31 Lamentations

I, 5 2 : 15

I(I

In

JEREMIAH

134 0

Chaldaea n troops who accompanied the commander of the guard demol ished all the walls surrounding Jerusalem. Neb uza rada n, commander of the gua rd, deportcd s the remai nder of the 15 popula tio n left behind in the city , the deserters who had gone over to the king of Babylo n, a nd the rema inder of the artisans." - Nebuzaradan , co mman der o f 16 the gua rd, left so me of the humbler country people as vineyard wo rkers a nd ploughmen . The Chaldaea ns broke up the bronze pillars from the Temple of Ya hwe h, 17 the wheeled stands and the bronze Sea that were in the Temple o f Ya hwe h, and to ok all the bronze away to Bab ylon . -T hey als o took the as h co ntainers, 1M the scoo ps, the knives , the sprinkli ng bowls, the incense boats, and all th e bron ze furn ishings used in wors hip . -The commander of the guard also took the bowl s, 19 the cense rs, the sprink ling bowls , the ash co ntainers, the lamp-stands, the go blets a nd the sauce rs: everyt hing tha t was made of gold a nd eve rything ma de of silver. -As regards the two pilla rs, th e o ne Sea a nd the twelve bron ze 20 oxe n supporting the Sea,' and the wheeled sta nds, wh ich King So lo mo n had made fo r the Te mple of Ya hweh, there was no reckoning t he weight of br on ze in all these objec ts. -As regards the pillar s, the height of o ne pillar was eighteen 2 1 cubits, its circumference was twelve cubits, it was four fingers thick , a nd hollow inside ; -on it stood a capital of bro nze, t he height of the cap ita l being five 2 2 cubi ts; ro und the capital were filigree and pomegranates, all in bronze. So also for th e second pillar'! -There were ninety-six po megra nates which hung down , 2 3 ma king a hund red pomegranates round the filigree in all. T he commander of the gua rd took prisoner Sera iah the chief priest , Zep hania h 24 the priest next in ra nk, a nd the three gua rd ia ns of the thresho ld. - In the city 25 he too k prisoner a eunuch wh o was in command of the fighting men, seven of the king's persona l friends who were d iscovered in the city, the secretary of the army co mma nder, responsible for mi lita ry conscriptio n, a nd sixty men of d isti nct ion discovered in the city. - Ne buza rada n, commander of the gua rd, 26 to o k th ese men a nd brough t them to the king of Bab ylo n at Ribla h, -and at 27 R iblah, in the land of Ha ma th, the king of Babylon had them put to death . Thus J uda h was de ported from its land. -Th e number of peop le deported 28 by Ne bucha dnezza r was as follows ." In the sevent h yea r: three tho usa nd a nd twenty-three Judaeans; -in the eighteent h yea r of N ebuchad nezza r, eight hun d red 29 and thirty-two persons were deported from Je rusalem ; -in the twen ty-third 30 year! of Ne buchadn ezzar, Nebuzaradan, comma nder of the guard , deported seven hund red and forty-five Judaea ns. In all: four th ousan d six hun dr ed persons. But in the thi rty -sevent h year of the exile of Jehoi achin king of Judah, in the 31 twelfth month, on the twent y-fifth day of the mo nth, Evil-merodach king of Babylon, in the yea r he ca me to the throne, m pa rdo ned Je ho iac hin king of J udah and released him fro m pr ison . - He treated him kind ly and a llotted him 32 a seat above those of t he other kings who were with him in Babylon . -So 3 3 Jehoiachin laid aside his priso ner's ga rb, a nd for the rest of his life a lways ate a t the king 's table. - And his up keep was per ma ne ntly ensured by the king for 34 th e rest of his life day after day unti l his dying day .

