Beginning
37 Who is he that saith, and it cometh to pass, when Adonoi commandeth it not?
38 Out of the mouth of Elyon proceedeth not hara’ot (the woe) and hatov (the good)?
39 Why doth an adam chai (any man alive) complain, a gever for the punishment of his sins?
40 Let us search and test derakheinu (our ways), and let us turn again to Hashem.
41 Let us lift up levavenu (our heart) with our hands unto El baShomayim.
42 We have transgressed and have rebelled; Atah lo salachta (Thou hast not pardoned, forgiven).
43 Thou hast covered with af (anger), and pursued us; Thou hast slain, Thou hast not pitied.
44 Thou hast covered Thyself with an anan, that our tefillah not pass through.
45 Thou hast made us as the offscouring and refuse among the amim.
46 Kol oyveinu (all our enemies) have opened their mouths against us.
47 Pachad (terror) and a snare is come upon us, ruin and destruction.
48 Mine eye runneth down with streams of mayim for the destruction of Bat Ami.
49 Mine eye will flow down, and ceaseth not, without any intermission
50 Till Hashem look down, and behold from Shomayim.
51 Mine eye affecteth mine nefesh because of all the banot of my city.
52 Mine enemies hunted me down, like a tzippor (bird), without cause.
53 They have cut off my life in the bor (pit) and cast an even (stone) upon me.
54 Mayim flowed over mine rosh; then I said, I am cut off.
55 I called upon Thy Shem, Hashem, out of the lowest pit.
56 Thou hast heard my voice; close not thine ear at my sighing, at my cry.
57 Thou drewest near on the Yom that I called upon Thee; Thou saidst, Fear not.
58 Adonoi, Thou hast pleaded the causes of my nefesh; Thou hast redeemed my life.
59 Hashem, Thou hast seen my wrong; uphold my cause.
60 Thou hast seen all their vengeance and all their machsh’vot against me.
61 Thou hast heard their reproach, Hashem, and all their machsh’vot against me;
62 The whisperings of those that rose up against me, and their muttering against me kol hayom.
63 Behold their sitting down, and their rising up; Ani (I) am their mocking song.
64 Render unto them a gemul (recompence), Hashem, according to the work of their hands.
65 Give them hardness of lev as thy curse unto them.
66 Pursue in anger and destroy them from under HaShomayim of Hashem.
4 How has the zahav lost its luster! How is the most fine gold changed! The avnei kodesh are poured out on every street corner.
2 The precious Bnei Tziyon, comparable to fine gold, how are they esteemed as earthen pitchers, the work of the hands of the yotzer (potter)!
3 Even the jackals offer the breast; they nurse their young ones; the Bat Ami is become heartless, like the ostriches in the midbar.
4 The leshon of the nursing infant cleaveth to the roof of his mouth for thirst; the olalim beg for lechem, and no man giveth it unto them.
5 They that did feed delicately are destitute in the chutzot; they that were brought up in purple lie on dunghills.
6 For the punishment of the iniquity of the Bat Ami is greater than the punishment of the sin of Sodom, that was overthrown as in a moment, and no hands helped her.
7 Her nobles were purer than snow; they were whiter than cholov, they were more ruddy in body than rubies, their appearance was of sapphire;
8 Their visage is blacker than soot; they are not known in the streets; their skin cleaveth to their atzmot; it is dried up, it is become like a stick.
9 They that are slain with the cherev are better than they that are slain with hunger; for these pine away, being pierced for want of the increase of the sadeh.
10 The hands of the pitiful nashim have cooked their own yeladim; they were their meat in the destruction of the Bat Ami.
11 Hashem hath accomplished His fury; He hath poured out His charon af, and hath kindled an eish in Tziyon, and it hath devoured the yesodot thereof.
12 The malkhei eretz, and all the inhabitants of the tevel (world), would not have believed that the adversary and the oyev should have entered into the sha’arei Yerushalayim.
13 For the sins of her Nevi’im, and the iniquities of her Kohanim, that have shed the dahm of the Tzaddikim in the midst of her,
14 They have groped about like ivrim (blind men) in the streets; they have defiled themselves with dahm, so that men dare not touch their garments.
15 They cried unto them, Go away; tamei (unclean)! Depart, depart, touch not; so they fled away and wandered. They said among the Goyim, They shall no more sojourn there.
16 The anger of Hashem hath scattered them; He will no more regard them; they respected not the persons of the Kohanim; they showed no favor to the Zekenim.
17 As for us, our eyes failed looking in vain for ezratenu (our help); from our towers we have watched for a nation that could not save us.
18 They stalk our steps, that we cannot go in our streets; kitzeinu (our end) is near, our yamim are numbered; for kitzeinu is come.
19 Our pursuers are swifter than the eagles of Shomayim; they pursued us upon the mountains, they laid wait for us in the midbar.
20 The Moshiach of Hashem, who was our very life, was taken in their traps, of whom we said, Under his shadow [of protection] we shall live among the Goyim.
21 Rejoice and be glad, O Bat Edom, that dwellest in Eretz Uz; the kos (cup) also shall pass unto thee; thou shalt be drunk, and shalt be stripped naked.
22 The punishment of thine iniquity is accomplished, O Bat Tziyon; He will no more prolong your Golus; He will visit thine iniquity, O Bat Edom; He will expose thy sins.
5 Remember, Hashem, what is come upon us; consider, and behold our reproach.
2 Our nachalah is turned over to zarim, our batim (houses) to foreigners.
3 We are yetomim and fatherless, immoteinu are like almanot.
4 We must pay kesef for our own mayim; our wood is sold unto us.
5 Our necks are under persecution; we are weary, and have no rest.
6 We have submitted to the Mitzrayim, and to the Assyrians, to get enough lechem.
7 Avoteinu have sinned, and are no more; and we have borne their iniquities.
8 Avadim have ruled over us; there is none that doth deliver us out of their yad.
9 We get our lechem with the peril of our lives because of the cherev of the midbar.
10 Our skin was hot like an oven because we burn with ra’av (hunger, famine).
11 They ravished the nashim in Tziyon, and the betulot in the towns of Yehudah.
12 Sarim (princes) are hanged by their yad; the faces of Zekenim were not respected.
13 They took the bochurim to grind, and the ne’arim staggered under the wood.
14 The zekenim have ceased from the sha’ar, the bochurim from their music.
15 The joy of our heart is gone; mekholeinu (our dance) is turned into mourning.
16 The ateret is fallen from our head; woe unto us, for we have sinned!
17 For this our lev is faint; because of these things our eyes are dim.
18 Because of the Har Tziyon, which is desolate, the jackals prowl upon it.
19 Thou, Hashem, remainest forever;Thy throne from generation to generation.
20 Why dost Thou forget us forever, and forsake us for so long?
21 Restore us, Hashem, to Thyself that we may return; renew yamenu (our days) as of old.
22 Unless Thou hast utterly rejected us and Thou art angry with us beyond measure.
Copyright © 2002, 2003, 2008, 2010, 2011 by Artists for Israel International