Lamentations 2
1 Aleph. Hou hath the Lord hilid the douyter of Sion with derknesse in his strong veniaunce? he hath caste doun fro heuene in to erthe the noble citee of Israel; and bithouyte not on the stool of hise feet, in the dai of his strong veniaunce.
How has the LORD covered the daughter of Zion with a cloud in his anger, and cast down from heaven to the earth the beauty of Israel, and remembered not his footstool in the day of his anger!
2 Beth. The Lord castide doun, and sparide not alle the faire thingis of Jacob; he distried in his strong veniaunce the strengthis of the virgyn of Juda, and castide doun in to erthe; he defoulide the rewme, and the princes therof.
The LORD has swallowed up all the habitations of Jacob, and has not pitied: he has thrown down in his wrath the strong holds of the daughter of Judah; he has brought them down to the ground: he has polluted the kingdom and the princes thereof.
3 Gymel. He brak in the ire of his strong veniaunce al the horn of Israel; he turnede a bak his riyt hond fro the face of the enemy; and he kyndlide in Jacob, as fier of flawme deuowrynge in cumpas.
He has cut off in his fierce anger all the horn of Israel: he has drawn back his right hand from before the enemy, and he burned against Jacob like a flaming fire, which devours round about.
4 Deleth. He as an enemye bente his bouwe, he as an aduersarie made stidfast his riyt hond; and he killide al thing that was fair in siyt in the tabernacle of the douytir of Sion; he schedde out his indignacioun as fier.
He has bent his bow like an enemy: he stood with his right hand as an adversary, and slew all that were pleasant to the eye in the tabernacle of the daughter of Zion: he poured out his fury like fire.
5 He. The Lord is maad as an enemy; he castide doun Israel, he castide doun alle the wallis therof; he destriede the strengthis therof, and fillide in the douyter of Juda a man maad low, and a womman maad low.
The LORD was as an enemy: he has swallowed up Israel, he has swallowed up all her palaces: he has destroyed his strong holds, and has increased in the daughter of Judah mourning and lamentation.
6 Vau. And he scateride his tent as a gardyn, he distried his tabernacle; the Lord yaf to foryetyng in Sion a feeste dai, and sabat; and the kyng and prest in to schenschipe, and in to the indignacioun of his strong veniaunce.
And he has violently taken away his tabernacle, as if it were of a garden: he has destroyed his places of the assembly: the LORD has caused the solemn feasts and sabbaths to be forgotten in Zion, and has despised in the indignation of his anger the king and the priest.
7 Zai. The Lord puttide awei his auter, he curside his halewyng; he bitook in to the hondis of enemy the wallis of the touris therof; thei yauen vois in the hous of the Lord, as in a solempne dai.
The LORD has cast off his altar, he has abhorred his sanctuary, he has given up into the hand of the enemy the walls of her palaces; they have made a noise in the house of the LORD, as in the day of a solemn feast.
8 Heth. The Lord thouyte to distrie the wal of the douyter of Sion; he stretchide forth his coorde, and turnede not awei his hond fro perdicioun; the forwal, ether the outerward, mourenyde, and the wal was distried togidere.
The LORD has purposed to destroy the wall of the daughter of Zion: he has stretched out a line, he has not withdrawn his hand from destroying: therefore he made the rampart and the wall to lament; they languished together.
9 Teth. The yatis therof ben piyt in the erthe, he loste and al to-brak the barris therof; the kyng therof and the princes therof among hethene men; the lawe is not, and the profetis therof founden not of the Lord a visioun.
Her gates are sunk into the ground; he has destroyed and broken her bars: her king and her princes are among the Gentiles: the law is no more; her prophets also find no vision from the LORD.
10 Joth. Thei saten in erthe, the elde men of the douytir of Sion weren stille; thei bispreynten her heedis with aische, the eldere men of Juda ben girt with hairis; the virgyns of Juda castiden doun to erthe her heedis.
The elders of the daughter of Zion sit on the ground, and keep silence: they have cast up dust on their heads; they have girded themselves with sackcloth: the virgins of Jerusalem hang down their heads to the ground.
11 Caph. Myn iyen failiden for teeris, myn entrails weren disturblid; my mawe was sched out in erthe on the sorewe of the douyter of my puple; whanne a litil child and soukynge failide in the stretis of the citee.
My eyes do fail with tears, my bowels are troubled, my liver is poured on the earth, for the destruction of the daughter of my people; because the children and the sucklings swoon in the streets of the city.