LAMENTATIONS FIRST L A M E N TATI ON 4

1

Aleph

Beth

i . 'a nd . . . 'S ea'", absen t from 2 K : the bro nze o xen had al rea dy bee n ta ke n . in t he reign o f Aha z. 2 K 16:17. j. Hebr. ad ds ' An d po meg ra na tes . .. k. T his lis t. pec u liar 10 Jr 52 mu s t have been borrow-

cd from a Ba by lo n ia n so urce: the yea rs o f Nebuc hadnc zza r 's rei a n a re calcula ted in the Babylo nia n fas h ion whic h does not co un t (he incomplete yea r o f acce ss io n. I. In 5S2 : pos sib ly (he re belli on o f A mmon a nd Moab had fo und so me s u p po rt in Judah . and t his deportat ion was t he pu nish men t. m . In 562.

She passes her nights weepin g ; the tears run down her cheeks. Not one of all her love rs!' remains to comfort her. Her friends have all betrayed her and become her enemi es.

Ghimel

Judah is exiled after her downfall and ha rsh ens laveme nt. She dwells among the nations now, but finds no relief the re. Her pursuers all overtake her in places where there is no way out.

Daleth

T he roads to Zion are in mou rning ; no o ne comes to her festivals now. Her gateways are all deserted; her pr iests groan; her virg ins are grief-stricken; she suffers bitterly.

He

Wall'

52 g. Heb r. ad ds ' some o f the humbler peo p le of t he co un tr y', cr. v, J 6 . h. 'a rt isan s' ccrr .: 'c rowd' He br .

Oh , how lonel y she sits, the city once thronged with people, as if suddenly widow ed. Though once great among the nat ions, she, the princess among provinces, is now reduced to vassa lage.

Her oppressors now have the upper hand, her enemies enjoy prosperity; Yahweh himself has made her suffer for her many, many sin s ; her little children have left her as prisoners driven in front of the oppressor. From the daughter of Zion all her glory has departed. Her lead ers were like ra ms that find no pas ture.

1 a. T he poet descri bes th e pit iab le p light of Jeru- captivi ty and Jerusalem had become a wilderness. i t sa lem . Per sonifi ed Zio n speaks in v, ? a nd v. II, to ha ppe ned t ha t th e p rophet Je re m iah sat down in te a rs: utter a co m pla int . vv. 12-1 6, the n a p rayer. vv. 18f. he utter ed th is lam en ta tion o ver Jeru salem . he said ..• which is s im ulta neo usly a co nfession . a n asnirarion b. T he fo r mer allies o f Juda h . c . 'rams' G reek, VuIK.: 'st ags' Hebr. a nd a n im precat ion. Greek a nd Vulg , he re insert th e introductio n 'Whe n Isr ael had been taken in to

1:9

1: 16.19 Ba 4: 12

2:18

Jr 9:17 Ps 69:20 J r 30: 14 In 13: 18

Lv 26:22

s: 49:7 Is 3:26

Jr 14 :2

::.:

S

2: 17 D t 28;25 Ps 89:42

oc

a1 Ezk 10:18f : 11:22f

m

If LAMENTATIONS

2:1

/345

/3 44

"

LAMENTAT IONS Te/h

S ECO ND LAMENTAT IO N"

2 lif

A leph

Elk 43:7

Beth

D r 28:52

Ghim el Ps 75;4 f-

4: 11

Da lctli Jr 2 1:5.6

He L v 26 :3 1

~Vall' ~C h36 : 1 9

Jr 52: 13

Is l :1 3

Z p 3; IM

Z aill

rn

Ez k 2-1-:2 1

He/h Jr 5: 1()

2: K 2 1:13 Is J4 :11

O h, how Ya hweh in his wra th ha s bro ught darkness on th e da ugh ter of Zion! H e has flung the glory of Israe l from heaven to the grou nd, no more remembering his foot sto ol" on th e day of his wrath.

I

The Lord has pitilessly destr oyed all the hom es of Jacob; in his displeasure he has shattered the stro ngholds of the da ughter of J udah; he has th rown to the ground, he has left acc ursed t he kingdo m and its rul ers.

2

In his burning anger he has broken every horn in Israel , withdrawn the strength of his right hand at th e coming of the enemy, and kindled in Jacob a fire that burn s up everything nea r it.

3

Like an enemy he has bent his bow, holdin g his right han d steady; like a foe, he has sla ughtered everything that del ights the eye; on the tent of the daughter of Zion he has poured his anger ou t like fire.

