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The Deserted City

How lonely sits the city
    that once was full of people!
How like a widow she has become,
    she that was great among the nations!
She that was a princess among the provinces
    has become subject to forced labor.(A)

She weeps bitterly in the night,
    with tears on her cheeks;
among all her lovers,
    she has no one to comfort her;
all her friends have dealt treacherously with her;
    they have become her enemies.(B)

Judah has gone into exile with suffering
    and hard servitude;
she lives now among the nations;
    she finds no resting place;
her pursuers have all overtaken her
    in the midst of her distress.(C)

The roads to Zion mourn,
    for no one comes to the festivals;
all her gates are desolate;
    her priests groan;
her young girls grieve,[a]
    and her lot is bitter.(D)

Her foes have become the masters;
    her enemies prosper
because the Lord has made her suffer
    for the multitude of her transgressions;
her children have gone away,
    captives before the foe.(E)

From daughter Zion has departed
    all her majesty.
Her princes have become like stags
    that find no pasture;
they fled without strength
    before the pursuer.(F)

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Footnotes

  1. 1.4 Meaning of Heb uncertain

[a]How deserted(A) lies the city,
    once so full of people!(B)
How like a widow(C) is she,
    who once was great(D) among the nations!
She who was queen among the provinces
    has now become a slave.(E)

Bitterly she weeps(F) at night,
    tears are on her cheeks.
Among all her lovers(G)
    there is no one to comfort her.
All her friends have betrayed(H) her;
    they have become her enemies.(I)

After affliction and harsh labor,
    Judah has gone into exile.(J)
She dwells among the nations;
    she finds no resting place.(K)
All who pursue her have overtaken her(L)
    in the midst of her distress.

The roads to Zion mourn,(M)
    for no one comes to her appointed festivals.
All her gateways are desolate,(N)
    her priests groan,
her young women grieve,
    and she is in bitter anguish.(O)

Her foes have become her masters;
    her enemies are at ease.
The Lord has brought her grief(P)
    because of her many sins.(Q)
Her children have gone into exile,(R)
    captive before the foe.(S)

All the splendor has departed
    from Daughter Zion.(T)
Her princes are like deer
    that find no pasture;
in weakness they have fled(U)
    before the pursuer.

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Footnotes

  1. Lamentations 1:1 This chapter is an acrostic poem, the verses of which begin with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet.

Psalm 137

Lament over the Destruction of Jerusalem

By the rivers of Babylon—
    there we sat down, and there we wept
    when we remembered Zion.(A)
On the willows[a] there
    we hung up our harps.
For there our captors
    asked us for songs,
and our tormentors asked for mirth, saying,
    “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!”(B)

How could we sing the Lord’s song
    in a foreign land?
If I forget you, O Jerusalem,
    let my right hand wither!
Let my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth,
    if I do not remember you,
if I do not set Jerusalem
    above my highest joy.(C)

Remember, O Lord, against the Edomites
    the day of Jerusalem’s fall,
how they said, “Tear it down! Tear it down!
    Down to its foundations!”(D)
O daughter Babylon, you devastator![b]
    Happy shall they be who pay you back
    what you have done to us!(E)
Happy shall they be who take your little ones
    and dash them against the rock!(F)

Footnotes

  1. 137.2 Or poplars
  2. 137.8 Or you who are devastated

Psalm 137

By the rivers of Babylon(A) we sat and wept(B)
    when we remembered Zion.(C)
There on the poplars(D)
    we hung our harps,(E)
for there our captors(F) asked us for songs,
    our tormentors demanded(G) songs of joy;
    they said, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!”(H)

How can we sing the songs of the Lord(I)
    while in a foreign land?
If I forget you,(J) Jerusalem,
    may my right hand forget its skill.
May my tongue cling to the roof(K) of my mouth
    if I do not remember(L) you,
if I do not consider Jerusalem(M)
    my highest joy.

Remember, Lord, what the Edomites(N) did
    on the day Jerusalem fell.(O)
“Tear it down,” they cried,
    “tear it down to its foundations!”(P)
Daughter Babylon, doomed to destruction,(Q)
    happy is the one who repays you
    according to what you have done to us.
Happy is the one who seizes your infants
    and dashes them(R) against the rocks.

Salutation

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, for the sake of the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus,

To Timothy, my beloved child:

Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

Thanksgiving and Encouragement

I am grateful to God—whom I worship with a clear conscience, as my ancestors did—when I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day.(A) Recalling your tears, I long to see you so that I may be filled with joy. I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that lived first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, lives in you.(B) For this reason I remind you to rekindle the gift of God that is within you through the laying on of my hands, for God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline.(C)

Do not be ashamed, then, of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel, in the power of God,(D) who saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works but according to his own purpose and grace, and this grace was given to us in Christ Jesus before the ages began,[a](E) 10 but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ,[b] who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.(F) 11 For this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher,[c](G) 12 and for this reason I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know the one in whom I have put my trust, and I am sure that he is able to guard until that day the deposit I have entrusted to him.[d](H) 13 Hold to the standard of sound teaching that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.(I) 14 Guard the good deposit entrusted to you, with the help of the Holy Spirit living in us.

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Footnotes

  1. 1.9 Gk lacks began
  2. 1.10 Other ancient authorities read Christ Jesus
  3. 1.11 Other ancient authorities add of the gentiles
  4. 1.12 Or the deposit he has entrusted to me

Paul, an apostle(A) of Christ Jesus by the will of God,(B) in keeping with the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus,(C)

To Timothy,(D) my dear son:(E)

Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.(F)

Thanksgiving

I thank God,(G) whom I serve, as my ancestors did, with a clear conscience,(H) as night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers.(I) Recalling your tears,(J) I long to see you,(K) so that I may be filled with joy. I am reminded of your sincere faith,(L) which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice(M) and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.

Appeal for Loyalty to Paul and the Gospel

For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands.(N) For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid,(O) but gives us power,(P) love and self-discipline. So do not be ashamed(Q) of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner.(R) Rather, join with me in suffering for the gospel,(S) by the power of God. He has saved(T) us and called(U) us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done(V) but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, 10 but it has now been revealed(W) through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus,(X) who has destroyed death(Y) and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. 11 And of this gospel(Z) I was appointed(AA) a herald and an apostle and a teacher.(AB) 12 That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet this is no cause for shame,(AC) because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard(AD) what I have entrusted to him until that day.(AE)

13 What you heard from me,(AF) keep(AG) as the pattern(AH) of sound teaching,(AI) with faith and love in Christ Jesus.(AJ) 14 Guard(AK) the good deposit that was entrusted to you—guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us.(AL)

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The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!”(A) The Lord replied, “If you had faith the size of a[a] mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.(B)

“Who among you would say to your slave who has just come in from plowing or tending sheep in the field, ‘Come here at once and take your place at the table’? Would you not rather say to him, ‘Prepare supper for me; put on your apron and serve me while I eat and drink; later you may eat and drink’?(C) Do you thank the slave for doing what was commanded? 10 So you also, when you have done all that you were ordered to do, say, ‘We are worthless slaves; we have done only what we ought to have done!’ ”

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Footnotes

  1. 17.6 Gk faith as a grain of

The apostles(A) said to the Lord,(B) “Increase our faith!”

He replied, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed,(C) you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.(D)

“Suppose one of you has a servant plowing or looking after the sheep. Will he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, ‘Come along now and sit down to eat’? Won’t he rather say, ‘Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me(E) while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink’? Will he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do? 10 So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’”(F)

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