Lamentations 2:7-22
The Lord deserted his altar.
He left his temple.
He gave the walls of Jerusalem’s palaces
into the hands of her enemies.
They shouted loudly in the house of the Lord.
You would have thought it was the day
of an appointed feast.
The Lord decided to tear down
the walls around the city of Zion.
He measured out what he wanted to destroy.
Then he destroyed Jerusalem by his power.
He made even her towers and walls sing songs of sadness.
All of them fell down.
Her gates sank down into the ground.
He broke the metal bars that locked her gates, and he destroyed them.
Her king and princes were taken away to other nations.
There is no law anymore.
Jerusalem’s prophets no longer receive
visions from the Lord.
The elders of the city of Zion
sit silently on the ground.
They have sprinkled dust on their heads.
They’ve put on the clothes of sadness.
The young women of Jerusalem
have bowed their heads toward the ground.
I’ve cried so much I can’t see very well.
I’m suffering deep down inside.
My heart is broken
because my people are destroyed.
Children and babies are fainting
in the streets of the city.
They say to their mothers,
“Where can we find something to eat and drink?”
They faint like wounded soldiers
in the streets of the city.
Their lives are slipping away
in their mothers’ arms.
City of Jerusalem, what can I say about you?
What can I compare you to?
People of Zion, what are you like?
I want to comfort you.
Your wound is as deep as the ocean.
Who can heal you?
The visions of your prophets were lies.
They weren’t worth anything.
They didn’t show you the sins you had committed.
So that’s why you were captured.
The messages they gave you were lies.
They led you astray.
All those who pass by
clap their hands and make fun of you.
They laugh at you and shake their heads
at the city of Jerusalem.
They say, “Could that be the city
that was called perfect and beautiful?
Is that the city that brought joy to everyone on earth?”
All your enemies open their mouths
wide against you.
They laugh at you and grind their teeth.
They say, “We have swallowed up Jerusalem’s people.
This is the day we’ve waited for.
And we’ve lived to see it.”
The Lord has done what he planned to do.
He has made what he said come true.
He gave the command long ago.
He has destroyed you without pity.
He has let your enemies laugh at you.
He has made them stronger than you are.
People in the city of Zion,
cry out from your heart to the Lord.
Let your tears flow like a river
day and night.
Don’t stop at all.
Don’t give your eyes any rest.
Get up. Cry out as the night begins.
Tell the Lord all your troubles.
Lift up your hands to him.
Pray that the lives of your children will be spared.
At every street corner they faint
because they are so hungry.
Jerusalem says, “Lord, look at me.
Think about my condition.
Have you ever treated anyone else like this?
Should women have to eat their babies?
Should they eat the children they’ve taken care of?
Should priests and prophets be killed
in your own temple?
“Young people and old people alike
lie dead in the dust of my streets.
My young men and women
have been killed by swords.
You killed them when you were angry.
You put them to death without pity.
“You sent for terrors to come against me on every side.
It was as if you were inviting people to enjoy a feast day.
Because you were angry, no one escaped.
No one was left alive.
I took good care of my children and brought them up.
But my enemies have destroyed them.”
Lamentations 3:1-39
I am a man who has suffered greatly.
The Lord has used the Babylonians
to punish my people.
He has driven me away. He has made me walk
in darkness instead of light.
He has turned his powerful hand against me.
He has done it again and again, all day long.
He has worn out my body.
He has broken my bones.
He has surrounded me and attacked me.
He has made me suffer bitterly.
He has made things hard for me.
He has made me live in darkness
like those who are dead and gone.
He has built walls around me, so I can’t escape.
He has put heavy chains on me.
I call out and cry for help.
But he won’t listen to me when I pray.
He has put up a stone wall to block my way.
He has made my paths crooked.
He has been like a bear waiting to attack me.
He has been like a lion hiding in the bushes.
He has dragged me off the path.
He has torn me to pieces.
And he has left me helpless.
He has gotten his bow ready to use.
He has shot his arrows at me.
The arrows from his bag
have gone through my heart.
My people laugh at me all the time.
They sing and make fun of me all day long.
The Lord has made my life bitter.
He has made me suffer bitterly.
He made me chew stones that broke my teeth.
He has walked all over me in the dust.
I have lost all hope of ever having any peace.
I’ve forgotten what good times are like.
So I say, “My glory has faded away.
My hope in the Lord is gone.”
I remember how I suffered and wandered.
I remember how bitter my life was.
I remember it very well.
My spirit is very sad deep down inside me.
But here is something else I remember.
And it gives me hope.
The Lord loves us very much.
So we haven’t been completely destroyed.
His loving concern never fails.
His great love is new every morning.
Lord, how faithful you are!
I say to myself, “The Lord is everything I will ever need.
So I will put my hope in him.”
The Lord is good to those who put their hope in him.
He is good to those who look to him.
It is good when people wait quietly
for the Lord to save them.
It is good for a man to carry a heavy load of suffering
while he is young.
Let him sit alone and not say anything.
The Lord has placed that load on him.
Let him bury his face in the dust.
There might still be hope for him.
Let him turn his cheek toward those who would slap him.
Let him be filled with shame.
The Lord doesn’t turn his back
on people forever.
He might bring suffering.
But he will also show loving concern.
How great his faithful love is!
He doesn’t want to bring pain
or suffering to anyone.
Every time people crush prisoners under their feet,
the Lord knows all about it.
When people refuse to give someone what they should,
the Most High God knows it.
When people don’t treat someone fairly,
the Lord knows it.
Suppose people order something to happen.
It won’t happen unless the Lord has planned it.
Troubles and good things alike come to people
because the Most High God has commanded them to come.
A person who is still alive shouldn’t blame God
when God punishes them for their sins.
