en_t4t/25-LAM.usfm

\id LAM - Translation 4 Translators 1
\ide 65001 - Unicode (UTF-8)
\h LAMENTATIONS
\toc1 Lamentations
\toc2 Lamentations
\toc3 Lam
\mt1 Lamentations
\c 1
\s1 The sorrows of the people of Jerusalem
\q1

\v 1 Jerusalem was \add once\add* full of people,
\q2 but now it is deserted.
\q1 \add Once\add* it was honored by people all over the world,
\q2 but now it is \add deserted/abandoned\add* like [SIM] a widow.
\q1 \add Once\add* it was \add honored like\add* [MET] a princess \add is honored\add* among the nations,
\q2 but now \add we who live here\add* have become slaves.
\b
\q1
\v 2 We [PRS] weep bitterly \add all\add* during the nights,
\q2 with tears flowing down our cheeks.
\q1 Among \add the people in\add* all \add the nations\add* that loved Jerusalem
\q2 there are none that comfort us \add now\add*.
\q1 All \add the rulers of those nations that were previously\add* our allies have betrayed us,
\q2 and they are all now enemies \add of the people of Jerusalem\add*.
\b
\q1
\v 3 \add The people of\add* Judah have been ◄exiled/forced to go to other countries►
\q2 and caused to suffer greatly as slaves.
\q1 They live in \add other\add* nations
\q2 where they do not have peace/safety.
\q1 Their enemies seized them,
\q2 and there was no way for them to escape.
\b
\q1
\v 4 The roads to Zion \add Hill\add* are empty [PRS]
\q2 because no one comes \add here\add* to \add celebrate\add* the sacred festivals.
\q1 The city gates are deserted,
\q2 and the priests groan.
\q1 The young women \add of Jerusalem\add* cry
\q2 \add because\add* they are suffering greatly.
\b
\q1 \v 5 Our enemies have conquered the city,
\q2 and \add now\add* they prosper.
\q1 Yahweh has punished \add the people of\add* Jerusalem
\q2 because of all the sins that they have committed.
\q1 The children \add of Jerusalem\add* have been captured
\q2 and taken \add to other countries\add*.
\b
\q1
\v 6 Jerusalem was a beautiful city,
\q2 but it is not beautiful now.
\q1 The leaders \add of the city\add* are like [SIM] deer that are starving
\q2 because of being unable to find any grass \add to eat\add*.
\q1 They are very weak,
\q2 with the result that they are unable to run from their enemies.
\b
\q1
\v 7 \add The people of\add* Jerusalem are sad and scattered,
\q2 and they think about the previous greatness of the city.
\q1 \add But now\add* our enemies have captured the city,
\q2 and there is no one to help the people.
\q1 Our enemies destroyed the city
\q2 and laughed while they were doing that.
\b
\q1
\v 8 \add The people of\add* [PRS] Jerusalem have sinned very much;
\q2 \add it is as though\add* [MET] the city has become \add like\add* a filthy \add rag\add*.
\q1 All those who \add previously\add* honored the city \add now\add* despise it,
\q2 because they see that it has become very disgraced [MET].
\q1 Now \add the people of\add* the city groan,
\q2 and they cover their faces \add because they are very ashamed\add*.
\b
\q1
\v 9 The city has become filthy because of [PRS] the sins that the people have committed;
\q2 they did not think about what could happen to the city.
\q1 \add Now\add* the city has been destroyed,
\q2 and there is no one to comfort \add the people\add*.
\q1 \add The people cry out saying\add*, “Yahweh, look at how we are suffering
\q2 because our enemies have defeated us!”
\b
\q1
\v 10 Our enemies have taken away all our treasures,
\q2 all the valuable things that we owned.
\q1 We have seen \add soldiers from other\add* nations, \add men who do not worship Yahweh\add*, enter our sacred temple,
\q2 \add the place\add* where foreigners/non-Israelis were ◄forbidden/not allowed► to enter.
\b
\q1
\v 11 The people of the city groan
\q2 while they search for food;
\q1 they have given their treasures
\q2 to get food \add to eat\add* to remain alive.
\q1 \add They say\add*, “Yahweh, look \add at us\add*,
\q2 and see that we are despised!”
\b
\q1
\v 12 You people who pass by,
\q2 you do not [RHQ] seem to care at all \add about what has happened to us\add*.
\q1 Look around and see
\q2 that there are no other [RHQ] people who are suffering like we are.
\q1 Yahweh has caused us to suffer
\q2 because he was extremely angry \add with us\add*.
\q1 \v 13 \add It is as though\add* he sent a fire from heaven [MTY]
\q2 that burned in our bones;
\q1  \add it is as though\add* [MET] he has placed a trap for our feet,
\q2 and has prevented us from walking any further.
\q1 He has abandoned us;
\q2 we are weak/miserable  \add every day\add*, all during the day.
\b
\q1

