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Lamentaciones 2-4
Reina-Valera 1960
Lamentaciones 2-4
Reina-Valera 1960
Las tristezas de Sion vienen de Jehová
2 ¡Cómo oscureció el Señor en su furor a la hija de Sion!
Derribó del cielo a la tierra la hermosura de Israel,
Y no se acordó del estrado de sus pies en el día de su furor.
2 Destruyó el Señor, y no perdonó;
Destruyó en su furor todas las tiendas de Jacob;
Echó por tierra las fortalezas de la hija de Judá,
Humilló al reino y a sus príncipes.
3 Cortó con el ardor de su ira todo el poderío de Israel;
Retiró de él su diestra frente al enemigo,
Y se encendió en Jacob como llama de fuego que ha devorado alrededor.
4 Entesó su arco como enemigo, afirmó su mano derecha como adversario,
Y destruyó cuanto era hermoso.
En la tienda de la hija de Sion derramó como fuego su enojo.
5 El Señor llegó a ser como enemigo, destruyó a Israel;
Destruyó todos sus palacios, derribó sus fortalezas,
Y multiplicó en la hija de Judá la tristeza y el lamento.
6 Quitó su tienda como enramada de huerto;
Destruyó el lugar en donde se congregaban;
Jehová ha hecho olvidar las fiestas solemnes y los días de reposo[a] en Sion,
Y en el ardor de su ira ha desechado al rey y al sacerdote.
7 Desechó el Señor su altar, menospreció su santuario;
Ha entregado en mano del enemigo los muros de sus palacios;
Hicieron resonar su voz en la casa de Jehová como en día de fiesta.
8 Jehová determinó destruir el muro de la hija de Sion;
Extendió el cordel, no retrajo su mano de la destrucción;
Hizo, pues, que se lamentara el antemuro y el muro; fueron desolados juntamente.
9 Sus puertas fueron echadas por tierra, destruyó y quebrantó sus cerrojos;
Su rey y sus príncipes están entre las naciones donde no hay ley;
Sus profetas tampoco hallaron visión de Jehová.
10 Se sentaron en tierra, callaron los ancianos de la hija de Sion;
Echaron polvo sobre sus cabezas, se ciñeron de cilicio;
Las vírgenes de Jerusalén bajaron sus cabezas a tierra.
11 Mis ojos desfallecieron de lágrimas, se conmovieron mis entrañas,
Mi hígado se derramó por tierra a causa del quebrantamiento de la hija de mi pueblo,
Cuando desfallecía el niño y el que mamaba, en las plazas de la ciudad.
12 Decían a sus madres: ¿Dónde está el trigo y el vino?
Desfallecían como heridos en las calles de la ciudad,
Derramando sus almas en el regazo de sus madres.
13 ¿Qué testigo te traeré, o a quién te haré semejante, hija de Jerusalén?
¿A quién te compararé para consolarte, oh virgen hija de Sion?
Porque grande como el mar es tu quebrantamiento; ¿quién te sanará?
14 Tus profetas vieron para ti vanidad y locura;
Y no descubrieron tu pecado para impedir tu cautiverio,
Sino que te predicaron vanas profecías y extravíos.
15 Todos los que pasaban por el camino batieron las manos sobre ti;
Silbaron, y movieron despectivamente sus cabezas sobre la hija de Jerusalén, diciendo:
¿Es esta la ciudad que decían de perfecta hermosura, el gozo de toda la tierra?
16 Todos tus enemigos abrieron contra ti su boca;
Se burlaron, y crujieron los dientes; dijeron: Devorémosla;
Ciertamente este es el día que esperábamos; lo hemos hallado, lo hemos visto.
17 Jehová ha hecho lo que tenía determinado;
Ha cumplido su palabra, la cual él había mandado desde tiempo antiguo.
Destruyó, y no perdonó;
Y ha hecho que el enemigo se alegre sobre ti,
Y enalteció el poder de tus adversarios.
18 El corazón de ellos clamaba al Señor;
Oh hija de Sion, echa lágrimas cual arroyo día y noche;
No descanses, ni cesen las niñas de tus ojos.
19 Levántate, da voces en la noche, al comenzar las vigilias;
Derrama como agua tu corazón ante la presencia del Señor;
Alza tus manos a él implorando la vida de tus pequeñitos,
Que desfallecen de hambre en las entradas de todas las calles.
20 Mira, oh Jehová, y considera a quién has hecho así.
¿Han de comer las mujeres el fruto de sus entrañas, los pequeñitos a su tierno cuidado?
¿Han de ser muertos en el santuario del Señor el sacerdote y el profeta?
21 Niños y viejos yacían por tierra en las calles;
Mis vírgenes y mis jóvenes cayeron a espada;
Mataste en el día de tu furor; degollaste, no perdonaste.
22 Has convocado de todas partes mis temores, como en un día de solemnidad;
Y en el día del furor de Jehová no hubo quien escapase ni quedase vivo;
Los que crie y mantuve, mi enemigo los acabó.
