The Lamentations of Jeremiah

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- Kapitel 2 -

The Lord was extremely angry with us; it was as though he covered Jerusalem with a dark cloud. Previously it was a beautiful city, but he has caused it to become a ruin. At the time he punished Israel, he even abandoned his temple in Jerusalem.

The Lord destroyed the homes of the people of Judah; he did not act mercifully. Because he was very angry, he broke down the fortresses of Judah. He has made our kingdom to be completely helpless, and he has caused our rulers to lose all honor.

Because he was extremely angry, he has caused Israel to not be powerful anymore. He has refused to assist us when our enemies attacked us. He has destroyed Israel like a raging fire destroys everything.

He has gotten ready to kill us, his people, as though we were his enemies. He prepared to kill the people whom we love the most, members of our own families. He is extremely angry with us people of Jerusalem; his anger is like a fire.

The Lord has become like an enemy to us Israelites; he has destroyed us; he has destroyed our palaces and made our fortresses into ruins. He has gotten rid of many people in Jerusalem, and caused us to mourn and weep for those who were killed.

He has caused our enemies to smash his temple as easily as if it had been a hut in a garden. He has caused us, his people, to forget all our sacred festivals and Sabbath days. He has hated our kings and priests because he was extremely angry with them.

Yahweh has rejected the very altar on which we had sacrificed animals to him; he has abandoned his temple. He has allowed our enemies to tear down the walls of our temple and our palaces. They shout victoriously in the temple of Yahweh, like we previously shouted during our sacred festivals.

Yahweh was determined that our enemies would tear down our city wall. It was as though he had first measured the walls and then completely destroyed them. It was as though he caused the towers and walls to lament because they were now ruins.

The city gates have collapsed; the enemy has destroyed the bars that fastened the gates shut. The king and his officials have been forced to go to other countries, where no one teaches the laws that God gave to Moses. The prophets do not receive any visions because Yahweh does not give them any.

The old men of Jerusalem sit on the ground, and they say nothing. They are so sad that they wear rough sackcloth and throw dust on their heads. The young girls of Jerusalem bow down sorrowfully, their faces touch the ground.

My eyes are very tired because of my tears; I am very grieved within my inner being. Because very many of my people have died, in my inner being I grieve and am exhausted. Even children and babies are fainting and dying in the streets because they have no food.

They cry out to their mothers, “We need something to eat and drink!” They collapse like wounded men in the streets of the city. They slowly die in the arms of their mothers.

You people of Jerusalem, I cannot say anything to help you. No people have suffered like you are suffering; I do not know what I can do to comfort you. You have fallen just as far as if you had sunk in the ocean; there is no one who can bring your city back to what it was.

The prophets among you claimed that they had seen visions from Yahweh, but what they said was false and worthless. They did not work to save you from your enemies; they did not tell you that you had sinned. Instead, they announced to you things that they said Yahweh had told them; they tempted you to believe them, and you did.

All those who pass by you make fun of you by clapping their hands; they shake their heads and hiss at you; They say, “Is this the great city of Jerusalem? Is it the city that people said was the most beautiful city in the world, the city that caused all the people on the earth to rejoice?”

Now all our enemies laugh at you; they hate you so much that they hiss at you and grind their teeth at you. They say, “We have destroyed Israel! This is what we longed for, and now it has happened!”

Yahweh has done what he planned; long ago he threatened to destroy you, and now he has done it. He has destroyed your city without acting mercifully toward you; he has enabled your enemies to be happy about defeating you; he has enabled your enemies to continually become stronger.

I wish the city walls could speak like the people who cry out to Yahweh! I would tell the walls, “Cry out for help to Yahweh! Let your tears flow day and night! Let them flow like rivers. Do not stop grieving; do not stop crying.”

Get up during every night and cry out; tell Yahweh what you feel in your inner beings. Raise your arms to plead to him to act mercifully to prevent our children from dying; they are fainting on the street corners because they have no food to eat.

Yahweh, look at your people and have mercy on us. Have you ever caused people to suffer like this before? It is certainly not right that women are eating the flesh of their own children, the children whom they have always taken care of. It is not right that our enemies are killing priests and prophets in your own temple!

The corpses of people of all ages lie in the streets; there are even corpses of young men and young women whom our enemies have killed with their swords. Because you were very angry, you caused them to be killed; you have slaughtered them without pitying them at all.

You summoned my enemies to attack from every direction, as though you were calling them to come to a feast. At that time you showed that you were very angry, and no one escaped. Our enemies murdered our little children, the ones whom we took care of and reared up.

Gottes Zorn über Jerusalem

[Aleph.] Wie hat der Herr in seinem Grimme die Tochter Sion mit Finsternis umhüllt! Vom Himmel warf er zur Erde nieder die Zier Israels und gedachte des Schemels seiner Füße nicht am Tage seines Zornes.

[Beth.] Ohne Schonung hat der Herr Verderben bereitet aller Anmut Jakobs; er brach in seinem Grimme die Festen der Jungfrau Juda und warf sie zu Boden, entweihte das Reih und dessen Fürsten.