4

T he Lord has been like an enemy ; he has destroyed Israel; he has des troye d everyone of her palaces, laid low her stronghol ds, and for the daughters of J udah has multiplied wailing on wa iling.

5

He has wrecked his own domain like a garden, shattered his own gat her ing place; Ya hweh has wiped out the mem ory o f festiv als and sa bbaths in Zio n ; in the heat of his wrath he ha s repudiated king and priest.

6

T he Lor d has grown wea ry of his alt ar, has come to loath e his sanctuary, and ha nded her palace walls over to the enemy; fro m the uproar in the Temple of Yahweh' it might have been a da y of festiva l.

7

Yahweh resolved to rui n the city wa ll of the da ughter of Zion ; with a line he measured it, and did not withd raw his han d until he had com pletel y overthrown it, br inging mo urni ng on city wall and ra mpart ; now they are crumbling down together.

B

10

II

12

13

14

15

I f>

Yad

Kaph

La med

/\;feI11

NUll

S am ek

Pe

2:16

H er gates have sunk into the ground ; he has shatt ered their bars. H er king, her no bles, ar e now with the pagans , the Law is no mo re. Even her prophets receive no further vision from Ya hwe h. Mutely they sit o n t he gro und , th e elde rs of the da ughter of Zion; th ey have pu t dus t on th eir head s, and wrapp ed themselves in sackclo th. Th e virgins of Jeru salem han g their heads down to the gro und . My eyes wasted away with weepi ng, my entra ils shuddered, my liver spilled on the gro und at t he ruin of the dau ghters of my peop le, as ch ild ren, mere infa nts, fainted in t he sq uares of the C itadel. T hey kept saying to the ir mo thers, 'Where is the bread?'« as t hey fainted like wounded men in the squa res of t he C ity, as t hey poured out their so uls on their moth ers' breasts. H ow can I describe you: to wha t co mpare yo u, daughter of Je rusalem? Who ca n rescue a nd com fort you, " virg in dau ghte r of Zion? For huge as the sea is yo ur aflliction; who can possibly cure yo u? The visio ns your prop hets had o n your beha lf were delusive, tinsel things," they never point ed out yo ur sin, to wa rd off your exile. The visions they proffered you were false, fallacious, mislead ing.

D t 28:36 2 K 25:7 Dt 4 ;6,8 Ps 74;9 Ezk 7:26 Dn 3;38

Jr 6:26

4 ;4

1: 11

1: 12 J r 30 :12

Jr 5:31 : 29:8 E zk 13:10

All who pas s your way clap their ha nds at the sight ; they whistle and sha ke their head s over the da ughte r of Jerusalem . 'W as this the loveliest of all," this, the joy of the who le world ?'

J r 19:8 Mt 27:3l.)p

Your ene mies ope n their mout hs in cho rus aga inst you ; they whistle and grind their teet h; th ey say, 'We have swallowed her up:

Ps 35:2 1

2 a . In v v, 1- 12 t he poet desc ribes th e wretc hed fate d. Hc br . adds ' and w in e' . of k ings. pries ts . prophe ts . e lde rs. ch ildren : t hen . e . Li t . 'To w it •at ca n I liken YOU' Vula. : ' W ha t ca n addre ssing Z io n. vv, 13- 17, he rem in ds her h ow the I w itness for yo u ' Hc b r, false prop he ts ha ve lied , a nd ur ges her to b ewa il he r r. F ol lo wi ng G ree k : Heb r. ' To wha t can I liken fa te be fore G od, vv. 18-22 . yo u to co m fo r t yo u' . b. T he Te m ple. Jt. Li r. 'w h itewas h . ro uah cnst ". c. T he t riu m pha nt shou ts of the enemy. h . Te xt co r r.: lIebr . ' Is this th e dlr t hat wa s cal led t he lo veli es t ' ,

Jr 18; 16 Q:

«

III

Ps 48:1

w

~

,(

_0

'TWI I

2:17

L AMENTATION S

A m 5:18

/34 6

/347

T his is the day we were waiting for; now we can to uch it, see it.' A in

Dt 28:15

Sade 1:2

Qoph

lil!1

Resh 4 :10 Dt 28:53 Ir 19:9 Ba 2:3 Lv 26:29

S hill

Tall Jr 20:10 +

Ba 4:26

Yahweh has accomplished his intenti on, he has ca rried out his word dec reed in the days of old ; he has destroyed without pity, giving your enemy ca use to gloa t over you and raising his ho rn .'