Esperanza de liberación por la misericordia de Dios
3 Yo soy el hombre que ha visto aflicción bajo el látigo de su enojo.
2 Me guio y me llevó en tinieblas, y no en luz;
3 Ciertamente contra mí volvió y revolvió su mano todo el día.
4 Hizo envejecer mi carne y mi piel; quebrantó mis huesos;
5 Edificó baluartes contra mí, y me rodeó de amargura y de trabajo.
6 Me dejó en oscuridad, como los ya muertos de mucho tiempo.
7 Me cercó por todos lados, y no puedo salir; ha hecho más pesadas mis cadenas;
8 Aun cuando clamé y di voces, cerró los oídos a mi oración;
9 Cercó mis caminos con piedra labrada, torció mis senderos.
10 Fue para mí como oso que acecha, como león en escondrijos;
11 Torció mis caminos, y me despedazó; me dejó desolado.
12 Entesó su arco, y me puso como blanco para la saeta.
13 Hizo entrar en mis entrañas las saetas de su aljaba.
14 Fui escarnio a todo mi pueblo, burla de ellos todos los días;
15 Me llenó de amarguras, me embriagó de ajenjos.
16 Mis dientes quebró con cascajo, me cubrió de ceniza;
17 Y mi alma se alejó de la paz, me olvidé del bien,
18 Y dije: Perecieron mis fuerzas, y mi esperanza en Jehová.
19 Acuérdate de mi aflicción y de mi abatimiento, del ajenjo y de la hiel;
20 Lo tendré aún en memoria, porque mi alma está abatida dentro de mí;
21 Esto recapacitaré en mi corazón, por lo tanto esperaré.
22 Por la misericordia de Jehová no hemos sido consumidos, porque nunca decayeron sus misericordias.
23 Nuevas son cada mañana; grande es tu fidelidad.
24 Mi porción es Jehová, dijo mi alma; por tanto, en él esperaré.
25 Bueno es Jehová a los que en él esperan, al alma que le busca.
26 Bueno es esperar en silencio la salvación de Jehová.
27 Bueno le es al hombre llevar el yugo desde su juventud.
28 Que se siente solo y calle, porque es Dios quien se lo impuso;
29 Ponga su boca en el polvo, por si aún hay esperanza;
30 Dé la mejilla al que le hiere, y sea colmado de afrentas.
31 Porque el Señor no desecha para siempre;
32 Antes si aflige, también se compadece según la multitud de sus misericordias;
33 Porque no aflige ni entristece voluntariamente a los hijos de los hombres.
34 Desmenuzar bajo los pies a todos los encarcelados de la tierra,
35 Torcer el derecho del hombre delante de la presencia del Altísimo,
36 Trastornar al hombre en su causa, el Señor no lo aprueba.
37 ¿Quién será aquel que diga que sucedió algo que el Señor no mandó?
38 ¿De la boca del Altísimo no sale lo malo y lo bueno?
39 ¿Por qué se lamenta el hombre viviente? Laméntese el hombre en su pecado.
40 Escudriñemos nuestros caminos, y busquemos, y volvámonos a Jehová;
41 Levantemos nuestros corazones y manos a Dios en los cielos;
42 Nosotros nos hemos rebelado, y fuimos desleales; tú no perdonaste.
43 Desplegaste la ira y nos perseguiste; mataste, y no perdonaste;
44 Te cubriste de nube para que no pasase la oración nuestra;
45 Nos volviste en oprobio y abominación en medio de los pueblos.
46 Todos nuestros enemigos abrieron contra nosotros su boca;
47 Temor y lazo fueron para nosotros, asolamiento y quebranto;
48 Ríos de aguas echan mis ojos por el quebrantamiento de la hija de mi pueblo.
49 Mis ojos destilan y no cesan, porque no hay alivio
50 Hasta que Jehová mire y vea desde los cielos;
51 Mis ojos contristaron mi alma por todas las hijas de mi ciudad.
52 Mis enemigos me dieron caza como a ave, sin haber por qué;
53 Ataron mi vida en cisterna, pusieron piedra sobre mí;
54 Aguas cubrieron mi cabeza; yo dije: Muerto soy.
55 Invoqué tu nombre, oh Jehová, desde la cárcel profunda;
56 Oíste mi voz; no escondas tu oído al clamor de mis suspiros.
57 Te acercaste el día que te invoqué; dijiste: No temas.
58 Abogaste, Señor, la causa de mi alma; redimiste mi vida.
59 Tú has visto, oh Jehová, mi agravio; defiende mi causa.
60 Has visto toda su venganza, todos sus pensamientos contra mí.
61 Has oído el oprobio de ellos, oh Jehová, todas sus maquinaciones contra mí;
62 Los dichos de los que contra mí se levantaron, y su designio contra mí todo el día.
63 Su sentarse y su levantarse mira; yo soy su canción.
64 Dales el pago, oh Jehová, según la obra de sus manos.
65 Entrégalos al endurecimiento de corazón; tu maldición caiga sobre ellos.
66 Persíguelos en tu furor, y quebrántalos de debajo de los cielos, oh Jehová.
El castigo de Sion consumado
4 ¡Cómo se ha ennegrecido el oro!
¡Cómo el buen oro ha perdido su brillo!
Las piedras del santuario están esparcidas por las encrucijadas de todas las calles.
2 Los hijos de Sion, preciados y estimados más que el oro puro,
¡Cómo son tenidos por vasijas de barro, obra de manos de alfarero!
3 Aun los chacales dan la teta, y amamantan a sus cachorros;
La hija de mi pueblo es cruel como los avestruces en el desierto.
4 La lengua del niño de pecho se pegó a su paladar por la sed;
Los pequeñuelos pidieron pan, y no hubo quien se lo repartiese.
5 Los que comían delicadamente fueron asolados en las calles;
Los que se criaron entre púrpura se abrazaron a los estercoleros.
6 Porque se aumentó la iniquidad de la hija de mi pueblo más que el pecado de Sodoma,(A)
Que fue destruida en un momento, sin que acamparan contra ella compañías.
7 Sus nobles fueron más puros que la nieve, más blancos que la leche;
Más rubios eran sus cuerpos que el coral, su talle más hermoso que el zafiro.
