

\par }{\QB and turn back to the LORD.


\par }{\Q \VS{41}Let us lift up our hearts and hands

\par }{\QB to God in heaven:


\par }{\Q \VS{42}“We have sinned and rebelled;

\par }{\QB You have not forgiven.”


\par }{\BB \par }
{\Q \VS{43}You have covered Yourself in anger and pursued us;

\par }{\QB You have killed without pity.


\par }{\Q \VS{44}You have covered Yourself with a cloud

\par }{\QB that no prayer can pass through.


\par }{\Q \VS{45}You have made us scum and refuse

\par }{\QB among the nations.


\par }{\BB \par }
{\Q \VS{46}All our enemies

\par }{\QB open their mouths against us.


\par }{\Q \VS{47}Panic and pitfall have come upon us—

\par }{\QB devastation and destruction.


\par }{\Q \VS{48}Streams of tears flow from my eyes

\par }{\QB over the destruction of the daughter of my people.


\par }{\BB \par }
{\Q \VS{49}My eyes overflow unceasingly,

\par }{\QB without relief,


\par }{\Q \VS{50}until the LORD

\par }{\QB looks down from heaven and sees.


\par }{\Q \VS{51}My eyes bring grief to my soul

\par }{\QB because of all the daughters of my city.


\par }{\BB \par }
{\Q \VS{52}Without cause my enemies

\par }{\QB hunted me like a bird.


\par }{\Q \VS{53}They dropped me alive into a pit

\par }{\QB and cast stones upon me.


\par }{\Q \VS{54}The waters flowed over my head,

\par }{\QB and I thought I was going to die.


\par }{\BB \par }
{\Q \VS{55}I called on Your name, O LORD,

\par }{\QB out of the depths of the Pit.


\par }{\Q \VS{56}You heard my plea:

\par }{\QB “Do not ignore my cry for relief.”


\par }{\Q \VS{57}You drew near when I called on You;

\par }{\QB You said, “Do not be afraid.”


\par }{\BB \par }
{\Q \VS{58}You defend my cause, O Lord;

\par }{\QB You redeem my life.


\par }{\Q \VS{59}You have seen, O LORD, the wrong done to me;

\par }{\QB vindicate my cause!


\par }{\Q \VS{60}You have seen all their malice,

\par }{\QB all their plots against me.


\par }{\BB \par }
{\Q \VS{61}O LORD, You have heard their insults,

\par }{\QB all their plots against me—


\par }{\Q \VS{62}the slander and murmuring of my assailants

\par }{\QB against me all day long.


\par }{\Q \VS{63}When they sit and when they rise,

\par }{\QB see how they mock me in song.


\par }{\BB \par }
{\Q \VS{64}You will pay them back what they deserve, O LORD,

\par }{\QB according to the work of their hands.


\par }{\Q \VS{65}Put a veil of anguish over their hearts;

\par }{\QB may Your curse be upon them!


\par }{\Q \VS{66}You will pursue them in anger and exterminate them

\par }{\QB from under Your heavens, O LORD.




\par }\Chap{4}{\SH The Distress of Zion
\par }
{\Q \VerseOne{1}How
\FTNT{*}{{\FR 4:1 }{\FT{This chapter is an acrostic poem, each verse beginning with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet.}}} the gold has become tarnished,

\par }{\QB the pure gold has become dull!

\par }{\Q The gems of the temple lie scattered

\par }{\QB on every street corner.


\par }{\BB \par }
{\Q \VS{2}How the precious sons of Zion,

\par }{\QB once worth their weight in pure gold,

\par }{\Q are now esteemed as jars of clay,

\par }{\QB the work of a potter’s hands!


\par }{\BB \par }
{\Q \VS{3}Even jackals
\FTNT{†}{{\FR 4:3 }{\FT{Or serpents or dragons}}} offer their breasts

\par }{\QB to nurse their young,

\par }{\Q but the daughter of my people has become cruel,

\par }{\QB like an ostrich in the wilderness.


\par }{\BB \par }
{\Q \VS{4}The nursing infant’s tongue

\par }{\QB clings in thirst to the roof of his mouth.

\par }{\Q Little children beg for bread,

\par }{\QB but no one gives them any.


\par }{\BB \par }
{\Q \VS{5}Those who once ate delicacies

\par }{\QB are destitute in the streets;

\par }{\Q those brought up in crimson

\par }{\QB huddle in ash heaps.


\par }{\BB \par }
{\Q \VS{6}The punishment
\FTNT{‡}{{\FR 4:6 }{\FT{Or iniquity}}} of the daughter of my people

\par }{\QB is greater than that of Sodom,

\par }{\Q which was overthrown in an instant

\par }{\QB without a hand turned to help her.


\par }{\BB \par }
{\Q \VS{7}Her dignitaries were brighter than snow,

\par }{\QB whiter than milk;

\par }{\Q their bodies were more ruddy than rubies,

\par }{\QB their appearance
\FTNT{§}{{\FR 4:7 }{\FT{Or their polishing or their hair}}} like sapphires.\FTNT{*}{{\FR 4:7 }{\FT{Hebrew lapis lazuli}}}


\par }{\BB \par }
{\Q \VS{8}But now their appearance is blacker than soot;

\par }{\QB they are not recognized in the streets.

\par }{\Q Their skin has shriveled on their bones;

\par }{\QB it has become as dry as a stick.


\par }{\BB \par }
{\Q \VS{9}Those slain by the sword are better off

\par }{\QB than those who die of hunger,

\par }{\Q who waste away, pierced with pain

\par }{\QB because the fields lack produce.


