Lamentations 2

 

אֵיכָה יָעִיב בְּאַפּוֹ אֲדֹנָי אֶת־בַּת־צִיּוֹן הִשְׁלִיךְ מִשָּׁמַיִם אֶרֶץ תִּפְאֶרֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל וְלֹא־זָכַר הֲדֹם־רַגְלָיו   2:1

  בְּיוֹם אַפּוֹ׃

Lame. 2:1   How the Master can cover the daughter of Zion

                                with a cloud in His “anger!”

                      From heaven He cast off the land, the glory of Israel,

                                and did not remember His footstool at the time of His “anger.”

בִּלַּע אֲדֹנָי ( לֹא) [וְלֹא] חָמַל אֵת כָּל־נְאֹות יַעֲקֹב הָרַס בְּעֶבְרָתֹו מִבְצְרֵי בַת־יְהוּדָה הִגִּיעַ   2:2

לָאָרֶץ חִלֵּל מַמְלָכָה וְשָׂרֶיהָ׃

Lame. 2:2   The Master swallowed up, and without pity,

                                all the habitations of Jacob;

                      He tore down in His “rage.”

                                He brought the strongholds of the daughter of Judah to the ground.

                      He defiled the kingdom and its princes.

The blank space before the word in the parentheses implies that a vav prefix is missing.  It is added in the brackets.

גָּדַע בָּחֳרִי־אַף כֹּל קֶרֶן יִשְׂרָאֵל הֵשִׁיב אָחֹור יְמִינֹו מִפְּנֵי אֹויֵב וַיִּבְעַר בְּיַעֲקֹב כְּאֵשׁ לֶהָבָה אָכְלָה   2:3

 סָבִיב׃

Lame. 2:3   In the heat of “anger” He cut off all of the horn of Israel.

                                He drew back His right “hand” behind from the face of the enemy,

                     and He burned in Jacob like a fire,

                                a flame devouring all around.

דָּרַךְ קַשְׁתּוֹ כְּאוֹיֵב נִצָּב יְמִינוֹ כְּצָר וַיַּהֲרֹג כֹּל מַחֲמַדֵּי־עָיִן בְּאֹהֶל בַּת־צִיּוֹן שָׁפַךְ כָּאֵשׁ חֲמָתוֹ׃   2:4

Lame. 2:4   He directed His “bow” as an enemy;

                                He set His right “hand” as an adversary.

                      Then He slew everyone pleasant to the eye

                                in the tent of the daughter of Zion.

                      He poured out His “rage” like a fire.

הָיָה אֲדֹנָי כְּאוֹיֵב בִּלַּע יִשְׂרָאֵל בִּלַּע כָּל־אַרְמְנוֹתֶיהָ שִׁחֵת מִבְצָרָיו וַיֶּרֶב בְּבַת־יְהוּדָה תַּאֲנִיָּה וַאֲנִיָּה׃   2:5

Lame. 2:5   The Master became like an enemy;

                                He swallowed up Israel,

                      He swallowed up all her palaces,

                                He destroyed its strongholds,

                       and He made great mourning and lamentation

                                in the daughter of Judah.

וַיַּחְמֹס כַּגַּן שֻׂכּוֹ שִׁחֵת מוֹעֲדוֹ שִׁכַּח יְהוָה בְּצִיּוֹן מוֹעֵד וְשַׁבָּת וַיִּנְאַץ בְּזַעַם־אַפּוֹ מֶלֶךְ וְכֹהֵן׃   2:6

Lame. 2:6   And He swept away, as if a garden, His pavilion;

                                He destroyed His place of assembly.

                      The Lord caused to be forgotten in Zion

                                appointed season and Sabbath and,

                       in the indignation of His “anger,”

                                spurned king and priest.

זָנַח אֲדֹנָי מִזְבְּחוֹ נִאֵר מִקְדָּשׁוֹ הִסְגִּיר בְּיַד־אוֹיֵב חוֹמֹת אַרְמְנוֹתֶיהָ קוֹל נָתְנוּ בְּבֵית־יְהוָה כְּיוֹם מוֹעֵד׃   2:7

Lame. 2:7   The Master cast away His altar, abhorred His sanctuary,

                                delivered up into the hand of an enemy the walls of her palaces.

                     They made a sound in the house of the Lord

                                as if it was the day of solemn assembly.

חָשַׁב יְהוָה לְהַשְׁחִית חוֹמַת בַּת־צִיּוֹן נָטָה קָו לֹא־הֵשִׁיב יָדוֹ מִבַּלֵּעַ וַיַּאֲבֶל־חֵל וְחוֹמָה יַחְדָּו אֻמְלָלוּ׃   2:8

Lame. 2:8   The Lord “thought” to destroy the wall of the daughter of Zion.