\v 14 He caused the sins that we have committed to be \add like\add* a heavy load for us to carry;
\q2 \add it is as though\add* [MET] he tied them around our necks.
\q1 Previously we were strong,
\q2 but he has caused us to become weak.
\q1 He has allowed our enemies to capture us,
\q2 and we were not able to do anything to resist them.
\b
\q1
\v 15 Yahweh looked at our mighty soldiers
\q2 and laughed at them.
\q1 He has summoned a great army
\q2 to \add come and\add* crush our young soldiers.
\q1 \add It is as though\add* [MET] Yahweh has trampled on \add us\add* people of Judah
\q2 like [SIM] \add people trample\add* on grapes in a pit \add to make wine\add*.
\b
\q1 \v 16 I weep because of  \add all\add* those things;
\q2 my eyes are filled with tears.
\q1 There is no one to comfort me;
\q2 those who could encourage me are far away.
\q1 Our enemies have conquered  \add us\add*,
\q2 so our children have nothing good to ◄hope for/expect to happen►.
\b
\q1

\v 17 \add We people of\add* [PRS] Jerusalem reach out our hands \add to get help\add*,
\q2 but there is no one to comfort us.
\q1 Yahweh has decided concerning \add us descendants of\add* Jacob
\q2 that the people in nearby nations will become our enemies;
\q1 so they consider that
\q2 Jerusalem has become \add like\add* [MET] a filthy rag.
\b
\q1
\v 18 But what Yahweh has done \add to us\add* is fair,
\q2 because we have rebelled against obeying the commands that he gave \add us\add*.
\q1 You people everywhere, listen \add to us\add*;
\q2 \add look and\add* see that we are suffering \add greatly\add*.
\q1 We had \add many\add* sons and daughters,
\q2 but they have been captured and forced to go to distant countries.
\b
\q1
\v 19 We pleaded with our allies \add to help us\add*,
\q2 but they \add all\add* refused.
\q1 Our priests and our leaders
\q2 have died \add from hunger\add* in the city
\q1 while they were searching for food
\q2 \add to eat\add* to remain alive.
\b
\q1
\v 20 Yahweh, see that we are suffering very much.
\q2 \add It is as though\add* our inner beings are tormented.
\q1 We are sad in our inner beings [SYN]
\q2 because we have rebelled \add against you\add*.
\q1 Our enemies kill people in the streets with their swords;
\q2 people are dying in our houses \add because they have no food to eat\add*.
\b
\q1 \v 21 People have heard us while we groaned,
\q2 but no one  \add came to\add* comfort us.
\q1  \add Yahweh\add*, you caused us to experience this  \add disaster\add*, 
\q2 and our enemies are happy to see what you have done  \add to us\add*.
\q1 But cause it soon to be the time that you have promised,
\q2 when our enemies will suffer like we have suffered!
\b
\q1

\v 22 \add Yahweh\add*, see all the evil deeds that they have committed
\q2 and punish them!
\q1 \add Punish them\add* like you have punished us
\q2 for all the sins that we committed.
\q1 \add We say this to you\add* because we suffer and groan very much,
\q2 and we ◄faint/are very sad► within our inner beings.
\c 2
\s1 Yahweh punished Jerusalem
\q1

