Lamentations 2

ThomsonO HOW the Lord hath in His wrath covered with darkness the daughter of Sion! He hath cast down, from heaven, upon the earth, the glory of Israel; and hath not remembered His own footstool.

BrentonAleph. How has the Lord darkened in his wrath the daughter of Sion! he has cast down the glory of Israel from heaven to earth, and has not remembered his footstool.

ThomsonIn the day of His indignation the Lord overwhelmed and did not spare; in His wrath He destroyed all the comeliness of Jacob: He levelled to the ground the strong holds of the daughter of Juda. He brought contempt on her king, and her chiefs.

BrentonBeth. In the day of his wrath the Lord has overwhelmed her as in the sea, and not spared: he has brought down in his fury all the beautiful things of Jacob; he has brought down to the ground the strong-holds of the daughter of Juda: he has profaned her king and her princes.

ThomsonIn His fierce anger He broke the whole horn of Israel: He turned back His right hand from before His enemy: He kindled in Jacob a flaming fire, which devoured all around.

BrentonGimel. He has broken in his fierce anger all the horn of Israel: he has turned back his right hand from the face of the enemy, and has kindled a flame in Jacob as fire, and it has devoured all things round about.

ThomsonHe bent His bow like an opposing enemy—like an adversary He strengthened His right hand and slew all the desires of mine eyes. In the tent of the daughter of Sion He poured out His wrath like fire.

BrentonDaleth. He has bent his bow as an opposing enemy: he has strengthened his right hand as an adversary, and has destroyed all the desirable things of my eyes in the tabernacle of the daughter of Sion: he has poured forth his anger as fire.

ThomsonThe Lord became like an enemy. He overwhelmed Israel. He sunk her palaces. He destroyed His own munitions, and multiplied on the daughter of Juda humiliation on humiliation.

BrentonHe. The Lord is become as an enemy: he has overwhelmed Israel as in the sea, he has overwhelmed her palaces: he has destroyed his strong-holds, and has multiplied the afflicted and humbled ones to the daughter of Juda.

ThomsonHe laid open like a vineyard His own dwelling; He marred His own festivals. The Lord forgot the festivals and sabbaths which He had established in Sion, and by the rebuke of His anger vexed king and priest and chief.

BrentonVau. And he has scattered his tabernacle as a vine, he has marred his feast: the Lord has forgotten the feast and the sabbath which he appointed in Sion, and in the fury of his wrath has vexed the king, and priest, and prince.

ThomsonThe Lord hath cast off His altar; He hath shaken off His sanctuary. With the hand of an enemy He hath demolished the wall of her palaces. They uttered a shout in the house of the Lord as on the day of a festival.

BrentonZain. The Lord has rejected his altar, he has cast off his sanctuary, he has broken by the hand of the enemy the wall of her palaces; they have uttered their voice in the house of the Lord as on a feast day.

ThomsonHe turned back to destroy the wall of the daughter of Sion; He stretched out a measuring line: He withdrew not His hand from destruction; so the outer wall mourned and the inner wall languished with it.

BrentonHeth. And he has turned to destroy the wall of the daughter of Zion: he has stretched out the measuring line, he has not turned back his hand from afflicting her: therefore the bulwark mourned, and the wall was weakened with it.

ThomsonHer gates were dashed to the ground: He destroyed and broke to pieces her bars, her king and her chiefs among the nations. Law is no more; and her prophets saw not a vision from the Lord.

BrentonTeth. Her gates are sunk into the ground: he has destroyed and broken to pieces her bars, and her king and her prince among the Gentiles: there is no law, nay, her prophets have seen no vision from the Lord.

ThomsonThe elders of the daughter of Sion sat on the ground. They were silent. They heaped dust on their heads; they girded themselves with sackcloth. He humbled to the ground the virgin princesses in Jerusalem.

BrentonJod. The elders of the daughter of Sion have sat upon the ground, they have kept silence: they have cast up dust upon their heads; they have girded themselves with sackcloths: they have brought down to the ground the chief virgins in Jerusalem.

ThomsonMine eyes failed with tears; my heart was astounded. My glory was poured on the ground for the distress of the daughter of my people when the infant and suckling expired in the streets of the city.

BrentonChaph. Mine eyes have failed with tears, my heart is troubled, my glory is cast down to the ground, for the destruction of the daughter of my people; while the infant and suckling swoon in the streets of the city.