                                He stretched out the line, did not withhold His “hand” from destroying,

                      and made rampart mourn, and wall.

                                Together they languish.

טָבְעוּ בָאָרֶץ שְׁעָרֶיהָ אִבַּד וְשִׁבַּר בְּרִיחֶיהָ מַלְכָּהּ וְשָׂרֶיהָ בַגּוֹיִם אֵין תּוֹרָה גַּם־נְבִיאֶיהָ לֹא־מָצְאוּ   2:9

 חָזוֹן מֵיְהוָה׃

Lame. 2:9   Her gates sank into the ground.

                                He gave up and broke her bars.

                      Her king and her princes are with the nations.

                                There is no instruction;

                       even her prophets detect no vision from the Lord.

יֵשְׁבוּ לָאָרֶץ יִדְּמוּ זִקְנֵי בַת־צִיּוֹן הֶעֱלוּ עָפָר עַל־רֹאשָׁם חָגְרוּ שַׂקִּים הוֹרִידוּ לָאָרֶץ רֹאשָׁן בְּתוּלֹת   2:10

 יְרוּשָׁלִָם׃

Lame. 2:10   The elders of the daughters of Zion sit on the ground,

                                they must keep silent;

                         they bring up dust upon their head, gird sackcloth.

                                Maidens of Jerusalem hang their head down to the ground,

כָּלוּ בַדְּמָעוֹת עֵינַי חֳמַרְמְרוּ מֵעַי נִשְׁפַּךְ לָאָרֶץ כְּבֵדִי עַל־שֶׁבֶר בַּת־עַמִּי בֵּעָטֵף עוֹלֵל וְיוֹנֵק בִּרְחֹבוֹת   2:11

 קִרְיָה׃

Lame. 2:11   My eyes are consumed with tears,

                                my insides churn,

                        my liver spills to the ground,

                                over the ruin of the daughter of my people,

                        with fainting child, and suckling, in the plazas of the city.

לְאִמֹּתָם יֹאמְרוּ אַיֵּה דָּגָן וָיָיִן בְּהִתְעַטְּפָם כֶּחָלָל בִּרְחֹבוֹת עִיר בְּהִשְׁתַּפֵּךְ נַפְשָׁם אֶל־חֵיק אִמֹּתָם׃   2:12

Lame. 2:12   They might say to their mothers,

                                “Where is the corn and wine?”

                        with their fainting as if wounded in the plazas of the city,

                                with their soul pouring out to the bosom of their mothers.

מָה־אֲעִידֵךְ מָה אֲדַמֶּה־לָּךְ הַבַּת יְרוּשָׁלִַם מָה אַשְׁוֶה־לָּךְ וַאֲנַחֲמֵךְ בְּתוּלַת בַּת־צִיּוֹן כִּי־גָדוֹל   2:13

 כַּיָּם שִׁבְרֵךְ מִי יִרְפָּא־לָךְ׃

Lame. 2:13   What can I call to testify for you?

                                What can I compare to you, the daughter, Jerusalem?

                        What can I equal to you that I may comfort you,

                                virgin, daughter of Zion?

                         For your breakage is as vast as the sea.

                                Who can heal you?

נְבִיאַיִךְ חָזוּ לָךְ שָׁוְא וְתָפֵל וְלֹא־גִלּוּ עַל־עֲוֹנֵךְ לְהָשִׁיב (שְׁבִיתֵךְ) [שְׁבוּתֵךְ] וַיֶּחֱזוּ לָךְ מַשְׂאֹות שָׁוְא   2:14

וּמַדּוּחִים׃

Lame. 2:14   Your prophets had perceived of vanity and whitewash for you,

                                so they did not disclose concerning your iniquity to prevent your captivity,

                        but they prophesied utterances of vanity

                                and seductive words for you.

The word in the parentheses should be spelled with a vav instead of a yad.  The correction is in the brackets.

סָפְקוּ עָלַיִךְ כַּפַּיִם כָּל־עֹבְרֵי דֶרֶךְ שָׁרְקוּ וַיָּנִעוּ רֹאשָׁם עַל־בַּת יְרוּשָׁלִָם הֲזֹאת הָעִיר שֶׁיֹּאמְרוּ כְּלִילַת   2:15

יֹפִי מָשׂוֹשׂ לְכָל־הָאָרֶץ׃

Lame. 2:15   All passers of the road clap hands over you.