\v 1 Yahweh was extremely angry \add with us\add*;
\q2 as a result, \add it was as though\add* [MET] he covered Jerusalem with a dark cloud.
\q1 Previously it was a beautiful/glorious city,
\q2 but he has caused it to become a ruins.
\q1 At the time he punished [MET] Israel,
\q2 he \add even\add* abandoned his temple [MET] \add in Jerusalem\add*.
\b
\q1 \v 2 Yahweh destroyed the homes of  \add the people of\add* [PRS] Judah;
\q2 he did not act mercifully.
\q1 Because he was very angry,
\q2 he broke down the fortresses of Judah.
\q1 He has caused our kingdom and our rulers to become disgraced,
\q2 and he has gotten rid of them.
\b
\q1
\v 3 Because he was extremely angry,
\q2 he has caused Israel to not be powerful [MET] anymore.
\q1 He has refused to assist us
\q2 when our enemies attacked us.
\q1 He has destroyed Israel
\q2 like [SIM] a raging fire destroys everything.
\b
\q1

\v 4 He bent his bow \add to prepare to shoot us, his people\add*,
\q2 as though we were his enemies.
\q1 He \add prepared to\add* kill the people whom we love the most [MET],
\q2 members of our own families.
\q1 He is extremely angry [MTY] with us people of Jerusalem;
\q2 his anger is like [SIM] a fire.
\b
\q1
\v 5 Yahweh has become like an enemy
\q2 to \add us\add* Israelis;
\q1 he has destroyed our palaces
\q2 and caused our fortresses to become ruins.
\q1 He has gotten rid of many people in Jerusalem,
\q2 and caused us to mourn and weep \add for those who were killed\add*.
\b
\q1
\v 6 He has caused his temple to be smashed
\q2 \add as easily\add* as [SIM] if it was a shelter in a garden.
\q1 He has caused \add us, his people\add*, to forget
\q2 all our sacred festivals and Sabbath days.
\q1 He has caused \add our\add* kings and priests to be rejected
\q2 because he was extremely angry with them.
\b
\q1
\v 7 Yahweh has rejected his own altar
\q2 and abandoned his temple.
\q1 He has allowed \add our\add* enemies to tear down the walls
\q2 of \add our temple and\add* our palaces.
\q1 They shout \add victoriously\add* in the temple of Yahweh,
\q2 like we \add previously shouted\add* during our sacred festivals.
\b
\q1
\v 8 Yahweh was determined
\q2 to cause the walls of our city [MTY] to be torn down.
\q1 \add It was as though\add* he measured the walls
\q2 and \add then he completely\add* destroyed [MTY] them.
\q1 \add It was as though\add* he caused the towers and walls to lament/weep
\q2 \add because they were now ruins\add*.
\b
\q1
\v 9 The city gates have collapsed;
\q2 the bars that fastened the gates shut have been smashed.
\q1 The king and his officials have \add been forced to\add* go to other countries.
\q2 No longer does anyone teach the people the laws \add that God gave to Moses\add*.
\q1 The prophets do not receive any visions
\q2 \add because\add* Yahweh does not give them any.
\b
\q1 \v 10 The old men of Jerusalem [MTY] sit on the ground,
\q2 and they say nothing.
\q1 They wear rough sackcloth
\q2 and throw dust on their heads  \add to show that they are sad\add*.
\q1 The young girls of Jerusalem bow down  \add sorrowfully\add*, 
\q2 their faces touching the ground.
\b
\q1

\v 11 My eyes are very tired because of my tears;
\q2 I am very grieved in my ◄soul/inner being►.
\q1 Because \add very many of\add* my people have been killed,
\q2 in my inner being I grieve and am exhausted.
\q1 \add Even\add* children and babies are fainting
\q2 \add and dying\add* in the streets \add because they have no food\add*.
\b
\q1 \v 12 They cry out to their mothers,
\q2 “We need [RHQ] something to eat and drink!”
\q1 They faint like wounded men
\q2 in the streets of the city.
\q1 They slowly die
\q2 in the arms of their mothers.
\b
\q1
\v 13 You people of Jerusalem [MTY, DOU],
\q2 ◄what can I/there is nothing that I can► say  \add to help you\add*.
\q1 No people have [RHQ] suffered like you are suffering;
\q2 I do not know what I can do to comfort you.
\q1 The disaster [MET] that you have experienced is as great
\q2 as the ocean is deep;
\q2 there is no one [RHQ] who can restore your  \add city\add*.
\b
\q1