8 Oscuro más que la negrura es su aspecto; no los conocen por las calles;
Su piel está pegada a sus huesos, seca como un palo.
9 Más dichosos fueron los muertos a espada que los muertos por el hambre;
Porque estos murieron poco a poco por falta de los frutos de la tierra.
10 Las manos de mujeres piadosas cocieron a sus hijos;(B)
Sus propios hijos les sirvieron de comida en el día del quebrantamiento de la hija de mi pueblo.
11 Cumplió Jehová su enojo, derramó el ardor de su ira;
Y encendió en Sion fuego que consumió hasta sus cimientos.
12 Nunca los reyes de la tierra, ni todos los que habitan en el mundo,
Creyeron que el enemigo y el adversario entrara por las puertas de Jerusalén.
13 Es por causa de los pecados de sus profetas, y las maldades de sus sacerdotes,
Quienes derramaron en medio de ella la sangre de los justos.
14 Titubearon como ciegos en las calles, fueron contaminados con sangre,
De modo que no pudiesen tocarse sus vestiduras.
15 ¡Apartaos! ¡Inmundos! les gritaban; ¡Apartaos, apartaos, no toquéis!
Huyeron y fueron dispersados; se dijo entre las naciones:
Nunca más morarán aquí.
16 La ira de Jehová los apartó, no los mirará más;
No respetaron la presencia de los sacerdotes, ni tuvieron compasión de los viejos.
17 Aun han desfallecido nuestros ojos esperando en vano nuestro socorro;
En nuestra esperanza aguardamos a una nación que no puede salvar.
18 Cazaron nuestros pasos, para que no anduviésemos por nuestras calles;
Se acercó nuestro fin, se cumplieron nuestros días; porque llegó nuestro fin.
19 Ligeros fueron nuestros perseguidores más que las águilas del cielo;
Sobre los montes nos persiguieron, en el desierto nos pusieron emboscadas.
20 El aliento de nuestras vidas, el ungido de Jehová,
De quien habíamos dicho: A su sombra tendremos vida entre las naciones, fue apresado en sus lazos.
21 Gózate y alégrate, hija de Edom, la que habitas en tierra de Uz;
Aun hasta ti llegará la copa; te embriagarás, y vomitarás.
22 Se ha cumplido tu castigo, oh hija de Sion;
Nunca más te hará llevar cautiva.
Castigará tu iniquidad, oh hija de Edom;
Descubrirá tus pecados.
Footnotes
- Lamentaciones 2:6 Aquí equivale a sábado.
Lamentations 2-4
New American Standard Bible
Lamentations 2-4
New American Standard Bible
God’s Anger over Israel
2 How the Lord has [a](A)covered the daughter of Zion
With a cloud in His anger!
He has (B)hurled
The (C)glory of Israel from heaven to earth,
And has not remembered His (D)footstool
In the day of His anger.
2 The Lord has [b](E)destroyed; He has not spared
All the settlements of Jacob.
In His wrath He has (F)overthrown
The strongholds of the daughter of Judah,
He has (G)hurled them down to the ground;
He has (H)profaned the kingdom and its leaders.
3 In fierce anger He has cut off
[c]All the (I)strength of Israel;
He has (J)pulled back His right hand
From the enemy.
And He has (K)burned in Jacob like a flaming fire
Consuming on all sides.
4 He has bent His (L)bow like an enemy;
His right hand is positioned like an adversary,
And He has killed everything that was (M)pleasant to the eye.
In the tent of the daughter of Zion
He has (N)poured out His wrath like fire.
5 The Lord has become like an (O)enemy.
He has (P)engulfed Israel;
He has engulfed all its (Q)palaces,
He has destroyed its strongholds
And (R)caused great mourning and grieving in the daughter of Judah.
6 And He has treated His [d]tabernacle violently, like a despised garden;
He has (S)destroyed His appointed [e]meeting place.
The Lord has (T)caused
The appointed feast and Sabbath in Zion to be forgotten,
And He has (U)despised king and priest
In the indignation of His anger.
7 The Lord has (V)rejected His altar,
He has [f]repudiated His sanctuary;
He (W)has handed over
The walls of her palaces to the enemy.
They have made a (X)noise in the house of the Lord
As on the day of an appointed feast.
8 The Lord determined to destroy
The wall of the daughter of Zion.
He has (Y)stretched out a line,
He has not restrained His hand from [g]destroying,
And He has (Z)caused rampart and wall to mourn;
They have languished together.
9 Her (AA)gates have sunk into the ground,
He has destroyed and broken her bars.
Her king and her leaders are among the nations;
The (AB)Law is gone.
Her prophets, too, find
(AC)No vision from the Lord.
10 The elders of the daughter of Zion
(AD)Sit on the ground and [h](AE)are silent.
They have thrown (AF)dust on their heads;
They have put on (AG)sackcloth.
The (AH)virgins of Jerusalem
Have bowed their heads to the ground.
11 My (AI)eyes fail because of tears,
My [i](AJ)spirit is greatly troubled;
My [j](AK)heart is poured out on the earth
(AL)Because of the [k]destruction of the daughter of my people,
When (AM)little ones and infants languish
In the streets of the city.
12 They say to their mothers,
“(AN)Where is grain and wine?”
As they faint like a wounded person
In the streets of the city,
As their (AO)lives are poured out
[l]In their mothers’ arms.
13 How shall I admonish you?
What (AP)shall I compare to you,
Daughter of Jerusalem?
What shall I liken to you as I comfort you,
(AQ)Virgin daughter of Zion?