17

Cry aloud, then, to the Lord, groan,' daughter of Zion; let you r tears flow like a torrent, day and night ; give yourself no relief, gra nt your eyes no rest.

18

Up , cry out in the night -time, in the early hours of darkness ; pour your heart out like water before Yahweh. Stretch out your hands to him for the lives of you r children." Lo ok , Yahweh, and consider: wh om have you ever treated like this? Wh y, women have eaten their little ones, th e child ren they had nursed in thei r arm s! Why, priest a nd prophet have been slau ght ered in th e sanctuar y of Yahweh !' C hild ren and old men are lying on the ground in the streets; my virgins and my young men have fallen by the sword; you have killed on the day of your wrath, you have slaughtered pitilessly. As though to a festival you have summoned terrors from every side; on th e day of your wrath, m no one escap ed, no one survived. Those whom I had nu rsed and reared, my enemy has mur dered them all.

7

9

10

.~

Aleph

8:12 +

Beth

-'

I

3

30 :30

I am the man fami liar with misery under the rod of his an ger; I am the one he has dr iven and forced to walk in da rkness, and wit hout an y light. Agai nst me alone he turns his hand, again a nd aga in, all day lo ng. He has was ted my flesh and sk in away, has broken my bones. He has mad e a yo ke for me, has encircled my head with wea riness. b

Dalet h

II

12

19

13

He

14

15

20

16

Wa\\'

17

IX

21

1'1

Z ain

20

21

22

22

Heth

23

24

T H I RD LAMENTATION " Jb30:9

Ghimel

8

25

nr

LAM E N TATI ONS

6

Teth

26

I

2

27

3:2 7

H e has force d me to d well in da rkness with e the dead of long ago .

liP s 143 :3

He has walled me in; I cannot esca pe ; he has made my chains heavy ; and when I call and shout, he shuts out my pra yer. H e has bloc ked my ways with cut sto nes, he has ob stru cted my pa ths.

J b 3:23 ; 19:8 P s 88:8 ; 142: 7

For me he has been a lur kin g bear, a lion on the watch. He has filled my paths wit h briars and torn me, he has made me a thin g of hor ror. He has bent his bow a nd taken aim, making me t he targ et fo r his arrow s. In my bac k he has plan ted his da rts, th e child ren of his q uiver. I have beco me the laug hing-sto ck of my whole nation," their butt a ll day long. He has given me my fill of bitterness, he has made me drunk with wormwood. He has bro ken my teet h with gravel , he has given me ashes for foo d.' My so ul is shut out! fro m peace; I have forgott en happiness. And now I say, ' My st rengt h is gone , that ho pe whic h ca rne fro m Ya hweh '. Brooding on my a nguish a nd affliction is gall and wormwood . My spir it ponders it continually and sinks with in me. T his is what I shal l tell my heart, " and so recover hope: the favours of Ya hweh a re not all past, his kindnesses are no t exhausted; every mo rn ing they are renewed; great is his" faithfulness. 'My po rtion is Ya hweh' says my so ul 'a nd so I will hope in him.' Ya hweh is good to those who tr ust him, to t he so ul that searches for him. It is goo d to wait in silence for Ya hweh to save. It is good for a ma n to bea r the yoke from yout h on wards ,'

i. 'hi s horn ' (i. e . power) co rr .: ' th e ho rn o f yo ur

3:44

J b 10:16

J b 16: 12-1 3

3:63 Dt 2H:37 J b 30:9 Ps 69:1 If J r 20 :7 Ps 69:2 1 J r 23 : 15

Jr 16:5 J b 17:15

Ps 42:4

P , 77:8-9 Ex 34:6-7

Ps 16:5 ; 73: 26 Ps40: 1 Is 30 :18

a: c(

III

L v 26:44 Ps 106:13

w

III

b. Text co rr.