\v 14 The prophets among you claimed that they had seen visions \add from Yahweh\add*,
\q2 but what they said was false and worthless.
\q1 They did not save you from being ◄exiled/forced to go to other countries►,
\q2 because they did not proclaim that you had sinned.
\q1 Instead, the messages that they gave you deceived you
\q2 \add because\add* they were not true.
\b
\q1
\v 15 All those who pass by you
\q2 make fun of [IDI] you;
\q1 they shake their heads
\q2 and they hiss/sneer at you.
\q1 \add They say\add*, “Is this that great city of Jerusalem?
\q2 Is it the city that was the most beautiful city in the world,
\q2 the city that caused all \add the people on\add* the earth to be joyful?”
\b
\q1
\v 16 \add Now\add* all our enemies scoff [IDI] at you;
\q2 they hiss/sneer \add at you\add* and gnash their teeth \add to show that they hate you\add*.
\q1 They say, “We have destroyed them!
\q2 This is what we longed/waited for,
\q2 and now it has happened!”
\b
\q1
\v 17 Yahweh has done what he planned;
\q2 long ago he threatened to destroy you,
\q2 and \add now\add* he has done it.
\q1 He has destroyed \add your city\add* without acting mercifully \add toward you\add*;
\q2 he has enabled your enemies to he happy about defeating you;
\q2 he has enabled your enemies to \add continually\add* become stronger.
\b
\q1 \v 18 I wish/desire that the walls of Jerusalem [APO]
\q2 would cry out to Yahweh!
\q1 You people of Jerusalem [MET],
\q2 allow your tears to flow day and night!
\q2 Let them flow like rivers.
\q1 Do not stop grieving;
\q2 do not stop crying.
\b
\q1
\v 19 Get up during  \add every\add* night and cry out;
\q2 tell Yahweh what you feel in your inner beings.
\q1 Raise your arms to plead to him
\q2 to act mercifully to prevent our children from dying;
\q1 they are fainting on the street corners
\q2 because they have no food to eat.
\b
\q1