For your collapse is as vast as the sea;
Who can (AR)heal you?
14 Your (AS)prophets have seen for you
Worthless and deceptive visions;
And they have not (AT)exposed your wrongdoing
So as to restore you from captivity,
But they have (AU)seen for you worthless and misleading pronouncements.
15 All who pass along the way
(AV)Clap their hands in ridicule at you;
They (AW)[m]hiss and shake their heads
At the daughter of Jerusalem:
“Is this the city of which they said,
‘(AX)Perfect in beauty,
(AY)A joy to all the earth’?”
16 All (AZ)your enemies
Have opened their mouths wide against you;
They [n]hiss and (BA)gnash their teeth.
They say, “We have (BB)engulfed her!
This certainly is the (BC)day which we awaited;
We have reached it, we have seen it!”
17 The Lord has (BD)done what He determined;
He has accomplished His word
Which He commanded from days of old.
He has torn down (BE)without sparing,
And He has helped the enemy to (BF)rejoice over you;
He has (BG)exalted the [o]might of your adversaries.
18 Their (BH)heart cried out to the Lord:
“You (BI)wall of the daughter of Zion,
Let your (BJ)tears stream down like a river day and night;
Give yourself no relief,
Let [p]your eyes have no rest.
19 Arise, whimper in the (BK)night
At the beginning of the night watches;
(BL)Pour out your heart like water
Before the presence of the Lord;
Raise your hands to Him
For the (BM)life of your little ones
Who (BN)languish because of hunger
At the head of every street.
20 See, Lord, and look!
With (BO)whom have You dealt this way?
Should women really (BP)eat their [q]children,
The little ones who were [r]born healthy?
Should (BQ)priest and prophet really be killed
In the sanctuary of the Lord?
21 On the ground in the streets
Lie (BR)young and old;
My (BS)virgins and my young men
Have fallen by the sword.
You have put them to death on the day of Your anger,
You have slaughtered, (BT)without sparing.
22 You called as on the day of an appointed feast
My (BU)terrors on every side;
And there was (BV)no one who survived or escaped
On the day of the Lord’s anger.
As for those (BW)whom I brought forth healthy and whom I raised,
My enemy annihilated them.”
Jeremiah Shares Israel’s Misery
3 I am the man who has (BX)seen misery
Because of the rod of His wrath.
2 He has driven me and made me walk
In (BY)darkness and not in light.
3 Indeed, He has (BZ)turned His hand against me
Repeatedly all the day.
4 He has consumed my (CA)flesh and my skin,
He has (CB)broken my bones.
5 He has [s](CC)besieged and surrounded me with [t](CD)bitterness and hardship.
6 He has made me live in (CE)dark places,
Like those who have long been dead.
7 He has (CF)walled me in so that I cannot go out;
He has made my [u](CG)chain heavy.
8 Even when I cry out and call for help,
He (CH)shuts out my prayer.
9 He has (CI)blocked my ways with cut stone;
He has twisted my paths.
10 He is to me like a bear lying in wait,
Like a lion in secret places.
11 He has made my ways deviate, and (CJ)torn me to pieces;
He has made me desolate.
12 He (CK)bent His bow
And (CL)took aim at me as a target for the arrow.
13 He made the [v]arrows of His (CM)quiver
Enter my [w]inward parts.
14 I have become a (CN)laughingstock to all my people,
Their (CO)song of ridicule all the day.
15 He has (CP)filled me with bitterness,
He has made me drink plenty of wormwood.
16 He has also (CQ)made my teeth grind with (CR)gravel;
He has made me cower in the (CS)dust.
17 My soul has been excluded (CT)from peace;
I have forgotten [x]happiness.
18 So I say, “My [y]strength has failed,
And so has my (CU)hope from the Lord.”
Hope of Relief in God’s Mercy
19 Remember my misery and my homelessness, the (CV)wormwood and [z]bitterness.
20 (CW)My soul certainly remembers,
And [aa]is (CX)bent over within me.
21 I recall this to my mind,
Therefore I [ab](CY)wait.
22 [ac]The Lord’s (CZ)acts of mercy indeed do not end,
(DA)For His compassions do not fail.
23 They are new (DB)every morning;
Great is (DC)Your faithfulness.
24 “The Lord is my (DD)portion,” says my soul,
“Therefore I [ad](DE)wait for Him.”
25 The Lord is good to those who [ae](DF)await Him,
To the [af]person who (DG)seeks Him.
26 It is good that he (DH)waits silently
For the salvation of the Lord.
27 It is good for a man to bear
The yoke in his youth.
28 Let him (DI)sit alone and keep quiet,
Since He has laid it on him.
29 Let him [ag]put his mouth in the (DJ)dust;
Perhaps there is (DK)hope.
30 Let him give his (DL)cheek to the one who is going to strike him;
Let him be filled with shame.
31 For the Lord will (DM)not reject forever,
32 For if He causes grief,
Then He will have (DN)compassion
In proportion to His abundant mercy.
33 For He (DO)does not [ah]afflict [ai]willingly
Or [aj]grieve the sons of mankind.
34 To crush under [ak]one’s feet
All the prisoners of the [al]land,
35 To [am]deprive a man of (DP)justice
In the presence of the Most High,
36 To [an](DQ)defraud someone in his lawsuit—
Of these things the Lord does not [ao]approve.
37 Who is [ap]there who speaks and it (DR)comes to pass,
Unless the Lord has commanded it?
38 Is it not from the mouth of the Most High
That [aq](DS)both adversity and good proceed?
39 Of what can any living [ar]mortal, or any man,
(DT)Complain [as]in view of his sins?
