² The Lord swallowed up without ·mercy [pity]
    all the ·houses [homes; dwellings] of the people of Jacob;
in his anger he ·pulled down [demolished]
    the strong places of [^Lthe daughter of] Judah.
He threw her kingdom and its rulers
    down to the ground in dishonor.

³ In his anger he has ·removed [cut to pieces]
    all the ·strength [^Lhorn; ^Ca symbol of pride and power] of Israel;
he took away his ·power [^Lright hand] from Israel
    when the enemy came.
He burned against the people of Jacob [^Canother name for Israel] like a flaming fire
    that burns up everything around it.

⁴ Like an enemy, he ·prepared to shoot [bent; drew] his bow,
    and his right hand was against us [Ps. 7:12–13].
Like an ·enemy [foe], he killed
    all ·the good-looking people [^Lwhich eye desired];
he poured out his anger like fire
    on the tents of ·Jerusalem [^Lthe daughter of Zion; ^Cthe location of the Temple].

⁵ The Lord was like an enemy;
    he swallowed up Israel.
He swallowed up all her palaces
    and destroyed all her strongholds.
He has ·caused more [multiplied] moaning and groaning
    for ·Judah [^Lthe daughter of Judah].

⁶ He ·cut down [laid waste to; violently treated] his ·Temple [^Lbooth] like a ·garden [vineyard];
    he destroyed the meeting place.
The Lord has made ·Jerusalem [^LZion; ^Cthe location of the Temple] forget
    the ·set feasts [or meeting place] and Sabbath days.
He has ·rejected [despised] the king and the priest
    in his great anger.

⁷ The Lord has rejected his altar
    and ·abandoned [disavowed] his ·Temple [^LHoly Place; Ezek. 9–11].
He has ·handed over to [^Ldelivered into the hand of] the enemy
    the walls of its [^Cprobably Jerusalem’s] palaces.
·Their uproar [^LThey gave forth voice] in the Lord’s ·Temple [^Lhouse]
    was like that of a feast day.

⁸ The Lord planned to destroy
    the wall around ·Jerusalem [^Lthe daughter of Zion; ^Cthe location of the Temple].
He ·measured the wall [^Lextended a measuring line; ^Cusually used in construction but here in demolition]
    and did not stop himself from ·destroying [^Lswallowing] it.
He made the walls and ·defenses [ramparts] ·sad [mourn];
    together they have ·fallen [languished].

⁹ ·Jerusalem’s [^LIts] gates have ·fallen [sunk] to the ground;
    he destroyed and smashed the bars [^Cof the gates; Ps. 107:16; Is. 45:2; Jer. 51:30; Nah. 3:13].
Her king and her princes are among the nations.
    The ·teaching [law; instruction; ^CGod’s law] has stopped,
and the prophets do not have
    visions from the Lord.

¹⁰ The elders of ·Jerusalem [^Lthe daughter of Zion; ^Cthe location of the Temple]
    sit on the ground in silence.
They throw dust on their heads
    and put on ·rough cloth [sackcloth; burlap; signs of grief or repentance].
The young women of Jerusalem
    bow their heads to the ground [^Cin sorrow].

¹¹ My eyes ·have no more tears [^Lare exhausted from tears],
    and ·I am sick to my stomach [^Lmy innards/stomach/bowels are agitated].
·I feel empty inside [^LMy bile/gall is poured out on the ground],
    because ·my people [^Lthe daughter of my people] have been ·destroyed [shattered; broken].
Children and ·babies [nurslings] are fainting
    in the ·streets [public areas] of the city.

¹² They ask their mothers,
    “Where is the grain and wine?”
They faint like wounded soldiers
    in the ·streets [public areas] of the city
and ·die [^Lpour out their lives] in their mothers’ ·arms [^Lbosom].

¹³ What can I ·say [testify] about you, [^Ldaughter] Jerusalem?
    What can I compare you to?
What can I say you are like?
    How can I comfort you, ·Jerusalem [^Lvirgin daughter Zion; ^Clocation of the Temple]?
Your ·ruin [wound] is as ·deep [great] as the sea.
    ·No one [^LWho…?] can heal you.

¹⁴ Your prophets saw visions,
    but they were ·false [empty] and ·worth nothing [insipid; nonsense; Ezek. 10:10–12].
They did not ·point out [expose] your ·sins [guilt]
    to ·keep you from being captured [or restore your fortunes].
They ·preached what was [^Lsaw oracles for you that were] ·false [empty]
    and ·led you wrongly [fraudulent].

¹⁵ All who pass by on the road
    clap their hands at you [^Cin approval of Jerusalem’s destruction; Ezek. 25:6];
they ·make fun of [hiss at; ^Cin scorn; 1 Kin. 9:8; Jer. 19:8; Zeph. 2:15] [^Lthe daughter of] Jerusalem
    and shake their heads.
They ask, “Is this the city that people called
    the most beautiful city,
the ·happiest place on [joy of the whole] earth [Ps. 48:2]?”

¹⁶ All your enemies ·open [^Lcrack] their mouths
    to speak against you.
They make fun and ·grind [gnash] their teeth [^Cin anger].
    They say, “We have swallowed you up.
This is the day we were ·waiting [hoping] for!
    We have finally seen it happen.”

¹⁷ The Lord has done what he planned;
    he has ·kept [fulfilled] his ·word [threat; ^Cthe covenant curses; Deut. 28:45–50]
    that he commanded ·long ago [^Lin days of old].
He has ·destroyed [demolished] without ·mercy [pity],
    and he has let your enemies laugh at you [^Csuch as Edom; Obad. 1–21].
He has ·strengthened [^Lexalted the horn of; ^Csymbol of pride and power] your enemies.

¹⁸ ·The people [^LTheir hearts] cry out to the Lord.
    Wall of ·Jerusalem [^Lthe daughter of Zion; ^Cthe location of the Temple],
let your tears flow
    like a ·river [torrent; wadi] day and night.
Do not ·stop [^Lallow yourself relaxation]
    or let your eyes rest.

¹⁹ Get up, cry out in the night,
    ·even as the night begins [^Lat the beginning of the night watches; ^Cthe night was divided into three four-hour watches].
Pour out your heart like water
    ·in prayer to [^Lbefore the presence/face of] the Lord.
Lift up your hands in prayer to him
    for the life of your children
who are ·fainting [growing weak] with hunger
    ·on every street corner [^Lat the head of every street].

²⁰ Jerusalem says: “Look, Lord, and see
    to whom you have done this.
·Women [^LShould women…?] eat their own ·babies [^Lfruit; ^Cshort for “fruit of their womb”],
    the children ·they have cared for [they have nursed/borne; or which are well-formed; Deut. 28:53–55; Jer. 19:6–9].
·Priests and prophets are [^LShould priests and prophets be…?] killed
    in the ·Temple [^Lholy place] of the Lord.

²¹ “People young and old
    lie outside on the ground.
My young women and young men
    have ·been killed [^Lfallen] by the sword.
You killed them on the day of your anger;
    you ·killed [slaughtered] them without ·mercy [pity].

²² “You invited ·terrors [or enemies] to come against me on every side,
    as if ·you were inviting them to a feast [^Lon an appointed/feast day].
No one escaped or remained alive
    on the day of the Lord’s anger.
My enemy has ·killed [annihilated]
    those I ·cared for [nursed; bore] and brought up.”