\v 20 Yahweh, look, and think \add about it\add*!
\q2 Have you ever [RHQ] caused people to suffer like this before?
\q1 \add It is certainly not right that\add* [RHQ] women are eating the flesh of their own children,
\q2 the children whom they have always taken care of!
\q1 \add It is not right that\add* [RHQ] priests and prophets are being killed
\q2 in your own temple!
\b
\q1
\v 21 \add The corpses of\add* people of all ages lie in the streets;
\q2 \add there are even corpses of\add* young men and young women who have been killed by \add our enemies'\add* swords.
\q1 Because you were very angry,
\q2 you caused them to be killed;
\q1 you have slaughtered them
\q2 without pitying them \add at all\add*.
\b
\q1 \v 22 You summoned our enemies to attack us from every direction,
\q2 as though you were calling/inviting them to come to a feast.
\q1 At that time when  \add you showed that\add* you were very angry,
\q2 no one escaped.
\q1 Our enemies murdered  \add our little children\add*,
\q2 ones whom we took care of and reared/brought up.
\c 3
\s1 Hope in the midst of distress
\q1
\v 1 I, \add the one who am writing this\add*, am a man who has been afflicted/punished [MTY] by Yahweh
\q2 because he was angry.
\q1
\v 2 \add It was as though\add* he caused me to walk in a very dark place
\q2 without any light \add at all\add*.
\q1
\v 3 He has punished [IDI] me many times,
\q2 all during \add each\add* day.
\b
\q1
\v 4 He has caused my skin and my flesh to become old.
\q2 He has broken my bones.
\q1
\v 5 He has surrounded me [DOU]
\q2 with bitterness and suffering.
\q1
\v 6 \add It is as though\add* he has buried me in a dark place
\q2 like [SIM] \add the graves of\add*those who have been dead for a long time.
\b
\q1
\v 7 \add It is as though\add* [MET] he has built a wall around me,
\q2 and fastened/tied me with heavy chains,
\q2 and I cannot escape.
\q1
\v 8 Although I call out and cry out for him to help me,
\q2 he does not pay attention to my prayers.
\q1
\v 9 \add It is as though\add* he has blocked my path with a \add high\add* stone \add wall\add*
\q2 and has caused my path to become crooked.
\b
\q1
\v 10 He has waited to attack me
\q2 like [SIM] a bear or a lion hides and waits \add to attack other animals\add*.
\q1
\v 11 \add It is as though\add* he has dragged me off the path and ◄mauled me/torn me into pieces►,
\q2 and left me without help.
\q1
\v 12 \add It is as though\add* [MET] he bent his bow and caused me to become the target
\q2 \add at which he shot\add* his arrows.
\b
\q1
\v 13 \add It is as though\add* he shot his arrows deep into my body.
\q1
\v 14 All my relatives laugh at me;
\q2 all during \add each\add* day they sing songs that make fun of me.
\q1
\v 15 He has filled me with ◄bitterness/great suffering►,
\q2 \add like\add* [MET] someone who drinks a very bitter liquid suffers.
\b
\q1
\v 16 \add It is as though\add* he has caused me to chew gravel that broke my teeth,
\q2 and he has trampled me in the dirt.
\q1
\v 17 Things no longer go well for me;
\q2 I no longer remember being prosperous.
\q1
\v 18 I \add continued to\add* say \add to myself\add*, “I no longer expect to live much longer;
\q2 I no longer confidently expect \add to receive good things\add* from Yahweh!”
\b
\q1
\v 19 When I think about my suffering and my wandering \add away from home\add*,
\q2 \add it is like drinking\add* a very bitter [DOU] liquid.
\q1
\v 20 I will never forget this time
\q2 when I feel very depressed/discouraged [IDI].
\q1
\v 21 However, I confidently expect \add Yahweh to do good things for me again\add*
\q2 when I think about this:
\q1
\v 22 Yahweh never stops faithfully loving \add us\add*,
\q2 and he never stops acting kindly toward us.
\q1
\v 23 \add He is the one whom we can\add* always trust/lean on.
\q2 Every morning he acts mercifully \add toward us again\add*.
\q1
\v 24 \add So\add* I say to myself, “Yahweh is all that I need;
\q2 so I will confidently wait for him \add to do good things for me\add*.”
\b
\q1
\v 25 Yahweh is good to \add all\add* those who depend on him,
\q2 to those who seek his \add help\add*.
\q1
\v 26 \add So\add* it is good for us to wait quietly
\q2 for Yahweh to save/rescue \add us\add*.
\q1
\v 27 And it is good for us to \add patiently\add* endure \add suffering\add*
\q2 while we are young.
\b
\q1
\v 28 Those \add who seek his help\add* should sit by themselves, silently,
