All that passe by the way, clap their hands at thee: they hisse and wagge their head vpon the daughter Ierusalem, saying, Is this the citie that men call, The perfection of beautie, and the ioye of the whole earth?
Hebrew / JewishChristianity
The Bible (Old and New Testaments)
Lamentations
All thine enemies haue opened their mouth against thee: they hisse and gnashe the teeth, saying, Let vs deuoure it: certainely this is the day that we looked for: we haue founde and seene it.
The Lord hath done that which he had purposed: he hath fulfilled his worde that he had determined of old time: he hath throwen downe, and not spared: hee hath caused thine enemie to reioyce ouer thee, and set vp the horne of thine aduersaries.
Their heart cryed vnto the Lord, O wall of the daughter Zion, let teares runne downe like a riuer, day and night: take thee no rest, neither let the apple of thine eye cease.
Arise, cry in the night: in the beginning of the watches powre out thine heart like water before the face of the Lord: lift vp thine handes towarde him for the life of thy yong children, that faint for hunger in the corners of all the streetes.
Beholde, O Lord, and consider to whome thou hast done thus: shall the women eate their fruite, and children of a spanne long? shall the Priest and the Prophet be slaine in the Sanctuarie of the Lord?
The yong and the olde lie on the ground in the streetes: my virgins and my yong men are fallen by the sworde: thou hast slaine them in the day of thy wrath: thou hast killed and not spared.
Thou hast called as in a solemne daye my terrours rounde about, so that in the day of the Lordes wrath none escaped nor remained: those that I haue nourished and brought vp, hath mine enemie consumed.
I am the man, that hath seene affliction in the rod of his indignation.
He hath ledde mee, and brought me into darkenes, but not to light.
Surely he is turned against me: he turneth his hand against me all the day.
My flesh and my skinne hath he caused to waxe olde, and he hath broken my bones.
He hath builded against me, and compassed me with gall, and labour.
He hath set me in darke places, as they that be dead for euer.
He hath hedged about mee, that I cannot get out: he hath made my chaines heauy.
Also when I cry and showte, hee shutteth out my prayer.
He hath stopped vp my wayes with hewen stone, and turned away my paths.
He was vnto me as a beare lying in waite, and as a Lion in secret places.
He hath stopped my wayes, and pulled me in pieces: he hath made me desolate.
He hath bent his bow and made me a marke for the arrow.
Hee caused the arrowes of his quiuer to enter into my reines.
I was a derision to all my people, and their song all the day.
He hath filled me with bitternes, and made me drunken with wormewood.
He hath also broken my teeth with stones, and hath couered me with ashes.
Thus my soule was farre off from peace: I forgate prosperitie,
And I saide, My strength and mine hope is perished from the Lord,
Remembring mine affliction, and my mourning, the wormewood and the gall.
My soule hath them in remembrance, and is humbled in me.
I consider this in mine heart: therefore haue I hope.
It is the Lordes mercies that wee are not consumed, because his compassions faile not.
They are renued euery morning: great is thy faithfulnesse.
The Lord is my portion, sayth my soule: therefore wil I hope in him.
The Lord is good vnto them, that trust in him, and to the soule that seeketh him.
It is good both to trust, and to waite for the saluation of the Lord.
It is good for a man that he beare the yoke in his youth.
He sitteth alone, and keepeth silence, because he hath borne it vpon him.
He putteth his mouth in the dust, if there may be hope.
Hee giueth his cheeke to him that smiteth him: he is filled full with reproches.
For the Lord will not forsake for euer.
But though he sende affliction, yet will he haue compassion according to the multitude of his mercies.
For he doeth not punish willingly, nor afflict the children of men,
In stamping vnder his feete all the prisoners of the earth,
In ouerthrowing the right of a man before the face of the most high,
In subuerting a man in his cause: the Lord seeth it not.
Who is he then that sayth, and it commeth to passe, and the Lord commandeth it not?
Out of the mouth of the most high proceedeth not euill and good?
Wherefore then is the liuing man sorowfull? man suffreth for his sinne.
Let vs search and try our wayes, and turne againe to the Lord.
Let vs lift vp our hearts with our handes vnto God in the heauens.
We haue sinned, and haue rebelled, therefore thou hast not spared.
Thou hast couered vs with wrath, and persecuted vs: thou hast slaine and not spared.
Thou hast couered thy selfe with a cloude, that our prayer should not passe through.
Thou hast made vs as the ofscouring and refuse in the middes of the people.
All our enemies haue opened their mouth against vs.