enemies' Hcbr. 3

4

5

I. 'C r y' ('orr . ; 'Their hea rt cr ies ' He br. ' gr oan' c. 'w ith' corr.: ' like ' Hebr. cor r.: ' 0 wa ll' Hc br . d . S o me Hcbr. an d Sv r. MSS ha ve ' (he n ati o ns' , k . H cb r. a dds ' wh o faint w ith h un ger at t he m ak in g this a co llec ti ve p rayer by Isr ae l. ent rance to cve ry st ree t' . e. G ree k. ' He has tu m bled me in to as hes' Hebr. I. 'of Yah weh ' co rr . : ' o f t he Lo rd ' Hebr. r. ' is sh u t out ' Sy r.. Vu IR. ; ' he has shu t o ut ' G reek; m. ' terro rs' cor r.: ' my ter ro rs' Heb r. ' of yo u r ' yo u ha ve s hu t o ut' He br. wra t h' cor r.: ' the wra th of Ya hweh ' Hebt. g . F o llow ing G reek . 'v v , 21 -24 are absen t fr o m 3 a . Her e , as in se ver a l Psa lm s, the co m p lai nt o f a n Gree k. ind ividua l expands (in vv, 40-47) int o a co llective h. ' h is ' co rr.; ' yo u r' H e br. lam ent. I. Tc,« co rr.

.(

a

........

r (

3:28 Ir IS:l7

LAMENTATIONS Yod

Is SO:6 M I S:39 Ps 77:7-8

Kapb

Lv 26:44 Is 54:8-9 Ezk 33:11

Lamed

Go 1

Mem

Ps 33:9 Is 45:7

NUl! Is ' 5:7

Samek

3:8 D1 2S:37

Pe

Ps 137:1

A il! Is 63:15

to sit in solitude and silence when the Lord fastens it on him , to put his lips to the dust -perhaps there still is hopeto offer his cheek to the striker, to be overwhelmed with insults . For the Lord does not reject manki nd for ever and ever. If he has punished , he has com passion so grea t is his kindness ; since he takes no pleasure in abasing and afflicting the human race. When all the prisoners in a country are crushed and trampled underfoot, when a man 's rights are overridden in defiance of the Most High, when a man is deprived of justice, does not the Lord see it? Who has only to speak to make things exist? Who commands, if not the Lord? Fr om where, if not from the mouth of the Most High, do evil and good come? Why then sho uld man complain ? Better for him to be bold against his sins';

1349

/3 48 28

4:4

The waters went over my head ; I said, 'I am lost'.

S4

29

Qopli

55 30 56 31

57

32 5S

You have defended the cause of my soul, In you have redeemed my life. Yahweh, you have seen the wrong done to me ; grant me redress. You have seen all their frenzy, all their plots agai nst me.

S hill

Yahweh, you have heard their insults , a ll their plots aga inst me, my opponents slandering me under their breath all day long . Whether they Sit, or whethe r they stand, see, I am their butt.

59 34 60 35 61 36 62 37 63 38 39

Tau

64

6S

40

You have wrapped yourself in wrath, pursue d us, slaughtered us without pity. You have wrapped yourself in a cloud too thick for prayer to pierce. You have reduced us to rubbish to the scourings of the nations.

43

Ou r enemies have opened their mouths in chorus against us. Dread and pitfall have been our lot, ravage and ru in. My eyes dissolve in torrents of tears over the ruin of the daughters of my peop le.

46

Yahweh, I called on your name from the deep pit. You hear d me crying, 'Do not close you r ear to my prayer' . 1 Yo u came near that day when I called to you; you said, 'Do not be afra id' .

Resh

33

Let us examine our path, let us ponder it and return to Ya hweh. Let us stretch ou t ou r hea rts and- han ds to God in heaven. We are the ones who have sinned , who have rebelled, and you have not forgiven.

My eyes weep ceaselessly, without relief until Yahweh looks do wn and sees from heaven. My eyes have grown sore over all the daughters of my Citadel.

LAME N TATIO N S

66

41

Yahweh , repay them as their deeds deserve. Give them hardness of heart , your curse be on them. Pursue them in fury, root them out from und erneat h your heavens."