                                They whistle and shake their head over the daughter, Jerusalem.

                         Is this the city of which they would say,

                                “Perfect of beauty, joy for all the earth?”

פָּצוּ עָלַיִךְ פִּיהֶם כָּל־אוֹיְבַיִךְ שָׁרְקוּ וַיַּחַרְקוּ־שֵׁן אָמְרוּ בִּלָּעְנוּ אַךְ זֶה הַיּוֹם שֶׁקִּוִּינֻהוּ מָצָאנוּ רָאִינוּ׃   2:16

Lame. 2:16   All your enemies open their mouths over you.

                                They whistle and gnash teeth;

                         they say, “We have swallowed up! Indeed!

                                This is the day for which we have waited;

                        we are present, we see.”

עָשָׂה יְהוָה אֲשֶׁר זָמָם בִּצַּע אֶמְרָתוֹ אֲשֶׁר צִוָּה מִימֵי־קֶדֶם הָרַס וְלֹא חָמָל וַיְשַׂמַּח עָלַיִךְ אוֹיֵב   2:17

 הֵרִים קֶרֶן צָרָיִךְ׃

Lame. 2:17   The Lord has done what He devised;

                                He has accomplished His word

                         that He ordained from the days of old.

                                He has torn down, and had no pity,

                         and the enemy rejoices over you.

                                He has exalted the horn of your adversary.

צָעַק לִבָּם אֶל־אֲדֹנָי חוֹמַת בַּת־צִיּוֹן הוֹרִידִי כַנַּחַל דִּמְעָה יוֹמָם וָלַיְלָה אַל־תִּתְּנִי פוּגַת לָךְ אַל־תִּדֹּם   2:18

 בַּת־עֵינֵךְ׃

Lame. 2:18   Their heart cries out to the Master.

                                Walled daughter of Zion!

                         Let down tears like a torrent day and night.

                                Do not allow yourself rest.

                         Let the pupil of your eye not be silenced.

קוּמִי רֹנִּי (בַלַּיִל) [בַלַּיְלָה] לְרֹאשׁ אַשְׁמֻרֹות שִׁפְכִי כַמַּיִם לִבֵּךְ נֹכַח פְּנֵי אֲדֹנָי שְׂאִי אֵלָיו כַּפַּיִך   2:19

עַל־נֶפֶשׁ עֹולָלַיִךְ הָעֲטוּפִים בְּרָעָב בְּרֹאשׁ כָּל־חוּצֹות׃

Lame. 2:19   Arise! Cry out in the night,

                                at the start of the watches.

                        Pour out your heart like water

                                before the “face” of the Master.

                        Lift up your hands to Him, for the life of your children

                                who are fainting away at the head of every one of the streets.

The word in the parentheses is missing a heh suffix.  It is added in the brackets.

רְאֵה יְהוָה וְהַבִּיטָה לְמִי עוֹלַלְתָּ כֹּה אִם־תֹּאכַלְנָה נָשִׁים פִּרְיָם עֹלֲלֵי טִפֻּחִים אִם־יֵהָרֵג בְּמִקְדַּשׁ   2:20

אֲדֹנָי כֹּהֵן וְנָבִיא׃

Lame. 2:20   See, Lord, and regard to whom You have acted thus.

                                Should the women eat their fruit, the children of their care?

                        Should priest be slain, and prophet,

                                in the sanctuary of the Master?

שָׁכְבוּ לָאָרֶץ חוּצוֹת נַעַר וְזָקֵן בְּתוּלֹתַי וּבַחוּרַי נָפְלוּ בֶחָרֶב הָרַגְתָּ בְּיוֹם אַפֶּךָ טָבַחְתָּ לֹא חָמָלְתָּ׃   2:21

Lame. 2:21   Young man and old,

                                they lay down to the ground of the streets.

                        My maidens and my young men fell by the sword.

                                You slew in the time of Your “anger,”

                        You slaughtered, You had no pity.

תִּקְרָא כְיוֹם מוֹעֵד מְגוּרַי מִסָּבִיב וְלֹא הָיָה בְּיוֹם אַף־יְהוָה פָּלִיט וְשָׂרִיד אֲשֶׁר־טִפַּחְתִּי וְרִבִּיתִי אֹיְבִי   2:22

 כִלָּם׃

Lame. 2:22   When it was the time of solemn assembly

                                You must have called my terrors from every side,

                         that there was not in the time of the “anger” of the Lord

                                an escapee or a survivor whom I had dandled or reared.

                         My enemy had destroyed them.

 

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