Lamentations 2 - Easy To Read Version

¹ Look how the Lord has set\par the Daughter of Zion {\cf2\super [8]} under a cloud.\par He has thrown the glory of Israel\par from the sky to the ground.\par The Lord didn’t keep in mind that Israel was his footstool,\par on the day of his anger.\par

² The Lord destroyed the houses of Jacob. {\cf2\super [9]} \par He destroyed them without mercy.\par He destroyed in his anger\par the fortresses of the Daughter of Judah. {\cf2\super [10]} \par The Lord threw the kingdom of Judah\par and its rulers to the ground.\par He ruined the kingdom of Judah.\par

³ The Lord was angry and he destroyed\par all the strength of Israel.\par He took away his right hand from Israel.\par He did this when the enemy came.\par He burned like a flaming fire in Jacob. {\cf2\super [11]} \par He was like a fire that burns all around.\par

⁴ The Lord bent his bow like an enemy.\par He held his sword in his right hand.\par He killed all the good looking men of Judah.\par The Lord killed them\par as if he were the enemy.\par The Lord poured out his anger.\par He poured it out on the tents of Zion.\par

⁵ The Lord has become like an enemy.\par He has swallowed up Israel.\par He has swallowed up all her palaces.\par He has swallowed up all her fortresses.\par He has made much sadness\par and crying for the dead\par in the Daughter of Judah. {\cf2\super [12]} \par

⁶ The Lord pulled up his own tent {\cf2\super [13]} \par as if it were a garden.\par He has ruined the place where the people\par went to meet to worship him.\par The Lord has made people forget\par the special assemblies\par and special days of rest {\cf2\super [14]} in Zion.\par The Lord rejected the king and the priests.\par He was angry and rejected them.\par

⁷ The Lord rejected his altar.\par He rejected his Holy Place of worship.\par He let the enemy pull down the walls\par of the palaces of Jerusalem.\par The enemy shouted with joy\par in the Lord’s temple.\par They made noise, as if it were a holiday.\par

⁸ The Lord planned to destroy\par the wall of the Daughter of Zion. {\cf2\super [15]} \par He marked the wall with a measuring line\par \{to show where the wall\par should be torn down\}.\par He didn’t stop himself from destroying.\par So he made all the walls\par cry out in sadness.\par Together they wasted away.\par

⁹ Jerusalem’s gates have sunk into the ground.\par He destroyed and smashed the bars\par of the gates.\par Her king and princes are in other nations.\par There is no more teaching for them.\par Also Jerusalem’s prophets have not found\par any visions from the Lord.\par

¹⁰ The elders of Zion {\cf2\super [16]} sit on the ground.\par They sit on the ground and are quiet.\par They pour dust on their heads.\par They put on sackcloth. {\cf2\super [17]} \par The young women of Jerusalem\par bow their heads to the ground in sorrow.\par

¹¹ My eyes are worn out with tears!\par My insides are upset!\par My heart feels like it has been poured\par on the ground!\par I feel this way because of the destruction\par of my people.\par Children and babies are fainting.\par They are fainting in the public squares\par of the city.\par

¹² Those children say to their mothers,\par “Where is bread and wine?”\par They ask this question as they die.\par They die on their mother’s laps.\par

¹³ Daughter of Zion, {\cf2\super [18]} \par what can I compare you to?\par What can I compare you to,\par Virgin Daughter of Zion {\cf2\super [19]} ?\par How can I comfort you?\par Your destruction is as big as the sea!\par I don’t think anyone can heal you.\par

¹⁴ Your prophets saw visions for you.\par But their visions were only worthless lies.\par They didn’t preach against your sins.\par They didn’t try to make things better.\par They preached messages for you,\par but they were false messages\par that fooled you.\par

¹⁵ The people that pass by on the road\par clap their hands at you in shock.\par They whistle and shake their heads\par at the Daughter of Jerusalem.\par They ask,\par “Is this the city that people called,\par ‘The Perfectly Beautiful City’ and\par ‘The Joy of all the Earth’?”\par

¹⁶ All your enemies laugh at you.\par They whistle and grind their teeth at you.\par They say,\par “We have swallowed them up!\par This is truly the day we were hoping for.\par We have finally seen this happen.”\par

¹⁷ The Lord did what he planned to do.\par He has done what he said he would do.\par He has done what he commanded\par from times of long ago.\par He destroyed, and he had no pity.\par He made your enemies happy\par because of what happened to you.\par He made your enemies strong.\par

¹⁸ Cry out {\cf2\super [20]} with your hearts to the Lord!\par Wall of the Daughter of Zion, {\cf2\super [21]} \par let tears roll down like a stream!\par let your tears roll down day and night.\par Don’t stop!\par Don’t let your eyes be still!\par

¹⁹ Get up! Cry out in the night!\par Cry out at the beginning of each of the parts of the night!\par Pour out your heart as if it were water!\par Pour out your heart before the Lord!\par Lift up your hands in prayer to the Lord.\par Ask him to let your children live.\par Ask him to let your children live that are fainting with starvation.\par They are fainting with starvation\par in all the streets of the city.\par

²⁰ 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

²¹ Young men and old men\par lie on the ground in the streets\par of the city.\par My young women and young men\par have been killed by the sword.\par You, Lord, killed them on the day\par of your anger!\par You killed them without mercy!\par

²² You invited terror to come to me\par from all around.\par You invited terror like you were inviting it\par to a holiday.\par No person escaped\par on the day of the Lord’s anger.\par My enemy has killed\par those that I raised and brought up.\par