Jerusalem remembered in the days of her affliction and of her miseries all her pleasant things that she had in the days of old, when her people fell into the hand of the enemy, and none did help her: the adversaries saw her, and did mock at her sabbaths.

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In the days of her affliction and wandering
    Jerusalem remembers all the treasures
    that were hers in days of old.
When her people fell into enemy hands,
    there was no one to help her.(A)
Her enemies looked at her
    and laughed(B) at her destruction.

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We are become a reproach to our neighbours, a scorn and derision to them that are round about us.

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We are objects of contempt to our neighbors,
    of scorn(A) and derision to those around us.(B)

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I have considered the days of old, the years of ancient times.

I call to remembrance my song in the night: I commune with mine own heart: and my spirit made diligent search.

Will the Lord cast off for ever? and will he be favourable no more?

Is his mercy clean gone for ever? doth his promise fail for evermore?

Hath God forgotten to be gracious? hath he in anger shut up his tender mercies? Selah.

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I thought about the former days,(A)
    the years of long ago;
I remembered my songs in the night.
    My heart meditated and my spirit asked:

“Will the Lord reject forever?(B)
    Will he never show his favor(C) again?
Has his unfailing love(D) vanished forever?
    Has his promise(E) failed for all time?
Has God forgotten to be merciful?(F)
    Has he in anger withheld his compassion?(G)

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When I remember these things, I pour out my soul in me: for I had gone with the multitude, I went with them to the house of God, with the voice of joy and praise, with a multitude that kept holyday.

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These things I remember
    as I pour out my soul:(A)
how I used to go to the house of God(B)
    under the protection of the Mighty One[a]
with shouts of joy(C) and praise(D)
    among the festive throng.(E)

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Footnotes

  1. Psalm 42:4 See Septuagint and Syriac; the meaning of the Hebrew for this line is uncertain.

34 Or hath God assayed to go and take him a nation from the midst of another nation, by temptations, by signs, and by wonders, and by war, and by a mighty hand, and by a stretched out arm, and by great terrors, according to all that the Lord your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes?

35 Unto thee it was shewed, that thou mightest know that the Lord he is God; there is none else beside him.

36 Out of heaven he made thee to hear his voice, that he might instruct thee: and upon earth he shewed thee his great fire; and thou heardest his words out of the midst of the fire.

37 And because he loved thy fathers, therefore he chose their seed after them, and brought thee out in his sight with his mighty power out of Egypt;

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34 Has any god ever tried to take for himself one nation out of another nation,(A) by testings,(B) by signs(C) and wonders,(D) by war, by a mighty hand and an outstretched arm,(E) or by great and awesome deeds,(F) like all the things the Lord your God did for you in Egypt before your very eyes?

35 You were shown these things so that you might know that the Lord is God; besides him there is no other.(G) 36 From heaven he made you hear his voice(H) to discipline(I) you. On earth he showed you his great fire, and you heard his words from out of the fire. 37 Because he loved(J) your ancestors and chose their descendants after them, he brought you out of Egypt by his Presence and his great strength,(K)

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25 But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.

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25 “But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things,(A) but now he is comforted here and you are in agony.(B)

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17 And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!

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17 “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death!

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11 Now also many nations are gathered against thee, that say, Let her be defiled, and let our eye look upon Zion.

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11 But now many nations
    are gathered against you.
They say, “Let her be defiled,
    let our eyes gloat(A) over Zion!”

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And she shall follow after her lovers, but she shall not overtake them; and she shall seek them, but shall not find them: then shall she say, I will go and return to my first husband; for then was it better with me than now.

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She will chase after her lovers but not catch them;
    she will look for them but not find them.(A)
Then she will say,
    ‘I will go back to my husband(B) as at first,(C)
    for then I was better off(D) than now.’

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17 As for us, our eyes as yet failed for our vain help: in our watching we have watched for a nation that could not save us.

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17 Moreover, our eyes failed,
    looking in vain(A) for help;(B)
from our towers we watched
    for a nation(C) that could not save us.

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15 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?

16 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.

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15 All who pass your way
    clap their hands at you;(A)
they scoff(B) and shake their heads(C)
    at Daughter Jerusalem:(D)
“Is this the city that was called
    the perfection of beauty,(E)
    the joy of the whole earth?”(F)

16 All your enemies open their mouths
    wide against you;(G)
they scoff and gnash their teeth(H)
    and say, “We have swallowed her up.(I)
This is the day we have waited for;
    we have lived to see it.”(J)

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Thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel; Thus shall ye say to the king of Judah, that sent you unto me to enquire of me; Behold, Pharaoh's army, which is come forth to help you, shall return to Egypt into their own land.

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“This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Tell the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire(A) of me, ‘Pharaoh’s army, which has marched(B) out to support you, will go back to its own land, to Egypt.(C)

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Now will I sing to my wellbeloved a song of my beloved touching his vineyard. My wellbeloved hath a vineyard in a very fruitful hill:

And he fenced it, and gathered out the stones thereof, and planted it with the choicest vine, and built a tower in the midst of it, and also made a winepress therein: and he looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes.

And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem, and men of Judah, judge, I pray you, betwixt me and my vineyard.

What could have been done more to my vineyard, that I have not done in it? wherefore, when I looked that it should bring forth grapes, brought it forth wild grapes?

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The Song of the Vineyard

I will sing for the one I love
    a song about his vineyard:(A)
My loved one had a vineyard
    on a fertile hillside.
He dug it up and cleared it of stones
    and planted it with the choicest vines.(B)
He built a watchtower(C) in it
    and cut out a winepress(D) as well.
Then he looked for a crop of good grapes,
    but it yielded only bad fruit.(E)

“Now you dwellers in Jerusalem and people of Judah,
    judge between me and my vineyard.(F)
What more could have been done for my vineyard
    than I have done for it?(G)
When I looked for good grapes,
    why did it yield only bad?(H)

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