123 lines
4.2 KiB
Markdown
123 lines
4.2 KiB
Markdown
# Chapter 1
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1 Jerusalem, once so full of people,
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is now deserted.
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She who was once great among the nations
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now sits alone like a widow.
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Once the queen of all the earth,
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she is now a slave.
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2 She sobs through the night;
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tears stream down her cheeks.
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Among all her lovers,
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there is no one left to comfort her.
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All her friends have betrayed her
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and become her enemies.
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3 Judah has been led away into captivity,
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oppressed with cruel slavery.
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She lives among foreign nations
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and has no place of rest.
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Her enemies have chased her down,
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and she has nowhere to turn.
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4 The roads to Jerusalem are in mourning,
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for crowds no longer come to celebrate the festivals.
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The city gates are silent,
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her priests groan,
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her young women are crying—
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how bitter is her fate!
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5 Her oppressors have become her masters,
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and her enemies prosper,
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for the Lord has punished Jerusalem
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for her many sins.
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Her children have been captured
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and taken away to distant lands.
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6 All the majesty of beautiful Jerusalem
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has been stripped away.
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Her princes are like starving deer
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searching for pasture.
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They are too weak to run
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from the pursuing enemy.
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7 In the midst of her sadness and wandering,
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Jerusalem remembers her ancient splendor.
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But now she has fallen to her enemy,
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and there is no one to help her.
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Her enemy struck her down
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and laughed as she fell.
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8 Jerusalem has sinned greatly,
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so she has been tossed away like a filthy rag.
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All who once honored her now despise her,
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for they have seen her stripped naked and humiliated.
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All she can do is groan
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and hide her face.
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9 She defiled herself with immorality
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and gave no thought to her future.
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Now she lies in the gutter
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with no one to lift her out.
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“Lord, see my misery,” she cries.
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“The enemy has triumphed.”
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10 The enemy has plundered her completely,
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taking every precious thing she owns.
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She has seen foreigners violate her sacred Temple,
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the place the Lord had forbidden them to enter.
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11 Her people groan as they search for bread.
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They have sold their treasures for food to stay alive.
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“O Lord, look,” she mourns,
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“and see how I am despised.
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12 “Does it mean nothing to you, all you who pass by?
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Look around and see if there is any suffering like mine,
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which the Lord brought on me
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when he erupted in fierce anger.
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13 “He has sent fire from heaven that burns in my bones.
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He has placed a trap in my path and turned me back.
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He has left me devastated,
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racked with sickness all day long.
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14 “He wove my sins into ropes
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to hitch me to a yoke of captivity.
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The Lord sapped my strength and turned me over to my enemies;
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I am helpless in their hands.
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15 “The Lord has treated my mighty men
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with contempt.
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At his command a great army has come
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to crush my young warriors.
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The Lord has trampled his beloved city
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like grapes are trampled in a winepress.
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16 “For all these things I weep;
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tears flow down my cheeks.
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No one is here to comfort me;
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any who might encourage me are far away.
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My children have no future,
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for the enemy has conquered us.”
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17 Jerusalem reaches out for help,
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but no one comforts her.
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Regarding his people Israel,
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the Lord has said,
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“Let their neighbors be their enemies!
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Let them be thrown away like a filthy rag!”
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18 “The Lord is right,” Jerusalem says,
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“for I rebelled against him.
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Listen, people everywhere;
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look upon my anguish and despair,
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for my sons and daughters
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have been taken captive to distant lands.
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19 “I begged my allies for help,
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but they betrayed me.
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My priests and leaders
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starved to death in the city,
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even as they searched for food
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to save their lives.
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20 “Lord, see my anguish!
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My heart is broken
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and my soul despairs,
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for I have rebelled against you.
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In the streets the sword kills,
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and at home there is only death.
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21 “Others heard my groans,
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but no one turned to comfort me.
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When my enemies heard about my troubles,
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they were happy to see what you had done.
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Oh, bring the day you promised,
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when they will suffer as I have suffered.
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22 “Look at all their evil deeds, Lord.
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Punish them,
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as you have punished me
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for all my sins.
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My groans are many,
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and I am sick at heart.” |