How Lonely Lies the City! (2 Kings 24:10–17)
1 UST Jerusalem, the city that was once so full of people, is now empty and deserted. It was once the greatest city among all the nations, but now it is like a widow— alone and without protection. It was once honored among the provinces like a princess, but now her people are forced to do slave labor. BETH BSB BSB: How lonely lies the city, once so full of people! She who was great among the nations has become a widow. The princess of the provinces has become a slave.
2 UST Jerusalem’s inhabitants weep and cry bitterly all through the night; tears run down their cheeks. None of the nations that loved them have come to comfort them. All their allies have turned against them; they have all become their enemies. GIMEL BSB BSB: She weeps aloud in the night, with tears upon her cheeks. Among all her lovers there is no one to comfort her. All her friends have betrayed her; they have become her enemies.
3 UST Enemies drove the people of Judah out to other countries, and made them suffer greatly as slaves. They live among foreign nations, where they find no peace or rest. Their enemies caught up with them; they were trapped and could not escape. DALETH BSB BSB: Judah has gone into exile under affliction and harsh slavery; she dwells among the nations but finds no place to rest. All her pursuers have overtaken her in the midst of her distress.
4 UST No one comes to Zion anymore for the sacred festivals, so the roads to the city are silent and empty. The city gates stand deserted; the priests groan in sorrow. The young women of the city are grieving, and the whole city is filled with bitterness. HE BSB BSB: The roads to Zion mourn, because no one comes to her appointed feasts. All her gates are deserted; her priests groan, her maidens grieve, and she herself is bitter with anguish.
5 UST Jerusalem’s enemies have become rulers over it; its adversaries are doing well. Yahweh has caused it to suffer greatly, because of all the ways its people sinned against him. Its children have been taken captive and marched away before the enemy. WAW BSB BSB: Her foes have become her masters; her enemies are at ease. For the LORD has brought her grief because of her many transgressions. Her children have gone away as captives before the enemy.
6 UST All the glory and beauty that Zion once had has left it completely. Its leaders are like deer that are starving because they cannot find any grass to eat. They stumble along weakly with the enemy chasing them. ZAYIN BSB BSB: All the splendor has departed from the Daughter of Zion. Her princes are like deer that find no pasture; they lack the strength to flee in the face of the hunter.
7 UST Now as Jerusalem suffers in exile and misery, its people remember all the good things that they had in former times. When the enemy conquered the people, no one came to help them. Some enemies watched and laughed contemptuously as others destroyed the city. HETH BSB BSB: In the days of her affliction and wandering Jerusalem remembers all the treasures that were hers in days of old. When her people fell into enemy hands she received no help. Her enemies looked upon her, laughing at her downfall.
8 UST Jerusalem’s people sinned so greatly that the city became something everyone treated as filthy and defiling. All those who had honored it now despise it, because they have seen how shamefully disgraced it has become. Now its people moan and humbly hide. TETH BSB BSB: Jerusalem has sinned greatly; therefore she has become an object of scorn. All who honored her now despise her, for they have seen her nakedness; she herself groans and turns away.
9 UST Everyone can see that the people in Jerusalem have made themselves impure by sinning, but its people never thought about what would happen to them as a result. The enemy devastated Jerusalem in a terrible way; no one has come to comfort its people. They cried out,“Yahweh, see how we are suffering! The enemy has triumphed over us!” YODH BSB BSB: Her uncleanness stains her skirts; she did not consider her end. Her downfall was astounding; there was no one to comfort her. Look, O LORD, on my affliction, for the enemy has triumphed!
10 UST The enemy took possession of all its precious treasures. Its people watched as foreign nations entered the temple— the nations that you, Yahweh, had commanded to stay out of your holy place. KAPH BSB BSB: The adversary has seized all her treasures. For she has seen the nations enter her sanctuary—those You had forbidden to enter Your assembly.
11 UST All the people groan and search for food. They have traded their precious things just to get something to eat so that they can stay alive. They cried out,“Yahweh, look at us! See how people treat us contemptuously!” LAMEDH BSB BSB: All her people groan as they search for bread. They have traded their treasures for food to keep themselves alive. Look, O LORD, and consider, for I have become despised.