\q2 \add knowing that\add* it is Yahweh who has allowed/caused them to suffer.
\q1
\v 29 They should lie in the dirt, with their faces on the ground,
\q2 \add because\add* they can still hope \add that Yahweh will help them\add*.
\q1
\v 30 If someone strikes us on one cheek,
\q2 we should turn the other cheek toward that person \add in order that he may strike it, too\add*,
\q2 and accept/endure it when we are insulted.
\b
\q1
\v 31 Yahweh does not abandon \add us his people\add* forever.
\q1
\v 32 Sometimes he causes us to suffer,
\q2 but sometimes he acts kindly \add toward us\add*
\q1 because he continually and faithfully loves \add us\add*.
\q1
\v 33 And he is not happy about causing human beings to suffer
\q2 or to be sad.
\b
\q1
\v 34 If people ◄mistreat all the prisoners/crush all the prisoners under their feet►
\q1
\v 35 or if they rebel against God
\q2 by refusing to give to people the things that it is right for them \add to receive\add*,
\q1
\v 36 or if they cause judges to decide matters unjustly,
\q2 ◄does Yahweh not see all those things?/Yahweh certainly sees all those things!► [RHQ]
\b
\q1
\v 37 No one can [RHQ] command something to happen \add and then cause it to happen\add*
\q2 if Yahweh has not already decided that it should happen.
\q1
\v 38 God in heaven [MTY] is [RHQ] the one who causes disasters to happen,
\q2 and he \add also\add* causes good things to happen.
\q1
\v 39 \add So\add* it is certainly not [RHQ] right for us, who are only humans, to complain
\q2 when he punishes us for the sins that we have committed.
\b
\q1
\v 40 Instead, we should ◄examine/think carefully about► our behavior;
\q2 we should turn back to Yahweh.
\q1
\v 41 We should pray with [IDI] all our inner beings and lift up our arms
\q2 toward God in heaven, \add and say\add*,
\q1
\v 42 “We have sinned and rebelled \add against you\add*,
\q2 and you have not forgiven \add us\add*.
\q1
\v 43 You have surrounded us with your anger and pursued us;
\q2 you have slaughtered \add us\add* without pitying us.
\q1
\v 44 You have hidden yourself in a cloud,
\q2 with the result that you do not hear \add us\add* when we pray.
\q1
\v 45 You have caused \add the people of other\add* nations to consider us
\q2 to be only garbage [DOU].
\b
\q1
\v 46 All our enemies have spoken things to insult us.
\q1
\v 47 We are constantly afraid [DOU],
\q2 \add because\add* we have experienced disasters and ruin [DOU].”
\q1
\v 48 Many tears flow from my eyes
\q2 because my people have been destroyed.
\q1
\v 49 My tears continually flow;
\q2 they will not stop
\q1
\v 50 until Yahweh looks down from heaven and sees \add us\add*.
\q1
\v 51 I am very grieved
\q2 because of \add what has happened to\add* the women of my city.
\b
\q1
\v 52 Those who are my enemies hunted for me
\q2 like [SIM] \add people hunt for\add* a bird \add to kill it\add*
\q1 \add even though\add* there was no reason \add for them to do that\add*.
\q1
\v 53 They threw me into a pit to kill me,
\q2 and they threw stones on top of me.
\q1
\v 54 The water \add in the pit\add* rose above my head,
\q2 and I said \add to myself\add*, “I am about to die/drown!”
\b
\q1
\v 55 But from the bottom of the pit I cried out to you [MTY],
\q2 “Yahweh, \add help me\add*!”
\q1
\v 56 I pleaded with you,
\q2 “Do not refuse to heed [MTY] me while I cry out to you!”
\q1
\v 57 Then you answered me
\q2 and said, “Do not be afraid!”
\b
\q1
\v 58 Yahweh, you defended me;
\q2 you did not allow me to die.
\q1
\v 59 \add Now\add*, Yahweh, you have seen the evil things that my enemies have done to me,
\q2 \add so\add* decide my case \add and show that I am right\add*!
\q1
\v 60 You know the evil things
\q2 that they have planned to do to me.
\q1
\v 61 Yahweh, you have heard them insult \add me\add*
\q2 and what they have planned to do to me.
\q1
\v 62 Every day they whisper and mutter things about me,
\q2 all during the day.
\q1
\v 63 Look at them! Whether they are standing or sitting
\q2 they make fun of me by the songs that they sing.
\b
\q1
\v 64 Yahweh, cause them to suffer
\q2 in return for their causing \add me\add* to suffer!
\q1
\v 65 Curse them [IDI]
\q2 \add for\add* their being very stubborn [IDI].
\q1
\v 66 Because you are angry with them, pursue them and get rid of them,
\q2 \add until none of them remain\add* on the earth.
\c 4
\s1 What happened when Jerusalem was destroyed
\q1