ThomsonTo their mothers they said, Where is corn and wine, when they were fainting like wounded men in the streets of the city—when they were pouring out their souls in their mothers’ bosom.

BrentonLamed. They said to their mothers, Where is corn and wine? while they fainted like wounded men in the streets of the city, while their souls were poured out into their mother's bosom.

ThomsonWhat shall I take to witness for thee? Or to what shall I liken thee, O daughter of Jerusalem? Who can save and comfort thee, O virgin daughter of Sion? Because thy cup of ruin hath been large, who can heal thee?

BrentonMem. What shall I testify to thee, or what shall I compare to thee, O daughter of Jerusalem? who shall save and comfort thee, O virgin daughter of Sion? for the cup of thy destruction is enlarged: who shall heal thee?

ThomsonThy prophets saw vanities and follies for thee; they made no revelations against thine iniquity to turn away thy captivity, but saw for thee false burdens and expellings.

BrentonNun. Thy prophets have seen for thee vanities and folly: and they have not discovered thine iniquity, to turn back thy captivity; but they have seen for thee vain burdens, and worthless visions.

ThomsonAll that passed by clapped their hands for thee, they expressed the sound of pity and shaked their heads for the daughter of Jerusalem. Is this, say they, the city, the crown of joy of the whole earth!

BrentonSamech. All that go by the way have clapped their hands at thee; they have hissed and shaken their head at the daughter of Jerusalem. Is this the city, they say, the crown of joy of all the earth?

ThomsonAgainst thee all thine enemies opened their mouth; they hissed and gnashed their teeth and said, We have swallowed her up; but this is the day we looked for; we have found it; we have seen it.

BrentonAin. All thine enemies have opened their mouth against thee: they have hissed and gnashed their teeth, and said, We have swallowed her up: moreover this is the day which we looked for; we have found it, we have seen it.

ThomsonThe Lord hath done what He purposed. He hath executed His decree, what He enjoined in days of old. He hath destroyed and hath not spared. He hath caused an enemy to rejoice over thee. He hath exalted the horn of thy oppressor.

BrentonPhe. The Lord has done that which he purposed; he has accomplished his word, even the things which he commanded from the ancient days: he has thrown down, and has not spared: and he has caused the enemy to rejoice over thee, he has exalted the horn of him that afflicted thee.

ThomsonTheir heart cried to the Lord: O walls of Sion, cause tears to flow down like a torrent day and night! Give thyself no rest; let not the daughter of thine eyes be silent.

BrentonTsade. Their heart cried to the Lord, Ye walls of Sion, pour down tears like torrents day and night: give thyself no rest; let not the apple of thine eyes cease.

ThomsonArise, chant praise in the night at setting thy watch. Pour out thy heart like water before the Lord; lift up thy hands to Him for the life of thine infants who are perishing with hunger at the head of every street.

BrentonKoph. Arise, rejoice in the night at the beginning of thy watch: pour out thy heart as water before the face of the Lord: lift up thy hands to him for the life of thine infants, who faint for hunger at the top of all the streets.

ThomsonLook, O Lord, and see. For whom hast Thou caused such a search to be made? Shall women eat the fruit of their womb! The cook hath made search! Shall infants at the breast be butchered? Wilt Thou slay priest and prophet in the sanctuary of the Lord?

BrentonRhechs. Behold, O Lord, and see for whom thou hast gathered thus. Shall the women eat the fruit of their womb? the cook has made a gathering: shall the infants sucking at the breasts be slain? wilt thou slay the priest and prophet in the sanctuary of the Lord?

ThomsonOn the high way lie the youth and the elder. My virgins and my young men are gone into captivity; with sword and with famine thou hast slain; in the day of Thine anger Thou hast slaughtered and hast not spared.

BrentonChsen. The child and old man have lain down in the street: my virgins and my young men are gone into captivity: thou hast slain them with the sword and with famine; in the day of thy wrath thou hast mangled them, thou hast not spared.

ThomsonHe called my sojourners from all around to a solemn festival, so that in the day of the indignation of the Lord none escaped or were left. As I excelled in power so have I multiplied all mine enemies.

BrentonThau. He has called my sojourners round about to a solemn day, and there was not in the day of the wrath of the Lord any one that escaped or was left; whereas I have strengthened and multiplied all mine enemies.