Lamentations 2

Great(i) 1 Alas, howe hath the Lorde darckened the daughter of Syon so sore in hys wrath? As for the honour of Israel he hath cast it downe from heauen vnto the erth. Howe happeneth it, that he remembred not his awne fote stole when he was angre? 2 The Lorde hath cast downe all the habitatyons of Iacob without any fauour: all the stronge places of the daughter Iuda hath he broken in hys wrath, and throwen them downe to the grounde: her kyngdome and her princes hath he suspended. 3 In the wrath of hys indignacyon he hath broken all the horne of Israel: he hath wt drawen his right hande from the enemye: yee, a flame of fyre is kyndled in Iacob, and hath consumed vp all rounde aboute. 4 He hath bent his bowe lyke an enemye, he hath fastened hys right hand as an aduersary: and euerythynge that was pleasaunt to se, he hath smytten it downe. He hath poured out his wrath lyke a fyre, into the tabernacle of the daughter of Syon. 5 The Lorde is become lyke as it were an enemie, he hath deuoured Israel and all hys palaces: yee, all his strong holdes hath he destroyed, and fylled the daughter of Iuda with moche sorowe and heuynesse. 6 Her tabernacle (which was lyke a garden of pleasure) hath he destroyed: her hye solempne feastes hath he put downe. The Lorde hath brought it so to passe, that the hie solempne feastes and Sabbathes in Sion, are cleane forgotten. In his heuy displeasure hath he made the kynge and prestes to be despised. 7 The Lorde hath forsaken hys awne aulter, and hath abhorred his awne Sanctuarye, and hath geuen the walles of theyr towres into the handes of the enemye. Theyr enemies made a noise in the house of the Lord, as it had bene in a solempne feaste daye. 8 The Lorde thought to breake downe the walles of the daughter of Sion, he spred out his lyne, and drewe not in hys hande, tyll he had destroyed them: Therfore mourne the turrettes and the broken walles together. 9 Her gates are soncke downe to the grounde, her barres are broken and smytten in sonder, her kynge & princes are caried awaye to the Gentyls. They haue nether lawe ner prophetes, ner yet eny visyon from the Lorde. 10 The senatours of the daughter Sion syt vpon the grounde in silence: they haue strawed asshes vpon theyr heades, and gyrded them selues with sack cloth. The maydens of Ierusalem hange downe theyr heades to the grounde. 11 Myne eyes begyne to fayle me thorowe wepyng, my body is disquyeted, my liuer is poured vpon the earth, for the greate hurte of my people, seynge the chyldren and babes dyd swowne in the stretes of the cyte. 12 Euen when they spake to theyr mothers: where is meate and dryncke? for whyle they so sayde, they fell downe in the stretes of the cytie, lyke as they had bene wounded, and some dyed in theyr mothers bosome. 13 What shall I saye of the, O thou daughter Ierusalem, to whom shall I lycken the? To whom shall I compare the. O thou daughter Sion, to comforte the withall? Thy hurte is lyke a mayne see, who maye heale the? 14 Thy prophetes haue loked out vayne and folishe thinges for the, they haue not shewed the of thy wickednes, to kepe the from captiuite: but haue ouerladen the, and thorow falshed scatred the abrode. 15 All they that go by the, clappe their handes at the: hissynge and wagginge their heades vpon the daughter Ierusalem, and saye: is this the cyte that men call so fayre: wherin the whole lande reioyseth? 16 All thyne enemies gape vpon the: whysperinge and bytinge their teth, saying: let vs deuoure, for the tyme that we loked for, is come: we haue founde and sene it. 17 The Lorde hath fulfylled the thinge, that he was purposed to do: and perfourmed that he had deuised longe a go: he hath destroyed, and not spared. He hath caused thine aduersarye triumphe ouer the, and set vp the horne of thyne enemie. 18 Let thyne herte crye vnto the Lorde, O thou cytie of the daughter Sion: let thy teares runne downne lyke a ryuer daye and nyght, rest not, and let not the aple of thyne eye leaue of. 19 Stande vp and make thy praier in the fyrst watch of the nyght, poure oute thyne hert lyke water before the Lorde. lyft vp thyne handes, for the lyues of thy yonge chyldren, that dye of honger in the stretes. 20 Beholde, O Lorde, and consydre, why hast thou gathered me vp so cleane? Shall the wemen then eate their awne frute, euen chyldren of a spanne longe? Shall the prestes and prophetes be slayne thus in the Sanctuary of the Lorde? 21 Yonge and olde lye behynde the stretes vpon the grounde, my maydens and yonge men are slayne with the swearde: whom thou in the daye of thy wrathfull indignacion hast put to death: yee, euen thou hast put them to death, & not spared them. 22 My neyghboures that are rounde about me, hast thou called, as it were to a feast daye: so that in the daye of the Lordes wrath none escaped, nether was eny left behynde. Those that I haue brought & noryshed, hath myne enemy destroyed.