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In the midst of her sadness and wandering,
    Jerusalem remembers her ancient splendor.
But now she has fallen to her enemy,
    and there is no one to help her.
Her enemy struck her down
    and laughed as she fell.

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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 mocked by our neighbors,
    an object of scorn and derision to those around 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 think of the good old days,
    long since ended,
when my nights were filled with joyful songs.
    I search my soul and ponder the difference now.
Has the Lord rejected me forever?
    Will he never again be kind to me?
Is his unfailing love gone forever?
    Have his promises permanently failed?
Has God forgotten to be gracious?
    Has he slammed the door on his compassion? Interlude

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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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My heart is breaking
    as I remember how it used to be:
I walked among the crowds of worshipers,
    leading a great procession to the house of God,
singing for joy and giving thanks
    amid the sound of a great celebration!

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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 Has any other god dared to take a nation for himself out of another nation by means of trials, miraculous signs, wonders, war, a strong hand, a powerful arm, and terrifying acts? Yet that is what the Lord your God did for you in Egypt, right before your eyes.

35 “He showed you these things so you would know that the Lord is God and there is no other. 36 He let you hear his voice from heaven so he could instruct you. He let you see his great fire here on earth so he could speak to you from it. 37 Because he loved your ancestors, he chose to bless their descendants, and he personally brought you out of Egypt with a great display of power.

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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 to him, ‘Son, remember that during your lifetime you had everything you wanted, and Lazarus had nothing. So now he is here being comforted, and you are in anguish.

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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 “When he finally came to his senses, he said to himself, ‘At home even the hired servants have food enough to spare, and here I am dying of 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 many nations have gathered against you.
    “Let her be desecrated,” they say.
    “Let us see the destruction of Jerusalem.[a]

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Footnotes

  1. 4:11 Hebrew of Zion.

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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When she runs after her lovers,
    she won’t be able to catch them.
She will search for them
    but not find them.
Then she will think,
‘I might as well return to my husband,
    for I was better off with him than I am 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 We looked in vain for our allies
    to come and save us,
but we were looking to nations
    that could not help 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 who pass by jeer at you.
    They scoff and insult beautiful Jerusalem,[a] saying,
“Is this the city called ‘Most Beautiful in All the World’
    and ‘Joy of All the Earth’?”

16 All your enemies mock you.
    They scoff and snarl and say,
“We have destroyed her at last!
    We have long waited for this day,
    and it is finally here!”

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Footnotes

  1. 2:15 Hebrew the daughter of Jerusalem.

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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“This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: The king of Judah sent you to ask me what is going to happen. Tell him, ‘Pharaoh’s army is about to return to Egypt, though he came here to help you.

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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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A Song about the Lord’s Vineyard

Now I will sing for the one I love
    a song about his vineyard:
My beloved had a vineyard
    on a rich and fertile hill.
He plowed the land, cleared its stones,
    and planted it with the best vines.
In the middle he built a watchtower
    and carved a winepress in the nearby rocks.
Then he waited for a harvest of sweet grapes,
    but the grapes that grew were bitter.

Now, you people of Jerusalem and Judah,
    you judge between me and my vineyard.
What more could I have done for my vineyard
    that I have not already done?
When I expected sweet grapes,
    why did my vineyard give me bitter 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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