Jo n 2:3 Ps 130:2

3:14 Ps 94:2 Jr 5 1:56

42

FO URTH LAME NTATIO N

14

Alep h

2

Beth

44 45

47

Ghime l

! 48

49

Oh, how the old gold has tarn ished, tha t gold so fine!" The sacred sto nes now lie scattered at the co rner of every street. The sons of Zion , as precious as finest gold, Oh, reckoned now no better tha n eart henware pots mad e by the potte r! T he very jackals give the breast, and suckle their you ng: but the da ughters of my peop le" have grown crue l like the ostriches of the desert.

Ir 6:27-30

J r 19:1 1

a::

q: III

Ib 39:13-17

w

50

-,

Daleth

SI

The tongue of the baby at the breast st icks to his palate for thirst, little childre n go begging for bread ; no one spa res a scra p for the m.

[jj 2:11-12

<{

Sa de Ps 3S: 19 : 69:4

The y hunted me, harried me like a bird, they who hate me for no reaso n. The y tumbled my life into a pit, they threw stones down on me.

52

j.

Text corr

k , 'and' (or 'wi th') v urz.: ' o n' G reek : 'to' Hebe.

m. Heb e. adds 'Lord" n, ' yo ur heave ns' some Greek MSS and 8yr . : ' Ihe heavens of Ya hweh' He br.

53

4 a . ' old ' corr. : ' is c hanged' Hebr, The ' gold ' and
0

T 4:5 Ba 4:26

LAMENTATIONS He

Waw Onl 9

Zaill

Heth

Teth

Once her young men' were brighter than snow , whiter than milk; rosier than coral their bodies, their hue as rad iant as sapphire. Now wit h faces da rker than black ness itself they move unrecog nisab le thro ugh the stree ts. T he skin is shru nken aga inst t heir bones , dryas a stick. Happy were those killed by the sword, happier than those by hunger, spent an d sinking, dep rived of the fruit s of the fields.

II

T he kings of the ear th never believed, nor did all the inhabitants of the wor ld, that oppressor and enemy would ever penetr ate the gat es of Jerusalem.

12

It came through the sins of her pro phets

13

Nun Nb 35:32-33

Samek Lv 13:4 5

Pe

Ain

T hrough the streets like blind men , they roamed po lluted with blood, so that no one dared to to uch t heir clot hes. 'Keep away ! U nclean!' people sho uted 'Keep away ! Do not touch us" If they left and took refuge with t he nations,! they were not allowed to shelter there either . T he face of Ya hweh dispersed t hem ; he never spa red a glanc e for them again . Peop le respecte d the priests no lon ger, t hey pa id no attention to the prop hets. u And still we wore ou t our eyes, watc hing for help-in vain.

Our enemies eyed our steps , and barricaded our squares. Our end was near, our days were done. i

19

Qoph

Our pursuers were swifter than eagles in the sky; they dogged our steps in the mountains, they ambushed us in the dese rt.

20

Resh

The breath of our nostrils, Yahweh's anointed, ' was captured in their pits, he of whom we said, ' U nder his shadow we shall live a mong the nations'.

Shill

I r 37:7 Ezk 29:6

2K25:5-6

Rejoice, exult, daug hter of Edorn, as you dwell in UZ!k To you in turn the cup will pass; it will make you drunk, and you will show your nake dness .

G n 9:21 Is 5 1:17 + Jr 25:16

Tau

Yo ur crime has been ato ned for, daug hter of Zion; he will never ban ish you again. Your crime he will punish , da ughter of Edorn; he will lay bare yo ur sins. FIFTH LAMENTATION"

15

Ob lo

is 40 :2

Ne 9:32

Yahweh, remember wha t has happened to us; look on us and see our degradat ion. O ur inheritance has passed to aliens, our homes to barb ar ian s. We are orphan s, we ar c fath erless ; our mothers are like widows.

a nd the crim es of her priests, who had shed the blood of t he upright in the heart of the city.

Ezk 7:23

5=7

Hab2: 16f

Yahweh has indulged his fury, has pou red his an ger out. He has lit a fire in Zion that has devoured her foundations .

