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! He has cast the beauty of Israel down from heaven to the earth, and hasn’t remembered 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 dwellings of Jacob without pity. He has thrown down in his wrath the strongholds of the daughter of Judah. He has brought them down to the ground. He has profaned the kingdom and its princes.
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 all the horn of Israel in fierce anger. He has drawn back his right hand from before the enemy. He has burnt up Jacob like a flaming fire, which devours all around.
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 has stood with his right hand as an adversary. He has killed all that were pleasant to the eye. In the tent of the daughter of Zion, he has poured out his wrath 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 has become as an enemy. He has swallowed up Israel. He has swallowed up all her palaces. He has destroyed his strongholds. He has multiplied mourning and lamentation in the daughter of Judah.
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.
He has violently taken away his tabernacle, as if it were a garden. He has destroyed his place of assembly. The LORD has caused solemn assembly and Sabbath to be forgotten in Zion. In the indignation of his anger, he has despised 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 the walls of her palaces into the hand of the enemy. They have made a noise in the LORD’s house, as in the day of a solemn assembly.
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 the line. He has not withdrawn his hand from destroying; He has made the rampart and wall lament. They languish 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 have sunk into the ground. He has destroyed and broken her bars. Her king and her princes are amongst the nations where the law is not. Yes, her prophets 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. They keep silence. They have cast up dust on their heads. They have clothed 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 fail with tears. My heart is troubled. My bile is poured on the earth, because of the destruction of the daughter of my people, because the young children and the infants 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 ask their mothers, “Where is grain and wine?” when they swoon as the wounded in the streets of the city, when their soul is 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 shall I testify to you? What shall I liken to you, daughter of Jerusalem? What shall I compare to you, that I may comfort you, virgin daughter of Zion? For your breach is as big as 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 false and foolish visions for you. They have not uncovered your iniquity, to reverse your captivity, but have seen for you false revelations 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 called ‘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 wide against you. They hiss and gnash their teeth. They say, “We have swallowed her up. Certainly this is the day that we looked for. We have found it. 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 planned. He has fulfilled his word that he commanded in the days of old. He has thrown down, and has not pitied. He has caused the enemy to rejoice over you. He has exalted 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 relief. Don’t let your eyes rest.
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, at the beginning of the watches! Pour out your heart like water before the face of the Lord. Lift up your hands towards him for the life of your young children, who faint for hunger at the head 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.
“Look, LORD, and see to whom you have done thus! Should the women eat their offspring, the children that they held and bounced on their knees? Should the priest and the prophet be killed 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 youth and the old man lie on the ground in the streets. My virgins and my young men have fallen by the sword. You have killed them in the day of your anger. You have slaughtered, 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 the day of a solemn assembly, my terrors on every side. There was no one that escaped or remained in the day of the LORD’s anger. My enemy has consumed those whom I have cared for and brought up.