Feare, and a snare is come vpon vs with desolation and destruction.
Mine eye casteth out riuers of water, for the destruction of the daughter of my people.
Mine eye droppeth without stay and ceaseth not,
Till the Lord looke downe, and beholde from heauen.
Mine eye breaketh mine heart because of all the daughters of my citie.
Mine enemies chased me sore like a birde, without cause.
They haue shut vp my life in the dungeon, and cast a stone vpon me.
Waters flowed ouer mine head, then thought I, I am destroyed.
I called vpon thy Name, O Lord, out of the lowe dungeon.
Thou hast heard my voyce: stoppe not thine eare from my sigh and from my cry.
Thou drewest neere in the day that I called vpon thee: thou saydest, Feare not.
O Lord, thou hast maintained the cause of my soule, and hast redeemed my life.
O Lord, thou hast seene my wrong, iudge thou my cause.
Thou hast seene all their vengeance, and all their deuises against me.
Thou hast heard their reproch, O Lord, and all their imaginations against me:
The lippes also of those that rose against me, and their whispering against me continually.
Behold, their sitting downe and their rising vp, how I am their song.
Giue them a recompence, O Lord, according to the worke of their handes.
Giue them sorow of heart, euen thy curse to them.
Persecute with wrath and destroy them from vnder the heauen, O Lord.
How is the golde become so dimme? the most fine golde is changed, and the stones of the Sanctuarie are scattered in the corner of euery streete.
The noble men of Zion coparable to fine golde, howe are they esteemed as earthen pitchers, euen the worke of the handes of the potter!
Euen the dragons draw out the breastes, and giue sucke to their yong, but the daughter of my people is become cruell like the ostriches in the wildernesse.
The tongue of the sucking childe cleaueth to the roofe of his mouth for thirst: the yong children aske bread, but no man breaketh it vnto them.
They that did feede delicately, perish in the streetes: they that were brought vp in skarlet, embrace the dongue.
For the iniquitie of the daughter of my people is become greater then the sinne of Sodom, that was destroyed as in a moment, and none pitched campes against her.
Her Nazarites were purer then the snowe, and whiter then ye milke: they were more ruddie in bodie, then the redde precious stones; they were like polished saphir.
Nowe their visage is blacker then a cole: they can not knowe them in the streetes: their skinne cleaueth to their bones: it is withered like a stocke.
They that be slaine with the sword are better, then they that are killed with hunger: for they fade away as they were striken through for the fruites of the fielde.
The hands of the pitifull women haue sodden their owne children, which were their meate in the destruction of the daughter of my people.
The Lord hath accomplished his indignation: he hath powred out his fierce wrath, he hath kindled a fire in Zion, which hath deuoured the foundations thereof.
The Kings of the earth, and all the inhabitants of the world would not haue beleeued that the aduersarie and the enemie should haue entred into the gates of Ierusalem:
For the sinnes of her Prophets, and the iniquities of her Priests, that haue shed the blood of the iust in the middes of her.
They haue wandred as blinde men in the streetes, and they were polluted with blood, so that they would not touch their garments.
But they cried vnto them, Depart, ye polluted, depart, depart, touch not: therefore they fled away, and wandered: they haue sayd among the heathen, They shall no more dwell there.
The anger of the Lord hath scattered them, he will no more regard them: they reuerenced not the face of the Priestes, nor had compassion of the Elders.
Whiles we waited for our vaine helpe, our eyes failed: for in our waiting we looked for a nation that could not saue vs.
They hunt our steppes that we cannot goe in our streetes: our ende is neere, our dayes are fulfilled, for our ende is come.
Our persecuters are swifter then the eagles of the heauen: they pursued vs vpon the mountaines, and layed waite for vs in the wildernes.
The breath of our nostrels, the Anoynted of the Lord was taken in their nets, of whome we sayde, Vnder his shadowe we shalbe preserued aliue among the heathen.
Reioyce and be glad, O daughter Edom, that dwellest in the lande of Vz, the cuppe also shall passe through vnto thee: thou shalt be drunken and vomit.
Thy punishment is accomplished, O daughter Zion: he will no more carie thee away into captiuitie, but he will visite thine iniquitie, O daughter Edom, he wil discouer thy sinnes.
Remember, O Lord, what is come vpon vs: consider, and behold our reproche.
Our inheritance is turned to the strangers, our houses to the aliants.
We are fatherles, euen without father, and our mothers are as widowes.
Wee haue drunke our water for money, and our wood is solde vnto vs.