Lamentations 2:20 - Easy To Read Version Look at me, Lord!\par See who it is\par that you have treated this way!\par Let me ask this question:\par Should women eat the children\par they have given birth to?\par Should women eat the children\par that they have cared for?\par Should priest and prophet\par be killed in the temple of the Lord?\par Tuilleadh leaganachaKing James Version (Oxford) 1769 Behold, O LORD, And consider to whom thou hast done this. Shall the women eat their fruit, And children of a span long? Shall the priest and the prophet be slain In the sanctuary of the Lord? Amplified Bible - Classic Edition Behold, O Lord, and consider [carefully] to whom You have done this. Should and shall women eat the fruit of their own bodies, the children whom they have tended and swaddled with their hands? Should and shall priest and prophet be slain in the place set apart [for the worship] of the Lord? American Standard Version (1901) See, O Jehovah, and behold to whom thou hast done thus! Shall the women eat their fruit, the children that are dandled in the hands? Shall the priest and the prophet be slain in the sanctuary of the Lord? Common English Bible LORD, look and see to whom you have done this! Should women eat their own offspring, their own beautiful babies? Should priest and prophet be killed in my Lord’s own sanctuary? Catholic Public Domain Version RES. O Lord, see and consider those whom you have made into a such vintage. So then, shall women eat their own fruit, little ones measured by the palm of the hand? Shall priest and prophet be killed in the sanctuary of the Lord? Douay-Rheims version of The Bible - 1752 version Res. Behold O Lord, and consider whom thou hast thus dealt with. Shall women then eat their own fruit, their children of a span long? Shall the priest and the prophet be slain in the sanctuary of the Lord? |
So God brought the King of Babylon to attack the people of Judah and Jerusalem. {\cf2\super [455]} The king of Babylon killed the young men even when they were in the temple. He didn’t have mercy on the people of Judah and Jerusalem. The king of Babylon killed young and old people. He killed men and women. He killed sick and healthy people. God permitted Nebuchadnezzar to punish the people of Judah and Jerusalem.
The priests were killed,\par but the widows did not cry for them.\par
But Moses begged the Lord his God, “Lord, don’t let your anger destroy your people. You brought these people out of Egypt with your great power and strength.
\{In the past,\} this city was a very busy city.\par This city was very noisy—\par and very happy.\par \{But now, things have changed.\}\par Your people have been killed—\par but not with swords.\par The people died—\par but not while fighting.\par
The enemy will bring its army around the city. That army will not let people go out to get food. So the people in the city will begin to starve. They will become so hungry that they will eat the bodies of their own sons and daughters. And then they will begin to eat each other.’
After that happens,’” this message is from the Lord, “‘I will give Zedekiah king of Judah to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. I will also give Zedekiah’s officials to Nebuchadnezzar. Some of the people in Jerusalem will not die from the terrible sicknesses. Some of the people will not be killed with swords. Some of them will not die from hunger. But I will give those people to Nebuchadnezzar. I will let Judah’s enemy win. Nebuchadnezzar’s army wants to kill the people of Judah. So the people of Judah and Jerusalem will be killed with swords. Nebuchadnezzar will not show any mercy. He will not feel sorry for those people.’
The prophets tell lies.\par The priests will not do\par what they were chosen to do. {\cf2\super [36]} \par And my people love it this way!\par But what will you people do\par when your punishment comes?”\par
I called out to my lovers.\par But they tricked me.\par My priests and my elders\par have died in the city.\par They were looking for food for themselves.\par They wanted to keep themselves alive.\par
At that time, even very nice women\par cooked their own children.\par Those children became food\par for their mothers.\par This happened when my people\par were destroyed.\par
This happened because the prophets\par of Jerusalem sinned.\par This happened because the priests\par of Jerusalem did evil things.\par Those people were shedding blood\par in the city of Jerusalem.\par They were shedding the blood\par of good people.\par
The Lord himself destroyed those people.\par He didn’t look after them anymore.\par He didn’t respect the priests.\par He was not friendly to the elders of Judah.\par
People in Jerusalem will be so hungry that parents will eat their own children and children will eat their own parents. I will punish you in many ways. And the people that are left alive, I will scatter them to the winds.
God said to them, “Make this temple unclean {\cf2\super [76]} —fill this courtyard with dead bodies! Now go!” So they went and killed the people in the city.
{You will become so hungry that} you will eat the bodies of your sons and daughters.
I prayed to the Lord. I said: Lord my Master, don’t destroy your people. They belong to you. You freed them and brought them out of Egypt with your great power and strength.