2. The Lord destroyed the houses of Jacob. He destroyed them without mercy. In his anger he destroyed the fortresses of Daughter Judah. He threw the kingdom of Judah and its rulers to the ground. He ruined the kingdom of Judah.
3. He was angry, and he destroyed all the strength of Israel. He took away his right hand from Israel. He did this when the enemy came. He burned like a flaming fire in Jacob. He was like a fire that burns all around.
4. He bent his bow like an enemy. He held his sword in his right hand. He killed all the good-looking men of Judah. He killed them as if they were the enemy. He poured out his anger like a fire on the tents of Zion.
5. The Lord has become like an enemy. He has swallowed up Israel. He has swallowed up all her palaces and all her fortresses. He has made much sadness and crying for the dead in Daughter Judah.
6. He pulled up his own tent as if it were a garden. He has ruined the place where the people came together to worship him. The Lord has made people forget the special assemblies and special days of rest in Zion. He rejected the king and the priests. He was angry and rejected them.
7. He rejected his altar, and he left his holy place of worship. He let the enemy pull down the walls of the palaces of Jerusalem. The enemy shouted with joy in the Lord’S Temple. They made noise as though it were a festival.
8. The Lord planned to destroy the wall of Daughter Zion. He marked the wall with a measuring line. He didn’t stop himself from destroying it. He made all the walls cry out in sadness. Together they wasted away.
9. Jerusalem’s gates have sunk into the ground. The bars on her gates are completely destroyed. Her king and princes have been taken to other nations. The teaching of the law has stopped. And her prophets no longer receive visions from the Lord.
10. The elders of Zion sit on the ground. They sit on the ground and are quiet. They pour dust on their heads. They put on sackcloth. The young women of Jerusalem bow their heads to the ground in sorrow.
11. My eyes are worn out with tears, and my insides are upset. My heart feels like it has been poured on the ground; I feel this way because of the destruction of my people. Children and babies are fainting in the public squares of the city.
12. They ask their mothers, “Where is the bread and wine?” as they pour out their life in their mother’s laps.
13. My dear Jerusalem, what can I say about you? What can I compare you to? What can I say you are like? How can I comfort you, city of Zion? You have been hurt much too badly for anyone to heal.
14. Your prophets saw visions for you, but their visions were only worthless lies. They didn’t speak against your sins. They didn’t try to make things better. They spoke messages for you, but they were false messages that fooled you.