HelpFinder Bible - Flipbook - Page 1092
LA MEN TAT I O N S 2
page 722
In the streets the sword kills,
and at home there is only death.
“O Lord, look,” she mourns,
“and see how I am despised.
12
“Does it mean nothing to you, all you
who pass by?
Look around and see if there is any
suffering like mine,
which the Lord brought on me
when he erupted in fierce anger.
13
“He has sent fire from heaven that burns
in my bones.
He has placed a trap in my path and
turned me back.
He has left me devastated,
racked with sickness all day long.
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15
16
17
18
19
20
“He wove my sins into ropes
to hitch me to a yoke of captivity.
The Lord sapped my strength and turned
me over to my enemies;
I am helpless in their hands.
“The Lord has treated my mighty men
with contempt.
At his command a great army has come
to crush my young warriors.
The Lord has trampled his beloved city*
like grapes are trampled in a winepress.
“For all these things I weep;
tears flow down my cheeks.
No one is here to comfort me;
any who might encourage me are far
away.
My children have no future,
for the enemy has conquered us.”
Jerusalem reaches out for help,
but no one comforts her.
Regarding his people Israel,*
the Lord has said,
“Let their neighbors be their enemies!
Let them be thrown away like a
filthy rag!”
“The Lord is right,” Jerusalem says,
“for I rebelled against him.
Listen, people everywhere;
look upon my anguish and despair,
for my sons and daughters
have been taken captive to distant
lands.
“I begged my allies for help,
but they betrayed me.
My priests and leaders
starved to death in the city,
even as they searched for food
to save their lives.
“Lord, see my anguish!
My heart is broken
and my soul despairs,
for I have rebelled against you.
21
“Others heard my groans,
but no one turned to comfort me.
When my enemies heard about my troubles,
they were happy to see what you had
done.
Oh, bring the day you promised,
when they will suffer as I have suffered.
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“Look at all their evil deeds, Lord.
Punish them,
as you have punished me
for all my sins.
My groans are many,
and I am sick at heart.”
God’s Anger at Sin
1 The Lord in his anger
has cast a dark shadow over beautiful
Jerusalem.*
The fairest of Israel’s cities lies in the dust,
thrown down from the heights of heaven.
In his day of great anger,
the Lord has shown no mercy even to his
Temple.*
2
2
Without mercy the Lord has destroyed
every home in Israel.*
In his anger he has broken down
the fortress walls of beautiful Jerusalem.*
He has brought them to the ground,
dishonoring the kingdom and its rulers.
3
All the strength of Israel
vanishes beneath his fierce anger.
The Lord has withdrawn his protection
as the enemy attacks.
He consumes the whole land of Israel
like a raging fire.
4
He bends his bow against his people,
as though he were their enemy.
His strength is used against them
to kill their finest youth.
His fury is poured out like fire
on beautiful Jerusalem.*
5
Yes, the Lord has vanquished Israel
like an enemy.
He has destroyed her palaces
and demolished her fortresses.
He has brought unending sorrow and tears
upon beautiful Jerusalem.
6
He has broken down his Temple
as though it were merely a garden shelter.
The Lord has blotted out all memory
1:15 Hebrew the virgin daughter of Judah. 1:17 Hebrew
Jacob. The names “Jacob” and “Israel” are often interchanged
throughout the Old Testament, referring sometimes to
the individual patriarch and sometimes to the nation.
2:1a Hebrew the daughter of Zion; also in 2:8, 10, 18.
2:1b Hebrew his footstool. 2:2a Hebrew Jacob; also in 2:3b.
See note on 1:17. 2:2b Hebrew the daughter of Judah; also
in 2:5. 2:4 Hebrew on the tent of the daughter of Zion.