Lamentations 2

1How hath the Lord covered the daughter of Zion with a cloud in his anger, and cast down from heaven unto the earth the beauty of Israel, and remembered not his footstool in the day of his anger!

2The Lord hath swallowed up all the habitations of Jacob, and hath not pitied: he hath thrown down in his wrath the strong holds of the daughter of Judah; he hath brought them down to the ground: he hath polluted the kingdom and the princes thereof.footnote a

3He hath cut off in his fierce anger all the horn of Israel: he hath drawn back his right hand from before the enemy, and he burned against Jacob like a flaming fire, which devoureth round about.

4He hath bent his bow like an enemy: he stood with his right hand as an adversary, and slew all that were pleasant to the eye in the tabernacle of the daughter of Zion: he poured out his fury like fire.footnote b

5The Lord was as an enemy: he hath swallowed up Israel, he hath swallowed up all her palaces: he hath destroyed his strong holds, and hath increased in the daughter of Judah mourning and lamentation.

6And he hath violently taken away his tabernacle, as if it were of a garden: he hath destroyed his places of the assembly: the LORD hath caused the solemn feasts and sabbaths to be forgotten in Zion, and hath despised in the indignation of his anger the king and the priest.footnote c

7The Lord hath cast off his altar, he hath abhorred his sanctuary, he hath given up into the hand of the enemy the walls of her palaces; they have made a noise in the house of the LORD, as in the day of a solemn feast.footnote d

8The LORD hath purposed to destroy the wall of the daughter of Zion: he hath stretched out a line, he hath not withdrawn his hand from destroying: therefore he made the rampart and the wall to lament; they languished together.footnote e

9Her gates are sunk into the ground; he hath destroyed and broken her bars: her king and her princes are among the Gentiles: the law is no more; her prophets also find no vision from the LORD.

10The elders of the daughter of Zion sit upon the ground, and keep silence: they have cast up dust upon their heads; they have girded themselves with sackcloth: the virgins of Jerusalem hang down their heads to the ground.

11Mine eyes do fail with tears, my bowels are troubled, my liver is poured upon the earth, for the destruction of the daughter of my people; because the children and the sucklings swoon in the streets of the city.footnote f

12They say to their mothers, Where is corn and wine? when they swooned as the wounded in the streets of the city, when their soul was poured out into their mothers’ bosom.

13What thing shall I take to witness for thee? what thing shall I liken to thee, O daughter of Jerusalem? what shall I equal to thee, that I may comfort thee, O virgin daughter of Zion? for thy breach is great like the sea: who can heal thee?

14Thy prophets have seen vain and foolish things for thee: and they have not discovered thine iniquity, to turn away thy captivity; but have seen for thee false burdens and causes of banishment.

15All that pass by clap their hands at thee; they hiss and wag their head at the daughter of Jerusalem, saying, Is this the city that men call The perfection of beauty, The joy of the whole earth?footnote g

16All thine enemies have opened their mouth against thee: they hiss and gnash the teeth: they say, We have swallowed her up: certainly this is the day that we looked for; we have found, we have seen it.

17The LORD hath done that which he had devised; he hath fulfilled his word that he had commanded in the days of old: he hath thrown down, and hath not pitied: and he hath caused thine enemy to rejoice over thee, he hath set up the horn of thine adversaries.

18Their heart cried unto the Lord, O wall of the daughter of Zion, let tears run down like a river day and night: give thyself no rest; let not the apple of thine eye cease.

19Arise, cry out in the night: in the beginning of the watches pour out thine heart like water before the face of the Lord: lift up thy hands toward him for the life of thy young children, that faint for hunger in the top of every street.

20Behold, O LORD, and consider to whom thou hast done this. Shall the women eat their fruit, and children of a span long? shall the priest and the prophet be slain in the sanctuary of the Lord?footnote h

21The young and the old lie on the ground in the streets: my virgins and my young men are fallen by the sword; thou hast slain them in the day of thine anger; thou hast killed, and not pitied.

