⁵ Will you be angry with us always?
    Will you prolong your wrath to all generations?

⁵ O Lord, how long will you be angry with us? Forever?
    How long will your jealousy burn like fire?

⁴ O Lord God of Heaven’s Armies,
    how long will you be angry with our prayers?

¹ O God, why have you rejected us so long?
    Why is your anger so intense against the sheep of your own pasture?

“Just like this, the great city Babylon
    will be thrown down with violence
    and will never be found again.
²² The sound of harps, singers, flutes, and trumpets
    will never be heard in you again.
No craftsmen and no trades
    will ever be found in you again.
The sound of the mill
    will never be heard in you again.
²³ The light of a lamp
    will never shine in you again.
The happy voices of brides and grooms
    will never be heard in you again.
For your merchants were the greatest in the world,
    and you deceived the nations with your sorceries.

¹⁸ Where is another God like you,
    who pardons the guilt of the remnant,
    overlooking the sins of his special people?
You will not stay angry with your people forever,
    because you delight in showing unfailing love.

⁹ Don’t be so angry with us, Lord.
    Please don’t remember our sins forever.
Look at us, we pray,
    and see that we are all your people.
¹⁰ Your holy cities are destroyed.
    Zion is a wilderness;
    yes, Jerusalem is a desolate ruin.
¹¹ The holy and beautiful Temple
    where our ancestors praised you
has been burned down,
    and all the things of beauty are destroyed.
¹² After all this, Lord, must you still refuse to help us?
    Will you continue to be silent and punish us?

⁴⁶ O Lord, how long will this go on?
    Will you hide yourself forever?
    How long will your anger burn like fire?

⁹ Has God forgotten to be gracious?
    Has he slammed the door on his compassion? Interlude