Mem

Sade

22

Kaph

Jr 6:13

18

21

10

Lamed

rr

The crimes of the daughter of my people have outdone the sins of Sodom,' which was overthrown in a moment, no time for a man to wring his hands ."

With the ir own hand s, tender-hearted women have bo iled their chi ldren ; these have been their food in the disaster that fell on the daughter of my people.

2:3

LAMENTATIONS From our towers we watched for a nationwhich could not save us anyway.

T hose who used to eat only the best, now lie dying in the stree ts; those who were reared in the purple claw at the rubbish heaps .

Yod 2:20 Lv 26:29 01 28:53 Ezk 5:10

n

135 1

1350

4

We drin k our own water-at a price ; we have to pay for what is our own firewood . T he yoke" is on our necks ; we are persecuted ; we are worked to deat h; no relief for us.

14

15

16

17

We hold out our han ds to Egypt, or to Assy ria, ju st to get eno ugh bread. r O ur fat hers have sinncd; thcy a rc 110 more, a nd we ourse lves bear the weight o f their crimes." c . Th e He br. words t ransl ated 'c rim e' a nd ' sin ' m a y mean al so th e pun ishme nt for su c h. d. Fo llo wing: G reek. e . 'y o u ng men ' corr.: ' n az irhes' (cf", N b 6: I -I- ) Hebr, f . 'I f. nat ion s' corr .; 'Men said among the nat ion s' H ebr. g. ' pro phe ts' so me Greek MSS. Vet. t. a r. : 'c ide rs' Hebr.

k . Uz . cf . G n 36:2S : Jb 1: 1. W he n Is ra el was def eat ed . t he nc ia h bo ut in g pe o p les of Edam. M oa b and A mmon not on ly refuse d hel p bUI were actively h ost ile . he nce th e di a tr ibes aga inst Edam in p r o pheti c a nd post-exilic liter a tu re, cr. E zk 25: Ps 137:7, et c. .

J r 2:18

oc

«

III

Ezk 18:2

w

III

a nd her e . 5

Enti t led 'Th e Pray er of Jeremi ah ' in the vure. b. 'The yoke ', rest o red to th e text (c f. Sy m machus) . c. Me re ly to subs ist . t he Isr aelit es a re now dependent on th ei r tr ad it io na l enemies. 'Assyria ' here s ia ni flcs Ba byl o n . h . E J'l YPt. all y of Jud ah in the reig n o f Z edek iah . d. T he a u t hor sees the p resent di saster in te rms of i , 'O ur e ne m ies' a d ded. Hcbr. ad ds a t the en d co llective rc n-ib urio n: th is has not ye t yielded to t he ' Yes, ou r end ap p ro ac hed'. prtncinlc of indi vid u al re trib ution , cf. Elk 14:12+. i . Ze de k ia h. 1.

;3

5:8

LAMENTATIONS

/352

Slaves' rule us; no one rescues us from them.

2 Ch 36:17

At peril of our lives we earn our bread, by risking the sword of the desert.

9

O ur skin is as hot as the oven, such is the fever of famine.

10

They have raped the women in Zion, the virgins in the towns of Judah.

11

Princes have been hanged a t their hands; the face of the old has not been respected.

12

Yo ut hs have toiled at t he m ill ; boys have collapsed under loads of wood. T he elders have deserted the gateway; the young men have given up their music.

,P s 137:2

Joy has vanished from our hearts; our dancing has been turned to mourning.

D n9:18 Is 34: 13-15 Ps 102:12. 28; 145: 13 : 146:10 Ba 3:3 Ps 13:1

Lv 26:44 J r 31:18

5

Baruch and the Jews in Babylon" 15

This is why our hearts are sick; this is why our eyes are dim:

17

because Mount Zion is desolate ; jackals roam to and fro on it.

18

But you, Ya hweh, you remain for ever ; your throne endures from age to age,"

19

Y ou cannot mean to forget us for ever? You cannot mean to abandon us for good?

20

Make us come back to you , Yahweh, and we will come back. Renew ou r days as in times past,

21

un less yo u have ut terly rejected us, in a n a nge r that knows n o limit.