12 Lameth. Thei seiden to her modris, Where is wheete, and wyn? whanne thei failiden as woundid men in the stretis of the citee; whanne thei senten out her soulis in the bosum of her modris.
They say to their mothers, Where is corn and wine? when they swooned as the wounded in the streets of the city, when their soul was poured out into their mothers’ bosom.
13 Men. To whom schal Y comparisoun thee? ether to whom schal Y licne thee, thou douyter of Jerusalem? to whom schal Y make thee euene, and schal Y coumforte thee, thou virgyn, the douyter of Sion? for whi thi sorewe is greet as the see; who schal do medicyn to thee?
What thing shall I take to witness for you? what thing shall I liken to you, O daughter of Jerusalem? what shall I equal to you, that I may comfort you, O virgin daughter of Zion? for your breach is great like the sea: who can heal you?
14 Nun. Thi profetis sien to thee false thingis, and fonned; and openyden not thi wickidnesse, that thei schulden stire thee to penaunce; but thei sien to thee false takyngis, and castyngis out.
Your prophets have seen vain and foolish things for you: and they have not discovered your iniquity, to turn away your captivity; but have seen for you false burdens and causes of banishment.
15 Sameth. Alle men passynge on the weie flappiden with hondis on thee; thei hissiden, and mouyden her heed on the douyter of Jerusalem; and seiden, This is the citee of perfit fairnesse, the ioie of al erthe.
All that pass by clap their hands at you; they hiss and wag their head at the daughter of Jerusalem, saying, Is this the city that men call The perfection of beauty, The joy of the whole earth?
16 Ayn. Alle thin enemyes openyden her mouth on thee; thei hissiden, and gnaistiden with her teeth, and seiden, We schulen deuoure; lo! this is the dai which we abididen, we founden, we sien.
All your enemies have opened their mouth against you: they hiss and gnash the teeth: they say, We have swallowed her up: certainly this is the day that we looked for; we have found, we have seen it.
17 Phe. The Lord dide tho thingis whiche he thouyte, he fillide hise word which he hadde comaundid fro elde daies; he distriede, and sparide not; and made glad the enemy on thee, and enhaunside the horn of thin enemyes.
The LORD has done that which he had devised; he has fulfilled his word that he had commanded in the days of old: he has thrown down, and has not pitied: and he has caused your enemy to rejoice over you, he has set up the horn of your adversaries.
18 Sade. The herte of hem criede to the Lord, on the wallis of the douyter of Syon; leede thou forth teeris as a stronde, bi dai and niyt; yyue thou not reste to thee, nether the appil of thin iye be stille.
Their heart cried to the LORD, O wall of the daughter of Zion, let tears run down like a river day and night: give yourself no rest; let not the apple of your eye cease.
19 Coph. Rise thou togidere, herie thou in the nyyt, in the begynnyng of wakyngis; schede out thin herte as watir, bifore the siyt of the Lord; reise thin hondis to hym for the soulis of thi litle children, that failiden for hungur in the heed of alle meetyngis of weies.
Arise, cry out in the night: in the beginning of the watches pour out your heart like water before the face of the LORD: lift up your hands toward him for the life of your young children, that faint for hunger in the top of every street.
20 Res. Se thou, Lord, and byholde, whom thou hast maad so bare; therfor whether wymmen schulen ete her fruyt, litle children at the mesure of an hond? for a prest and profete is slayn in the seyntuarie of the Lord.
Behold, O LORD, and consider to whom you have done this. Shall the women eat their fruit, and children of a span long? shall the priest and the prophet be slain in the sanctuary of the Lord?
21 Syn. A child and an elde man laien on the erthe withoutforth; my virgyns and my yonge men fellen doun bi swerd; thou hast slayn hem in the dai of thi strong veniaunce, thou smotist `and didist no merci.
The young and the old lie on the ground in the streets: my virgins and my young men are fallen by the sword; you have slain them in the day of your anger; you have killed, and not pitied.
22 Thau. Thou clepidist, as to a solempne dai, hem that maden me aferd of cumpas; and noon was that ascapide in the dai of the strong veniaunce of the Lord, and was left; myn enemy wastide hem, whiche Y fedde, and nurschide up.
You have called as in a solemn day my terrors round about, so that in the day of the LORD’s anger none escaped nor remained: those that I have swaddled and brought up has my enemy consumed.
