Beginning
37 Who speaks so that it comes to pass,
unless the Lord commands it?
38 Is it not at the word of the Most High
that both good and bad take place?(A)
39 What should the living complain about?
about their sins!
40 [a]Let us search and examine our ways,
and return to the Lord!(B)
41 Let us lift up our hearts as well as our hands
toward God in heaven!
42 We have rebelled and been obstinate;
you have not forgiven us.
43 You wrapped yourself in wrath and pursued us,
killing without pity;(C)
44 You wrapped yourself in a cloud,
which no prayer could pierce.
45 You have made us filth and rubbish
among the peoples.(D)
46 They have opened their mouths against us,
all our enemies;
47 Panic and the pit have been our lot,
desolation and destruction;(E)
48 [b]My eyes stream with tears over the destruction
of the daughter of my people.(F)
49 My eyes will flow without ceasing,
without rest,
50 Until the Lord from heaven
looks down and sees.
51 I am tormented by the sight
of all the daughters of my city.
52 Without cause, my enemies snared me
as though I were a bird;
53 They tried to end my life in the pit,
pelting me with stones.
54 The waters flowed over my head:
and I said, “I am lost!”(G)
55 I have called upon your name, O Lord,(H)
from the bottom of the pit;
56 You heard me call, “Do not let your ear be deaf
to my cry for help.”
57 You drew near on the day I called you;
you said, “Do not fear!”
58 You pleaded my case, Lord,
you redeemed my life.
59 You see, Lord, how I am wronged;
do me justice!(I)
60 You see all their vindictiveness,
all their plots against me.
61 You hear their reproach, Lord,
all their plots against me,
62 The whispered murmurings of my adversaries,
against me all day long;
63 Look! Whether they sit or stand,
I am the butt of their taunt.
64 Give them what they deserve, Lord,
according to their deeds;
65 Give them hardness of heart;
your curse be upon them;(J)
66 Pursue them in wrath and destroy them
from under the Lord’s heaven!
Chapter 4
Miseries of the Besieged City[c]
1 How the gold has lost its luster,
the noble metal changed;
Jewels[d] lie scattered
at the corner of every street.
2 And Zion’s precious children,
worth their weight in gold—
How they are treated like clay jugs,
the work of any potter!(K)
3 Even jackals offer their breasts
to nurse their young;
But the daughter of my people is as cruel
as the ostrich[e] in the wilderness.(L)
4 The tongue of the infant cleaves
to the roof of its mouth in thirst;
Children beg for bread,
but no one gives them a piece.
5 Those who feasted on delicacies
are abandoned in the streets;
Those who reclined on crimson[f]
now embrace dung heaps.(M)
6 The punishment of the daughter of my people
surpassed the penalty of Sodom,
Which was overthrown in an instant
with no hand laid on it.(N)
7 Her princes were brighter than snow,
whiter than milk,
Their bodies more ruddy than coral,
their beauty like the sapphire.
8 Now their appearance is blacker than soot,
they go unrecognized in the streets;
Their skin has shrunk on their bones,
and become dry as wood.(O)
9 Better for those pierced by the sword
than for those pierced by hunger,
Better for those who bleed from wounds
than for those who lack food.
10 The hands of compassionate women
have boiled their own children!
They became their food
when the daughter of my people was shattered.(P)
11 The Lord has exhausted his anger,
poured out his blazing wrath;
He has kindled a fire in Zion
that has consumed her foundations.(Q)
12 The kings of the earth did not believe,
nor any of the world’s inhabitants,
That foe or enemy could enter
the gates of Jerusalem.
13 Except for the sins of her prophets
and the crimes of her priests,
Who poured out in her midst
the blood of the just.(R)
14 They staggered blindly in the streets,
defiled with blood,
So that people could not touch
even their garments:(S)
15 “Go away! Unclean!” they cried to them,
“Away, away, do not touch!”
If they went away and wandered,
it would be said among the nations,
“They can no longer live here!
16 The presence of the Lord was their portion,
but he no longer looks upon them.
The priests are shown no regard,
the elders, no mercy.
17 Even now our eyes are worn out,
searching in vain for help;
From our watchtower we have watched
for a nation[g] unable to save.
18 They dogged our every step,
we could not walk in our squares;
Our end drew near, our time was up;
yes, our end had come.
19 Our pursuers were swifter
than eagles in the sky,
In the mountains they were hot on our trail,
they ambushed us in the wilderness.(T)
20 The Lord’s anointed—our very lifebreath!—[h]
was caught in their snares,
He in whose shade we thought
to live among the nations.(U)
21 Rejoice and gloat, daughter Edom,
dwelling in the land of Uz,[i]
The cup will pass to you as well;
you shall become drunk and strip yourself naked!(V)
22 Your punishment is completed, daughter Zion,
the Lord will not prolong your exile;
The Lord will punish your iniquity, daughter Edom,
will lay bare your sins.(W)
Chapter 5
The Community’s Lament to the Lord
1 Remember, Lord, what has happened to us,
pay attention, and see our disgrace:
2 Our heritage is turned over to strangers,
our homes, to foreigners.(X)
3 We have become orphans, without fathers;
our mothers are like widows.
4 We pay money to drink our own water,
our own wood comes at a price.
5 With a yoke on our necks, we are driven;
we are worn out, but allowed no rest.
6 We extended a hand to Egypt and Assyria,
to satisfy our need of bread.[j]
7 Our ancestors, who sinned, are no more;
but now we bear their guilt.
8 Servants[k] rule over us,
with no one to tear us from their hands.
9 We risk our lives just to get bread,
exposed to the desert heat;(Y)
10 Our skin heats up like an oven,
from the searing blasts of famine.(Z)
11 Women are raped in Zion,
young women in the cities of Judah;(AA)
12 Princes have been hanged by them,
elders shown no respect.(AB)
13 Young men carry millstones,
boys stagger under loads of wood;
14 The elders have abandoned the gate,[l]
the young men their music.
15 The joy of our hearts has ceased,
dancing has turned into mourning;(AC)
16 The crown has fallen from our head:
woe to us that we sinned!
17 Because of this our hearts grow sick,
at this our eyes grow dim:
18 Because of Mount Zion, lying desolate,
and the jackals roaming there!
19 But you, Lord, are enthroned forever;
your throne stands from age to age.(AD)
20 [m]Why have you utterly forgotten us,
forsaken us for so long?(AE)
21 Bring us back to you, Lord, that we may return:
renew our days as of old.(AF)
22 For now you have indeed rejected us
and utterly turned your wrath against us.(AG)
Scripture texts, prefaces, introductions, footnotes and cross references used in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.