Lamentations 2

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)

²Without 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.

³In 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He has withdrawn his right hand^(I)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)

⁴Like 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.

⁵The 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)

⁶He 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)

⁷The 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)

⁸The 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)

⁹Her 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.

¹⁰The 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)

¹¹My 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.

¹²They 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)

¹³What 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?

¹⁴The 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)

¹⁵All 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)

¹⁶All 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)

¹⁷The 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)

¹⁸The 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)

¹⁹Arise, 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.”

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.

John 10

New International Version

The Good Shepherd and His Sheep

10 “Very truly I tell you Pharisees, anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber.^(A) ²The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep.^(B) ³The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice.^(C) He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.^(D) ⁴When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice.^(E) ⁵But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.” ⁶Jesus used this figure of speech,^(F) but the Pharisees did not understand what he was telling them.^(G)

⁷Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am^(H) the gate^(I) for the sheep. ⁸All who have come before me^(J) are thieves and robbers,^(K) but the sheep have not listened to them. ⁹I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved.^[a] They will come in and go out, and find pasture. ¹⁰The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life,^(L) and have it to the full.^(M)

¹¹“I am^(N) the good shepherd.^(O) The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.^(P) ¹²The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away.^(Q) Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. ¹³The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.

¹⁴“I am the good shepherd;^(R) I know my sheep^(S) and my sheep know me— ¹⁵just as the Father knows me and I know the Father^(T)—and I lay down my life for the sheep.^(U) ¹⁶I have other sheep^(V) that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock^(W) and one shepherd.^(X) ¹⁷The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life^(Y)—only to take it up again. ¹⁸No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord.^(Z) I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.”^(AA)

¹⁹The Jews who heard these words were again divided.^(AB) ²⁰Many of them said, “He is demon-possessed^(AC) and raving mad.^(AD) Why listen to him?”

²¹But others said, “These are not the sayings of a man possessed by a demon.^(AE) Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”^(AF)

Further Conflict Over Jesus’ Claims

²²Then came the Festival of Dedication^[b] at Jerusalem. It was winter, ²³and Jesus was in the temple courts walking in Solomon’s Colonnade.^(AG) ²⁴The Jews^(AH) who were there gathered around him, saying, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.”^(AI)

²⁵Jesus answered, “I did tell you,^(AJ) but you do not believe. The works I do in my Father’s name testify about me,^(AK) ²⁶but you do not believe because you are not my sheep.^(AL) ²⁷My sheep listen to my voice; I know them,^(AM) and they follow me.^(AN) ²⁸I give them eternal life,^(AO) and they shall never perish;^(AP) no one will snatch them out of my hand.^(AQ) ²⁹My Father, who has given them to me,^(AR) is greater than all^[c];^(AS) no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. ³⁰I and the Father are one.”^(AT)

³¹Again his Jewish opponents picked up stones to stone him,^(AU) ³²but Jesus said to them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?”

³³“We are not stoning you for any good work,” they replied, “but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.”^(AV)

³⁴Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your Law,^(AW) ‘I have said you are “gods”’^[d]?^(AX) ³⁵If he called them ‘gods,’ to whom the word of God^(AY) came—and Scripture cannot be set aside^(AZ)— ³⁶what about the one whom the Father set apart^(BA) as his very own^(BB) and sent into the world?^(BC) Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, ‘I am God’s Son’?^(BD) ³⁷Do not believe me unless I do the works of my Father.^(BE) ³⁸But if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father.”^(BF) ³⁹Again they tried to seize him,^(BG) but he escaped their grasp.^(BH)

⁴⁰Then Jesus went back across the Jordan^(BI) to the place where John had been baptizing in the early days. There he stayed, ⁴¹and many people came to him. They said, “Though John never performed a sign,^(BJ) all that John said about this man was true.”^(BK) ⁴²And in that place many believed in Jesus.^(BL)

Footnotes

John 10:9 Or kept safe
John 10:22 That is, Hanukkah
John 10:29 Many early manuscripts What my Father has given me is greater than all
John 10:34 Psalm 82:6

Psalm 72

New International Version

Psalm 72

Of Solomon.

¹Endow the king with your justice,^(A) O God,
the royal son with your righteousness.
²May he judge your people in righteousness,^(B)
your afflicted ones with justice.

³May the mountains bring prosperity to the people,
    the hills the fruit of righteousness.
⁴May he defend the afflicted^(C) among the people
    and save the children of the needy;^(D)
    may he crush the oppressor.^(E)
⁵May he endure^[a]^(F) as long as the sun,
    as long as the moon, through all generations.^(G)
⁶May he be like rain^(H) falling on a mown field,
    like showers watering the earth.
⁷In his days may the righteous flourish^(I)
    and prosperity abound till the moon is no more.

⁸May he rule from sea to sea
    and from the River^[b]^(J) to the ends of the earth.^(K)
⁹May the desert tribes bow before him
    and his enemies lick the dust.
¹⁰May the kings of Tarshish^(L) and of distant shores^(M)
    bring tribute to him.
May the kings of Sheba^(N) and Seba
    present him gifts.^(O)
¹¹May all kings bow down^(P) to him
    and all nations serve^(Q) him.

¹²For he will deliver the needy who cry out,
    the afflicted who have no one to help.
¹³He will take pity^(R) on the weak and the needy
    and save the needy from death.
¹⁴He will rescue^(S) them from oppression and violence,
    for precious^(T) is their blood in his sight.

¹⁵Long may he live!
    May gold from Sheba^(U) be given him.
May people ever pray for him
    and bless him all day long.^(V)
¹⁶May grain^(W) abound throughout the land;
    on the tops of the hills may it sway.
May the crops^(X) flourish like Lebanon^(Y)
    and thrive^[c] like the grass of the field.^(Z)
¹⁷May his name endure forever;^(AA)
    may it continue as long as the sun.^(AB)

Then all nations will be blessed through him,^[d]
and they will call him blessed.^(AC)

¹⁸Praise be to the Lord God, the God of Israel,^(AD)
who alone does marvelous deeds.^(AE)
¹⁹Praise be to his glorious name^(AF) forever;
may the whole earth be filled with his glory.^(AG)
Amen and Amen.^(AH)

²⁰This concludes the prayers of David son of Jesse.^(AI)

Footnotes

Psalm 72:5 Septuagint; Hebrew You will be feared
Psalm 72:8 That is, the Euphrates
Psalm 72:16 Probable reading of the original Hebrew text; Masoretic Text Lebanon, / from the city
Psalm 72:17 Or will use his name in blessings (see Gen. 48:20)