\v 1 \add Previously our people were like\add* [MET] pure gold,
\q2 but now they are worthless.
\q1 \add Like\add* [MET] the sacred stones in the temple have been scattered,
\q2 \add our young men have been scattered\add*.
\b
\q1 \v 2 The young men of Jerusalem were as valuable as [MET] large amounts of gold,
\q2 but now people consider that they are as worthless as  \add ordinary\add* clay pots.
\b
\q1
\v 3 Even the  \add female\add* jackals/wolves feed their pups,
\q2 but my people act cruelly  \add toward their children\add*; 
\q1 they are like [SIM] ostriches in the desert  \add that abandon their eggs\add*.
\b
\q1

\v 4 \add My people's\add* infants' tongues cling to the roofs/tops of their mouths
\q2 because they are \add extremely\add* thirsty;
\q1 the children plead for some food,
\q2 but no one gives them \add any\add*.
\b
\q1
\v 5 People who \add previously\add* ate fine food
\q2 are \add now\add* starving in the streets;
\q1 those who previously lived luxuriously [MTY]
\q2 \add now\add* paw/dig through rubbish heaps \add to find some food\add*.
\b
\q1 \v 6 \add The people of\add* Sodom were struck with a disaster very suddenly,
\q2 and there was no one to rescue them;
\q1 but my people have been punished
\q2 more severely than  \add the people of\add* Sodom were punished.
\b
\q1

\v 7 Our leaders' \add behavior\add* was \add previously\add* very pure,
\q2 whiter \add and brighter\add* than snow and milk;
\q1 their bodies were redder than \add red\add* coral/stones;
\q2 they were very strong and healthy [MET].
\b
\q1 \v 8 But now their faces are blacker than soot,
\q2 and no one recognizes them in the streets.
\q1 Their skin has shriveled on their bones,
\q2 and it has become as dry as [SIM] a wooden  \add stick\add*.
\b
\q1
\v 9 It is better to die in a battle [MTY]
\q2 than to die of hunger.
\q1 There was no food to harvest in the fields,
\q2 so the people slowly starved until they died.
\b
\q1
\v 10 Women who  \add usually/previously\add* acted very kindly
\q2 have  \add killed and\add* cooked their own children;
\q1 they ate them  \add when there was no other food\add*, 
\q2 when Jerusalem was surrounded  \add by enemy soldiers\add*.
\b
\q1
\v 11 Yahweh has shown that he was extremely angry;
\q1  \add it is as though\add* he started/ignited a fire in Jerusalem
\q2 that burned everything to ashes.
\b
\q1
\v 12 None of the kings on the earth or anyone else
\q2 believed that any of our enemies could enter the gates of Jerusalem.
\q1

\v 13 \add But that is what happened\add*;
\q2 it happened because the prophets sinned;
\q1 and the priests \add also\add* sinned
\q2 by causing innocent people to be executed [MTY].
\b
\q1 \v 14 The prophets and priests wandered through the streets
\q2  \add as though they were\add* blind.
\q1 No one would touch them
\q2 because their clothes were stained with the blood  \add of people who had been killed\add*.
\b
\q1

\v 15 The people \add who were alive\add* shouted, “Stay away \add from us\add* [DOU]! You are defiled/untouchable!
\q2 Do not touch us!”
\q1 So the prophets and priests fled \add from Israel\add*,
\q2 and they wandered around from one country to another,
\q2 because people \add in each country\add* kept saying to them, “You cannot stay here!”
\b
\q1 \v 16 It is Yahweh himself who has scattered them;
\q2 he no longer is concerned about them.
\q1 People do not respect  \add our\add* priests or leaders.
\b
\q1
\v 17 We [SYN] continued to look for someone to help  \add us\add*,
\q2 but it was useless.
\q1 We continued to watch to see if one of our allies would save us,
\q2 but none of the nations that we were waiting for could help  \add us\add*.
\b
\q1

\v 18 \add Our\add* enemies were hunting for/tracking us,
\q2 so we could not \add even\add* walk in our streets \add lest they seize us\add*.
\q1 We were about to be captured;
\q2 it was the time for us to be killed.
\b
\q1 \v 19 Those who pursued us were faster than eagles  \add flying\add* in the sky.
\q1 Even if we fled to the mountains
\q2 or hid in the desert,
\q2 they  \add went there ahead of us and\add* waited  \add to attack\add* us.
\b
\q1
\v 20 \add Our king\add*, whom Yahweh appointed,
\q2 was the one who enabled us to remain alive [MTY];
\q1 he was the one whom we trusted that he would protect us [IDI]
\q2 from  \add the armies of\add* other nations.
\q1 But he was  \add captured\add* 
\q2  \add like animals are\add* [MET] caught in a pit.
\b
\q1