12 UST Jerusalem’ s people cried out to those passing by the ruined city,“Do you not care at all about what has happened to us? Look around you and see— has anyone ever suffered as much as we have suffered? Yahweh inflicted this terrible pain on us on the day when he was fiercely angry. MEM BSB BSB: Is this nothing to you, all you who pass by? Look around and see! Is there any sorrow like mine, which was inflicted on me, which the LORD made me suffer on the day of His fierce anger?
13 UST He sent fire down from above that burned deep inside us. He set a trap that caught our feet and forced us to turn back. He left us devastated and abandoned, exhausted and miserable all day long. NUN BSB BSB: He sent fire from on high, and it overpowered my bones. He spread a net for my feet and turned me back. He made me desolate, faint all the day long.
14 UST God tied our sins around our necks like a heavy yoke; they are twisted tightly together so that we cannot remove them. They are piled onto our necks and weigh us down, so that we have no strength left. The Lord handed us over to enemies we have no power to defeat. SAMEKH BSB BSB: My transgressions are bound into a yoke, knit together by His hand; they are draped over my neck, and the Lord has broken my strength. He has delivered me into the hands of those I cannot withstand.
15 UST The Lord has despised and rejected all our warriors. He called our enemies together at the right time to destroy our young men. The Lord has crushed the people of Judah like someone treading on grapes in a winepress. AYIN BSB BSB: The Lord has rejected all the mighty men in my midst; He has summoned an army against me to crush my young warriors. Like grapes in a winepress, the Lord has trampled the Virgin Daughter of Judah.
16 UST These are the things we weep over, weeping without stopping; our eyes overflow with tears. There is no one near us to comfort us or to restore our strength. Our children have been left with nothing, because the enemy has overcome us.” PE BSB BSB: For these things I weep; my eyes flow with tears. For there is no one nearby to comfort me, no one to revive my soul. My children are destitute because the enemy has prevailed.
17 UST Zion’ s people reach out their hands, pleading for help, but no one comes to comfort them. Yahweh ordered that all the nations surrounding Jacob would become his enemies. Jerusalem has become something all the neighboring nations treat as defiling and avoid. TSADHE BSB BSB: Zion stretches out her hands, but there is no one to comfort her. The LORD has decreed against Jacob that his neighbors become his foes. Jerusalem has become an unclean thing among them.
18 UST Jerusalem’ s people said,“Yahweh is righteous, because we disobeyed his commands. Listen, all you peoples of the world, and see what great pain we are in. Our young women and young men have been taken away as captives. QOPH BSB BSB: The LORD is righteous, yet I rebelled against His command. Listen, all you people; look upon my suffering. My young men and maidens have gone into captivity.
19 UST We called to our allies for help, but they completely betrayed us. Our priests and our elders died in the city, while they were desperately searching for food just to stay alive. RESH BSB BSB: I called out to my lovers, but they have betrayed me. My priests and elders perished in the city while they searched for food to keep themselves alive.
20 UST Yahweh, look at how much we are suffering! Our stomachs churn with anguish; our hearts are completely devastated within us, because we have deeply and truly rebelled against you. In the streets, the sword kills people; inside the city, people are dying like a plague. SIN BSB BSB: See, O LORD, how distressed I am! I am churning within; my heart is pounding within me, for I have been most rebellious. Outside, the sword bereaves; inside, there is death.
21 UST People have heard us groaning in misery, but no one has come to comfort us. All our enemies have heard about the disaster that came upon us; they are glad about it, because you are the one who brought it. Bring the day of punishment that you promised, when they will suffer as we have suffered! TAW BSB BSB: People have heard my groaning, but there is no one to comfort me. All my enemies have heard of my trouble; they are glad that You have caused it. May You bring the day You have announced, so that they may become like me.
22 UST Let all the evil things they have done come to your attention, and punish them for what they have done. Treat them the way you treated us for all the ways we sinned against you. We are constantly sighing and groaning, and we grieve greatly.” BSB BSB: Let all their wickedness come before You, and deal with them as You have dealt with me because of all my transgressions. For my groans are many, and my heart is faint.
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