Lamentations 2

He Has Become Like an Enemy to His Own City

← Lamentations 1  ·  Lamentations: all chapters  ·  Lamentations 3 →

How the Lord Has Darkened Daughter Zion

2:1How the Lord has darkened Daughter Zion in His anger!
He hurled Israel’s glory from heaven to earth
and did not remember His footstool on the day of His anger.

2:2The Lord drowned without sparing all Jacob’s beautiful things.
In His fury He brought down Daughter Judah’s strongholds;
He pressed them to the earth and profaned her king and her rulers.

2:3In His furious anger He broke every horn of Israel.
He turned back His right hand before the enemy
and kindled a flame in Jacob like fire, consuming everything around.

2:4He drew His bow like an enemy and made His right hand firm like an opponent.
He killed everything desired by my eyes in Daughter Zion’s tent;
He poured out His fury like fire.

2:5The Lord became like an enemy; He drowned Israel.
He drowned all her citadels and destroyed his strongholds;
He multiplied humiliation and abasement for Daughter Judah.

2:6He spread out His dwelling like a vine and destroyed His festival.
The Lord forgot what He had made in Zion of festival and Sabbath;
in His angry indignation He provoked king, priest and ruler.

2:7The Lord rejected His altar and shook off His sanctuary.
He shattered the wall of her citadels in the enemy’s hand.
They raised a shout in the Lord’s house as on a festival day.

2:8The Lord turned to destroy Daughter Zion’s wall.
He stretched out a measure; He did not withdraw His hand from trampling.
The outer defense mourned, and the wall weakened together with it.

2:9Her gates were fixed in the earth; He destroyed and broke her bars.
Her king and her rulers are among the nations.
There is no law; even her prophets saw no vision from the Lord.

2:10Daughter Zion’s elders sat on the ground in silence.
They put dust on their heads and girded themselves with sackcloth.
They brought the leading virgins in Jerusalem down to the ground.

My Eyes Failed with Tears

2:11My eyes failed with tears; my heart was troubled.
My glory was poured onto the ground at the shattering of the daughter of my people,
as infant and nursing child failed in the city’s squares.

2:12They said to their mothers, Where are grain and wine?
They weakened like the wounded in the city’s squares,
and their lives poured out into their mothers’ bosoms.

2:13What can I testify to you, or what can I liken to you, Daughter Jerusalem?
Who will save you and comfort you, virgin Daughter Zion?
For the cup of your crushing has grown great; who will heal you?

2:14Your prophets saw futile things and folly for you.
They did not uncover your injustice to turn back your captivity;
they saw for you futile pronouncements and expulsions.

2:15All who pass along the road clapped their hands at you.
They hissed and shook their heads at Daughter Jerusalem:
Is this the city they will call a crown of glory, the gladness of all the earth?

2:16All your enemies opened their mouths against you.
They hissed and gnashed their teeth; they said, We have swallowed her!
Indeed, this is the day we expected; we found it, we saw it!

2:17The Lord did what He intended; He fulfilled His words,
which He commanded from ancient days. He brought down without sparing;
He made the enemy rejoice over you and exalted your oppressor’s horn.

2:18Their heart cried to the Lord:
Walls of Zion, bring down tears like torrents day and night!
Give yourself no sobering pause; daughter, may your eye not fall silent.

2:19Rise, exult in the night at the beginning of your watch!
Pour out your heart like water before the Lord.
Lift your hands to Him for the lives of your infants,
who weaken with hunger at the head of every way out.

See, Lord, and Look

2:20See, Lord, and look: whom have You gleaned in this way?
Will women eat the fruit of their womb?
A butcher made a gleaning; will infants nursing at breasts be murdered?
Will You kill priest and prophet in the Lord’s sanctuary?

2:21Child and elder lay at the way out.
My virgins and my young men went into captivity.
With sword and famine You killed; on the day of Your anger You slaughtered without sparing.

2:22He called a festival day of my sojourning from all around.
On the day of the Lord’s anger there was neither one rescued nor one left,
as I prevailed and multiplied all my enemies.

← Lamentations 1  ·  Lamentations: all chapters  ·  Lamentations 3 →

Saints Translation · Liturgical reading edition · V1 · working draft awaiting specialist review.