22

e. The Chaldaea n officials. T he techn ical term for

r. T he ea rthly Temple may

be in ru ins. but Ya hweh .

I. INTROD U CTI O N

14

16

office rs of t he ki ng Cservams'j is used he re in a n insu lt- mig h ty a nd glo rious a lways. reig ns in heaven. Ing sense .

BARUC H

13

The garland has fallen from our heads. Woe to us , because we have sinned!

rr

THE BOO K OF

3::!:12 ; T hese arc the words of t he book wr itten in Babylon by Baruc h son of Neraiah, Jr 36:4 son of Mahsciah, son of Zedekiah, son of Hasad iah , son of Hilk iah , -in the fifth yea r, I, on the seventh day of the month , at the time when the C ha ldaeans captured Jerusalem and burned it do wn . 17 Bar uch read the words of thi s book aloud to Jcconi alr son of Jcho iakim, Jr:! K24:H22:24 -30 .1 king of Judah, and to all the peop le who had come to hear the read ing, -to the nobles and the so ns of the king ," a nd to the elders ; to the whole people, that is, least no less than grea test, to all wh o lived in Bab ylon besid e th e river Su d . O n hearing it the y wept, fasted and prayed befo re th e Lo rd; -a nd th ey collected 7 a s much money as eac h could afford -and sent it to Jer usa lem for the priest Jchoiakirn r son of H ilk ia h, so n o f Sha llum , a nd th e o ther priests, a nd fo r as H many of the people as were with him in Jerusa lem. -I t was Bar uc h w ho on the tenth day of Sivan had reco vered th e ut en sils o f the hou se of th e Lo rd , whi ch had been removed from the Temple, to ta ke them back ! to th e land of Juda h: these were silver utensi ls whic h Zedekiah son of Josiah , king of Judah, had had ~ made -w hen Nebuchadnezza r king of Babylon had deported Jccon iah from 2 K 24:14 Je rusalem to Babylon, toget her with the princes, t he meta lworkers, fl the men of rank and the common people. 10 With this-they wrote-we are sending you mo ney with which to pay for hol ocausts, offerings for sin, and incense; pr epare ob lat ions, and offer them on the alt ar Jr 29:7 II of the Lo rd o ur God . • Pra y for the long life o f Nebuc hadnezzar king of Bab ylon , I T m 2:1-2. a nd of his son Belshazzar, and that their days on earth ma y end ure as the 12 heavens ; 'pray t hat the Lord may give us stre ngth and clear understand ing so that we may lead our lives under t he protec tion of Nebuchadnezzar king of Baby lon a nd of his so n Belshazzar, and by our lon g service win th ei r favour. O n 5:2.1.1 13 Also pray to the Lord our God for us, because we have sinned against him , and the anger, the fury of the Lord, has still not yet been turned awa y from us. 14 Las tly, you are to read the book aloud which we se nd you with this and so ma ke public confession in the house of the Lord on t he feastday" and on days 15 of so lemn assembly . •You are to say:

1

1 a. On the elements of which Ra is co mposed, see of the Temple : the high priest Jehozadak had been ex iled to Babylon. 1 C h 5:4 1. Introd uctio n to t he Prophets. f. Th e histo rica l bo ok s sp eak o nly of a return o f the b. T he yea r 582. pro bab ly in the 5th month , ann iversary of t he fall of Jerusalem which was doubtless sa cred vessels und er C yrus, Ezr 1:7-1 1. 1:. ' me ta lwo rkers ' , foll owing J r 24: I : ' ca ptives' com memorated amo ng the ex iles as it was in Pa lesti ne . G ree k . cf. Zc 7:3; hence the gat hering referred to in vv , 3-4. h . T he fea st of T ab ern acl es. d . Ex 23:14 +. T he c. Ca lled also Je hoiachin. 's olem n assembly ' took pla ce o n the 1st and St h da ys of d. Or 'ki ng's men' . co urt official s. e. Next in ran k. apparent ly, to the high prie st . d. the feast, L v 23:35-36. 2 K 25:18. He lived in Jer usa lem beside what was left

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