\par }{\BB \par }
{\Q \VS{10}The hands of compassionate women

\par }{\QB have cooked their own children,

\par }{\Q who became their food

\par }{\QB in the destruction of the daughter of my people.


\par }{\BB \par }
{\Q \VS{11}The LORD has exhausted His wrath;

\par }{\QB He has poured out His fierce anger;

\par }{\Q He has kindled a fire in Zion,

\par }{\QB and it has consumed her foundations.


\par }{\BB \par }
{\Q \VS{12}The kings of the earth did not believe,

\par }{\QB nor any people of the world,

\par }{\Q that an enemy or a foe

\par }{\QB could enter the gates of Jerusalem.


\par }{\BB \par }
{\Q \VS{13}But this was for the sins of her prophets

\par }{\QB and the guilt of her priests,

\par }{\Q who shed the blood of the righteous

\par }{\QB in her midst.


\par }{\BB \par }
{\Q \VS{14}They wandered blind in the streets,

\par }{\QB defiled by this blood,

\par }{\Q so that no one dared

\par }{\QB to touch their garments.


\par }{\BB \par }
{\Q \VS{15}“Go away! Unclean!”

\par }{\QB men shouted at them.

\par }{\Q “Away, away! Do not touch us!”

\par }{\QB So they fled and wandered.

\par }{\Q Among the nations it was said,

\par }{\QB “They can stay here no longer.”


\par }{\BB \par }
{\Q \VS{16}The presence of the LORD has scattered them;

\par }{\QB He regards them no more.

\par }{\Q The priests are shown no honor;

\par }{\QB the elders find no favor.


\par }{\BB \par }
{\Q \VS{17}All the while our eyes were failing

\par }{\QB as we looked in vain for help.

\par }{\Q We watched from our towers

\par }{\QB for a nation that could not save us.


\par }{\BB \par }
{\Q \VS{18}They stalked our every step,

\par }{\QB so that we could not walk in our streets.

\par }{\Q Our end drew near, our time ran out,

\par }{\QB for our end had come!


\par }{\BB \par }
{\Q \VS{19}Those who chased us were swifter

\par }{\QB than the eagles in the sky;

\par }{\Q they pursued us over the mountains

\par }{\QB and ambushed us in the wilderness.


\par }{\BB \par }
{\Q \VS{20}The LORD’s anointed, the breath of our life,

\par }{\QB was captured in their pits.

\par }{\Q We had said of him,

\par }{\QB “Under his shadow we will live among the nations.”


\par }{\BB \par }
{\Q \VS{21}So rejoice and be glad, O Daughter of Edom,

\par }{\QB you who dwell in the land of Uz.

\par }{\Q Yet the cup will pass to you as well;

\par }{\QB you will get drunk and expose yourself.


\par }{\BB \par }
{\Q \VS{22}O Daughter of Zion, your punishment is complete;

\par }{\QB He will not prolong your exile.\FTNT{†}{{\FR 4:22 }{\FT{Or He will not exile you again}}}

\par }{\Q But He will punish your iniquity, O Daughter of Edom;

\par }{\QB He will expose your sins.




\par }\Chap{5}{\SH A Prayer for Restoration
\par }
{\Q \VerseOne{1}Remember, O LORD, what has happened to us.

\par }{\QB Look and see our disgrace!


\par }{\Q \VS{2}Our inheritance has been turned over to strangers,

\par }{\QB our houses to foreigners.


\par }{\Q \VS{3}We have become fatherless orphans;

\par }{\QB our mothers are widows.


\par }{\Q \VS{4}We must buy the water we drink;

\par }{\QB our wood comes at a price.


\par }{\Q \VS{5}We are closely pursued;

\par }{\QB we are weary and find no rest.


\par }{\BB \par }
{\Q \VS{6}We submitted to Egypt and Assyria

\par }{\QB to get enough bread.


\par }{\Q \VS{7}Our fathers sinned and are no more,

\par }{\QB but we bear their punishment.


\par }{\Q \VS{8}Slaves rule over us;

\par }{\QB there is no one to deliver us from their hands.


\par }{\Q \VS{9}We get our bread at the risk of our lives

\par }{\QB because of the sword in the wilderness.


\par }{\Q \VS{10}Our skin is as hot as an oven

\par }{\QB with fever from our hunger.


\par }{\BB \par }
{\Q \VS{11}Women have been ravished in Zion,

\par }{\QB virgins in the cities of Judah.


\par }{\Q \VS{12}Princes have been hung up by their hands;

\par }{\QB elders receive no respect.


\par }{\Q \VS{13}Young men toil at millstones;

\par }{\QB boys stagger under loads of wood.


\par }{\Q \VS{14}The elders have left the city gate;

\par }{\QB the young men have stopped their music.


\par }{\Q \VS{15}Joy has left our hearts;

\par }{\QB our dancing has turned to mourning.


\par }{\Q \VS{16}The crown has fallen from our head.

\par }{\QB Woe to us, for we have sinned!


\par }{\BB \par }
{\Q \VS{17}Because of this, our hearts are faint;

\par }{\QB because of these, our eyes grow dim—


\par }{\Q \VS{18}because of Mount Zion, which lies desolate,

\par }{\QB patrolled by foxes.


\par }{\BB \par }
{\Q \VS{19}You, O LORD, reign forever;

\par }{\QB Your throne endures from generation to generation.


\par }{\Q \VS{20}Why have You forgotten us forever?

\par }{\QB Why have You forsaken us for so long?


\par }{\Q \VS{21}Restore us to Yourself, O LORD, so we may return;

\par }{\QB renew our days as of old,


\par }{\Q \VS{22}unless You have utterly rejected us

\par }{\QB and remain angry with us beyond measure.

\par }