40 Let’s (DU)examine and search out our ways,
And let’s return to the Lord.
41 We (DV)raise our heart [at]and hands
Toward God in heaven;
42 We have (DW)done wrong and rebelled;
You have (DX)not pardoned.
43 You have covered Yourself with (DY)anger
And (DZ)pursued us;
You have slain and (EA)have not spared.
44 You have (EB)veiled Yourself with a cloud
So that (EC)no prayer can pass through.
45 You have made us mere (ED)refuse and rubbish
In the midst of the peoples.
46 All our enemies have (EE)opened their mouths against us.
47 (EF)Panic and pitfall have come upon us,
Devastation and destruction;
48 My [au](EG)eyes run down with streams of water
Because of the destruction of the daughter of my people.
49 My eyes flow (EH)unceasingly,
Without stopping,
50 Until the Lord (EI)looks down
And sees from heaven.
51 My eyes bring pain to my soul
Because of all the daughters of my city.
52 My enemies (EJ)without reason
Hunted me down (EK)like a bird;
53 They have silenced [av]me (EL)in the pit
And have [aw](EM)thrown stones on me.
54 Waters flowed (EN)over my head;
I said, “I am [ax]cut off!”
55 I (EO)called on Your name, Lord,
Out of the lowest pit.
56 You have (EP)heard my voice,
“(EQ)Do not cover Your ear from my plea for relief,
From my cry for help.”
57 You (ER)came near on the day I called to You;
You said, “(ES)Do not fear!”
58 Lord, You (ET)have pleaded my soul’s cause;
You have (EU)redeemed my life.
59 Lord, You have (EV)seen my oppression;
(EW)Judge my case.
60 You have seen all their vengeance,
All their (EX)schemes against me.
61 You have heard their (EY)reproach, Lord,
All their schemes against me.
62 The (EZ)lips of my assailants and their talk
Are against me all day long.
63 Look at their [ay](FA)sitting and their rising;
(FB)I am their mocking song.
64 You will (FC)repay them, Lord,
In accordance with the work of their hands.
65 You will give them [az](FD)shamelessness of heart,
Your curse will be on them.
66 You will (FE)pursue them in anger and eliminate them
From under the (FF)heavens of the Lord!
Distress of the Siege Described
4 How (FG)dark the gold has become,
How the pure gold has changed!
The sacred stones are spilled out
At the [ba]corner of every street.
2 The precious sons of Zion,
Weighed against pure gold,
How they are regarded as (FH)earthenware jars,
The work of a potter’s hands!
3 Even (FI)jackals offer the breast,
They nurse their young;
But the daughter of my people has proved herself (FJ)cruel,
Like (FK)ostriches in the wilderness.
4 The (FL)tongue of the infant clings
To the roof of its mouth because of (FM)thirst;
The children (FN)ask for bread,
But no one breaks it for them.
5 Those who used to eat (FO)delicacies
Are made to tremble in the streets;
Those who were raised in crimson clothing
Embrace garbage heaps.
6 For the [bb]wrongdoing of the daughter of my people
Is greater than the [bc](FP)sin of Sodom,
Which was (FQ)overthrown as in a moment,
[bd]And no hands were turned toward her.
7 Her [be]consecrated ones were (FR)purer than snow,
They shined more than milk;
They were more ruddy in [bf]body than pearls of coral,
Their form was like [bg](FS)lapis lazuli.
8 Their appearance is (FT)darker than soot,
They are not recognized in the streets;
Their (FU)skin is shriveled on their bones,
It is dry, it has become like wood.
9 Better off are those (FV)killed by the sword
Than those killed by hunger;
For they [bh](FW)waste away, [bi]stricken
By the lack of the produce of the field.
10 The hands of compassionate women
(FX)Boiled their own children;
They became (FY)food for them
Due to the destruction of the daughter of my people.
11 The Lord has (FZ)expended His wrath,
He has poured out His fierce anger;
And He has (GA)kindled a fire in Zion,
And it has consumed its foundations.
12 The kings of the earth did not believe,
Nor did any of (GB)the inhabitants of the world,
That the adversary and the enemy
Would (GC)enter the gates of Jerusalem.
13 Because of the sins of her (GD)prophets
And the wrongdoings of her priests,
Who have shed in her midst
The (GE)blood of the righteous,
14 They wandered, (GF)blind, in the streets;
They were defiled with (GG)blood,
Such that no one could touch their (GH)garments.
15 “Keep away! (GI)Unclean!” [bj]they cried out of themselves.
“Keep away, keep away, do not touch!”
For they (GJ)distanced themselves as well as wandered;
People among the nations said,
“They shall not continue to reside with us.”
16 The presence of the Lord has scattered them,
He will not continue to look at them;
They did not [bk](GK)honor the priests,
They did not favor the elders.
17 Yet our eyes failed,
Looking for [bl]help was (GL)useless;
At our observation point we have watched
For a (GM)nation that could not save.
18 They (GN)hunted our steps
So that we could not walk in our streets;
Our (GO)end drew near,
Our days were [bm]finished
For our end had come.
19 Our pursuers were (GP)swifter
Than the eagles of the sky;
They chased us on the mountains,
They waited in ambush for us in the wilderness.
20 The (GQ)breath of our nostrils, the (GR)Lord’s anointed,
Was (GS)captured in their pits,
Of whom we had said, “[bn]In his (GT)shadow
We shall live among the nations.”
21 Rejoice and be joyful, daughter of (GU)Edom,
Who lives in the land of Uz;
But the (GV)cup will pass to you as well,
You will become drunk and expose yourself.
