Beginning
37 Nobody can speak and have it happen
unless the Lord commands it.
38 Both bad and good things
come by the command of the Most High God.
39 No man should complain
when he is punished for his sins.
40 Let us examine and look at what we have done.
Then let us return to the Lord.
41 Let us lift up our hands and pray from our hearts.
Let us say to God in heaven,
42 “We have sinned and turned against you.
And you have not forgiven us.
43 “You wrapped yourself in anger and chased us.
You killed us without mercy.
44 You wrapped yourself in a cloud.
No prayer could get through.
45 You made us like scum and trash
among the other nations.
46 “All of our enemies
open their mouths and say things against us.
47 We have been frightened and fearful.
We have been ruined and destroyed.”
48 Streams of tears flow from my eyes
because my people are destroyed.
49 My tears flow continually,
without stopping,
50 until the Lord looks down
and sees from heaven.
51 I am sad when I see
what has happened to all the women of my city.
52 Those who are my enemies for no reason
hunted me like a bird.
53 They threw me alive into a pit.
They threw stones at me.
54 Water came up over my head.
I said to myself, “I am going to die.”
55 I called out to you, Lord,
from the bottom of the pit.
56 You heard me calling, “Do not close your ears.
Do not ignore my cry for help.”
57 You came close when I called out to you.
You said, “Don’t be afraid.”
58 Lord, you have taken my case.
You have given me back my life.
59 Lord, you have seen how I have been wronged.
Now judge my case for me.
60 You have seen how my enemies took revenge on me.
You have seen all their evil plans against me.
61 Lord, you have heard their insults
and all their evil plans against me.
62 The words and thoughts of my enemies
are against me all the time.
63 Look! In everything they do
they make fun of me with songs.
64 Punish them as they should be punished, Lord.
Pay them back for what they have done.
65 Make them stubborn.
Put your curse on them.
66 Chase them in anger.
Destroy them from the Lord’s earth.
The Attack on Jerusalem
4 See how the gold has lost its shine!
See how the good gold has changed!
The stones of the Temple are scattered
at every street corner.
2 The precious people of Jerusalem
were more valuable than gold.
But now they are thought of as clay jars
made by the hands of a potter.
3 Even wild dogs give their milk
to feed their young.
But my people are cruel
like ostriches in the desert.
4 The baby is so thirsty
that his tongue sticks to the roof of his mouth.
Children beg for bread.
But no one breaks off a piece to share with them.
5 Those who once ate fine foods
are now starving in the streets.
The people who grew up wearing nice clothes
now pick through trash piles.
6 My people have been punished
more than Sodom was.
Sodom was destroyed suddenly.
No hands reached out to help her.
7 Our princes were purer than snow.
They were whiter than milk.
Their bodies were redder than rubies.
Their faces shined like sapphires.
8 But now they are blacker than coal.
No one even recognizes them in the streets.
Their skin is stretched over their bones.
It is as dry as wood.
9 Those people who were killed by the sword had it better
than those killed by hunger.
They starved in pain and died
because there was no food from the field.
10 With their own hands kind women
cooked their own children.
The children became food for their parents.
This happened when my people were destroyed.
11 The Lord turned loose all of his anger.
He poured out his strong anger.
He set fire to Jerusalem.
It burned down to the foundations.
12 Kings of the earth and people of the world
could not believe it.
They could not believe that enemies
could come through the gates of Jerusalem.
13 But it happened because her prophets had sinned.
And her priests had done evil.
They killed in the city
the people who did what was right.
14 They wandered in the streets
like blind men.
They became dirty with blood.
So no one could touch their clothes.
15 “Go away! You are unclean,” people shouted at them.
“Get away! Get away! Do not touch us!”
So they left and wandered around.
The other nations said, “Don’t stay here.”
16 The Lord himself scattered them.
He did not look after them anymore.
He did not respect the priests.
He showed no mercy to the elders.
17 Also, our eyes grew tired
looking for help that never came.
We kept watch from our towers
for a nation to save us.
18 Our enemies hunted us
so we could not even walk in the streets.
Our end came near. Our time was up.
Our end came.
19 The men who chased us
were faster than eagles in the sky.
They ran us into the mountains.
They ambushed us in the desert.
20 The Lord’s appointed king, who was our very breath,
was caught in their traps.
We had said about him, “We will be protected by him
among the nations.”
21 Be happy and glad, people of Edom,
you who live in the land of Uz.
But the Lord’s anger is like a cup of wine that you also will have to drink.
Then you will get drunk on it and make yourselves naked.
22 Your punishment is complete, Jerusalem.
He will not keep you in captivity any longer.
But the Lord will punish your wrongs, people of Edom.
He will uncover your sins.
A Prayer to the Lord
5 Remember, Lord, what happened to us.
Look and see our disgrace.
2 Our land has been turned over to strangers.
Our houses have been given to foreigners.
3 We have become orphans with no father.
Our mothers have become like widows.
4 We have to buy the water we drink.
We must pay for the wood for our fires.
5 They work us hard as if we were animals with a yoke on our necks.
We get tired and have no rest.
6 We made an agreement with Egypt
and with Assyria to get enough food.
7 Our ancestors sinned against you. But they are gone.
Now we must suffer because of their sins.
8 Slaves have become our rulers.
There is no one who can save us from them.
9 We risk our lives to get our food
because there are men with swords in the desert.
10 Our skin is hot like an oven.
We burn with fever because of the terrible hunger.
11 The enemy raped the women of Jerusalem
and the girls in the cities of Judah.
12 The enemy hung our princes by the hands.
They do not honor our elders.
13 The young men grind grain at the mill.
Boys stumble while carrying loads of wood.
14 The elders no longer sit at the city gates.
The young men no longer make music.
15 We have no more joy in our hearts.
Our dancing has turned into sadness.
16 The glory has gone from Jerusalem.
How terrible it is for us because we have sinned.
17 Because of this we are afraid.
Because of these things our eyes are dim.
18 Mount Zion is empty.
Now wild dogs wander around it.
19 But you rule forever, Lord.
You will be King from now on.
20 Why have you forgotten us for so long?
Why have you left us for so long?
21 Bring us back to you, Lord. We will return.
Make our days as they were before.
22 Or have you completely rejected us?
Will your anger never end?
The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.