\v 21 You people of [IDI] Edom and Uz,
\q2 \add you may\add* be happy \add about what is happening to us now\add*,
\q1 but \add Yahweh\add* will be punishing [MTY] you \add also\add*.
\q2 You will become drunk and will be ashamed
\q2 \add because your enemies\add* will have stripped off your clothes.
\b
\q1
\v 22 You \add people of\add* [APO] Jerusalem,
\q2 the time of your being punished will end;
\q1 Yahweh will not allow you to continue to live in ◄exile/foreign countries►.
\q2 But \add you people of\add* [APO] Edom, Yahweh will punish\add you\add*;
\q2 he will reveal the wicked things that you have done.
\c 5
\s1 A prayer for God's mercy
\q1
\v 1 Yahweh, think about what has happened to us.
\q2 See that we have been disgraced.
\q1
\v 2 Foreigners have seized our property,
\q2  \add and now\add* they live in our homes.
\q1
\v 3 \add Our enemies\add* have killed our fathers,
\q2 and caused our mothers to become widows.
\q1
\v 4 \add Now\add* we are required to pay for water to drink,
\q2 and we must pay  \add a lot of money\add* for firewood.
\q1
\v 5 \add It is as though\add* those who pursue us have  \add put their feet\add* on our necks;
\q2 we are exhausted, but they do not allow us to rest.
\q1

\v 6 In order to get enough food \add to remain alive\add*,
\q2 we went to Egypt and Assyria and offered to work \add for the people there\add*.
\q1 \v 7 Our ancestors sinned, and now they are dead,
\q2 but we are being punished for the sins that they committed.
\b
\q1

\v 8 \add Officials from Babylon\add* who were \add previously\add* slaves \add now\add* rule over us,
\q2 and there is no one who can rescue us from their power.
\q1 \v 9 When we roam around in the desert searching for food, we are in danger of being killed,
\q2 because people there kill strangers with their swords.
\q1
\v 10 Our skin has become hot like [SIM] an oven,
\q2 and we have a very high fever because we are extremely hungry.
\q1

\v 11 \add Our enemies\add* have raped the women in Jerusalem,
\q2 \add and they have done that to\add* the young women in \add all\add* the towns of Judea.
\q1 \v 12 \add Our enemies\add* have hanged our leaders,
\q2 and they do not respect our elders.
\q1

\v 13 They force our young men to grind \add flour\add* with millstones,
\q2 and boys stagger while they \add are forced to\add* carry \add heavy\add* loads of firewood.
\q1
\v 14 \add Our\add* elders no longer sit at the city gates \add to make important decisions\add*;
\q2 the young men no longer play their musical \add instruments\add*.
\q1 \v 15 We [SYN] are no longer joyful;
\q2 instead of dancing  \add joyfully\add*, we now mourn.
\q1
\v 16 The wreaths  \add of flowers\add* have fallen off our heads.
\q2 Terrible things have happened to us because of the sins that we committed.
\q1
\v 17 We [SYN] are tired and discouraged [IDI],
\q2 and we cannot see well because our eyes are  \add full of tears\add*.
\q1
\v 18 Jerusalem is  \add completely\add* deserted,
\q2 and jackals/wolves prowl around it.
\q1
\v 19 But Yahweh, you rule forever!
\q2 You continue to rule [MTY] from one generation to the next generation.
\q1
\v 20 \add So\add* why [RHQ] have you forgotten us?
\q2 Why [RHQ] have you abandoned us for a very long time?
\q1
\v 21 \add Please\add* enable us to return to you,
\q2 and enable us to prosper [MTY] as we did previously.
\q1
\v 22 Please do that, because we hope that [RHQ] you have not rejected us forever
\q2 and that [RHQ] you do not continue to be extremely angry with us!