22 The punishment of your wrongdoing has been (GW)completed, daughter of Zion;
He will no longer exile you.
But He (GX)will punish your wrongdoing, daughter of Edom;
He will expose your sins!
Footnotes
- Lamentations 2:1 Or scorned...Zion in His anger
- Lamentations 2:2 Lit engulfed
- Lamentations 2:3 Lit Every horn
- Lamentations 2:6 Or booth
- Lamentations 2:6 Or feast
- Lamentations 2:7 I.e., scornfully rejected
- Lamentations 2:8 Lit engulfing
- Lamentations 2:10 Another reading is wail
- Lamentations 2:11 Lit inward parts are in ferment
- Lamentations 2:11 Lit liver
- Lamentations 2:11 Lit breaking
- Lamentations 2:12 Lit on...breast
- Lamentations 2:15 Or whistle
- Lamentations 2:16 Or whistle
- Lamentations 2:17 Lit horn
- Lamentations 2:18 Lit the daughter of your eye
- Lamentations 2:20 Lit fruit
- Lamentations 2:20 Or tenderly cared for
- Lamentations 3:5 Lit built against
- Lamentations 3:5 Lit poison
- Lamentations 3:7 Lit bronze piece
- Lamentations 3:13 Lit sons
- Lamentations 3:13 Lit kidneys
- Lamentations 3:17 Lit good
- Lamentations 3:18 Or splendor
- Lamentations 3:19 Lit poison
- Lamentations 3:20 Or bows down
- Lamentations 3:21 Lit have hope
- Lamentations 3:22 As in ancient versions; MT It is...mercy that we do not end
- Lamentations 3:24 Or hope in
- Lamentations 3:25 Or hope in
- Lamentations 3:25 Lit soul
- Lamentations 3:29 Lit give
- Lamentations 3:33 Or oppress
- Lamentations 3:33 Lit from His heart
- Lamentations 3:33 Or torment
- Lamentations 3:34 Lit his
- Lamentations 3:34 Or earth
- Lamentations 3:35 Or turn aside a man’s case
- Lamentations 3:36 Lit bend
- Lamentations 3:36 Lit see
- Lamentations 3:37 Lit this
- Lamentations 3:38 Lit the evil things and the good
- Lamentations 3:39 Or human being
- Lamentations 3:39 Or on the basis of
- Lamentations 3:41 Lit toward our
- Lamentations 3:48 Lit eye goes down
- Lamentations 3:53 Lit my life
- Lamentations 3:53 Or thrown a stone
- Lamentations 3:54 Or destroyed
- Lamentations 3:63 I.e., daily activities
- Lamentations 3:65 Or insanity
- Lamentations 4:1 Lit head
- Lamentations 4:6 Or punishment for wrongdoing
- Lamentations 4:6 Or punishment for sin
- Lamentations 4:6 I.e., without human intervention
- Lamentations 4:7 Or Nazirites
- Lamentations 4:7 Lit bones
- Lamentations 4:7 Heb sappir
- Lamentations 4:9 Lit flow away
- Lamentations 4:9 Lit pierced through
- Lamentations 4:15 Or they (other people) cried to them
- Lamentations 4:16 Lit lift up the faces of
- Lamentations 4:17 Lit our help
- Lamentations 4:18 Lit full
- Lamentations 4:20 I.e., under his protection
Lamentations 2-4
New International Version
Lamentations 2-4
New International Version
2 [a]How the Lord has covered Daughter Zion
with the cloud of his anger[b]!(A)
He has hurled down the splendor of Israel
from heaven to earth;
he has not remembered his footstool(B)
in the day of his anger.(C)
2 Without pity(D) the Lord has swallowed(E) up
all the dwellings of Jacob;
in his wrath he has torn down
the strongholds(F) of Daughter Judah.
He has brought her kingdom and its princes
down to the ground(G) in dishonor.
3 In fierce anger he has cut off
every horn[c][d](H) of Israel.
He has withdrawn his right hand(I)
at the approach of the enemy.
He has burned in Jacob like a flaming fire
that consumes everything around it.(J)
4 Like an enemy he has strung his bow;(K)
his right hand is ready.
Like a foe he has slain
all who were pleasing to the eye;(L)
he has poured out his wrath(M) like fire(N)
on the tent(O) of Daughter Zion.
5 The Lord is like an enemy;(P)
he has swallowed up Israel.
He has swallowed up all her palaces
and destroyed her strongholds.(Q)
He has multiplied mourning and lamentation(R)
for Daughter Judah.(S)
6 He has laid waste his dwelling like a garden;
he has destroyed(T) his place of meeting.(U)
The Lord has made Zion forget
her appointed festivals and her Sabbaths;(V)
in his fierce anger he has spurned
both king and priest.(W)
7 The Lord has rejected his altar
and abandoned his sanctuary.(X)
He has given the walls of her palaces(Y)
into the hands of the enemy;
they have raised a shout in the house of the Lord
as on the day of an appointed festival.(Z)
8 The Lord determined to tear down
the wall around Daughter Zion.(AA)
He stretched out a measuring line(AB)
and did not withhold his hand from destroying.
He made ramparts(AC) and walls lament;
together they wasted away.(AD)
9 Her gates(AE) have sunk into the ground;
their bars(AF) he has broken and destroyed.
Her king and her princes are exiled(AG) among the nations,
the law(AH) is no more,
and her prophets(AI) no longer find
visions(AJ) from the Lord.
