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Lamentations

Poems mourning the fall of Jerusalem and expressing hope in God's mercy. ... click to read full summary of this book.

Chapter 2

How 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!

How has the LORD covered Jerusalem in his anger with a cloud and sent down from heaven to earth the beauty of Israel, forgetting his footstool on the day of his anger.

The 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.

The Lord has destroyed all of Jacob's homes and hasn't shown mercy. In anger, He knocked down the fortresses of Judah's daughter. He brought them crashing down and tainted the kingdom along with its leaders.

He 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.

In his intense anger, he has eliminated all of Israel's strength. He pulled back his right hand, leaving Israel vulnerable to its enemies, and he burned against them like a fiery blaze that destroys everything around it.

He 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.

He has bent his bow like an enemy, standing with his right hand like a foe. He killed everyone who was lovely in the tent of the daughter of Zion and poured out his anger like fire.

The 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.

The LORD seemed like a foe: he took away Israel, devouring all its grand places; he demolished its fortresses, causing more sorrow and wailing for the people of Judah.

And 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.

He forcefully took away his temporary home, like it was from a garden. He destroyed the places where people gathered. God made the special celebrations and rest days forgotten in Zion, and in his anger, he disregarded the king and the priest.

The 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.

The Lord has rejected his altar and dislikes his holy place. He has handed over the walls of her grand buildings to the enemy. People are making loud noises inside the Lord's house, just like during an important celebration.

The 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.

God has decided to demolish Zion's city wall. He has drawn a line, but hasn't stopped destroying. That's why the fortification and wall are sad and weak. They're hurting together.

Her 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.

Her gates are lowered to the ground; he has destroyed her locks: her leader and important people are with other nations: there's no law; her prophets can't get messages from God.

The 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.

The older people in Jerusalem are sitting quietly on the ground and not talking. They've put dust on their heads and wrapped themselves in rough cloth called sackcloth. The young girls in Jerusalem are also bowing their heads, keeping quiet and showing sadness.

Mine 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.

My eyes fill up with tears, my stomach hurts, and my liver is spilling blood on the ground. This is all happening because of the damage done to my people. Little kids and babies are fainting in the city's streets.

They 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.

They ask their moms, "Where's corn and wine?" when they faint like hurt people on city streets, feeling emotionally drained and leaning on their moms for comfort.

What 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?

What should I use as a witness for you? What can I compare you to, daughter of Jerusalem? What can I use to comfort you, virgin daughter of Zion? Your destruction is huge like the ocean. Who can heal you?

Thy 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.

Your prophets saw pointless and silly things for you and didn't find your wrongdoing to help free your captives. Instead, they saw fake rules and reasons for exile for you.

All 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?

Everyone who walks by claps for you. They shake their heads and gesture at the daughter of Jerusalem, asking, "Is this the city known as the peak of beauty and happiness for all the world?"

All 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.

Your enemies are attacking you with words. They're showing their teeth in anger and saying they've defeated you. They believe today is the day they've waited for, as they've finally achieved their goal.

The 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.

The Lord has done what he planned; he has fulfilled his promise from long ago. He didn't show mercy and has made your enemies happy. He has raised up your opponents' power against you.

Their 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.

Their hearts called out to God. Oh, city wall of Jerusalem, let your tears flow nonstop like a river. Don't stop crying out; don't let your precious eyes stop pleading.

Arise, 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.

Get up and shout at night: early in the watch, pour out your feelings like water in front of God. Raise your hands towards Him to help your little kids, who are weak from hunger on every street corner.

Behold, 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?

Look, Lord, and see who you have done this to. Will the women and very young children eat the consequences? Will the priests and prophets be killed inside the Lord's holy place?

The 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.

Young and old people lie on the ground in the streets. My pure girls and young guys were killed with swords. You did this during your angry time and didn't feel sorry.

Thou 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.

You have gathered all my fears like on a special day, making it impossible for anyone to escape or stay during the Lord's angry day. My enemy has destroyed those I lovingly cared for and raised.

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