[Ghimel.] Zerschlagen hat er in seinem grimmigen Zorne jedes Horn Israels, zurückgezogen seine Rechte vor dem Angesichte des Feindes und ein Feuer in Jakob entzündet, dessen Flamme ringsum frißt.

[Daleth.] Er spannte seinen Bogen wie ein Feind und machte seine Rechte stark wie ein Gegner, tötete alles, was der Augen Weide war in dem Gezelte der Tochter Sion, goss gleich Feuer seinen Grimm aus.

[He.] Der Herr ist dem Feinde gleich geworden, hat Israel gestürzt, gestürzt alle seine Mauern, zerstört seine Burgen und die Tochter Juda, Mann und Weib, mit Erniedrigung erfüllt.

[Vau.] Und wie einen Garten hat er sein Gezelt wüste gemacht, seine Wohnung verheert, der Vergessenheit hat der Herr in Sion Fest und Sabbat anheimgegeben, der Schmach und seinem grimmigen Zorne hat er König und Priester preisgegeben.

[Zain.] Verworfen hat der Herr seinen Altar, verflucht sein Heiligtum, in Feindes Hand die Mauern seiner Türme überliefert; lautes Geschrei erscholl im Hause des Herrn, als wäre es ein Festtag.

[Heth.] Der Herr hat beschlossen, die Mauer der Tochter Sion zu zerstören; er spannte seine Meßschnur und zog seine Hand nicht ab vom Vertilgen, in Trauer ist das Vorwerk versetzt und die Mauer ist zumal eingestürzt.

[Teth.] In den Boden gesunken sind ihre Tore, verdorben und zerbrochen hat er ihre Riegel, ihr König und ihre Fürsten sind unter den Völkern, nicht ist das Gesetz mehr da und ihre Propheten erlangen kein Gesicht mehr von dem Herrn.

[Jod.] Es sitzen am Boden schweigend die Ältesten der Tochter Sion, sie haben Asche auf ihre Häupter gestreut, sich mit Trauergewändern umgürtet, zur Erde senken ihr Haupt die Jungfrauen Jerusalems.

[Kaph.] Dahin schwinden meine Augen vor Tränen, mein Inneres ist erschüttert, meine Leber ergießt sich auf die Erde über die Vernichtung der Tochter meines Volkes, da Kind und Säugling verschmachtet in den Straßen der Stadt.

[Lamed.] Zu ihren Müttern sprachen sie: Wo ist Brot und Wein? Da sie verschmachteten, tödlich Verwundeten gleich, in den Straßen der Stadt, ihr Leben aushauchend in ihrer Mütter Schoß.

[Mem.] Womit soll ich dich vergleichen? Oder was soll ich dir ähnlich finden, Tochter Jerusalem? Was soll ich dir gleichstellen, dass ich dich tröste, Jungfrau, Tochter Sion? Denn groß wie das Meer ist dein Elend, wer kann dich heilen?

[Nun.] Deine Propheten erschauten dir Trug und Torheit und deckten deine Verschuldung nicht auf, um dich zur Buße zu bewegen, sondern erschauten dir Sprüche des Truges und der Verstoßung.

[Samech.] Es schlagen über dir die Hände zusammen alle, die des Weges vorüberziehen, sie zischen und schütteln ihr Haupt über die Tochter Jerusalem: Ist das die Stadt, sprechen sie, der Schönheit Vollkommenheit, die Wonne der ganzen Erde?

[Phe.] Es reißen über dich ihren Mund auf alle deine Feinde, sie zischen und knirschen mit den Zähnen und sprechen: Lasset uns verschlingen! sehet, dies ist der Tag, auf den wir gewartet, wir haben ihn erlebt, wir haben ihn geschaut.

[Ain.] So hat der Herr ausgeführt, was er beschlossen, er hat sein Wort erfüllt, das er von den Tagen der Vorzeit her entboten; er hat zerstört ohne Schonung, hat den Feind über dich frohlocken lassen und das Horn deiner Bedränger erhöht.

[Sade.] Ihr Herz ruft zum Herrn ob der Mauern der Tochter Sion: Lass einem Strome gleich Tränen fließen Tag und Nacht, gönne dir nicht Ruhe und dein Augapfel raste nicht!

[Koph.] Auf, rufe laut durch die Nacht beim Anfange der Nachtwachen, schütte wie Wasser dein Herz vor dem Antlitze des Herrn aus, hebe zu ihm deine Hände empor für das Leben deiner Kindlein, die vor Hunger verschmachten an den Ecken der Straßen!

[Resch.] Siehe, o Herr! und schaue, an wem du also Weinlese gehalten! Sollen denn die Weiber ihre Leibesfrucht essen, Kindlein eine Spanne lang? Soll im Heiligtume des Herrn gemordet werden Priester und Prophet?

[Sin.] Es liegen zu Boden in den Straßen Knabe und Greis, meine Jungfrauen und meine Jünglinge sind durch das Schwert gefallen, du hast gewürgt am Tage deines Grimmes, hast erschlagen ohne Erbarmen!

[Thau.] Du beriefst, wie zu einem Festtage, die, welche mich schrecken sollten ringsum und niemand war am Tage des Grimmes des Herrn, der entrann und übrigblieb; die ich gepflegt und großgezogen, mein Feind hat sie vernichtet.