10 The elders of Daughter Zion
sit on the ground in silence;(AK)
they have sprinkled dust(AL) on their heads(AM)
and put on sackcloth.(AN)
The young women of Jerusalem
have bowed their heads to the ground.(AO)
11 My eyes fail from weeping,(AP)
I am in torment within(AQ);
my heart(AR) is poured out(AS) on the ground
because my people are destroyed,(AT)
because children and infants faint(AU)
in the streets of the city.
12 They say to their mothers,
“Where is bread and wine?”(AV)
as they faint like the wounded
in the streets of the city,
as their lives ebb away(AW)
in their mothers’ arms.(AX)
13 What can I say for you?(AY)
With what can I compare you,
Daughter(AZ) Jerusalem?
To what can I liken you,
that I may comfort you,
Virgin Daughter Zion?(BA)
Your wound is as deep as the sea.(BB)
Who can heal you?
14 The visions of your prophets
were false(BC) and worthless;
they did not expose your sin
to ward off your captivity.(BD)
The prophecies they gave you
were false and misleading.(BE)
15 All who pass your way
clap their hands at you;(BF)
they scoff(BG) and shake their heads(BH)
at Daughter Jerusalem:(BI)
“Is this the city that was called
the perfection of beauty,(BJ)
the joy of the whole earth?”(BK)
16 All your enemies open their mouths
wide against you;(BL)
they scoff and gnash their teeth(BM)
and say, “We have swallowed her up.(BN)
This is the day we have waited for;
we have lived to see it.”(BO)
17 The Lord has done what he planned;
he has fulfilled(BP) his word,
which he decreed long ago.(BQ)
He has overthrown you without pity,(BR)
he has let the enemy gloat over you,(BS)
he has exalted the horn[e] of your foes.(BT)
18 The hearts of the people
cry out to the Lord.(BU)
You walls of Daughter Zion,(BV)
let your tears(BW) flow like a river
day and night;(BX)
give yourself no relief,
your eyes no rest.(BY)
19 Arise, cry out in the night,
as the watches of the night begin;
pour out your heart(BZ) like water
in the presence of the Lord.(CA)
Lift up your hands(CB) to him
for the lives of your children,
who faint(CC) from hunger
at every street corner.
20 “Look, Lord, and consider:
Whom have you ever treated like this?
Should women eat their offspring,(CD)
the children they have cared for?(CE)
Should priest and prophet be killed(CF)
in the sanctuary of the Lord?(CG)
21 “Young and old lie together
in the dust of the streets;
my young men and young women
have fallen by the sword.(CH)
You have slain them in the day of your anger;
you have slaughtered them without pity.(CI)
22 “As you summon to a feast day,
so you summoned against me terrors(CJ) on every side.
In the day of the Lord’s anger
no one escaped(CK) or survived;
those I cared for and reared(CL)
my enemy has destroyed.”
3 [f]I am the man who has seen affliction(CM)
by the rod of the Lord’s wrath.(CN)
2 He has driven me away and made me walk
in darkness(CO) rather than light;
3 indeed, he has turned his hand against me(CP)
again and again, all day long.
4 He has made my skin and my flesh grow old(CQ)
and has broken my bones.(CR)
5 He has besieged me and surrounded me
with bitterness(CS) and hardship.(CT)
6 He has made me dwell in darkness
like those long dead.(CU)
7 He has walled me in so I cannot escape;(CV)
he has weighed me down with chains.(CW)
8 Even when I call out or cry for help,(CX)
he shuts out my prayer.(CY)
9 He has barred(CZ) my way with blocks of stone;
he has made my paths crooked.(DA)
10 Like a bear lying in wait,
like a lion(DB) in hiding,(DC)
11 he dragged me from the path and mangled(DD) me
and left me without help.
12 He drew his bow(DE)
and made me the target(DF) for his arrows.(DG)
13 He pierced(DH) my heart
with arrows from his quiver.(DI)
14 I became the laughingstock(DJ) of all my people;(DK)
they mock me in song(DL) all day long.
15 He has filled me with bitter herbs
and given me gall to drink.(DM)
16 He has broken my teeth with gravel;(DN)
he has trampled me in the dust.(DO)
17 I have been deprived of peace;
I have forgotten what prosperity is.
18 So I say, “My splendor is gone
and all that I had hoped from the Lord.”(DP)
19 I remember my affliction and my wandering,
the bitterness(DQ) and the gall.(DR)
20 I well remember them,
and my soul is downcast(DS) within me.(DT)
21 Yet this I call to mind
and therefore I have hope:
22 Because of the Lord’s great love(DU) we are not consumed,(DV)
for his compassions never fail.(DW)
23 They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.(DX)
24 I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion;(DY)
therefore I will wait for him.”
25 The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him,
to the one who seeks him;(DZ)
26 it is good to wait quietly(EA)
for the salvation of the Lord.(EB)
27 It is good for a man to bear the yoke
while he is young.
28 Let him sit alone in silence,(EC)
for the Lord has laid it on him.
29 Let him bury his face in the dust(ED)—
there may yet be hope.(EE)
30 Let him offer his cheek to one who would strike him,(EF)
and let him be filled with disgrace.(EG)
31 For no one is cast off
by the Lord forever.(EH)
32 Though he brings grief, he will show compassion,
so great is his unfailing love.(EI)
33 For he does not willingly bring affliction
or grief to anyone.(EJ)
34 To crush underfoot
all prisoners in the land,
35 to deny people their rights
before the Most High,(EK)
36 to deprive them of justice—
would not the Lord see such things?(EL)
37 Who can speak and have it happen
if the Lord has not decreed it?(EM)
38 Is it not from the mouth of the Most High
that both calamities and good things come?(EN)
39 Why should the living complain
when punished for their sins?(EO)
40 Let us examine our ways and test them,(EP)
and let us return to the Lord.(EQ)
41 Let us lift up our hearts and our hands
to God in heaven,(ER) and say:
42 “We have sinned and rebelled(ES)
and you have not forgiven.(ET)
43 “You have covered yourself with anger and pursued(EU) us;
you have slain without pity.(EV)
44 You have covered yourself with a cloud(EW)
so that no prayer(EX) can get through.(EY)
45 You have made us scum(EZ) and refuse
among the nations.