22Thou hast called as in a solemn day my terrors round about, so that in the day of the LORD’s anger none escaped nor remained: those that I have swaddled and brought up hath mine enemy consumed.

God’s Anger over Jerusalem

1Howfootnote athe Lord has covered the Daughter of Zionwith the cloud of His anger!He has cast the glory of Israelfrom heaven to earth.He has abandoned His footstoolin the day of His anger.

2Without pity the Lord has swallowed upall the dwellings of Jacob.In His wrath He has demolishedthe fortified cities of the Daughter of Judah.He brought to the ground and defiledher kingdom and its princes.

3In fierce anger He has cut offevery hornfootnote bof Israeland withdrawn His right handat the approach of the enemy.He has burned in Jacob like a flaming firethat consumes everything around it.

4He has bent His bow like an enemy;His right hand is positioned.Like a foe He has killedall who were pleasing to the eye;He has poured out His wrath like fireon the tent of the Daughter of Zion.

5The Lord is like an enemy;He has swallowed up Israel.He has swallowed up all her palacesand destroyed her strongholds.He has multiplied mourning and lamentationfor the Daughter of Judah.

6He has laid waste His tabernacle like a garden booth;He has destroyed His place of meeting.The LORD has made Zion forgether appointed feasts and Sabbaths.In His fierce angerHe has despised both king and priest.

7The Lord has rejected His altar;He has abandoned His sanctuary;He has delivered the walls of her palacesinto the hand of the enemy.They have raised a shout in the house of the LORDas on the day of an appointed feast.

8The LORD determined to destroythe wall of the Daughter of Zion.He stretched out a measuring lineand did not withdraw His hand from destroying.He made the ramparts and walls lament;together they waste away.

9Her gates have sunk into the ground;He has destroyed and shattered their bars.Her king and her princes are exiled among the nations,the law is no more,and even her prophetsfind no vision from the LORD.

10The elders of the Daughter of Zionsit on the ground in silence.They have thrown dust on their headsand put on sackcloth.The young women of Jerusalemhave bowed their heads to the ground.

11My eyes fail from weeping;I am churning within.My heart is poured out in griefover the destruction of the daughter of my people,because children and infants faintin the streets of the city.

12They cry out to their mothers:“Where is the grain and wine?”as they faint like the woundedin the streets of the city,as their lives fade awayin the arms of their mothers.

13What can I say for you?To what can I compare you,O Daughter of Jerusalem?To what can I liken you,that I may console you,O Virgin Daughter of Zion?For your wound is as deep as the sea.Who can ever heal you?

14The visions of your prophetswere empty and deceptive;they did not expose your guiltto ward off your captivity.The burdens they envisioned for youwere empty and misleading.

15All who pass byclap their hands at you in scorn.They hiss and shake their headsat the Daughter of Jerusalem:“Is this the city that was calledthe perfection of beauty,the joy of all the earth?”

16All your enemiesopen their mouths against you.They hiss and gnash their teeth,saying, “We have swallowed her up.This is the day for which we have waited.We have lived to see it!”

17The LORD has done what He planned;He has accomplished His decree,which He ordained in days of old;He has overthrown you without pity.He has let the enemy gloat over youand exalted the hornfootnote cof your foes.

18The hearts of the peoplecry out to the Lord.footnote dO wall of the Daughter of Zion,let your tears run down like a riverday and night.Give yourself no relief,and your eyes no rest.

19Arise, cry out in the nightfrom the first watch of the night.footnote ePour out your heart like waterin the presence of the Lord.Lift up your hands to Himfor the lives of your childrenwho are fainting from hungeron the corner of every street.

20Look, O LORD, and consider:Whom have You ever treated like this?Should women eat their offspring,the infants they have nurtured?Should priests and prophets be killedin the sanctuary of the Lord?

21Both young and old lie togetherin the dust of the streets.My young men and maidenshave fallen by the sword.You have slain them in the day of Your anger;You have slaughtered them without compassion.

22You summoned my terrors on every side,as for the day of an appointed feast.In the day of the LORD’s angerno one escaped or survived;my enemy has destroyedthose I nurtured and reared.