46 “All our enemies have opened their mouths
wide(FA) against us.(FB)
47 We have suffered terror and pitfalls,(FC)
ruin and destruction.(FD)”
48 Streams of tears(FE) flow from my eyes(FF)
because my people are destroyed.(FG)
49 My eyes will flow unceasingly,
without relief,(FH)
50 until the Lord looks down
from heaven and sees.(FI)
51 What I see brings grief to my soul
because of all the women of my city.
52 Those who were my enemies without cause
hunted me like a bird.(FJ)
53 They tried to end my life in a pit(FK)
and threw stones at me;
54 the waters closed over my head,(FL)
and I thought I was about to perish.(FM)
55 I called on your name, Lord,
from the depths(FN) of the pit.(FO)
56 You heard my plea:(FP) “Do not close your ears
to my cry for relief.”
57 You came near(FQ) when I called you,
and you said, “Do not fear.”(FR)
58 You, Lord, took up my case;(FS)
you redeemed my life.(FT)
59 Lord, you have seen the wrong done to me.(FU)
Uphold my cause!(FV)
60 You have seen the depth of their vengeance,
all their plots against me.(FW)
61 Lord, you have heard their insults,(FX)
all their plots against me—
62 what my enemies whisper and mutter
against me all day long.(FY)
63 Look at them! Sitting or standing,
they mock me in their songs.(FZ)
64 Pay them back what they deserve, Lord,
for what their hands have done.(GA)
65 Put a veil over their hearts,(GB)
and may your curse be on them!
66 Pursue(GC) them in anger and destroy them
from under the heavens of the Lord.
4 [g]How the gold has lost its luster,
the fine gold become dull!
The sacred gems are scattered
at every street corner.(GD)
2 How the precious children of Zion,(GE)
once worth their weight in gold,
are now considered as pots of clay,
the work of a potter’s hands!
3 Even jackals offer their breasts
to nurse their young,
but my people have become heartless
like ostriches in the desert.(GF)
4 Because of thirst(GG) the infant’s tongue
sticks to the roof of its mouth;(GH)
the children beg for bread,
but no one gives it to them.(GI)
5 Those who once ate delicacies
are destitute in the streets.
Those brought up in royal purple(GJ)
now lie on ash heaps.(GK)
6 The punishment of my people
is greater than that of Sodom,(GL)
which was overthrown in a moment
without a hand turned to help her.
7 Their princes were brighter than snow
and whiter than milk,
their bodies more ruddy than rubies,
their appearance like lapis lazuli.
8 But now they are blacker(GM) than soot;
they are not recognized in the streets.
Their skin has shriveled on their bones;(GN)
it has become as dry as a stick.
9 Those killed by the sword are better off
than those who die of famine;(GO)
racked with hunger, they waste away
for lack of food from the field.(GP)
10 With their own hands compassionate women
have cooked their own children,(GQ)
who became their food
when my people were destroyed.
11 The Lord has given full vent to his wrath;(GR)
he has poured out(GS) his fierce anger.(GT)
He kindled a fire(GU) in Zion
that consumed her foundations.(GV)
12 The kings of the earth did not believe,
nor did any of the peoples of the world,
that enemies and foes could enter
the gates of Jerusalem.(GW)
13 But it happened because of the sins of her prophets
and the iniquities of her priests,(GX)
who shed within her
the blood(GY) of the righteous.
14 Now they grope through the streets
as if they were blind.(GZ)
They are so defiled with blood(HA)
that no one dares to touch their garments.
15 “Go away! You are unclean!” people cry to them.
“Away! Away! Don’t touch us!”
When they flee and wander(HB) about,
people among the nations say,
“They can stay here no longer.”(HC)
16 The Lord himself has scattered them;
he no longer watches over them.(HD)
The priests are shown no honor,
the elders(HE) no favor.(HF)
17 Moreover, our eyes failed,
looking in vain(HG) for help;(HH)
from our towers we watched
for a nation(HI) that could not save us.
18 People stalked us at every step,
so we could not walk in our streets.
Our end was near, our days were numbered,
for our end had come.(HJ)
19 Our pursuers were swifter
than eagles(HK) in the sky;
they chased us(HL) over the mountains
and lay in wait for us in the desert.(HM)
20 The Lord’s anointed,(HN) our very life breath,
was caught in their traps.(HO)
We thought that under his shadow(HP)
we would live among the nations.
Footnotes
- Lamentations 2:1 This chapter is an acrostic poem, the verses of which begin with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet.
- Lamentations 2:1 Or How the Lord in his anger / has treated Daughter Zion with contempt
- Lamentations 2:3 Or off / all the strength; or every king
- Lamentations 2:3 Horn here symbolizes strength.
- Lamentations 2:17 Horn here symbolizes strength.
- Lamentations 3:1 This chapter is an acrostic poem; the verses of each stanza begin with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet, and the verses within each stanza begin with the same letter.
- Lamentations 4:1 This chapter is an acrostic poem, the verses of which begin with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet.
Reina-Valera 1960 (RVR1960) 
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